RANKING EXPLANATION

#4 Pittsburgh

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
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
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 control22.6251.3920.180
Scoring punch45.9211.4090.114
Defensive toughness9.9261.4900.121
Winning1.0001.4620.189
Tough schedules8.7811.0210.099
Big-game wins5.8822.0640.200
Wins away from home0.000-0.596-0.029
Statement wins0.7501.3050.063
Close-game grit1.0001.0820.035
Avoiding bad losses5.0001.2170.059
Team talent681.2100.1790.006
Recruiting strength205.8720.4080.014
Returning production0.397-0.092-0.002
Transfer portal impact-3.370-0.575-0.012
Previous-season performance9.4950.8340.023
Recent form18.0000.9740.063

This ranking used completed results through week 4. The stored values below reproduce this ranking’s explanation.