Commentary
There is a lot of volatility in this week's power rankings, which you would not expect this late in the season. Partially, that is due to a copy error where the L10 column contained team losses, rather than wins in the last 10 games.
Due to the volatility, however, I'll dive into the power ranking methodology briefly.
The power rankings are derived from a simple formula combining overall wins (W), wins in the last 10 (L10), and current streak (Streak). In order to keep the point scale relatively tight, one point is awarded for each overall win above the average number of wins league-wide. This allows better teams to be ranked higher than worse teams, in terms of win/loss record.
To create some volatility, and to reward teams that are playing hot, an additional half point is earned for each win in the last 10, and a quarter of a point is added for the current streak. An active losing streak results in a quarter point deduction for each loss.
As an example, let's say that the average team has won 40 games.
- Team X has won 42 and has won 7 of their last 10, including 4 in a row.
- Team Y has won 43 but has won just 4 of their last 10, and has lost 3 in a row.
While Team Y has the better win/loss, Team X has been hotter in the last week, and that will show up in the rankings.
Team X Points: (42-40) + (7/2) + (4/4) = 6.5
Team Y Points: (43-40) + (4/2) + (-3/4) = 4.25
So even though Team Y is technically better, Team X gets a lift from its recent play. They would probably pass Team Y soon in overall W/L if the trend continued, so it also serves as a kind of bellwether.
A great example of this in the current standings is Mexico City and Chicago ranked ahead of Iowa City and Jackson. MC and Chicago both have 40 wins but have both won 6 of their last 10, while IC and Jackson are both skidding, despite having 41 wins.
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