The Ferringo 15 is my Profit-Power Rankings, a ladder or hierarchy based on which teams are the most profitable on the field. I'm not trying to give you some other nonsensical, random, speculative power rankings based on my own biases and conjecture. So instead of Alabama moving up or down the polls on the basis of how badly they blew out Vanderbilt the previous Saturday, I'm going to rank each team based on past, present, and projected future achievement against the spread.

And over the past two years this version of college football power rankings has been on point. In 2007 the teams that finished in the Ferringo 15 had a collective 121-46-1 mark against the spread. In 2008 they came back and went 81-63-3 in the week that they were in the Ferringo 15. In 2009 the teams that were in the F-15 only managed to win 53 percent of their games that Saturday. But, all in all, these college football power rankings have been exactly what any good gambler hopes to be: profitable in the long term.

It was an excellent week for the Ferringo 15, as it went 8-5 ATS overall for a tidy profit. Actually, the record was 7-4 because Florida State and North Carolina State went up against one another. That is now back-to-back winning weeks for the teams listed in this space and over the last four weeks it has gone 36-28. Also, for the year that makes the F-15 teams a respectable 49-40 the week that they have been listed in these power rankings.

Remember: I’m not listing the 15 teams that I think will cover in a given week. This is just a list of 15 teams that I think present the best blend of immediate and long-term earning potential against the books, while also giving credit to teams for recent, past performances. So without further ado, here is my Ferringo 15 (all records are ATS against the closing line):

1. Hawaii (8-1) – This is the week where we find out what the Warriors are really about. They are 5-0 in conference and they have positioned themselves as a legitimate impediment to Boise State’s national title hopes. Last year Hawaii was embarrassed, 54-9, on its home turf by the Broncos and the last time they beat Boise was 2007. However, they are actually 4-1 ATS in this series.

2. Utah (6-1-1) – A win but non-cover last week wasn’t enough to shake my confidence in this group of middle-aged overachievers. The Utes are a very live dog this week and they are 3-0 SU and 2-1 ATS in their last three home games against the Horned Frogs. Utah is 9-1-1 ATS in their last 11 games and they are a ridiculous 27-7-1 ATS as an underdog. This one is all about avoiding turnovers against the faster, more athletic Horned Frogs. But there is no doubt that Utah is physically capable of banging around the Frogs for 60 minutes this week.

3. Ohio State (7-2) – It is a rare late-season off week for the Buckeyes after yet another dominating effort last week in Minnesota. Ohio State is tied with Michigan State for the conference title and has the edge in the third tiebreaker (BCS standings). But they also have a rough road to close out the year. They get Penn State at home next week but then have to travel to Iowa and then bounce back with their big rivalry game, at home, against Michigan.

4. Oregon State (5-1-1) – Mike Riley and his boys bounced back from a tough OT loss to Washington just fine last week with a demolition of Cal. This week they get a UCLA team that is in a free fall, but the Beavers have really struggled with the Bruins during Riley’s tenure. OSU is just 1-6 ATS against UCLA the last seven years. That said, Oregon State is a stupendous 35-16-1 ATS in its last 52 games and 36-16-1 ATS in its last 53 conference games. The Beavers have won 10 of their last 15 conference road games outright.

5. Central Florida (7-1) – That was a serious statement win by the Knights last week against East Carolina. Now they have to keep the intensity up this week for a tough road trip to Houston this Saturday. I marked this game as one of the top revenge games of the season for the Cougars, who blew a 17-3 lead last year in Florida. Houston still hasn’t gotten over the loss of Case Keenum this year (and their No. 2 quarterback as well). But they have still bounced back to score 101 points in back-to-back blowout road wins the last two weeks. UCF is 3-0 ATS on the road this year but the home team in this series is 3-0 SU and ATS.

6. Boise State (5-2) – Boise State should benefit from a few extra days of preparation since they beat Louisiana Tech last Tuesday. They are definitely being challenged this week by Hawaii, and I think that is going to get this team’s blood boiling. As a result, I think we’re going to see a finely tuned team playing its best ball of the season. The question then becomes is Hawaii good enough to play with them and is Boise good enough to blow out a decent squad. The Broncos are 7-2 ATS the week after not covering a spread (they didn’t cover last week) dating back to 2008 and they are 3-1 ATS the last four times they were favored by 20 or more against Hawaii. 

7. San Diego State (6-2) – It looks like the books have been pretty much on point with this team over the last month. There were two games in which they didn’t cover (vs. new Mexico and BYU) and then in the two in which they did they did by just 1.5 combined points. That worries me when I see a line like 17.5 in a game in which you know the Aztecs should lay the lumber. This week’s opponent, Colorado State, is actually on a solid 5-1 ATS rush itself while SDSU is just 3-2 ATS in its last five. 

8. Oklahoma State (6-2) – I thought that was a big-time win for the Cowboys last weekend. They were without their best player, Justin Blackmon, and had to go to one of the toughest venues in the conference in Manhattan with all kinds of off-field nonsense distracting. Not only that, but they got down early and had to grind out a win despite their lowest point production of the season (24 points). This team is having a special season. Blackmon will be back this week for a crucial game with Big 12 South leader Baylor, and the Cowboys and the No. 2 offense in the nation should be clicking once again. The Cowboys have covered four straight in this series and are 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings. Only one of the last 10 meetings has been decided by less than 16 points. 

9. Northern Illinois (6-2-1) – It looks like the Huskies are on a crash course with Temple for the MAC title. Sort of. This team has a Tuesday meeting with Toledo in a game that is now a surprise matchup for the MAC West lead. I don’t think anyone anticipated this game having this much meaning when the schedule was announced. This is Northern Illinois’ final home game of the season and that should give NIU a big emotional lift. That is now six straight wins and seven straight covers (counting the ‘push’) for Northern Illinois and in back-to-back weeks they manhandled two of their biggest rivals. They need to gear up once more to lock up a division title.

10. Arkansas State (7-2) – The Sun Belt is always good for one great ATS team and this year the privilege belongs to the Red Wolves. This team lost a load of experience from last year’s team and this is one of Steve Roberts’ best coaching jobs at ASU. They absolutely wrecked Middle Tennessee State on Tuesday and now they have 11 days to prepare for a weak Western Kentucky club.

11. Syracuse (6-2) – If Doug Marrone doesn’t win National Coach of the Year then there is something seriously wrong. The Orange absolutely dominated Cincinnati on the road last week, and talk of them winning the Big East has gone from ridiculous to required in the Tri-State Area. But now Syracuse is back in the unfamiliar role of favorite and their style – ground and pound – doesn’t generally lend itself to covering a lot of chalk. But Syracuse has covered five straight against Louisville and they should benefit from a lively Carrier Dome crowd as this win-starved football program is finally back on the map.

12. Virginia Tech (6-2) – The Hokies have owned Thursday nights over the past few years and have had two weeks to prep for this rivalry/revenge game. This is a critical contest in the ACC race and the Hokies play three straight games against their top competition in the Coastal (G-Tech, UNC and Miami). Those two weeks of preparation is critical because they are facing an option team this week. Virginia Tech is 17-5 ATS on Thursdays and they are 38-15 ATS in ACC play. The Hokies are on a roll and I think their potent offense will be able to chew up a very young Yellowjackets defense.   

13. Illinois (6-2) – Much like Oklahoma State, Illinois is having an incredible bounce back year. The more I see Nate Scheelhaase the more I like this kid and I think he’s already shown better decision making than Juice Williams ever had. Illinois has beaten Michigan the last two years and has covered three of the last four meetings. They like the speed game that Michigan wants to play and the Illini have been doing it longer and better than the Wolverines. Illinois is 7-1 ATS as an underdog and Michigan is just 7-20 ATS in Big Ten play. The Illini had enough to go into Happy Valley and pummel Penn State this year and they have won their last two games by 30 points apiece. This team is no joke. 

14. Michigan State (6-3) – I’m not going to hammer the Spartans for getting embarrassed last week in Ames. They were only outgained by 100 yards, yet lost by 31. And after eight straight wins and five straight covers I’m not ready to jump ship here. That said, they haven’t been much of a “blowout” team this year. They are favored by 24 points this week, but the only team they’ve beaten by more than 24 this year was Northern Colorado. The Spartans are also just 2-7 ATS in their last nine against Minnesota and the favorite is just 1-8 ATS in the last nine meetings. The Spartans could be due for a little letdown after last week’s beating. But they are also still on the inside track for the Big Ten title and they should be favored in their remaining three contests.

15. North Carolina State (6-2) – Huge comeback win at home last Thursday for the Wolfpack. They are now truly in the mix for the ACC Atlantic title but they also have plenty of work to do with three of their next four games on the road. N.C. State has lost six straight to Clemson and despite being in the Top 25 they are healthy dogs this week. The road team in this series is on a 5-0 ATS run and the Wolfpack are an excellent 5-1 ATS in their last six trips to Clemson. But they will need to avoid a letdown this week if they don’t want to get blow out of this one early.

Others Receiving Votes: Ohio (6-3), Oregon (6-2), Temple (6-3)

Robert Ferringo is a writer and a professional sports handicapper for Doc’s Sports. He has banked $6,000 in profit for his clients after four of five winning football weeks and is rolling out more predictions this week. This week’s card will include another exciting Game of the Year. He has brought in over $15,000 in overall profit in all sports over the last two-plus months. You can sign up for his college football and NFL picks and get more information here.