The Bobcat Nation

As is the case with all polls and ranking equations, they are subjective... rarely correct... I usually don't agree with them... and in this case, will ultimately be settled on the field, yet this "Power Ranking" from Slim Kimmel at Billings Gazette Prep Sports is interesting.

Your thoughts?

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AA power rankings: 3-1 Skyview leaps unbeaten Helena
The Billings Gazette
September 24, 2013 3:45 pm • By Slim Kimmel
ckimmel@billingsgazette.com

Note: Each week, we're releasing the AA football power rankings. These power rankings use the same mathematical formula that Class B uses to determine their final two wildcard teams for the State B playoffs. The formula uses strength of schedule, among other things, as one of the bigger factors. It's important to note -- and this can't be overstated -- that the strength of schedule includes games against opponents that have yet to be played. So a team's power ranking points total reflects a team's perceived strength of schedule for the entire season (Weeks 1-10), not just games that have been played (Weeks 1-4).

After Week 4 of the Class AA football regular season, things are starting to take shape. Bozeman, Helena and Helena Capital are the last three unbeatens, while there are still four teams -- Billings West, Great Falls CMR, Missoula Big Sky and Missoula Hellgate -- searching for their first wins. The power rankings still like Helena Capital, which has been first or tied for first in each week. The Bruins are followed closely by Bozeman in the rankings.

The biggest surprise of this week's rankings, though, is Billings Skyview. The 3-1 Falcons leap-frogged unbeaten Helena High for the third spot in the rankings. Why? Because the Bengals have the weakest strength of schedule of any team in the class. Helena's four opponents to this point have only one win (that belongs to Great Falls High). Helena hosts Skyview this weekend, though, so we'll see if the rankings or records are right. Butte and Kalispell Glacier (both 3-1) play this week, as well. The winner of that matchup will likely move up to fourth in next week's rankings.

Of the 2-2 teams, strength of schedule -- both through four weeks and over the rest of the season -- favors Kalispell Flathead. The Braves hold a small lead on Billings Senior and Missoula Sentinel.

Great Falls is the only one-win team in AA, so the Bison slide into the 10th slot. Missoula Hellgate, Billings West, Great Falls CMR and Missoula Big Sky round out the rankings.

Reaction: This is the most interesting edition of the rankings, considering an undefeated team slid down a spot. I'm not sure Skyview is the better team than Helena, but it's hard to argue against the strength of schedule. Helena's first three wins came against winless opponents, while Skyview's three wins -- following its season-opening loss to Bozeman -- have come against teams with a combined five wins. Interestingly, Great Falls is a common opponent, and both Skyview and Helena beat the Bison by 28 points.

Butte and Glacier are separated by less than one point in the rankings, which is pretty close using this formula. I voted for the Wolfpack ahead of the Bulldogs in the Associated Press power poll, but they have the looks of comparable teams. That should be a great contest between those two on Friday.

At this juncture, it looks like there are six teams (Capital, Bozeman, Skyview, Helena, Butte and Glacier) in good position for playoff berths. The final two spots appear to be coming down to Flathead, Senior and Sentinel.

Rank Team Record Points Previous ranking
1 Helena Capital 4-0 60.750 1
2 Bozeman 4-0 59.250 2
3 Billings Skyview 3-1 55.750 4
4 Helena 4-0 55.500 3
5 Butte 3-1 52.000 6
6 Kalispell Glacier 3-1 51.250 T7
7 Kalispell Flathead 2-2 49.250 9
8 Billings Senior 2-2 47.750 5
9 Missoula Sentinel 2-2 46.250 T7
10 Great Falls 1-3 42.000 10
T11 Missoula Hellgate 0-4 40.750 T11
T11 Billings West 0-4 40.750 T11
13 Great Falls CMR 0-4 40.000 13
14 Missoula Big Sky 0-4 37.750 14

Note: Each week, we're releasing the AA football power rankings. These power rankings use the same mathematical formula that Class B uses to determine their final two wildcard teams for the State B playoffs. The formula uses strength of schedule, among other things, as one of the bigger factors. It's important to note -- and this can't be overstated -- that the strength of schedule includes games against opponents that have yet to be played. So a team's power ranking points total reflects a team's perceived strength of schedule for the entire season (Weeks 1-10), not just games that have been played (Weeks 1-5).
In this week's edition of the AA power rankings, Helena High moved back up to No. 3 after its win over Billings Skyview. The Bengals are one of three 5-0 teams in AA. Helena Capital and Bozeman remain locked into the top two spots, and those teams meet up this week in one of the best games of the season.

Even with the loss, Skyview only dropped one spot in the rankings. Kalispell Glacier beat Butte but still trails Skyview by .200 points in the rankings.

Butte, meanwhile, slid from No. 5 to No. 7, one spot behind Billings Senior. The Bulldogs do own a head-to-head win over the Broncs, so the difference there is the future strength of schedule. Senior has games left against both Helena schools, while Butte has dates with the two winless Missoula schools (Hellgate and Big Sky).

Missoula Sentinel is in at No. 8, up one spot from last week, and Kalispell Flathead dropped two spots to No. 9 following its loss to Great Falls CMR. The Rustlers climbed to tenth with their first win of the season.

Great Falls High, also 1-4, dropped to No. 12, one spot behind winless Billings West. 0-5 teams Missoula Hellgate and Missoula Big Sky occupy the 13th and 14th positions.

Reaction: As they should be, the three undefeated teams are back in the top three spots. Capital and Bozeman have been the top two since the rankings started. That should be a great matchup between those two this weekend and will likely determine the No. 1 seed for the playoffs, especially if Bozeman wins. Capital still has its season-ending crosstown showdown with Helena High.

Speaking of the Bengals, they got their signature win by beating Skyview. Up until that point, Helena's opponents only had one combined win. The schedule gets more challenging down the stretch, but the Bengals are in Helena for four of their last five games. Their only road trip is to CMR.

I'm a little surprised the formula doesn't like Glacier more, but -- like Helena -- the Wolfpack didn't have a big win until beating Butte.

I've been thinking this for a while (I can't remember if I've said it or not), but CMR could certainly go on a run to end the season. Through the first four weeks of the season, nobody -- except for West -- had a tougher start to the season than did CMR. The 1-4 Rustlers have losses to Sentinel (3-2), Glacier (4-1), Butte (3-2) and Capital (5-0). If CMR can beat Skyview (3-2) or Helena (5-0), it has an excellent shot to finish the season 5-5 with games against Senior (3-2), West (0-5) and Great Falls (1-4) to close out the season. That might be good enough to sneak into the playoffs.

Rank Team Record Points Previous ranking
1 Helena Capital 5-0 60.600 1
2 Bozeman 5-0 58.800 2
3 Helena 5-0 55.800 4
4 Billings Skyview 3-2 52.600 3
5 Kalispell Glacier 4-1 52.400 6
6 Billings Senior 3-2 49.600 8
7 Butte 3-2 49.000 5
8 Missoula Sentinel 3-2 48.400 9
9 Kalispell Flathead 2-3 47.400 7
10 Great Falls CMR 1-4 44.000 13
11 Billings West 0-5 41.200 T11
12 Great Falls 1-4 41.000 10
13 Missoula Hellgate 0-5 40.600 T11
14 Missoula Big Sky 0-5 37.600 14

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Can you explain how the Class B playoff teams are determined? I know that Class B is sort of unusual, because there's so many more teams in the Southern Division, as compared to the North and the West. I didn't realize that the final two teams got into the field based upon a wild card formula. I know that the number of teams from each divison varies from year to year, but I always thought that was based upon some sort of rotation system, rather than choosing two wild card teams.

First, I'm NOT Slim Kimmel (will the real Slim Kimmel please stand up, please stand up..). I just think the power ranking column is interesting and thought others that don't look at the Gazette Prep Sports online, or the app, might enjoy it as well.

Second, I don't know much about the Class B playoffs (16 team field was news to me) so in looking at the MHSA website it appears that there are 7 conferences in which the top 2 teams from each advance to the playoffs. In order to round out the field, the MHSA uses the equation, that Slim Kimmel borrows in preparing the AA Power Rankings, to determine the final two "wild card" entrances into the Class B playoffs.. which it appears one comes from the South and one comes from the North or West.

Again, this is just my own take from looking at the MHSA website.

SenorWeezer wrote:First, I'm NOT Slim Kimmel (will the real Slim Kimmel please stand up, please stand up..). I just think the power ranking column is interesting and thought others that don't look at the Gazette Prep Sports online, or the app, might enjoy it as well.

Second, I don't know much about the Class B playoffs (16 team field was news to me) so in looking at the MHSA website it appears that there are 7 conferences in which the top 2 teams from each advance to the playoffs. In order to round out the field, the MHSA uses the equation, that Slim Kimmel borrows in preparing the AA Power Rankings, to determine the final two "wild card" entrances into the Class B playoffs.. which it appears one comes from the South and one comes from the North or West.

Again, this is just my own take from looking at the MHSA website.

Interesting...thanks for the info.

Slim Kimmel is a great name.

I have a friend in Boise named Bret Kimmel but he is very very far from being slim.

AA power rankings: Dominant Bozeman takes over top spot
• By Slim Kimmel
Slim Kimmel ckimmel@billingsgazette.com

Note: Each week, we're releasing the AA football power rankings. These power rankings use the same mathematical formula that Class B uses to determine their final two wildcard teams for the State B playoffs. The formula uses strength of schedule, among other things, as one of the bigger factors. It's important to note -- and this can't be overstated -- that the strength of schedule includes games against opponents that have yet to be played. So a team's power ranking points total reflects a team's perceived strength of schedule for the entire season (Weeks 1-10), not just games that have been played (Weeks 1-6).

The big change in this week's AA power rankings is obviously Bozeman's takeover of the top spot. The Hawks -- who have been the most impressive team by the eye test all season -- dominated Helena Capital last week. The Bruins had been the top-ranked team using this formula for most of the season.

Capital is still ranked ahead of crosstown rival Helena High, despite the Bengals having yet to suffer a defeat. The difference in the rankings there is the strength of schedule where Helena has the weakest schedule in Class AA.

Billings Skyview, which came in at No. 4 last week, slides down to sixth after its loss at Great Falls CMR. The Falcons were jumped by Kalispell Glacier and Billings Senior. Glacier and Senior have both lost to Bozeman this season, and the Broncs also have a season-opening loss at Butte.

The 4-2 Bulldogs come in at No. 7 for the second week in a row, followed by Missoula Sentinel and CMR, which has won back-to-back games after starting the season 0-4.

Kalispell Flathead fell down one spot to No. 10. Billings West, Great Falls High, Missoula Hellgate and Missoula Big Sky round out the rankings.

Reaction: Bozeman has looked like the best team all season long, and now the mathematical formula agrees. On paper, the Hawks have a relatively easy schedule the rest of the way, so expect them to finish the season as the top-ranked team and No. 1 seed for the State AA playoffs.

Capital, meanwhile, has a strong strength of schedule -- much stronger than Helena High. It will be an interesting matchup between those two teams to end the season. The Bengals are entering the toughest stretch of their schedule right now.

I'm a little surprised Butte is still ranked below Skyview, although it's a minimal gap. The formula is just not impressed by the Bulldogs' schedule, which features games against all three teams that have yet to record wins this season, compared to Skyview's.

And finally, here comes CMR. The Rustlers started 0-4, but they've now won two in a row and are starting their climb up the power rankings. More importantly for coach Jack Johnson and Co., the Rustlers are now only one game out of the playoffs. They have a big game against Helena High this week.

Rank Team Record Points Previous ranking
1 Bozeman 6-0 58.500 2
2 Helena Capital 5-1 57.167 1
3 Helena 6-0 55.500 3
4 Kalispell Glacier 5-1 53.167 5
5 Billings Senior 4-2 50.833 6
6 Billings Skyview 3-3 50.500 4
7 Butte 4-2 50.333 7
8 Missoula Sentinel 4-2 49.833 8
9 Great Falls CMR 2-4 46.667 10
10 Kalispell Flathead 2-4 45.667 9
11 Billings West 0-6 41.500 11
12 Great Falls 1-5 40.833 12
13 Missoula Hellgate 0-6 40.500 13
14 Missoula Big Sky 0-6 38.000 14



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AA power rankings: Bozeman still tops; Butte, CMR continue to climb
The Billings Gazette

Slim Kimmel ckimmel@billingsgazette.com


Note: Each week, we're releasing the AA football power rankings. These power rankings use the same mathematical formula that Class B uses to determine their final two wildcard teams for the State B playoffs. The formula uses strength of schedule, among other things, as one of the bigger factors. It's important to note -- and this can't be overstated -- that the strength of schedule includes games against opponents that have yet to be played. So a team's power ranking points total reflects a team's perceived strength of schedule for the entire season (Weeks 1-10), not just games that have been played (Weeks 1-7).
Bozeman, as the last undefeated team in Class AA, tops the class power rankings for the second consecutive week. With remaining games against Billings West, Missoula Hellgate and Butte, the Hawks are closing in on an undefeated season and the No. 1 seed for the playoffs.

Helena Capital leads the three 6-1 teams in the Nos. 2, 3 and 4 slots. The Bruins have a sizable lead over Kalispell Glacier. Helena is fourth after suffering its first loss of the season last week to Great Falls CMR.

The Rustlers continue to rise up the power rankings and are now up to eighth, one spot behind Billings Senior, which slipped two spots in this week's rankings. Those two teams meet up Friday in Billings. Butte took Senior's previous spot at No. 5. Billings Skyview checks in at No. 6.

Despite having a better record than CMR, Missoula Sentinel slid behind the Rustlers to ninth. Kalispell Flathead, West and Great Falls held steady at 10th, 11th and 12th. Missoula Big Sky, by virtue of its head-to-head win over Hellgate, leap-frogged the Knights into a tie at No. 13.

Reaction: The gap from Bozeman to Helena is a bit surprising to me. The formula hasn't really separated teams that much in past weeks, but it's starting to now. Consider: No. 1 Bozeman (7-0) has a 6.285-point lead on No. 4 Helena (6-1), which is bigger than the Bengals' lead on No. 9 Missoula Sentinel (4-3). As I've said all year, Helena's weak strength of schedule has prevented it from climbing to the top of the rankings. With a loss on their resume now, the Bengals are ranked well below Bozeman, Helena Capital and Kalispell Glacier.

Butte as the lone 5-2 team at No. 5 makes sense, while I agree with the formula's rankings on the three 4-3 teams. Billings Skyview seems to be just a notch better than Billings Senior and Missoula Sentinel.

Great Falls CMR's difficult schedule is paying dividends in the rankings now that the Rustlers have won three consecutive games. CMR has battled back into the playoff hunt, and the power rankings formula says the Rustlers are one of the eight best teams. They have a big game with Senior on Friday, followed by games against Billings West and Great Falls High.

Rank Team Record Points Previous ranking
1 Bozeman 7-0 58.714 1
2 Helena Capital 6-1 57.547 2
3 Kalispell Glacier 6-1 54.143 4
4 Helena 6-1 52.429 3
5 Butte 5-2 52.143 7
6 Billings Skyview 4-3 51.429 6
7 Billings Senior 4-3 49.286 5
8 Great Falls CMR 3-4 48.143 9
9 Missoula Sentinel 4-3 48.000 8
10 Kalispell Flathead 2-5 44.857 10
11 Billings West 0-7 41.714 11
T12 Great Falls 1-6 40.286 12
T13 Missoula Big Sky 1-6 40.286 14
14 Missoula Hellgate 0-7 40.000 13



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AA power rankings: Skyview, CMR climb after important wins

The Billings Gazette
By Slim Kimmel
Slim Kimmel ckimmel@billingsgazette.com

Note: Each week, we're releasing the AA football power rankings. These power rankings use the same mathematical formula that Class B uses to determine their final two wildcard teams for the State B playoffs. The formula uses strength of schedule, among other things, as one of the bigger factors. It's important to note -- and this can't be overstated -- that the strength of schedule includes games against opponents that have yet to be played. So a team's power ranking points total reflects a team's perceived strength of schedule for the entire season (Weeks 1-10), not just games that have been played (Weeks 1-8).

The top four teams in the AA power rankings remained, with Bozeman topping the rankings again. The Hawks, even though their point total dropped slightly, strengthened their hold on No. 1 thanks to Helena Capital's loss at Kalispell Glacier.

Despite that loss, the Bruins held on to the No. 2 ranking. Glacier is third, followed by Helena High.

By virtue of its win over Butte, Billings Skyview moved up one spot to fifth. The Bulldogs fell to sixth, one spot ahead of resurgent Great Falls CMR. The Rustlers have won four consecutive games to even their record at 4-4 and climb to seventh in the power rankings.

Billings Senior slid one spot to No. 9, less than one point ahead of Missoula Sentinel and Kalispell Flathead.

Missoula Big Sky has now won back-to-back games to move to 11th. Billings West, Great Falls High and Missoula Hellgate round out the rankings.

Reaction: I would have thought that Glacier would have jumped Capital with the dominant head-to-head win, but the formula doesn't figure in score. It only counts wins and strength of schedule. Strength of schedule is where Capital dominates Glacier. The Bruins have the most difficult schedule among teams with winning records, including games against Skyview and Helena High to close out the season. Glacier finishes with Great Falls High and Flathead.

Skyview got a big win at Butte last Friday to put itself in position to claim a home playoff game with wins the next two weeks. The Falcons have won two straight after dropping a close game at CMR and are deserving of a top-five ranking.

The Rustlers continue to climb the rankings, and you would be hard-pressed to find a team outside of Bozeman, Glacier and Helena High playing better than the them. With games left against West and Great Falls High, CMR should be able to finish the season 6-4, which still might only be good for the eighth playoff seed.

Rank Team Record Points Previous ranking
1 Bozeman 8-0 58.625 1
2 Helena Capital 6-2 55.375 2
3 Kalispell Glacier 7-1 54.500 3
4 Helena 7-1 53.000 4
5 Billings Skyview 5-3 52.125 6
6 Butte 5-3 50.250 5
7 Great Falls CMR 4-4 49.250 8
8 Billings Senior 4-4 47.750 7
9 Missoula Sentinel 4-4 47.375 9
10 Kalispell Flathead 3-5 47.125 10
11 Missoula Big Sky 2-6 42.375 T12
12 Billings West 0-8 41.500 11
13 Great Falls 1-7 40.250 T12
14 Missoula Hellgate 0-8 39.625 14


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Uhhh... Glacier beat Capital head to head, and has a better record, yet they are ranked beneath them? Regardless of strength of schedule - there's something wrong with this rating system.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

91catAlum wrote:Uhhh... Glacier beat Capital head to head, and has a better record, yet they are ranked beneath them? Regardless of strength of schedule - there's something wrong with this rating system.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

Especially when Glacier's only loss is to the best team in the state!!

rtb wrote:

91catAlum wrote:Uhhh... Glacier beat Capital head to head, and has a better record, yet they are ranked beneath them? Regardless of strength of schedule - there's something wrong with this rating system.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

Especially when Glacier's only loss is to the best team in the state!!

Yeah that's incredibly stupid and short-sighted by Slim.

Also, my God how far my West High Bears have fallen since I've graduated HS. They are SO BAD. I can't get over it.

CatBlitz wrote:

rtb wrote:

91catAlum wrote:Uhhh... Glacier beat Capital head to head, and has a better record, yet they are ranked beneath them? Regardless of strength of schedule - there's something wrong with this rating system.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

Especially when Glacier's only loss is to the best team in the state!!

Yeah that's incredibly stupid and short-sighted by Slim.

Also, my God how far my West High Bears have fallen since I've graduated HS. They are SO BAD. I can't get over it.

Interesting choice of words you used... "incredibly stupid and short-sighted" since if you actually read the information, the formula was designed, and is used by the Montana High School Association and is not Kimmel's. Heck, he even mentions that he thinks it doesn't make sense but explains why it is the way it is.

p.s. Again, I am NOT Slim Kimmel. I just think this is interesting and cut & paste if from the Billings Gazette Prep Sports page online.

SenorWeezer wrote:

CatBlitz wrote:

rtb wrote:

91catAlum wrote:Uhhh... Glacier beat Capital head to head, and has a better record, yet they are ranked beneath them? Regardless of strength of schedule - there's something wrong with this rating system.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

Especially when Glacier's only loss is to the best team in the state!!

Yeah that's incredibly stupid and short-sighted by Slim.

Also, my God how far my West High Bears have fallen since I've graduated HS. They are SO BAD. I can't get over it.

Interesting choice of words you used... "incredibly stupid and short-sighted" since if you actually read the information, the formula was designed, and is used by the Montana High School Association and is not Kimmel's. Heck, he even mentions that he thinks it doesn't make sense but explains why it is the way it is.

p.s. Again, I am NOT Slim Kimmel. I just think this is interesting and cut & paste if from the Billings Gazette Prep Sports page online.

I agree that there is obviously an inherent flaw in the formula, when Team A can have a better record than Team B, and beat Team B head to head, but is still ranked lower. These Power Rankings are interesting, and I appreciate you posting them each week, but no one should get too upset about it, since they're not used for seeding purposes for the AA playoffs. If Bozeman and Glacier both win out, they'll be seeded #1 and #2.

And what is the deal with West? I've been following AA football for a long time, and I don't ever remember them being this bad. When is the last time they missed the playoffs? I'm thinking it must be at least 10 years...maybe closer to 15?

SenorWeezer wrote:

CatBlitz wrote:

rtb wrote:

91catAlum wrote:Uhhh... Glacier beat Capital head to head, and has a better record, yet they are ranked beneath them? Regardless of strength of schedule - there's something wrong with this rating system.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

Especially when Glacier's only loss is to the best team in the state!!

Yeah that's incredibly stupid and short-sighted by Slim.

Also, my God how far my West High Bears have fallen since I've graduated HS. They are SO BAD. I can't get over it.

Interesting choice of words you used... "incredibly stupid and short-sighted" since if you actually read the information, the formula was designed, and is used by the Montana High School Association and is not Kimmel's. Heck, he even mentions that he thinks it doesn't make sense but explains why it is the way it is.

p.s. Again, I am NOT Slim Kimmel. I just think this is interesting and cut & paste if from the Billings Gazette Prep Sports page online.

Makes sense. I just looked at the rankings.

John K wrote:

SenorWeezer wrote:

CatBlitz wrote:

rtb wrote:

91catAlum wrote:Uhhh... Glacier beat Capital head to head, and has a better record, yet they are ranked beneath them? Regardless of strength of schedule - there's something wrong with this rating system.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

Especially when Glacier's only loss is to the best team in the state!!

Yeah that's incredibly stupid and short-sighted by Slim.

Also, my God how far my West High Bears have fallen since I've graduated HS. They are SO BAD. I can't get over it.

Interesting choice of words you used... "incredibly stupid and short-sighted" since if you actually read the information, the formula was designed, and is used by the Montana High School Association and is not Kimmel's. Heck, he even mentions that he thinks it doesn't make sense but explains why it is the way it is.

p.s. Again, I am NOT Slim Kimmel. I just think this is interesting and cut & paste if from the Billings Gazette Prep Sports page online.

I agree that there is obviously an inherent flaw in the formula, when Team A can have a better record than Team B, and beat Team B head to head, but is still ranked lower. These Power Rankings are interesting, and I appreciate you posting them each week, but no one should get too upset about it, since they're not used for seeding purposes for the AA playoffs. If Bozeman and Glacier both win out, they'll be seeded #1 and #2.

And what is the deal with West? I've been following AA football for a long time, and I don't ever remember them being this bad. When is the last time they missed the playoffs? I'm thinking it must be at least 10 years...maybe closer to 15?

I think with the 16 team field in Class B this equation makes a little bit of sense since the 2 wild card teams have likely not played during the season (although, it is possible). I do like that it has a strength of schedule factor.

The weight of strength of schedule must be heavy to vault Helena Capital (6-2) over Kalispell Glacier (7-1) especially with one of the two losses being head to head. Looking at the rest of each team's respective schedule Capital has Billings Skyview (5-3) and Helena High (7-1) while Glacier has Great Falls High (1-7) and Kalispell Flathead (3-5). While Glacier will probably be the #2 seed in the AA playoffs, Capital could fall to at least 5th or 6th.

As far as Billings West... I heard an ad on the radio to listen to their upcoming game and I think it said they had made the playoffs 17 straight years.

AA power rankings: Little changes as season winds down

Slim Kimmel ckimmel@billingsgazette.com

Note: Each week, we're releasing the AA football power rankings. These power rankings use the same mathematical formula that Class B uses to determine their final two wildcard teams for the State B playoffs. The formula uses strength of schedule, among other things, as one of the bigger factors. It's important to note -- and this can't be overstated -- that the strength of schedule includes games against opponents that have yet to be played. So a team's power ranking points total reflects a team's perceived strength of schedule for the entire season (Weeks 1-10), not just games that have been played (Weeks 1-9).

In this week's AA power rankings, the top seven teams held their spots. Bozeman has a stranglehold on first, while Helena Capital and Kalispell Glacier are separated by less than a point at Nos. 2 and 3.

Helena High sits in fourth, followed by Billings Skyview -- which didn't drop a spot despite its loss to Capital -- and Butte. Great Falls CMR continues to play good football in the second half of the season and, at 5-4, is seventh in the power rankings. Missoula Sentinel is eighth.

All teams with records better than .500 are in the top eight of the power rankings. The top eight teams by standings qualify for the playoffs (the power rankings do not affect the playoff picture).

With its loss last weekend, Kalispell Flathead was eliminated from playoff contention. The Braves lead Billings Senior in the power rankings, though, and the Broncs do still have playoff hopes. Senior fell two spots after losing at Helena last week.

Missoula Big Sky, Billings West, Great Falls High and Missoula Hellgate round out the rankings for the second consecutive week.

Reaction: There are some flaws with this formula, but it's working itself out pretty well. Obviously putting the eight teams with records better than .500 in the top eight slots is an indication the formula works to a degree.

It's still disappointing to have Capital ranked above Glacier, but it's a small margin. And the Bruins have played a more challenging schedule than the Wolfpack.

Skyview leads Butte by only .111 point, despite having a worse record. The Falcons did beat the Bulldogs head-to-head, though.

CMR continues to play well and -- right now -- is probably one of the three or four best teams in Class AA. But you can't discount the 0-4 start, which is why the Rustlers are in seventh. As long as CMR finishes better than eighth in the playoff standings, I'll be picking the Rustlers to win their first-round playoff game.

Senior and Skyview play what likely amounts to an elimination game Friday. Assuming CMR (over Great Falls High) and Sentinel (over Hellgate) win, the winner of the Senior-Skyview game is in and the loser is out.

Rank Team Record Points Previous ranking
1 Bozeman 9-0 58.333 1
2 Helena Capital 7-2 55.889 2
3 Kalispell Glacier 8-1 55.222 3
4 Helena 8-1 52.889 4
5 Billings Skyview 5-4 51.111 5
6 Butte 6-3 51.000 6
7 Great Falls CMR 5-4 50.444 7
8 Missoula Sentinel 5-4 48.444 9
9 Kalispell Flathead 3-6 46.667 10
10 Billings Senior 4-5 46.556 8
11 Missoula Big Sky 2-7 42.111 11
12 Billings West 0-9 42.000 12
13 Great Falls 1-8 40.222 13
14 Missoula Hellgate 0-9 40.000 14

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Given the injuries and players out the first 4 games I think you have to discount CMR's 0-4 start. If healthy they may have gone 4-0 which would have set up 2 undefeated teams going into the playoffs. That said I believe Bozeman is still the heavy favorite.

Anyone know the AA tiebreaker? Looks like four teams will tie for fifth. CMR, Sentinel, Skyview and Butte. Head to head their records are:
Skyview 2-1
Sentinel 1-1
Butte 1-1
CMR 1-2

[cat_bracket] wrote:Anyone know the AA tiebreaker? Looks like four teams will tie for fifth. CMR, Sentinel, Skyview and Butte. Head to head their records are:
Skyview 2-1
Sentinel 1-1
Butte 1-1
CMR 1-2

In this scenario, I'm pretty sure that Skyview would get the #5 seed, CMR would be #8 (sucks for them). If Butte and Sentinel didn't play each other, then I think it would come down to how they fared against the other teams, in descending order of finish. starting with the #1 seed. In other words, whichever one of them had a win over the highest placing team above them in the standings (or below them in the standings I suppose, if neither of them beat a team that finished higher).