This is Alpha, the first-born, when he was 2YO.
This is Beta, the second-born, when he was about 2YO.
This is Gamma, the third-born, when he was about 18MO.
Sports Rankings
Oct
20
2015
With college football underway, there are plenty o’ pundits weighing in on who is the best.
It’s a perennial conversation because of the way that the NCAA has avoided finding a champion for college football. Instead, we have many winners. Everyone gets a bowl game!
But I digress.
My topic today is how I disagree with those who say that the previous year’s champion should remain the top-ranked team the next year until they lose.
I have a couple of problems with that.
1. The teams are not the same from year to year. The coach might be, and many of the players are, but it is not the same team. It’s college, so you should expect around 25% turnover each year.
2. That statement of “you’re the best until you lose” applies only to king of the hill and boxing. Unless you have to defend your title against challengers, you can’t claim to still be the best. Or have others claim it for you.
Last year’s champion should not be assumed to be the best this year. If you’re putting together a ranking, evaluate each team based on this year’s accomplishments and statistics.
Or for those who want to have a reason for pre-season rankings: you could propose a king-of-the-hill format. No more predictable scheduling – team #1 plays team #2 and whoever wins gets to be team #1 the next week. The loser is out of the running.
Let’s assume 128 teams total, so 64 matchups each week.
1 vs 2, 3 vs 4, 5 vs 6, 7 vs 8, etc.
1v2 winner becomes #1, loser becomes #65
3v4 winner becomes #2, loser becomes #66
5v6 winner becomes #3, loser becomes #67
7v8 winner becomes #4, loser becomes #68
.
.
.
63v64 winner becomes #32, loser becomes #96
.
.
.
127v128 winner becomes #64, loser becomes #128
So the formula is
For n teams, your new ranking is
if you win: r = rp/2
if you lose: r = rp/2 + n/2
where r is your new ranking and rp is your previous ranking
That way, if you win all your games you can stay #1.
If you lose a game, it will take you log2(r)+1 games to get back to #1.
This method would not be good for relative rankings late in the season, or at the end of the season. But if you want a method for defending the title, you can’t be concerned with the losers.
and he who invited you both will come and say to you, “Give your place to this man,” and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place.
Luke 14:9
This little article thingy was written by Some Guy sometime around 6:51 am and has been carefully placed in the Sports category.
