FanLax Team Rankings > How It Works
How does FanLax’s Computer Ranking System work?
- Teams’ Starting Points – Every team starts the new season with an allocated number of Points based on how the team finished the previous season. In general, the highest-ranked team at the end of the previous season starts the new season with 1,000 Points while the lowest-ranked team starts with between 200 and 400 Points depending on how many teams are involved in the Rankings.
- Starting Points Anchor – If, after every game, the Starting Points of every team were adjusted, the Rankings would be unstable and erratic. As a consequence, the Starting Points are changed only three times each season: Pre-Season, Mid-Season, and Post-Season.
- How Points are Calculated – While the Anchor Starting Points only change three times each season, each team’s Points are far from static. The Points are based on two factors: each team’s Top Three Wins* and each team’s Losses. The Top Three Wins is simply the average of the three best-ranked teams that a team has beaten. From this Win Number, each team’s losses, with a heavier weight given to losses to lower ranked teams and a lighter weight given to losses to higher-ranked teams, are subtracted. All Losses are counted, not just the Top Three.
* – During the first games of the season, the Rankings look at each team’s Best and Two Bset Wins for obvious reasons. Once teams have played enough games, the Rankings are based on each team’s Best Three Wins. - Meritocracy – Each team’s Points are based 100% on their Wins and Losses. And, as a consequence, each team’s Ranking is based purely on a meritocracy. A team can start the season ranked 3,800 out of 3,800 teams and, after one game, be ranked #1 in the Nation. The Starting Points are an anchor to maintain a level of stability. But these Starting Points in no way serve as an anchor for any team.
- Full Disclosure – In the name of full disclosure, while each team is un-tethered and their Ranking is 100% within their control, the Rankings of their opponents are not. The Rankings of their opponents are adjusted three times each season. But between each of these three milestones, the Points of each team’s opponents are anchored.
- Game Scores – FanLax values wins and losses substantially more than game scores. We do not believe that a team that beats Bard 7-2 is better than a team that beats Bard 5-2. With this said, we do have the functionality within our Ranking System to give a Points Bonus to teams for winning by many goals vs. by 1 goal. This Point Bonus is a percentage of the Points the team is already earning and increases based on whether the team won by 1 or 2, 3 or 4, or 5 or more goals.
Bottomline, teams want to beat teams with a lot of Points. Conversely, teams don’t want to lose but if a team does lose, the team wants to lose to teams with a lot of Points.
