RPR Format
Purpose: To rate FBS teams for a season, with intention of rating seasons from 1936 to present. The teams rated are determined by their inclusion in the FBS or the previous equivalent incarnations.
Determination of Rated Teams: Rated teams will be determined as FBS or equivalent based on sources listed below
* 1978-present: classified as FBS team in the NCAA FBS Record Book
* 1946-1977: classified as major college team in the NCAA Conference Standings and Champions Record Book
* Up to 1945: classified as FBS-equivalent by James Howell’s research
* Select Non-FBS teams will be rated at my discretion if it’s determined that approximately/over half of a team’s schedule was against previously-designated FBS teams (≥ 50% for even number of games played; ≥ 45% for odd number of games played)
Premise of Rating & Components: Rating = Performance + Strength of Schedule. Performance is based on two components – Win Percentage and Score Ratio. For display purposes only, all values are rounded off to 4 decimal places after calculations have been completed.
Win Percentage (WP) – 25%
Calculated as number of wins divided by number of games played. Calculated based on on-field results (no adjustments for forfeits/vacated games)
Ties (prior to 1996) – 1/2 win, 1/2 loss
Strength of Schedule (SOS) – 50%
SOS = 2/3*OWP + 1/3*OOWP
OWP: Opponent’s win percentage independent of team
OOWP: Opponent’s opponents’ win percentage independent of team’s opponents
No weighted adjustments for game location. Teams are only counted once, meaning if two teams play twice in a season, their OWP and OOWP aren’t counted a 2nd time in the calculation. For non-FBS opponents, only games by those teams against FBS competition are factored into the SOS calculation.
Score Ratio (SR) – 25%
Percentage of a team’s points scored against total points scored in their games.
Rating = 25% WP + 50% SOS + 25% SR. Teams are rated from highest value to lowest value.
Co-championship Consideration Process: Similar to the late David Rothman’s FACT ratings, I will further examine my ratings to determine potential co-champions for a season through 2 separate methods:
1) FBS-only formula comparison
* I will run a secondary formula with only FBS vs FBS games (removing all contests involving non-FBS teams)
* If my original formula and strictly-FBS formula result in differing #1 teams, then those teams will be declared co-champions
2) Co-champion Consideration Threshold (CCT) method:
* If the FBS-only formula comparison doesn’t yield co-champions, then my original CCT method will be used
* CCT is calculated based on (highest rating – lowest rating) divided by a set value based on number of FBS teams: 20 for 121-140 FBS teams; 15 for 101-120 teams; 10 for 100 teams or less.
* Any team(s) that fall within the CCT rating cutoff (highest rating – CCT value) will be compared to #1 team based on 5 factors: Win %, SOS, Score Ratio, Head-to-head results, and record vs RPR Top 25. If a team has a cumulative edge in those 5 categories, co-champions will be declared.
If teams are declared co-champions via the CCT method, their ratings will be averaged together for an adjusted rating to reflect co-champion status.