http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/sports/15826092.htm

 

Top 25

 

School (record) Last week This week Rating

 

1. Male (8-0) Beat St. Xavier 28-27 in OT vs. (11) Manual 93.7

2. Trinity (8-1) Beat Fern Creek 51-23 at Shelby Co. 91.0

3. St. Xavier (7-2) Lost to Male 28-27 in OT vs. Butler 90.8

4. Highlands (6-3) Beat S. Oldham 51-23 vs. (5) Covington Cath. 88.4

5. Covington Cath. (6-3) Beat Grant Co. 64-12 at (4) Highlands 87.6

6. Bowling Green (8-1) Beat Breckinridge Co. (Forfeit) vs. Franklin-Simpson 85.8

7. Henry Clay (9-1) Lost to Lafayette 25-13 Idle 83.8

8. Warren Central (7-2) Beat Marshall Co. 40-14 at (12) Christian Co. 82.5

9. Owensboro (7-1) Beat Henderson Co. 29-12 vs. Apollo 82.4

10. Johnson Central (9-0) Beat Ashland Blazer 35-7 at Mason Co. 82.2

11. Manual (6-3) Beat Iroquois 55-20 at (1) Male 82.0

12. Christian Co. (7-2) Beat Graves Co. 34-14 vs. (8) Warren Central 81.8

13. Scott Co. (7-2) Beat Paul Dunbar 19-7 at (20) Lafayette 81.3

14. Lexington Cath. (7-1) Beat Western Hills 77-7 at Anderson Co. 80.5

15. Henderson Co. (7-2) Lost to Owensboro 29-12 Idle 80.2

16. Ryle (7-2) Beat Scott High 46-8 vs. Dixie Heights 80.0

17. John Hardin (5-3) Beat North Hardin 22-10 at Central Hardin 79.2

18. PRP (6-3) Beat Butler 42-27 vs. Iroquois 76.8

19. Bardstown (9-0) Beat Country Day 51-15 at Bethlehem 76.5

20. Hopkinsville (5-4) Beat Hopkins Central 56-20 at Paducah Tilghman 76.1

20. Lafayette (9-0) Beat Henry Clay 25-13 vs. (13) Scott Co. 76.1

22. Mercer Co. (9-0) Beat Lloyd 64-14 at Spencer Co. 76.0

23. Central (8-1) Beat Fairdale 34-0 vs. Doss 75.6

24. Campbell Co. (6-3) Lost to Dixie Heights 18-17 at Holmes 75.5

25. Beechwood (7-2) Beat Bracken Co. 56-6 vs. Cov. Holy Cross 75.1

25. Franklin Co. (7-2) Beat Bourbon Co. 60-7 at Harrison Co. 75.1

 

This is the problem that I have with Cantrells Ratings. Head to Head means nothing in these computer rankings which makes no sense to me. I could understand had Lafayette lost a game earlier in the season but both teams were undefeated and although Lafayette won rather convincingly, they are 13 spots behind Henry Clay. Whats everyone else's thoughts on this poll?

It simply means that over nine games, Henry Clay has shown themselves (numbers-wise, at least) to be the better team. Upsets happen ... apparently the Cantrell formula sees the Lafayette win over Henry Clay as such.

It simply means that over nine games, Henry Clay has shown themselves (numbers-wise, at least) to be the better team. Upsets happen ... apparently the Cantrell formula sees the Lafayette win over Henry Clay as such.

 

I understand that #'s factor in, and I can see HC still being ranked ahead of Layafette due to those #'s, but I dont understand the gap between the two. HC had the first score of the game but after that it was all Lafayette, so I dont know if I would call it an upset or not.

After the first score, Lafayette was the dominant team. The undefeated Generals have been underrated all year, and I viewed this game as more of a tossup, so it was not an upset to me. The problem that Lafayette has had all year is that they have not blown out to big victory margins. All the Generals do is win, which is in the final analysis all that really counts.

Cantrell's ratings give a big emphasis on "style points".

 

I do think strength of schedule should play a big part in these rankings, but in certain instances (head to head wins), it shows how much of a joke these rankings can be.

After the first score, Lafayette was the dominant team. The undefeated Generals have been underrated all year, and I viewed this game as more of a tossup, so it was not an upset to me. The problem that Lafayette has had all year is that they have not blown out to big victory margins. All the Generals do is win, which is in the final analysis all that really counts.

Lafayette hasn't blown out a lot of teams, but the other point to be made is that the Generals haven't played a very tough non-district schedule. Both played Boyle County ... Henry Clay annhilated the Rebels while Lafayette squeaked by them. And the Blue Devils' wins over Christian County, Bell County and Pikeville are much more impressive than Lafayette's victories over Jeffersontown, Mason County and Fulton County.

This poll is hogwash as it is every year. It's never very accurate to me. I don't even waste my time trying to figure out how they get what they get.

Lafayette plays a lot of kids and never "runs it up". Take their Bryan Station game they were up something like 32 to nothing when they cleared the bench.... final score 32-25 or something like that....

IF YOU ARE A LOUISVILLE OR LEXINGTON SCHOOL THAT GIVES YOU A HUGE EDGE FOR CANTRELL

IF YOU ARE A LOUISVILLE OR LEXINGTON SCHOOL THAT GIVES YOU A HUGE EDGE FOR CATRELL.

How so?

I don't think 83.8 - 76.1 is that big of a gap. It happens that there are several teams rated between them, but this is only a 1TD gap. Computer rankings are based on math and equations. There is no intellectual interference. I guess that can be a good thing or a bad thing, but it is what it is.

 

Using the formula at hand, over the course of the season, the computer ranks HC 7 points better than Lafayette. But as we know, a lot of variables come into play on Friday nights, and math has very little to do with it. So you take your ranking and realize that sometimes the mathematically stronger team wins and sometimes they lose.

Lafayette plays a lot of kids and never "runs it up". Take their Bryan Station game they were up something like 32 to nothing when they cleared the bench.... final score 32-25 or something like that....

It looks to me like except for the Fulton County and Bryan Station games, Lafayette has done very little substitution at the skilled positions. The backup running backs have run less than ten carries all year, and the backup quarterback has thrown three passes all year.

 

I don't dispute they have not "run it up", but they have played their skilled position starters almost exclusively.

Look at the class polls, regardless of records, the big city schools get the rating points.

Look at the class polls, regardless of records, the big city teams get the rating points.

 

Sometimes a loss to a large, highly rated team is worth more than a victory over a smaller, lower rated team.

 

Do you think the computer is programmed to give Lexington and Louisville schools extra points?

It looks to me like except for the Fulton County and Bryan Station games, Lafayette has done very little substitution at the skilled positions. The backup running backs have run less than ten carries all year, and the backup quarterback has thrown three passes all year.

 

I don't dispute they have not "run it up", but they have played their skilled position starters almost exclusively.

 

 

Lafayette's games have been much tighter then Henry Clay's, thus meaning that the Lafayette JV isn't getting much playing time.

 

Henry Clay is ranked higher than Lafayette because the Bluedevils were blowing teams out and Lafayette was winning by smaller margins. This all goes back to the style points issue. Lafayette was still getting the job done, just not as "impressive" as HC was. The bottom line is that a win is a win is a win, but Cantrell and other ranking systems may not agree.