This is the first post in a three-part series breaking down the VHSL Power Points system.
Virginia's Power Points determine regional playoff qualification and seeding. The formula is not especially complicated, but in my opinion, it is laid out in a way that is not particularly intuitive. Before doing a more robust break-down in Part 2, which will post Monday, I want to re-examine the formula in a way that makes more sense to my brain.
Section 68-4-6 of the VHSL Handbook assigns these game points based on the opponent's classification:
| Opponent's class | Class 6 | Class 5 | Class 4 | Class 3 | Class 2 | Class 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 26 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 16 |
| Loss | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 |
The handbook then adds:
That adjustment allows the class calculation to be stated much more simply:
Score the game at the classification of the higher-class team.
Finally, add all game totals together and divide by games played. That is the Power Points average used in the regional standings.
First off, not to be a hater, but I want to point out the unnecessary add-ons. The handbook lists 4 points as the lowest game value: a Class 1 loss. That loss also gives the opponent a win, which immediately gives the losing team one opponent-win point. The true Class 1 floor is therefore 5 points, and the floors for Classes 2-6 are 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15. These floors serve no function in the actual ranking. Class 1 teams are compared with other Class 1 teams, Class 2 teams with other Class 2 teams, and so on. Because the ratings are averages, subtracting the same floor from every game leaves the rankings unchanged. The system could begin at zero for every class and retain only the two-point bonus for each class played up. Why Class 1 starts at four instead of zero, I could not tell you. It makes the published numbers larger without changing a single ranking.
After stripping away the floors, we are left with two ranges: 0-9 points for a loss and 11-29 points for a win. For the rest of this explanation, opponent wins means wins in the opponent's other nine games, not the game against your team.
A loss is worth 0-9 points.
The value matches the opponent's other wins exactly. Six wins means six points; nine wins means nine points. It is between 0 and 9 because that is the remaining amount of games your opponent will play.
A win is worth 11-29 points.
A win begins at 11, then adds two points for every other game the opponent wins: 11, 13, 15 and so on through 29.
Here is the entire progression:
| Opponent's other wins | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss value | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Win value | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 27 | 29 |
Next, add two points for every classification the opponent is above your team.
There is no deduction for playing down. There are no add-ons for playing within your own class.
This could have been the entire formula: 0-9 for a loss, 11-29 for a win, and two additional points for every class played up. Without changing the functional results of the VHSL outlined version at all.
If r is the opponent's other wins, c is the number of classes played up, and W is 1 for a win or 0 for a loss:
Game value = 2c + r + W(11 + r)
Or, separated by result:
| Result | Value above the floor |
|---|---|
| Loss | r + 2c |
| Win | 11 + 2r + 2c |
VaMatrix will still add these floors to the Power Points we publish. Not because they serve a functional purpose, but because our numbers should match the format readers will see in the VHSL's regional tables at the end of the season. Including them simply makes the two sources easier to compare.
| Your class | Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 3 | Class 4 | Class 5 | Class 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floor | 5 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 |
The full calculation is therefore:
Loss = floor + opponent's other wins + class played up bonus
Win = floor + 11 + twice the opponent's other wins + class played up bonus
For example, a Class 1 team that beats a Class 4 opponent with five other wins receives 5 for its floor, 21 for the win and opponent record, and 6 for playing up three classes: 32 points.
That is Virginia's Power Points formula stripped to its essentials: 0-9 for a loss, 11-29 for a win, two points for each class played up, then the built-in floor.
The next post will examine what those numbers actually reward and what the formula cannot measure.
Part 1 of 3: Breaking Down the Formula (this article)
Part 2 of 3: What Power Points Measure vs. What They Actually Measure - coming soon
Part 3 of 3: How to Game the System to Maximize Power Points - coming soon