Strength of schedule
Encyclopedia
In sport
s, strength of schedule (SOS) refers to the difficulty or ease of a team's/person's opponent as compared to other teams/persons. This is especially important if teams in a league do not play each other the same number of times.
's Bowl Championship Series
(BCS) removal for the 2004 season, the SOS was calculated as follows, where OR is the opponents' record, while OOR is the opponents' opponents record.
Other calculations include adding the opponent's power ratings and multiplying them by the number of games, or a modification by assigning weights (higher weights for "stronger" teams).
Furthermore, several more factors maybe added, such as the position of the team in the league, the strength of the team's division or conference, which game counts in the formula and which don't (vital in the Bowl Championship Series
), the location of the game (see home team
and home advantage) and others.
. Furthermore, although several other leagues don't incorporate SOS directly into team standings, the standings are influenced by the teams participating in a division/conference since some divisions/conferences may have tougher teams, and these teams play each other more frequently as compared to other teams playing in other divisions/conferences.
For example, in the National Football League
(NFL) the 32 teams don't face each other in a season, since there are only 16 games per season. The NFL is divided into 2 conferences, which is further divided into 4 divisions per conference. Each team plays a team from their division twice, teams from another division in the same conference once in a three-year cycle, teams from another division of the other conference once in a four-year cycle, and two other teams having the same places in the conference from the prior season. In other words, a weak team would play other weak teams, while a team will play the teams from their division no matter the strength.
Major League Baseball
(MLB) has a more extreme way of scheduling since interleague games are done rarely, and were only introduced in 1997
, plus the fact that interleague games do not exactly have concrete rules, save for the number of rest days and doubleheaders.
In the National Basketball Association
(NBA), the 30 teams are all guaranteed to face each other at least twice in an 82-game regular season, although intra-division games are more frequent (as much as four times) than inter-conference games (twice). In the National Hockey League
, prior to 2008, some teams did not meet each other in a given year, and intra-division games are more frequent (six times) when compared to the NBA. A strong team in a weak division or conference is capable of bloating their record in order to have a better seeding in the playoff
s.
In order to resolve differing strengths of schedule among teams, the playoff
s is held after the season to determine which team will win the championship. The best teams from each conference qualify and are done at a variety of format
s. The playoffs conclude with a championship game or series with the two teams representing their own conferences. The playoffs may also award a home advantage to a team with a superior record, regardless of their SOS, although the NFL holds its championship game
at a predetermined site, while the MLB awards the home-field advantage in the World Series
to the team representing the league that won the All-Star Game.
The concept of "strength of schedule" is alien to Europe
an domestic leagues since each league is not divided into divisions or conferences (the meaning of "conference" is different here, since even though several leagues maybe in one conference, teams from the same conference do not play teams from other leagues of the same conference. See Football Conference
for an example.), and every team plays every opponent twice (home and away) and as such, no playoffs are usually done to determine the winner; the team with the best record wins the championship outright, with several tiebreaking criteria to determine a team's overall standing.
In inter-European competition, no permanent divisions or groups are instituted although qualifying teams are drawn
into different groups, where the top teams per group advance into the "knockout stage" which is almost similar to the concept of "playoffs" in North American sports.
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
s, strength of schedule (SOS) refers to the difficulty or ease of a team's/person's opponent as compared to other teams/persons. This is especially important if teams in a league do not play each other the same number of times.
Computation
The strength of schedule can be calculated in many ways. Prior to American footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
's Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
(BCS) removal for the 2004 season, the SOS was calculated as follows, where OR is the opponents' record, while OOR is the opponents' opponents record.
Other calculations include adding the opponent's power ratings and multiplying them by the number of games, or a modification by assigning weights (higher weights for "stronger" teams).
Furthermore, several more factors maybe added, such as the position of the team in the league, the strength of the team's division or conference, which game counts in the formula and which don't (vital in the Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
), the location of the game (see home team
Home team
In team sports, the term home advantage describes the advantage–usually a psychological advantage–that the home team is said to have over the visiting team as a result of playing in familiar facilities and in front of supportive fans...
and home advantage) and others.
Use
The BCS previously used the SOS in its formula to determine which teams will play in BCS Bowls, and more importantly, to the BCS National Championship GameBCS National Championship Game
The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the U.S. national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
. Furthermore, although several other leagues don't incorporate SOS directly into team standings, the standings are influenced by the teams participating in a division/conference since some divisions/conferences may have tougher teams, and these teams play each other more frequently as compared to other teams playing in other divisions/conferences.
For example, in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) the 32 teams don't face each other in a season, since there are only 16 games per season. The NFL is divided into 2 conferences, which is further divided into 4 divisions per conference. Each team plays a team from their division twice, teams from another division in the same conference once in a three-year cycle, teams from another division of the other conference once in a four-year cycle, and two other teams having the same places in the conference from the prior season. In other words, a weak team would play other weak teams, while a team will play the teams from their division no matter the strength.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
(MLB) has a more extreme way of scheduling since interleague games are done rarely, and were only introduced in 1997
1997 Major League Baseball season
*American League Championship Series MVP: Marquis Grissom**American League Division Series*National League Championship Series MVP: Liván Hernández**National League Division Series...
, plus the fact that interleague games do not exactly have concrete rules, save for the number of rest days and doubleheaders.
In the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA), the 30 teams are all guaranteed to face each other at least twice in an 82-game regular season, although intra-division games are more frequent (as much as four times) than inter-conference games (twice). In the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
, prior to 2008, some teams did not meet each other in a given year, and intra-division games are more frequent (six times) when compared to the NBA. A strong team in a weak division or conference is capable of bloating their record in order to have a better seeding in the playoff
Playoff
The playoffs, postseason, or finals of a sports league are a game or series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors, usually but not always with a single-elimination system, to determine the league champion or a similar accolade.In the U.S...
s.
In order to resolve differing strengths of schedule among teams, the playoff
Playoff
The playoffs, postseason, or finals of a sports league are a game or series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors, usually but not always with a single-elimination system, to determine the league champion or a similar accolade.In the U.S...
s is held after the season to determine which team will win the championship. The best teams from each conference qualify and are done at a variety of format
Playoff format
There are several different Playoff formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the single elimination, the best-of- series, the total points series, and the round-robin tournament.-Single elimination:A Single...
s. The playoffs conclude with a championship game or series with the two teams representing their own conferences. The playoffs may also award a home advantage to a team with a superior record, regardless of their SOS, although the NFL holds its championship game
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
at a predetermined site, while the MLB awards the home-field advantage in the World Series
World Series
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...
to the team representing the league that won the All-Star Game.
The concept of "strength of schedule" is alien to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an domestic leagues since each league is not divided into divisions or conferences (the meaning of "conference" is different here, since even though several leagues maybe in one conference, teams from the same conference do not play teams from other leagues of the same conference. See Football Conference
Football Conference
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
for an example.), and every team plays every opponent twice (home and away) and as such, no playoffs are usually done to determine the winner; the team with the best record wins the championship outright, with several tiebreaking criteria to determine a team's overall standing.
In inter-European competition, no permanent divisions or groups are instituted although qualifying teams are drawn
Sortition
In politics, sortition is the selection of decision makers by lottery. The decision-makers are chosen as a random sample from a larger pool of candidates....
into different groups, where the top teams per group advance into the "knockout stage" which is almost similar to the concept of "playoffs" in North American sports.