My First Raw RPI Rankings of the 24-25 Season

Brady Peterson December 16, 2024 @ 10:42 AM

Well, it only took about four hours of reformatting last night because of all the sectional changes due to "competitive balance," enrollment, or whatever other reason sectionals could change. I wanted to preface that with some other information about how the Raw RPI works, at least with what I put out.   My Formula is not what the WIAA uses. However, it is a solid baseline of where teams usually end up.   I will never claim to be perfect with these, and I do my best to ballpark these numbers within my constraints. I do not have access to which schools cancel their season mid-season. I'm at the mercy of when teams put in scores. I also don't have a ready-made system to automatically run the numbers for me as the week rolls on.   The Raw RPI does not say which team is the best.   One of the quick observations is that the presumptive top team in the state, Pewaukee, checks in on the All-Division RPI at No. 9, D1 at No. 3, and as the No. 3 seed in their sectional. That doesn't mean Pewaukee isn't better than the teams above them. I'd say, 90% of the time, it's down to the teams above them that have played more teams with excellent records.   Things will change as the season goes on but also keep in mind my Raw RPI formula IS NOT what the WIAA uses to seed teams.   The early batches will look a little weird.   As I stated, talented teams like Pewaukee won't always be the No. 1 team. They'll likely end up there at the end of the season. However, it does show trends that will likely stick throughout.   A perfect example is the RPI's in Sectional Two of Division One. Eight teams in Sectional Two would have home-court in Sectional One if they were in that sectional instead. That's not surprising because we knew Sectional Two was the powerhouse. However, we now have a solid idea of just how much better they are than the other sectionals.   The No. 1 school in every other Sectional would be, at best, No. 4 in the first edition of the Raw RPI Rankings, which is insane.   There are better postings out there, especially Zaleski Sports'.   Along with never claiming I'm perfect, I also won't say I have the best RPI rankings in the state. I know Zaleski has had that down pat for a few years now. They do excellent work live streaming around the state and with their seeding information.   I do not input out-of-state scores or non-WIAA schools' scores.   I can never be perfect in seeding teams because I never input out-of-state or non-WIAA schools' scores. I haven't found a good way to do it. I also, unfortunately, don't do it for a living.   The WIAA does utilize those non-WIAA and out-of-state scores, but all games are essentially a WIAA team playing a 12-12 team that's only played teams that are 12-12, and I haven't dove head first in to try and solidify those in my excel sheet, so I leave those out entirely.   I believe the WIAA weighs a team's winning percentage more than I do.   Teams that have tended to outperform my ratings have been teams with fewer losses in a season.     Teams like Homestead in 23-24 played a rigorous non-conference schedule, but their opponents' winning percentage didn't seem to help them as much as it did in my RPI rankings. That's another aspect to keep in mind when looking at my postings.   <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1s3FCavb9wIDkbFcsb5Mwxil1tv6AWmviEtMtIGNtItg/edit?usp=sharing">VIEW THE RANKINGS HERE BEFORE THEY'RE POSTED AT NOON</a>

Well, it only took about four hours of reformatting last night because of all the sectional changes due to "competitive balance," enrollment, or whatever other reason sectionals could change. I wanted to preface that with some other information about how the Raw RPI works, at least with what I put out.