In an effort to shed additional light on how these rankings are calculated, I want to provide the first in a three part series of explanations of the calculations. So we start where we should- wins.
In my opinion, the point of football is to win the game, so while there is certainly room for style points and moral victories, half of the available points come from whether or not you win the game.
The basics are pretty simple, you earn points based on the number of wins divided by the number of games played. This is necessary because of bye weeks and 13 game seasons- to put people on a generally equal playing field.
Overtime wins and losses count as just that- wins and losses, but they do affect points earned through margin of victory- as you will see in a later post.
The wrinkle for this year is separating home vs. away vs. neutral wins. I felt it was necessary to recognize that a win on the road means more than one at home. Home wins receive 97% of win points and Away wins receive 103% of win points. That may not sound like much of a difference but it can move someone +/- 3 or 4 spots in the rankings.
Wins is the greatest contributor to early season volatility but it helps the system get everything right by the end of the year. Most Top 25 programs will end the year with 3 or 4 losses at the most. So wins really establish the men from the boys, and then margin of victory and schedule strength determine the best men from the rest.
This is why Oklahoma and Ohio State dropped out of the Top 25. Give it a week or two until they end up 3-1 and most other teams lose and you will see them back in the mix. Or, if they start the season 2-2, maybe they don’t deserve the Top 25.
