CFB Marble Game

Simple Rules for a Complex Season // A web app built in the open by @_KevinSmith // All praise for the Marble Game idea itself goes to @iowahawkblog.

[CFB Marble Game @CFBMarbleGame]

Only game played since last week is Army-Navy, so no change in top 12.

[CFB Marble Game @CFBMarbleGame]

Final rankings for the 2025 season

https://t.co/KzY1ZiZjEb

[Lord B @BGH1968]

@paulsperry_ @CFBPlayoff The best system has already been around awhile = @CFBMarbleGame

[CFB Marble Game @CFBMarbleGame]

@JamesHCarson @iowahawkblog Worth a shot. All this just makes me think I need to set up a marble rules playground for people to devise their own and see what happens.

[David Burge @iowahawkblog]

@CFBMarbleGame (a) the Marble Game playoff would only include 3 Big Ten teams: 13-0 Indiana, 12-1 Ohio State, and 11-1 Oregon.

(b) there is no whining among any other Big Ten teams that they have a divine right to a playoff bid with 3 losses

https://t.co/tfLFu4N0B3

[Minnow @Phila_Mino]

@iowahawkblog @CFBMarbleGame If you budgeted for twenty or so grandees to fly in to somewhere once a quarter to "monitor the marbles," we could sell this.

[David Burge @iowahawkblog]

If I were in charge of college football, I'd merely get rid of the playoff selection committee and replace it with some version of the @CFBMarbleGame.

I suppose that's delusional too, but it'd be easier to bully a single ESPN than 136 separate university presidents

[Solomon Kane 🦬 @SolomonKane1928]

@JamesHCarson @CFBMarbleGame @iowahawkblog Perhaps rather than rewarding a close game winner, punish a blowout loser. If you lose by more than 28 points you lose an extra 10% of your marbles. This forces teams to play closer to each other without having to determine what "close" is. It also rewards teams who keep playing.

[Sinner, Friended by Jesus @UneasyOeuvre]

@RGIII @CFBMarbleGame is the solution

[CFB Marble Game @CFBMarbleGame]

@JamesHCarson https://t.co/dlnkX7eZf2

[CFB Marble Game @CFBMarbleGame]

Apologies again, another bug got us this week. Didn't change the ranking order, just caused some of the marbles to be a bit off.

Here's the corrected set of marbles.

[CFB Marble Game @CFBMarbleGame]

@JamesHCarson What in the world. Ok, I'll try to have a look today. Thanks for catching this!

[CFB Marble Game @CFBMarbleGame]

Apologies again, another bug got us this week. Didn't change the ranking order, just caused some of the marbles to be a bit off.

Here's the corrected set of marbles.

[CFB Marble Game @CFBMarbleGame]

Week 16 Rankings

https://t.co/KzY1ZiZjEb

[Auburn Tiger 89 @AUTigerx89]

@MichiganPodcast The fairest way is based on the @CFBMarbleGame. No conference auto-bids. No guaranteed conference bids. Just the top teams.

[CFB Marble Game @CFBMarbleGame]

@JamesHCarson @skirtsnhose @iowahawkblog Point spread also introduces third-party speculative data as variables in the math.

[Jim Carson @JamesHCarson]

Let's post this to the wider X. Dave is contemplating scoring "close" games differently. Let me know your thoughts. Please read all comments. Suggestions welcome, but note some are far more work to test than others.

@CFBMarbleGame @iowahawkblog

[Joe McWopSki @LakesFirearmsTr]

@ianmSC SEC fan (Gators) and I agree. They need to adopt the @CFBMarbleGame ranking system. It's the most fair, unbiased way to rank teams

[Jim Carson @JamesHCarson]

Marble Game status as of 4pm ET:

Texas Tech is #1, but the winner of OSU/IU *will* pass them, so they will finish #2. (Georgia cannot catch them.)

BYU drops to #12.

Tulane is still #19 despite their win. They're only one marble behind USC.

James Madison moved up two spots, passing Michigan and TCU.

@CFBMarbleGame @iowahawkblog

[Auburn Tiger 89 @AUTigerx89]

@awfulannouncing Option 4: @CFBMarbleGame

[Kevin Smith @_KevinSmith]

@MagisFuturum @iowahawkblog @GiveSendGo @CFBMarbleGame No need! Will do more when I have the time, it’s just a busy season at the moment. Donations wouldn’t change that. But thank you!