Conference USA Tiebreaker Rules
How Conference USA's published tiebreaker procedure works, and exactly how SportsSimulate's 2025 season simulation evaluates every step - written as reference material independent of any particular week's scenarios.
- 1
Head-to-head record
If the tied teams played each other this season, that result decides it directly - among three or more tied teams, this is each team's combined record against just the others in the tie.
- 2
CFP rankings (or the equivalent computer-ratings composite before the committee's rankings begin)
The higher-ranked team in the most recent College Football Playoff committee rankings - or, in weeks before the committee publishes rankings, a composite of computer rating systems.
Not simulated: CFP Selection Committee rankings aren't ingested, so this step is skipped and the tiebreaker falls through to the next one.
- 3
Computer rankings composite
An average ranking across several computer rating systems (e.g. Connelly SP+, SportSource, ESPN SOR, KPI).
Not simulated: depends on external computer rating feeds (SP+, SportSource, ESPN SOR, KPI) that aren't ingested.
- 4
Computer rankings composite (fallback)
A narrower backup composite (just two of the same systems), used only if the full composite above is still tied.
Not simulated, for the same reason as the composite above.
- 5
NCAA Academic Progress Rate
A measure of eligibility and retention for the team's players - very rarely the deciding step, but written into the conference's official policy as a last resort.
Not simulated: NCAA Academic Progress Rate data isn't ingested.
- 6
Random draw
If every step above still leaves teams tied, the tie is broken by a random draw - in practice, a coin toss.
Official source: CUSA Football Championship Game Tiebreaker Policy
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the Conference USA Championship Game tiebreaker work?
When two or more teams finish tied atop the Conference USA standings, the conference's own published tiebreaker procedure decides the order - working through each of these 6 steps in turn until one of them produces a winner: Head-to-head record, then CFP rankings (or the equivalent computer-ratings composite before the committee's rankings begin), then Computer rankings composite, then Computer rankings composite (fallback), then NCAA Academic Progress Rate, then Random draw.
Did the Conference USA tiebreaker procedure change for the 2025 season?
No - Conference USA's tiebreaker procedure for 2025 is unchanged from the prior season.
Does strength of schedule affect Conference USA tiebreakers?
No - Conference USA's published tiebreaker procedure does not use strength of schedule at all. Ties are broken instead by Head-to-head record, then CFP rankings (or the equivalent computer-ratings composite before the committee's rankings begin), then Computer rankings composite, then Computer rankings composite (fallback), then NCAA Academic Progress Rate, falling back to a random draw only if all of those still leave teams even.
Do Conference USA tiebreakers depend on CFP committee rankings?
Yes, in principle - the second step in Conference USA's procedure calls for the CFP Selection Committee's rankings (or an equivalent computer-ratings composite before the committee starts publishing). SportsSimulate doesn't ingest the committee's actual rankings, so this simulation approximates that step using conference strength of schedule instead.
What happens if a Conference USA tie is still unbroken after every tiebreaker step?
Conference USA's procedure falls back to a random draw (in practice, a coin toss) if every step before it - Head-to-head record, then CFP rankings (or the equivalent computer-ratings composite before the committee's rankings begin), then Computer rankings composite, then Computer rankings composite (fallback), then NCAA Academic Progress Rate - still leaves the tied teams even.
Can academic performance decide a Conference USA championship tiebreaker?
Yes - Conference USA's published policy includes NCAA Academic Progress Rate as one of its tiebreaker steps, though it's a last resort reached only if every result-based step above it still leaves the tied teams even, and it's very rarely the deciding factor in practice. SportsSimulate doesn't ingest APR data, so this step is skipped in the simulation and the tiebreaker falls through to a random draw instead.