Why a Team You Beat Winning Friday Can Help Your OHSAA Computer Rating

High school football fans know wins matter in the OHSAA computer ratings.

What can be a little harder to understand is why you may also find yourself rooting for a team your school beat several weeks ago.

The answer is Level 2 points.

OHSAA's computer system uses two primary categories when calculating a team's rating.

Level 1 points reward a team for its own victories. The amount depends on the division of the opponent defeated, with victories over larger-division schools carrying more Level 1 points. 

Level 2 points reward a team for the success of the opponents it has defeated.

In simple terms: once you beat somebody, you want that team to keep winning.

If a team you defeated earlier in the season wins again later, those victories can add to your Level 2 total and improve your computer rating. Pasted text

Coldwater provides a local example in the latest ratings.

The Cavaliers are 5-1 and currently have 21 Level 1 points and 49 Level 2 points. After the OHSAA formula is applied, Coldwater's computer average stands at 8.4000. 

That means results from teams Coldwater has already defeated can continue affecting the Cavaliers' rating throughout the remainder of the regular season.

It also helps explain why two teams with identical records can be separated by several positions in the rankings. It isn't simply how many games a team has won — the success of the teams it defeated matters as well.

One thing that does not factor into the formula is margin of victory.

Winning 42-0 does not earn additional computer credit compared with winning the same matchup 21-20. The system looks at wins and the divisions and success of defeated opponents, not how large the final margin was. 

That's why scoreboard watching becomes increasingly important during the final weeks of the regular season. Your own game matters most — but once that's over, there may be several other final scores worth watching.