A Closer Look At The Ratings Percentage Index

In the 1980's, the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) was introduced as the standard method for ranking professional sports teams. Since its introduction, the RPI formula has been targeted as a poor method for providing rankings that accurately capture the true talent of a team. Many people have proposed their own ranking algorithms, and a handful of these algorithms have become notable for their simplicity and accuracy. To this day the RPI still remains as the number one ranking algorithm. In my presentation I will discuss the main problems with the RPI and offer a small modification to the RPI formula that allows for easier calculation, eliminate completely one of the main problems with the formula and may improve its ability to capture the true ability of a team.