High School Football America Top 100 National Rankings

After the U.S. Supreme Court sided with a high school football coach who prayed on the field, activist Chaz Stevens wants to lead Satanic prayer at a South Florida game. (Scott Anderson/Patch)

High school football is fragmented and not everyone agrees on what it means or how to measure it. In response, the High School Football America Top 100 National Rankings was created as a way to capture a snapshot of where teams stand after an exciting opening week of the season. This weekly blog will track a new set of national rankings throughout the remainder of the fall season. There are many ways to rank high school football teams, but this one is based on performance rather than reputation or potential. Each week, we’ll unveil a new set of national rankings that measure performance by downloading and analyzing data from every game played at that point in time. These regional rankings are based entirely on performance and nothing else — measuring only Win-Loss records, Points For and Points Against for every team competing in their respective conference (or division if there is no conference affiliation). We will also record points scored and points allowed in our secondary district/non-conference games for those schools with both types of games played. These Are Not Prestige Rankings

New to High School Football?

High school football is a fall sport played by teams of teenagers. It is the most popular sport in the U.S. in terms of participation with more than one million high school athletes each fall. Games are played on Friday nights and, in some cases, Saturdays. The season is broken down into two halves: the regular season (which spans from the beginning of September through the end of October) and the post-season playoffs that begin in November. The post-season playoffs culminate in a now 16-game national championship tournament known as the “Football Bowl Series” (formerly known as the “Super Bowl”). The Bowl Series has been played annually since the 1946-47 season.

Why Are There Only 100 Teams?

This is a performance-based ranking, not a prestige-based ranking. The idea is to capture a snapshot of where teams stand after an exciting opening week of the season. These rankings are not intended to predict where teams will finish at the end of the season, although teams that perform well will likely move up as the high school football season progresses. These high school football rankings are based entirely on performance and nothing else — measuring only Win-Loss records, Points For and Points Against for every team competing in their respective conference (or division if there is no conference affiliation). We will also record points scored and points allowed in our secondary district/non-conference games for those schools with both types of games played.

How Are Teams Ranked?

The methodology is simple: Win-Loss record, Points For and Points Against. A Win-Loss record is the highest assessment of any team’s performance. Winning is everything and it does not matter who you must play to win. A team can play a very weak schedule and still be very good and a team can play a very tough schedule and still be very bad. For example, the No. 1 ranked team in the country — and winner of the first High School Football America Top 100 National Rankings — is Allen (Texas) High School, who is 4-0. They have not played a gifted schedule, but they have played very well against their competition and won.

Conferences and Divisions

The High School Football America Top 100 National Rankings will track teams by conference (or division if there is no conference affiliation). All conferences are identified on the map above.

The Importance of Win-Loss Record

Win-Loss record is the most important aspect of all high school football rankings and it is the only thing that truly matters. Winning is everything. We are not concerned with high school football rankings and team performance based on future potential and expectations. We are concerned with what has already happened on the field this season. This is a performance-based ranking and only performance will determine where teams stand in these rankings. There has been a lot of debate about whether or not a team with a weaker schedule should be ranked higher than a team with a tougher schedule and a loss. The answer is yes. A team with a weaker schedule can still play well and do very well. Likewise, a team with a tougher schedule and a loss can still be very bad. This ranking is a snapshot of where teams stand today, not next week or at the end of the season.

Ratings are Based on Pro Football Focus’ Data

These high school football rankings are based on a computer formula created by the High School Football America research team. The computer formula used to rank teams is a sophisticated mathematical system that measures performance by downloading and analyzing point-share data from Pro Football Focus.

Summing It Up

These are not prestige rankings. These are not based on any type of reputability or expectations for what each team should finish the season. These are not based on a team’s history. They are not based on any type of record or previous performance. They are not based on how good a team looks in practice or how many talented players a team has. These are entirely performance-based rankings that measure a team’s win-loss record, points for and points against. These are the facts and the data that are in front of us at this moment. This is not an opinion or a prediction. These are rankings that measure performance and nothing else.