CHANGE IN THE DIGITAL Z POWER RANKINGS A.P.A.A. BACK TO RANK+ There’s an old saying that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. Well… it’s true. Why is it true? We’ll get back to that in a moment. After switching to A.P.A.A. for the rankings, the decision has been made to return to Rank+. Don’t worry, the rankings themselves are not changing. The system is still exactly the same; the only difference is how the final number is displayed. To help everyone understand why we’re going back to Rank+, let’s walk through it in four steps: 1. How the ranking system works 2. What Rank+ is 3. What A.P.A.A. is 4. Why we’re switching back to Rank+ ------- STEP 1: The System The Digital Z Power Rankings were created after extensive research — reviewing studies, examining other ranking models, and watching videos on how different systems work. It quickly became clear that the most accurate and fair approach was one based on scoring margin. After some trial and error, the system took shape. Here’s how it works, using a few example teams: the Alligators, Bears, Cubs, and Dinosaurs. Each team starts with a rank of zero, and after each game, their rank becomes their scoring margin. Week 1 results: Alligators 17, Dinosaurs 10 Cubs 35, Bears 0 Week 1 rankings: Cubs 35 Alligators 7 Dinosaurs -7 Bears -35 Week 2 results: Cubs 19, Dinosaurs 12 Bears 10, Alligators 3 Unadjusted Week 2 rankings: Cubs 21 Alligators 0 Dinosaurs -7 Bears -14 Now comes the adjustment for strength of schedule. For example, take the Cubs: Week 1 vs Bears Opponent unadjusted: -14 Scoring margin: +35 Adjusted margin: +21.0 Week 2 vs Dinosaurs Opponent unadjusted: -7 Scoring margin: +7 Adjusted margin: 0.0 Average those two adjusted margins, and the Cubs have a rank of 10.5. Even though their unadjusted scoring margin was 21.0, their strength of schedule brought it down to 10.5. The computer runs this process for about 50 rounds, continually updating team ratings so each result reflects the strength of opponents accurately. So, in simple terms: The system takes your scoring margin and adjusts it based on your strength of schedule. That’s your adjusted scoring margin — the foundation for all rankings. ------- STEP 2: Rank+ Rank+ converts the adjusted scoring margin into an easy-to-understand number by comparing it to the class average. For example, if the class average is 10.0 and your team’s adjusted margin is 11.0, you performed 10% better than average. Rank+ sets the league average to 100, so every 1-point increase above 100 equals a 1% improvement. In this example, your team’s Rank+ would be 110. This was the original format for publishing the rankings. ------- STEP 3: A.P.A.A. A.P.A.A. stands for Average Points Above Average. It represents the same concept as Rank+, but instead of using percentages, it shows the numerical difference between your adjusted margin and the class average. Using the same example: Adjusted margin: 11.0 Class average: 10.0 A.P.A.A.: 1.0 The idea behind switching to A.P.A.A. was to make the system more transparent and easier to grasp. However, after some time in use, a problem became clear — which brings us to Step 4. ------- STEP 4: The Change Back to Rank+ One of the strengths of this system is that it can compare any team from any year. But the scoring environment changes over time — some seasons are high-scoring, others are not. That means a 1.0 A.P.A.A. in 2025 might not equal a 1.0 A.P.A.A. in 2012, 1994, or 1980. In other words, A.P.A.A. can’t be used reliably across eras. Rank+, however, can. Because it’s scaled relative to the teams in a given year, it remains consistent over time — regardless of how much scoring occurs that season. This summer, game data was collected going back over 10 years, and those rankings are now complete. They’ll be available soon on the Digital Z website, opening up exciting possibilities for historical comparisons and analysis. To align with this new release, the decision has been made to return to Rank+ for the remainder of the season. This change will make it easier for everyone to understand how current teams compare — both within their class and across history. If this all sounds confusing, don’t worry, it’ll start to make sense over time. And if it already makes sense, great, you'll definitely enjoy the historical rankings! #SDPreps
