Sagarin

Sagarin is a college sports rating system developed by Jeff Sagarin. It encompasses numerous NCAA sports, but is most widely known for its college football and basketball rankings.

The Sagarin ratings are primarily statistically-based, utilizing a power rating system that aims to rank teams based on their performance against their opponents, taking into account factors such as game location and margin of victory. The ratings are objective, meaning they are based solely on data and not subjective factors like reputation or poll votes.

Sagarin provides multiple rankings, including:

• ELO_CHESS: Based on an adaptation of the Elo rating system, originally used for chess players.
• PREDICTOR: Designed to predict the outcome of future games.
• RANK: A composite ranking that blends various statistical measures.

The Sagarin ratings are published in USA Today and are used by some in the sports world to analyze team performance, predict game outcomes, and assess the strength of schedules. They are often compared to other computer ranking systems and human polls like the AP Poll and Coaches Poll. While influential, they are not a part of the College Football Playoff selection process, which relies on a committee.

Critics of statistically-based systems like Sagarin's often point out that they may not fully capture intangible factors like player injuries or team morale. However, proponents argue that the objectivity of the system provides a valuable alternative to subjective evaluations.