ARGH Power Ratings
Encyclopedia
The ARGH Power Ratings are a sports rating system
created by Stewart Huckaby in 1990 and designed to identify the best team from within a closed system. They are most closely identified with NCAA
football
. The system is designed to be both predictive
and retrodictive
in nature, although in practice it has proven to be more strongly predictive than retrodictive.
The ARGH Power Ratings evaluate teams taking into account a team's wins and losses, its points scored both for and against, its schedule, and the location of the team's games. It is unusual in that for the purposes of providing meaningful ratings throughout the season it seeds teams based on several stated criteria, including records from the previous two seasons, the previous year's strength of schedule, the number of returning starters, whether the head coach is returning, whether the starting quarterback
is returning, and published recruiting rankings from several preseason publications. Preseason seedings disappear over the course of the season, and are completely absent from consideration by the time the season ends.
This system is also sometimes used for NCAA basketball
, but due to the relative lack of available preseason information, ARGH basketball power ratings are strictly retrodictive in nature.
Sports rating system
A sports rating system is a system that analyzes the results of sports competitions to provide objective ratings for each team or player. Rankings are then derived by sorting each team's ratings and assigning an ordinal rank to each team starting with the highest rated team earning the #1 rank...
created by Stewart Huckaby in 1990 and designed to identify the best team from within a closed system. They are most closely identified with NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
. The system is designed to be both predictive
Prediction
A prediction or forecast is a statement about the way things will happen in the future, often but not always based on experience or knowledge...
and retrodictive
Retrodiction
Retrodiction is the act of making a "prediction" about the past. This is especially useful when one wishes to test a theory whose actual predictions are too long-term to be of immediate use...
in nature, although in practice it has proven to be more strongly predictive than retrodictive.
The ARGH Power Ratings evaluate teams taking into account a team's wins and losses, its points scored both for and against, its schedule, and the location of the team's games. It is unusual in that for the purposes of providing meaningful ratings throughout the season it seeds teams based on several stated criteria, including records from the previous two seasons, the previous year's strength of schedule, the number of returning starters, whether the head coach is returning, whether the starting quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
is returning, and published recruiting rankings from several preseason publications. Preseason seedings disappear over the course of the season, and are completely absent from consideration by the time the season ends.
This system is also sometimes used for NCAA basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
, but due to the relative lack of available preseason information, ARGH basketball power ratings are strictly retrodictive in nature.