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How good were the seasons? Based on schedules, wins, and how hard the victories were – and how bad the losses were – the 2015 College Football Season Rankings

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2015 College Football Season Rankings: No. 4 Stanford

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– Explanation of the College Football Season Rankings and the components

4. Stanford Cardinal, Pac-12

Why couldn’t the Cardinal get by Northwestern? Stanford started the season by not being able get up for a 16-6 loss to one Big Ten team, and it ended it with a total domination of another in a 45-16 Rose Bowl blasting of Iowa. If they had beaten Northwestern, they would’ve ended up in the playoff after coming up with impressive win after impressive win, including the Pac-12 championship victory over USC.

How impressive was the season? Nine of the 12 victories were Quality Wins including thrillers over Washington State on the road and Notre Dame at home. The lone loss came to Oregon in a defining moment for the Ducks, but it didn’t matter in the Pac-12 title chase. The offense kept on rolling, finishing the season scoring 31 points or more in every game but one – in Evanston.

Wins: 12 – UCF, at USC, at Oreon State, Arizona, UCLA, Washington, at Washington State, at Colorado, California, Notre Dame, USC (Pac-12 Championship), Iowa (Rose Bowl)

Losses: 2 – at Northwestern, Oregon

Quality Wins: 9 – at USC, Arizona, UCLA, Washington, at Washington State, Oregon, California, Notre Dame, USC (Pac-12 Championship), Iowa (Rose Bowl)

Elite Wins: 1 – Iowa (Rose Bowl)

Bad Wins: 2 – UCF, at Oregon State

Elite Losses: None

2015 Season Ranking Score 24.49

2015 Record 11-2
2015 Preseason Prediction 9-3
2015 Preseason Ranking 21
2014 Final Season Ranking 36