Potential Power Rankings - take 2 (3/4)

In response to the original Power Ranking scheme,
Jerry Hagen of U Illinois-UC raised these two issues
(paraphrased, not direct quotes):

#1. This system
unfairly penalizes team for decisions not to play based on
ideology or practicallity.

Indiana did win CB
Region 9. Since CB posted the results of only 4 teams
per Region, that all I could assume had played, even
though the records posted clearly indicated that more
played. Indiana only received 4 power points for that win
(4 team/1 rank). Same with all other CB Regionals
winners. Since Wisconsin is in that group, that may also
explain their lower than actual ranking. Illinois was not
severely penalized from not playing CB.

As for
practicallity, I understand that one ALL TOO WELL. Oklahoma is
nowhere near any Nationals this year, and we are
penalized in this scheme for it. I know that we are not the
only ones being penalized for it. I think our Div II
squad would have placed in the middle of the field at
NAQT ICT if we could have brought them. Supposedly
NAQT Nationals and CB Nationals next year will be in
different parts of the country, and this should alleviate
some of this problem.

Teams do get better with
the number of tournaments in which they participate.
This scheme is purposely designed to award those team
who play often, because they will be the better team
soon. Good teams that do not participate will not be
good for very long.

There is another factor at
work. A team that can raise more money than its rivals
and budget itself well will play in more tournaments
and eventually be a better team. Both Texas and Texas
A&M were rewarded for getting the money to bring two
teams, where Oklahoma was not.

#2. Teams are
penalized for hosting CCTs and SCTs because of ranking by
aggregate points rather than averages. A good team would be
penalized for running a good tournament if the best players
or all players were involved in the operation of the
tournament.

Samer Ismail of Penn and Ahmed Ismail of MIT both
thought Yale's ranking was too low. Both indicated that
Yale had defeated Penn several times this year in
other tournaments and thus should be higher
ranked.

Quoting the original missive:

>19.747002817 22
Penn
>19.744444486 23 Georgia
>19.731818202 24
Yale

This was a problem. I adjusted the scheme to award the
host an automatic 4th place for their efforts. I'll
play with it further, maybe I can work this kink
completely out of it. It did raise Yale from 24th (original)
to 19th, and closed the gap between Princeton and
Illinois from almost 5 point to less than 1.

David
Goodman of Michigan and Emil Thomas Chuck of Case Western
both pointed out that Illinois, Chicago, and Michigan
data were skewed because they always played each other
and that the scheme does not account for team
strength across regions. Goodman further points out that
at NAQT ICT, "the Midwest 3 feasted on the rest of
the field. Chicago only lost to Illinois and
Michigan. Michigan was 4-1 against Harvard, UC Berkeley,
and Princeton. Illinois lost to UC Berkeley but
otherwise only lost once to Chicago." "Harvard's only games
against any of the three this year were at NAQT Nats and
they lost all of them."

At the NAQT ICT,
Harvard received 10.064 from their Div I and 26.000 from
Div II, for a total of 36.064. Chicago received
20.500 from Div I and 4.333 from Div II, for a total of
24.833. Michigan received 14.991 from Div I and 2.364
from Div II, for a total of 17.355. Princeton received
5.857 from Div I and 8.667 from Div II, for a total of
14.524. Illinois received 41.000 from Div I (no Div II).
Harvard's Div II win buoys them above Chicago and Michigan,
but on the same note, Illinois received 80% of their
points from their Div I win.

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