RPI formula problems - Page 2 - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

jay santos · 02-12-2007, 09:18 PM

RPI is a really odd formula.

RPI is generally SOS heavy, meaning teams with strong SOS are overrated and teams with weak SOS are underreated.

teams with the highest SOS in the top 20:

team, RPI rank, Sagarin rank

UCLA, 1, 4
Arizona, 6, 10
Kentucky, 7, 12
Southern Illinois, 9, 20

teams with lowest SOS in the top 20:

team, RPI rank, Sagarin rank

Florida, 8, 2
T A&M, 10, 6
Memphis, 11, 9
Butler, 31, 11

So RPI is clearly SOS heavy. However, the way RPI calculates SOS errors in an SOS light way.

i.e.

though RPI ranks Arizona higher than Butler, one gets more lift in their RPI by beating #31 Butler than by beating #6 Arizona because in the RPI SOS calculation, those teams flip flop.

Very lame of college basketball to put so much stock in this formula. For as much we hate the BCS, the BCS formula is much more progressive, accurate, and fair.

02-12-2007, 09:18 PM	#1
jay santos Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 6,177	RPI formula problems RPI is a really odd formula. RPI is generally SOS heavy, meaning teams with strong SOS are overrated and teams with weak SOS are underreated. teams with the highest SOS in the top 20: team, RPI rank, Sagarin rank UCLA, 1, 4 Arizona, 6, 10 Kentucky, 7, 12 Southern Illinois, 9, 20 teams with lowest SOS in the top 20: team, RPI rank, Sagarin rank Florida, 8, 2 T A&M, 10, 6 Memphis, 11, 9 Butler, 31, 11 So RPI is clearly SOS heavy. However, the way RPI calculates SOS errors in an SOS light way. i.e. though RPI ranks Arizona higher than Butler, one gets more lift in their RPI by beating #31 Butler than by beating #6 Arizona because in the RPI SOS calculation, those teams flip flop. Very lame of college basketball to put so much stock in this formula. For as much we hate the BCS, the BCS formula is much more progressive, accurate, and fair.