About

Ever since my junior high days in the mid-sixties, I have been fascinated by rating systems. Having grown up in Indiana, I was particularly interested in high school basketball rankings, and I would take great pleasure in seeing a small school ranked above a traditional powerhouse. But I always had the question, “How did they come up with that?”

My question goes unanswered by many of today’s rating systems. Some systems do not disclose their methodology at all, and some only provide partial explanations. Others use high-level mathematics or statistics that are difficult for the average person to comprehend.

My goal in creating RAMS was to develop an understandable retrodictive rating system based on three factors – Record, Average Margin, and Schedule. (A retrodictive rating system is one that attempts to determine which team has done better in past games, as opposed to a predictive system, which attempts to predict which team will do better in upcoming contests.)

By using simple algebra and an Excel spreadsheet, I hope to provide a logical, transparent ranking of teams based on their body of work over the course of the year. And I hope my explanation of the process provides a sufficient answer to the question “How did he come up with that?” even when my rankings go against conventional wisdom (which they will from time to time).

RAMS Basic Tenets

• If two teams have identical schedules, the team with the better record will be ranked higher.
• If two teams have identical schedules and records, the team with the higher average scoring margin will be ranked higher.
• A team with a perfect record will be ranked higher than any team it defeated.
• A team with no wins or ties will be ranked lower than any team that defeated it.
• Ratings based on body of work over the course of the year. (No distinction between regular-season and post-season games.)
• Home court advantage is not considered. (A one-point win at home is better than a one-point loss on the road.)
• RAMS considers prior year results only when there is no other basis for comparison.