When I worked for ESPN full time, I put out a weekly article entitled the Vegas Power Ratings. I still have all the sources that I used to produce that article as it featured my plus/minus ratings which closely resemble Vegas’s numbers as well as three different casinos including the fine folks over at the Westgate Las Vegas Sportsbook @SuperBookSports. We are now two full weeks into the season and I will post these numbers weekly.
This is not the AP poll but gives you an idea of how much teams would be favored over another team if they met on a neutral field. I use these to get an idea of lines on upcoming games.
Let me give you some clear examples of how these ratings differ from any poll you will see. You will notice this week that Ohio State is rated #4 and Oregon is #12. You will say, but Oregon just beat Ohio State on the road by a TD so how can Ohio State be rated higher? This is not an AP ranking but if Ohio State played Oregon again this week at a neutral site the Buckeyes who were favored by 15 at home would be favored by 5 at a neutral site this week. Northern Illinois was +19 but beat Georgia Tech on the road. If those teams met at a neutral site this week Georgia Tech would be favored by 13 points.
Here is this year’s 2nd edition of my Vegas Power Ranking for the 2021 season!
