Physicists and Football

Physicists at the University of Michgian have devised a new way to rank college football teams that, unlike the current Bowl Championship Series (BCS) system, is easily understood by fans who do not specialize in the study of algorithms. According to the U of M formula, if A beats B, and B beats C, then A also beats C. The strength of this system is that it accounts for the strength of a team's schedule, with teams getting direct wins by beating a team, and indirect wins by beating a team that beat another team. Not surprisingly, Big Ten teams fare rather well.