RANKING EXPLANATION

#18 Northwestern

See which factors helped or hurt this team’s ranking.

Back to rankings
Moderate boost

Game control

Rewards teams that consistently outscore opponents, with schedule strength considered.

Your importance: 8 out of 10
Moderate boost

Scoring punch

Rewards teams that put points on the board, adjusted for who they played.

Your importance: 5 out of 10
Moderate boost

Defensive toughness

Rewards teams that keep opponents off the scoreboard, adjusted for who they played.

Your importance: 5 out of 10
Moderate boost

Winning

Rewards teams for simply winning the games on their schedule.

Your importance: 8 out of 10
Moderate boost

Tough schedules

Rewards teams that have faced stronger opponents.

Your importance: 6 out of 10
Moderate boost

Big-game wins

Gives extra credit for beating strong opponents.

Your importance: 6 out of 10
Small effect

Wins away from home

Gives extra credit for winning road and neutral-site games.

Your importance: 3 out of 10
Moderate boost

Statement wins

Rewards teams for wins by 14 or more points.

Your importance: 3 out of 10
Small effect

Close-game grit

Rewards teams that win games decided by eight points or fewer.

Your importance: 2 out of 10
Small effect

Avoiding bad losses

Rewards teams whose worst result was still competitive.

Your importance: 3 out of 10
Small effect

Team talent

How much proven player talent is already on the roster.

Your importance: 5 out of 10
Small effect

Recruiting strength

Rewards teams that have stacked several strong recruiting classes.

Your importance: 5 out of 10
Small effect

Returning production

Rewards teams bringing back more of last season's on-field production.

Your importance: 4 out of 10
Small effect

Transfer portal impact

Rewards teams whose rated transfer additions outweigh their departures.

Your importance: 3 out of 10
Small effect

Previous-season performance

Lets last season's results matter until this season builds its own story.

Your importance: 4 out of 10
Moderate boost

Recent form

Emphasizes how a team performed in its three most recently completed games.

Your importance: 4 out of 10
Show the technical details
FactorRaw valueAdjusted valueContribution
Game control17.1251.5700.203
Scoring punch38.5800.8960.073
Defensive toughness23.1941.0110.082
Winning0.7500.6520.085
Tough schedules8.2261.3980.136
Big-game wins3.1720.8930.087
Wins away from home0.000-0.770-0.037
Statement wins0.7501.6380.080
Close-game grit0.000-1.187-0.038
Avoiding bad losses-6.0000.8750.043
Team talent677.9700.1550.005
Recruiting strength191.4620.0990.003
Returning production0.8851.7830.048
Transfer portal impact6.9601.2970.026
Previous-season performance4.5100.3910.011
Recent form16.3331.0220.066

This ranking used completed results through week 5. The stored values below reproduce this ranking’s explanation.