How the ALPreps Index Works

Every team starts with a rating. Win, and it goes up. Lose, and it goes down. That’s the simple explanation.

But not all wins are equal. Beating a strong team moves your rating a lot more than beating a weak one. That’s true for your opponents too. Your rating depends on who you played, whose ratings depend on who they played, and so on across the state. The system runs that loop hundreds of times until every rating settles into place.

A few things it accounts for:

• Margin of victory does matter — to a point.
• Your schedule matters a lot. A 7-3 team that played everybody tough could possibly rate higher than a 10-0 team that didn’t.
• Classification matters a little. A 1A powerhouse and a 6A powerhouse aren’t the same thing, and the ratings reflect that.
• When the playoffs start, those wins will count for a little extra.

Preseason, teams start where last season left them. We ran this formula starting with the full 2025 season, then adjusted for the new classifications. That head start fades as the weeks roll on and games are played, and it’s gone entirely by midseason.

One last note — these ratings are for fun and don’t mean anything when it comes to region standings or the playoff picture. Everything here is math with no opinion or eye test involved. We hope every team that is listed as an underdog here proves the model wrong!

If you see any errors or anything that stands out, please let us know!