While the regular season is over for public schools – except for those that play on Thanksgiving – and the playoffs start for them next week, Strength Index values continue to be tracked by the state through the end of the playoffs, and Central Jersey Sports Radio will continue to publish the Big Central and New Jersey Power Rankings.
Simply based on the state’s Strength Index formula – which helps determine a team’s OSI, which is 60% of the UPR playoff formula – the rankings will change each week as games are played. See methodology at the bottom of this page.
The rankings use the official NJSIAA Strength Index values calculated by Gridiron New Jersey, which updates them on each team’s page on a weekly basis. Our rankings use the official SI calculations as of October 23, 2024.
In the Big Central, Somerville goes to the top of the pack, with a 94.62 SI, ranked seventh in New Jersey. That drops Phillipsburg to second. Ridge and St. Thomas Aquinas hold third and fourth, respectively, but Piscataway overtook Hillsborough at five with a 52-0 win over Monroe last Friday.
As for the state Top 25, all four Big Central Conference teams remain on the list. Somerville has reached the top ten at No. 7, while Phillipsburg drops from nine to 11. Ridge went up to 16 from 17, but St. Thomas Aquinas dropped five places to No. 25.
Statewide, Winslow and Bergen Catholic remain Nos. 1 and 2 yet again, with Toms River North third. Don Bosco Prep goes up to fourth, with Millville dropping to No. 5.
Strength Index Methodology: Team A and Team B are compared to find the difference between their rankings, which provides the Expected Result. The margin of the final score is figured in positive or negative terms compared to the Expected Result. The difference is divided by five, and the teams increase or decrease by the resulting number.
Example #1: Team A has an SI value of 80, while Team B has an SI value of 60. The Expected Result is +20 for Team A. When the game is played, Team A wins by 30. That is 10 points higher than the expected result. Than number is divided by 5, meaning Team A increases by 2 (Team A now has an SI of 82) while Team B decreases by 2 (Team B now has an SI of 58).
Example #2: In the same scenario, Team A defeats Team B by 20. That is the same as the Expected Result, no there is no change. Team A remains with an SI value of 80, while Team B retains its 60 SI value.
Example #2: Team A defeats Team B by 10. That is 10 points fewer than the expected result. Divide by 5 to get 2, but in this case, Team A drops by 2 points to 78 (because Team A “underperformed”) while Team B increases by 2 points to 62.
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