Most ranking systems are black boxes. They tell you who's #1, but not why. We think that's backwards. Here's exactly how we calculate every team's ranking.
The Core Formula
Every team starts at zero. Each game adds or subtracts points based on:
Game Points = Base Points × Location Modifier × Opponent Strength × Margin Bonus
Breaking Down Each Factor
1. Base Points
Wins earn positive points, losses earn negative points. The base values are calibrated so that a .500 team against average competition ends up around rank 175 (middle of D1).
2. Location Modifier
- Home games: 0.85x (15% penalty—it's easier to win at home)
- Away games: 1.15x (15% bonus—road wins are impressive)
- Neutral site: 1.0x (no adjustment)
3. Opponent Strength
This is where it gets interesting. We don't just look at whether you beat a "good" team—we look at exactly how good they were when you played them.
- Top 5 opponent: 1.5x multiplier
- Top 10: 1.35x
- Top 25: 1.2x
- Top 50: 1.1x
- Below 200: 0.8x penalty
4. Margin Bonus
Blowouts matter, but with diminishing returns. A 20-point win isn't twice as impressive as a 10-point win.
Conference Strength
We track how each conference performs against other conferences throughout the season. This becomes a multiplier on all games against teams from that conference.
The Big Ten might start at 1.05x and end at 1.12x if they dominate non-conference play. A weaker conference might drop from 0.95x to 0.88x.
Try It Yourself
Premium members can use Sandbox Mode to adjust any of these parameters and see how it changes the rankings. Find your perfect formula.