A control system for determining a desired gear ratio of an automatic transmission includes a pedal rate module that determines a pedal rate of an accelerator pedal, and a shift module that determines the desired gear ratio of the transmission based on a position of the accelerator pedal and the pedal rate. The shift module determines the desired gear ratio based on a comparison of the pedal rate and a predetermined rate. The predetermined rate is based on a first period since the transmission shifted into a current gear. The shift module also determines the desired gear ratio based on one of a second period the pedal rate remains less than a positive rate and a third period the pedal rate remains greater than a negative rate. A related control method is also provided.