Tom Rowe quoth:
 
>There is a point of ridiculousness in all this.  CC dropped 3 places because
>is swept Wisconsin and Wisconsin has a losing record.  Wisconsin, with
>continued losing, dropped 7 places.  I don't care anymore about the
>explanations of why this occurs - this is a seriously flawed system that
>allows that to happen.
>
 
I don't think you should read this list as CC dropping 3 places because
they played Wisconsin, or BU dropping places because they played Merrimack,
or Denver dropping because they played St. Cloud...
 
I think a better way of looking at the system is to see that teams like
Minnesota and Michigan GAINED points by defeating a tough opponent. After
all, we ARE trying to look at the year thus far; if CC continues to play
teams with poor records, they certainly aren't facing the challenge of
other teams that play tougher games.
 
For example, BU finishes out December by playing Dartmouth, Princeton, and
either Wisconsin or Notre Dame (Badger Showdown). This means three games
that BU can, for all intents and purposes, go to sleep on the ice and still
win.
 
Meanwhile, other teams play tough schedules over the holidays. With all
likelihood, CC will meet Denver in the final of the Denver Cup on December
28. You can bet both teams' ratings will receive a strong boost after that
game.
 
Until then however, we simply must accept that the ratings point out what
we know (regrettably) is true: teams like CC and BU are in a very light
portion of their schedule, while other teams like Minnesota and Michigan
are meeting some of their toughest competition.
 
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.