(11-03-2017 10:37 AM)JMU_Degenerate Wrote: (2) Sagarin Conference Ratings dont agree with your statement about MVFC and CAA being "just better than the rest". The MVFC definitely is. JMU is in a second tier with a few others.
Tier 1
MVFC 61.12 (AQ)
Tier 2
Colonial 50.05 (AQ)
Big Sky 49.43 (AQ)
Southern 49.29 (AQ)
Tier 3
Ohio Valley 42.81 (AQ)
Big South 41.93 (AQ)
Ivy 41.54 (at large only)
Southland 38.95 (AQ)
Tier 4
Northeast 33.93 (AQ)
Patriot 32.87 (AQ)
MEAC 29.54 (at large only)
SWAC 28.62/22.74 (at large only)
Pioneer 20.84 (AQ)
It all depends whose "computer rating" you believe.
Versus has a different answer for Conference strength based on their algorithm:
1. ACC : Rating 0.5243
2. Big Ten : Rating 0.5243
3. SEC : Rating 0.4893
4. Pac-12 : Rating 0.4725
5. AAC : Rating 0.3183
6. Big 12 : Rating 0.2290
7. MAC : Rating -0.1117
8. MWC : Rating -0.2267
9. FBS Indy : Rating -0.2625
10. CAA : Rating -0.3742
11. CUSA: Rating -0.4000
12. MVFC : Rating -0.4460
13. SoCon : Rating -0.8567
14. SunBelt : Rating -0.9650
15. Big Sky : Rating -1.0346
16. Ivy League : Rating -1.0346
17. Big South : Rating -1.1767
18. OVC : Rating -1.4856
19. NEC : Rating -1.5786
20. Southland : Rating -1.6200
21. Mid-America : Rating -1.9050 (D2)
22. MEAC : Rating -2.0400
23. Patriot : Rating -2.0671
I'm all for computer ratings, just have a hard time understanding why folks are so religious about Sagarin ... simply because they are in the newspaper?
Versus rank of FCS Conferences:
1 (10) CAA : Rating -0.3742
2 (12) MVFC : Rating -0.4460
3 (13) SoCon : Rating -0.8567
4 (15) Big Sky : Rating -1.0346
5 (16) Ivy League : Rating -1.0346
6 (17) Big South : Rating -1.1767
7 (18) OVC : Rating -1.4856
8 (19) NEC : Rating -1.5786
9 (20) Southland : Rating -1.6200
10 (22) MEAC : Rating -2.0400
11 (23) Patriot : Rating -2.0671
Again, no issue with computer rankings, but I do question that Sagarin is the infallible "word of god" when it comes to ranking teams and conferences. Versus says that this year the CAA is the 1st tier, and ahead of CUSA and Sunbelt.