On Thu, 9 Feb 1995, Keith Instone wrote:
 
> Correction: there is one RATING that really matters.
> None of the polls have a single grain of value.
> Remember: rating implies math, poll implies opinion.
 
Something to keep in mind is that ranking systems also involve a great
deal of subjectivity.  The manner in which the programmer measures the
excelence of one team realtive to another is very much a function of the
individual programmer's subjective opinion.
 
What differentiates a poll from a ranking system is not a lack of
subjectivity in a ranking system, but rather a uniform aplication of
subjectivity by the ranking system.  The real challange in producing a
ranking system is determining a fair and realistic yardstick by which a
team's excelence can be measured.  Some yards sticks my favor offensively
oriented teams while others may favor defensively oriented teams.  In some
cases, an unballanced schedule can distort a seemingly fair yardstick.
For example, we have seen one comment on how a winless team who plays only
Maine can be ranked very highly using the RPICH algorythm for example.
 
These are points which Keith has made in this forum many times with
regards to the strengths and weeknesses of ratings systems.  I think the
take home message is that no system is perfect, but some are more uniform
in their application than others.
 
     - Pat
 
- Patrick E. Fleming --------------------------------------------------------
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