RANKING EXPLANATION

#18 Northwestern

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

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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
Small effect

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
Moderate boost

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 control13.9681.3180.192
Scoring punch35.0010.7590.069
Defensive toughness23.1610.8130.074
Winning0.8571.4060.205
Tough schedules-0.603-0.107-0.012
Big-game wins4.6290.7820.085
Wins away from home0.9310.0050.000
Statement wins0.7141.9850.108
Close-game grit0.5000.0150.001
Avoiding bad losses-6.0001.3960.076
Team talent677.9700.1550.001
Recruiting strength191.4620.0990.001
Returning production0.8851.7830.012
Transfer portal impact6.9601.2970.007
Previous-season performance4.5100.3910.003
Recent form20.6671.7250.126

This ranking used completed results through week 8. The stored values below reproduce this ranking’s explanation.