Ballot Type: Human

Submitted: Oct. 25, 2026, 4:20 p.m.

Overall Rationale: Higher ranked teams would hypothetically beat all lower ranked teams a majority of times in a large enough sample. Results of games add data to give a more accurate picture of how all teams relate to each other. Head-to-head victories are weighted heavily, as I operate under the assumption that those games are representative of the quality of the two teams unless enough other data contradicts that assessment.

I also separate all teams into 6 tiers:
Tier 1- Championship Frontrunners. Teams I believe are championship caliber with a fairly high degree of confidence.
Tier 2- Championship Contenders. Teams I believe are good enough to win a championship, but with less confidence.
Tier 3- Borderline. Playoff level teams that I don't think are championship teams.
Tier 4- Possibilities. Good teams that have an outside shot at the playoffs.
Tier 5- Unlikelies. Teams that all but eliminated from playoff contention, though could make it in with chaos or winning their conference.
Tier 6- Eliminated. Cannot make the playoffs.

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