The Formula: Rating = AGD + SCHED
1. Average Goal Differential (AGD)
This measures how well a team performs on the field. It is the average margin of victory across all verified games.
- The Cap: To discourage running up the score, the maximum credit for any win is 7 goals. Winning by 20 counts the same as winning by 7.
2. Strength of Schedule (SCHED)
This measures the quality of a team's opponents. Beating a top-ranked team is worth more than beating a lower-ranked one.
- Iterative Math: We run the math 15 times in a loop. In the first pass, everyone is equal. In the second pass, we see who beat who. By the 15th pass, the system knows exactly how strong every opponent is.
- The Logic: If you play a team with a Rating of 10.0, your "Schedule Score" for that game is 10.0, regardless of whether you win or lose.
Why this matters: A team that wins every game by 10 goals against weak competition might have a lower rating than a team that loses close games to the best teams in the country.