Clemson and North Florida: Best and Worst in RPI Play

The season is far enough along that the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) is beginning to take shape, but it still reflects some oddities. 

A quick check on the web site www.realtimerpi.com yesterday showed a very good Clemson team at 10-0 ranked number one and North Florida at 0-7 ranked dead last. 

Those two schools played yesterday at Clemson. I wondered how bad the bloodbath would be between last ranked playing at first ranked. 

Clemson won 76 to 36, a 40-point margin.  The margin was greater than North Florida's score.

So, what was the effect on the RPI of another win for Clemson (11-0) and a loss for North Florida (0-8)? 

After their 40-point win, Clemson fell from first to seventh and North Florida rose 13 places.

While still undefeated, Clemson's strength of schedule fell because they had just played the lowest ranked team in the RPI. While still winless, North Florida's strength of schedule increased because they had just played the top ranked team. 

While it is still early in the season and other rankings—such as power rankings—currently are more reflective of team strength, the RPI continues to evolve as we obtain more data points.  

By the end of the season, the RPI becomes much more informative than it is this early in the season. 

Clemson was led by Trevor Booker, who had 16 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocked shots. Booker is Clemson's leading scorer overall, averaging 15.1 points per game. Raymond Sykes and Terrence Oglesby each scored 10 points.  North Florida's Kyle Grothius scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Clemson faces a tougher test on Sunday when they visit the University of Miami (7-2). Another data point for the RPI.