How to Read NCAA Division Rankings

If you're aching for your favorite NCAA team to qualify for that big tournament, playoff or bowl game, you're going to want to learn the rankings system used within each division. No matter what Division I, II or III sport you follow, you can readily find your team's position in the rankings on both official and unofficial sites.

Instructions

  1. Understand the NCAA Rankings System

    • 1

      Locate your team of choice from among the NCAA division hierarchy. Broadly, it is divided into Division I, II and III. Football further subdivides Division I into the top-ranking Division I-A and the second-tier Division I-AA.

    • 2

      Check closely for your college of choice if you don't find it at first. It may be placed in different divisions for different sports. For example, a college may have a Division I basketball team but a weak football program that has it toiling in Division III.

    • 3

      Locate your team's specific conference. Examples of popular conferences include the Big East, the Big 10, the Big 12 and the Pacific 10.

    • 4

      Find the conference standings for the sport in which you are interested. The tables will run slightly differently, depending on the sport of choice.

    • 5

      Read the conference standings table, keeping in mind that the vast majority of sports compile rankings based on win-loss records. This will instantly show you where your team ranks among others in its conference.

    • 6

      Find your team's national ranking, in sports where teams are ranked nationally, by observing the number that often accompanies nationally ranked teams in conference standings tables. National rankings in sports such as football are the product of media votes, and teams with identical win-loss records may have wildly varying rankings in the national scene. This is because the voters have deemed one team's schedule tougher or overall performance better.

    • 7

      Read updated standings every week, or regularly if the sport you're following has games more than once a week. National and inter-conference rankings change almost every game, especially when higher-ranked teams lose to lower-ranked ones.

    • 8

      Follow fan forums where you can read news and speculation about your favorite team. The state of affairs in the rankings system can get pretty hectic when seasons draw to a close and playoff or bowl appearances are on the line. Sort out your confusion with the help of your fellow fans or favorite sports website.