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What are these rankings? These rankings are computer rankings, plain and simple. They measure how well a team has played UP TO THIS POINT. They are not a predictor of future games, nor are they a measure of whether one team IS better than another, they are simply measuring what teams have PLAYED better up 'til now. The rankings use a formula similar to those computer rankings used by the BCS to measure NCAA Division I teams (like Arizona, USC, Texas, etc.). If you are interested in knowing more, check this link which explains the methodology in greater detail. What info do you use to create the rankings? Wins and losses. Pretty simple. Conference strength is an implicit part of the formula, but is not directly called upon. Does strength of schedule factor in somehow? Yes, strength of schedule is a definite factor in the rankings - a team will gain points roughly equivalent to 3/4 of their SOS rank. Strength of schedule, however, is not determined by the old NCAA formula from the late 90's/early 2000's (2/3 of opponent's schedule, 1/3 opponent's opponent's schedule). Instead, the SOS is calculated by taking the weighted average of the opponents' ratings. This allows the system to account for tougher opponents and gives those games more weight vs. weak opponents. Basically, if the NCAA dropped the old SOS formula, there's no reason why I should use it either. What happens when a team doesn't have a game one week? Nothing. The team gains no points at all for having a bye week, and therefore their total points will only increase/decrease by their SOS calculation. In the past, teams used to gain a set number of points for being idle, but starting in 2010, that will now cease. Let's say that team B was highly ranked when team A beat them. Do the points team A received change during the course of the season? The points do not change as the season progresses because it's not fair to the teams: Let's say Team B is ranked #1 after week 5 because it's undefeated and has a schedule strength of 10 (out of 34 teams in the division). [Note: The SOS is only used as a reference point to show that Team B was not playing a weak schedule.] In other words, Team B deserves a #1 ranking. In week 6, Team A beats Team B. Team A gets the points for beating a highly ranked team. However, Team B goes on a 3-game losing streak afterwards. Is it fair to Team A to drop their points because Team B now is a mediocre team? No, of course not. They beat a highly ranked and good team at the time, therefore they deserve the points for beating such a team. One could suggest that Team A exposed Team B's weaknesses in beating Team B - not to mention Team A was the first team to beat Team B that season! One of the BCS computer ranking authors, Richard Billingsley, has a pretty relevant quote on this topic: "How can the mind set and intensity of a game be overlooked 4 weeks later? ... Credit is given to the original 'mind set and intensity' of the game." Lastly, changing point values as the season progresses ends up penalizing teams that might have a big non-conference win or two early on in their season but play in a weak conference. How come my team dropped in the rankings even though they won? That shouldn't happen, should it? Yes, teams can drop even if they win - I have not seen a poll yet (AP, Coaches, computer, etc.) where this does not happen. One of the reasons why this happens is because another team has RISEN in the rankings to replace a team, and thus teams are bumped down. Another reason is that a team's SOS has changed and thus the amount of points gained that week are smaller, thus causing a small drop in the rankings. Why are some teams highlighted in red or blue? The teams highlighted have been involved in a forfeited game after-the-fact, meaning that the game was played, but the result was forfeited by the winning team for any number of reasons - usually the use of an ineligible player. Red = loss, blue = win. For example, Boulder Creek forfeited three games in 2007, so you may see these colors appear in certain rankings. New for 2010, forfeited games will be recalculated as losses (or wins, if you happen to be the opponent), so a team's rank WILL change. Previously, the rank/points were unchanged, but the record was updated to reflect the current win-loss total with forfeits factored in. Teams will still be highlighted in red/blue to acknowledge forfeits. How come there is an SOS column? What is that? SOS is the abbreviation for Strength of Schedule, and it is caculated because enough people wanted to know how tough their team's schedule is. The SOS calculation is used as part of the ranking methodology but is provided as a separate calculation starting in week 2 each season. |