Location
Parker-Reed, SSWAC
Start Date
1-5-2014 10:00 AM
End Date
1-5-2014 11:00 AM
Project Type
Poster- Restricted to Campus Access
Description
This project seeks to assess whether or not success in college football can be explained by proximity to elite recruits living within 100 miles of the colleges. Using an unbiased, custom ranking system, each NCAA Division I FBS team was rated between the 2006 and 2013 season and an average for each program was calculated. The ranking system uses two components: total quality points and average scoring margin. The total quality points works so that teams get full credit for the strength or weakness of their wins and losses. For example, when Florida State defeated Auburn in the most recent title game, Florida State earned twelve quality points because Auburn won twelve games over the course of the season (conversely, Auburn lost zero quality points because Florida State accrued no losses throughout the season). This score is added to an average scoring margin and divided by the total number of games played by that team, generating a final score. According to rivals.com, certain recruits are considered to have especially high athletic potential and are deemed worthy of a five star rating. Every five-star recruit in the United States according to rivals.com was mapped and a radius of 100 miles was placed around each program to determine the density of elite talent in the area. Using Census data for total population aged five to seventeen, a density of recruits within the radius was calculated. By looking at the rankings of elite recruit density in comparison to the on-field success ranking, it can be determined which teams have the most talent readily available and which teams may have to go the extra mile (almost literally) in luring elite recruits to their school.
Faculty Sponsor
Manny Gimond
Sponsoring Department
Colby College. Environmental Studies Program
CLAS Field of Study
Interdisciplinary Studies
Event Website
http://www.colby.edu/clas
ID
522
College Football Success and Proximity to Elite Recruits
Parker-Reed, SSWAC
This project seeks to assess whether or not success in college football can be explained by proximity to elite recruits living within 100 miles of the colleges. Using an unbiased, custom ranking system, each NCAA Division I FBS team was rated between the 2006 and 2013 season and an average for each program was calculated. The ranking system uses two components: total quality points and average scoring margin. The total quality points works so that teams get full credit for the strength or weakness of their wins and losses. For example, when Florida State defeated Auburn in the most recent title game, Florida State earned twelve quality points because Auburn won twelve games over the course of the season (conversely, Auburn lost zero quality points because Florida State accrued no losses throughout the season). This score is added to an average scoring margin and divided by the total number of games played by that team, generating a final score. According to rivals.com, certain recruits are considered to have especially high athletic potential and are deemed worthy of a five star rating. Every five-star recruit in the United States according to rivals.com was mapped and a radius of 100 miles was placed around each program to determine the density of elite talent in the area. Using Census data for total population aged five to seventeen, a density of recruits within the radius was calculated. By looking at the rankings of elite recruit density in comparison to the on-field success ranking, it can be determined which teams have the most talent readily available and which teams may have to go the extra mile (almost literally) in luring elite recruits to their school.
https://digitalcommons.colby.edu/clas/2014/program/309