The three most important letters in prep sports: RPI

By Chris Freud

Three little letters loom larger than anything on the 2016-17 high school season — RPI. Ratings-percentage index is the new be-all and end-all of postseason qualifying for any team sport. This is a game-changer, and fall sports like football, volleyball, boys soccer and softball are the guinea pigs.The basicsRoughly put, it’s strength of schedule index.The official formula is the following (the abbreviations are winning percentage, opponents’ winning percentage and opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage.):RPI = (¼ × WP) + (½ × OWP) + (¼ × OOWP)Three important notes:• League champions automatically qualify for the postseason, regardless of RPI.• In every sport …

Source:: Vail Daily Feed