Tag: Power Rankings

by Mike Pavlichko

Phillipsburg moves into Top Ten of NJ Power Rankings, climbs ahead of St. Thomas Aquinas in Big Central Conference

Now that Gridiron New Jersey has released the official Strength Index numbers for all teams in the Garden State – and we’ve been able to figure out out-of-state opponents based on the latest standings and some simple math – there have been some adjustments in the state and Big Central power rankings.

Previous rankings by CJSR based on unofficial, projected SI numbers saw some changes, since we didn’t have information on out-of-state teams prior to their release after Week Two of play, per NJSIAA rules.

The power rankings are simply based on the state’s Strength Index formula, which helps determine a team’s OSI, which is 60% of the UPR playoff formula. SI values and will change each week as games are played. See methodology at the bottom of this page.

With the new OOS numbers released, St. Thomas Aquinas having fallen to Catholic Memorial (PA) in Week One, and Phillipsburg’s 48-point win over Hunterdon Central, the Stateliners take the new top spot this week in the Big Central power rankings. The Trojans move to No. 2, while Bernards moved up to three and Somerville fell to fourth after a Friday night home loss to Montgomery. Ridge rounds out the top five, moving up three places.

New Providence, Woodbridge, St. Joseph-Metuchen, Elizabeth and Piscataway round out the Top Ten in the league. And 18 of the league’s teams are in the Top 100.

A table displaying the Big Central Power Rankings for 2025 Week 2, listing schools, their Strength Index (SI) values, and state rankings.

Meanwhile, three Big Central teams continue to be ranked in the Top 25 statewide, with St. Thomas Aquinas the highest of them for a second straight week, holding at No. 6. (Keep in mind, their SI could not be updated this week since they played an out-of-state opponent. Phillipsburg climbs from 17 to 12, while Somerville dropped from 11 to 13.

Around the state, the out-of-state SI release and Week Two results brought some big changes.

The new No. 1 is Glassboro, which now has the state’s longest active win streak at 16 games after Rumson-Fair Haven had its 15-game streak snapped with a loss Friday night to Holmdel, dropping them all the way down to seven. (Both teams happen to be the Bulldogs, by the way.)

Bergen Catholic moves from five to two, likely based in part on the OOS SI numbers coming our, followed by Washington Twp (up five spots to third), DePaul (holding in fourth) and Don Bosco Prep (up from ninth to No. 5).

Only two Big Central teams remain in the state Top 25, as Phillipsburg rose from 12th to 10th place, while St. Thomas Aquinas dropped from No. 6 to 16. Somerville dropped out with its loss to Montgomery.

Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly has last week’s rankings included.

Table displaying the New Jersey Power Rankings for Week 2 of 2025, listing schools and their corresponding Strength Index (SI) values.

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.

Out-of-State Opponent SI: Strength Index ratings for non-New Jersey teams are calculated by finding their MaxPreps national ranking, then averaging the SI ratings of the next New Jersey team above and below them in the MaxPreps rankings.

by Mike Pavlichko

Big Central Conference, New Jersey Power Rankings: Phillipsburg and Somerville flip-flop in BCC rankings, Rumson rises to No. 1 in NJ*

St. Thomas Aquinas – for now – remains the No. 1 team in the Big Central Conference power rankings, but likely would remain there anyway, despite a Week One loss Friday to the top-ranked MaxPreps team from Massachusetts, Catholic Memorial. But a shutout win at Westfield propelled Phillipsburg up over Somerville into the No. 2 spot, with the Pioneers’ winning a much closer tussle at home Friday over Cranford.

The power rankings are simply based on the state’s Strength Index formula, which helps determine a team’s OSI, which is 60% of the UPR playoff formula. SI values and will change each week as games are played. See methodology at the bottom of this page.

Please note, our calculations are typically unofficial, with all results based on scores reported to Gridiron New Jersey, which does the official SI calculations for the NJSIAA.

In addition, out-of-state opponent SI values have not been officially released by Gridiron New Jersey, but are scheduled to come out, per the NJSIAA’s football regulations, after this weekend’s Week 2 games, in conjunction with the site’s initial UPR release, which also will include the official SI numbers for all New Jersey teams.

Big Central Conference Power Rankings for 2025 Week 1, listing schools, their Strength Index (SI) values, and state rankings.

Meanwhile, three Big Central teams continue to be ranked in the Top 25 statewide, with St. Thomas Aquinas the highest of them for a second straight week, holding at No. 6. (Keep in mind, their SI could not be updated this week since they played an out-of-state opponent. Phillipsburg climbs from 17 to 12, while Somerville dropped from 11 to 13.

Around the state, Rumson-Fair Haven moved up from No. 2 – with an asterisk, since those out-of-state games have not been calculated into SI yet by CJSR – and wrested the top spot away from Winslow Twp., which will face Bergen Catholic this weekend, while Rumson hosts Holmdel. Glassboro pulls up from No. 5 to No. 2, while Winslow drops to third. DePaul fell one spot to fourth and Bergen Catholic fell to 5, but both also faced out-of-state opponents this week.

A table displaying the New Jersey High School Power Rankings for Week 1 of 2025, listing schools and their respective Strength Index (SI) values.

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.

Out-of-State Opponent SI: Strength Index ratings for non-New Jersey teams are calculated by finding their MaxPreps national ranking, then averaging the SI ratings of the next New Jersey team above and below them in the MaxPreps rankings.

by Mike Pavlichko

Big Central Conference, New Jersey Power Rankings: St. Thomas Aquinas overtakes Somerville in BCC, moves into NJ Top 10

St. Thomas Aquinas’ 53-6 blowout win over Montclair in the season opener Friday night has propelled the Trojans to the top of the Week 0 Big Central Conference Power Rankings, while moving them into the top ten statewide.

The power rankings are simply based on the state’s Strength Index formula, which helps determine a team’s OSI, which is 60% of the UPR playoff formula. SI values and will change each week as games are played. See methodology at the bottom of this page.

Please note, our calculations are typically unofficial, with all results based on scores reported to Gridiron New Jersey, which does the official SI calculations for the NJSIAA.

Also, while we initially thought there might be some inaccuracies since the SI values of out-of-state opponents were not readily available, and many teams played non-New Jersey competition, the SI of the New Jersey schools that played them were unchanged on Gridiron New Jersey, which officially calculates the playoff formula for the NJSIAA. That said, we believe the following numbers to be correct.

A table showing the Big Central Power Rankings for 2025 Week Zero, with schools ranked by their WK 0 and STATE values.

Meanwhile, three Big Central teams are ranked in the Top 25 statewide, but now St. Thomas Aquinas is the highest of them, moving from 13 to No. 6. Somerville hung in at No. 11 after a season-opening win at Schalick. And Phillipsburg – despite being idle in Week Zero – dropped two spots to 17.

Around the state, defending Group 4 champion Winslow remained No. 1 for now, but could have fallen behind Rumson-Fair Haven – which is just 0.9 points behind – depending on how Winslow’s game against IMG Academy (FL) shook out in the rankings. IMG would likely be very high in the MaxPreps national rankings – which is how out-of-state opponents’ SIs are figured, but we don’t have that number available at this moment. Defending Group 1 champ Glassboro beat Haddonfield Saturday night in the Battle at the Beach, but dropped to No. 5.

A table displaying the New Jersey Power Rankings for Week 0, featuring the names of schools and their corresponding scores.

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.

Out-of-State Opponent SI: Strength Index ratings for non-New Jersey teams are calculated by finding their MaxPreps national ranking, then averaging the SI ratings of the next New Jersey team above and below them in the MaxPreps rankings.

by Mike Pavlichko

Big Central Conference, New Jersey Power Rankings: 2025 Preseason lists find three BCC teams ranked statewide

Every week this season – as we have for the last two years – Central Jersey Sports Radio will 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.

Please note, our calculations are typically unofficial, with all results based on scores reported to Gridiron New Jersey, which does the official SI calculations for the NJSIAA. However, the preseason power rankings use the official 2025 starting SI numbers, as reported on July 17th by Gridiron New Jersey.

Meanwhile, three Big Central teams are ranked in the Top 25 statewide, with defending Central Jersey Group 3 champion Somerville leading the way at No. 11, followed by St. Thomas Aquinas at No. 13, and Phillipsburg – defending North 2, Group 4 champs – at No. 17 in the rankings.

In addition to the three from the Big Central, two West Jersey Football League teams – defending Group 4 champion Winslow and defending Group 1 champ Glassboro – are ranked No. 1 and 2, with the WJFL having eight teams represented in the Top 25. The Super Football Conference has the most, with eleven. The Shore Conference has two teams, while the NJIC has one, Butler.

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.

by Mike Pavlichko

Final 2024 Big Central, NJ Power Rankings

With the 2024 season in the rearview mirror, it’s time to take a look at the final New Jersey Top 25 and the Big Central 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 typically use the official NJSIAA Strength Index values calculated by Gridiron New Jersey, which updates them on each team’s page on a weekly basis. However, since those are only updated in the regular season, we do our own unofficial calculations for the entire state.

Here are the Final rankings in the Big Central and statewide:

In the Big Central, Phillipsburg’s loss to Winslow in the State Group 4 Final dropped them to third, behind Somerville – which moved to No. 1 – and St. Thomas Aquinas.

Statewide, Winslow finished off its chokehold on the No. 1 spot with its 35-point win over Phillipsburg, leaving them with a 115.38 SI value.

Among Big Central teams, Phillipsburg dropped one spot to No. 13, while Somerville moved up to 11th, and St. Thomas Aquinas went up to No. 13.

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.

by Mike Pavlichko

Big Central, NJ Power Rankings: Week 12

Even though we’re down to the final three days and seven games of high school football in New Jersey – as champions are set to be crowned at Rutgers and Met Life Stadium following Thanksgiving – Strength Index continues to be measured across the state.

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 typically use the official NJSIAA Strength Index values calculated by Gridiron New Jersey, which updates them on each team’s page on a weekly basis. However, since those are only updated in the regular season, we do our own unofficial calculations for the entire state.

Here are the Week 12 rankings in the Big Central and statewide.

In the Big Central, Phillipsburg and Somerville flip-flop, with the Stateliners moving on to the Group 4 championship thanks to a 35-6 win over Ramapo, while Somerville lost in overtime, 36-35 to Mainland in the Group 3 semifinals.

Statewide, Winslow solidified its top spot in the rankings with a 13-7 win Saturday in the Group 4 semifinals over Millville. The Eagles will face Phillipsburg in the Group 4 title game Wednesday, December 4th at Rutgers University, with kickoff time set for 7 pm.

Meanwhile, DePaul moved up from No. 5 to third, while Bergen Catholic moved from No. 7 to fourth, and Don Bosco Prep fell from third to fifth.

Among Big Central teams, Phillipsburg rose four spot to No. 13, while Somerville dropped to right behind them, in 14th. St. Thomas Aquinas dropped two spots to No. 15.

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.

by Mike Pavlichko

Big Central, NJ Power Rankings: Week 11

As the playoffs continue on the the group semifinal stage among all schools – public and non-public – and everyone else wrapped up with regular season play, except for those who keep Thanksgiving rivalries alive, Strength Index continues to be measured across the state.

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 typically use the official NJSIAA Strength Index values calculated by Gridiron New Jersey, which updates them on each team’s page on a weekly basis. However, since those are only updated in the regular season, we do our own unofficial calculations for the entire state.

Here are the Week 11 rankings in the Big Central and statewide.

In the Big Central, Somerville’s win over Delsea in the Central Jersey Group 3 final – coupled with St. Thomas Aquinas losing in the Non-Public Group B quarterfinals – moves the Pioneers ahead of the Trojans. The rest of the top eight remain the same.

Statewide, Winslow and Millville remain Nos. 1 and 2, but Don Bosco’s Prep big win over St. Joseph-Metuchen propelled them up to third, a jump of two spots. That knocked Bergen Catholic to fourth, while DePaul went from tenth to No. 5, knocking Union City from fourth to eighth.

Among Big Central teams, title winners Somerville and Phillipsburg gained, while St. Thomas dropped. The Pioneers edged up from No. 11 to tenth, while Phillipsburg soared six spots to No. 12. St. Thomas Aquinas. dropped from eighth to 13th.

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.

by Mike Pavlichko

Big Central, NJ Power Rankings: Week 10

As the playoffs continue – with sectional title games this weekend – and everyone else wrapped up with regular season play, except for those who keep Thanksgiving rivalries alive, Strength Index continues to be measured across the state.

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 typically use the official NJSIAA Strength Index values calculated by Gridiron New Jersey, which updates them on each team’s page on a weekly basis. However, since those are only updated in the regular season, we do our own unofficial calculations for the entire state.

Here are the Week 10 rankings in the Big Central and statewide.

In the Big Central, a 61-6 win by St. Thomas Aquinas over St. Mary-Rutherford in the opening round of the Non-Public B playoff section propelled the Trojans to No. 1, leapfrogging Ridge, Phillipsburg and Somerville, which fall to second, third and fourth, respectively. Piscataway had been fifth, but dropped with a loss at West Orange, bumping up Hillsborough, despite a sectional semifinal loss at Rancocas Valley.

Winslow remains the No. 1 team, upping its SI this season to 113.02. Millville jumped from fifth to second this week, jumping Bergen Catholic, which falls to No. 3. Union City jumps from sixth to fourth, and Don Bosco Prep moves up one to fifth.

St. Thomas Aquinas jumps from out of the Top 25 to No. 8 after their blowout of St. Mary, passing Somerville and Phillipsburg. The Pioneers drop three places to 11th after a closer-than-usual win score-wise (it wasn’t really that close) over Ocean City, and Phillipsburg dropped two spots, right behind Somerville in 12th.

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.

by Mike Pavlichko

Big Central, New Jersey Power Rankings: Week 9

Though the playoffs (and consolations) have begun for public schools – and most non-publics will begin postseason play this week – Strength Index values continue to be tracked by the state through the end of the playoffs. Central Jersey Sports Radio will continue to publish the Big Central and New Jersey Power Rankings through the very last game of the 2024 season.

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.

This week’s rankings do not include Monday’s non-playoff game between Parsippany and North Warren. That will be added to next week’s rankings.

In the Big Central, the top five remain unchanged with Somerville followed by Phillipsburg, Ridge, St. Thomas Aquinas and Piscataway.

The top six remain the same across the state, with Winslow at No. 1, followed by Bergen Catholic and Toms River North, all with SIs over 100. Don Bosco Prep, Millville and Union City round out the top six. In the Big Central, Somerville drops a spot to 8th, with Phillipsburg is up one to tenth.

Ridge and St. Thomas Aquinas dropped out, but are close: the Red Devils were just 0.27 SI points out, in 26th, while the Trojans dropped to 28th at 86.11 on an idle week before they begin the playoffs this Friday night at home against St. Mary-Rutherford.

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.

by Mike Pavlichko

Big Central, New Jersey Power Rankings: Week 8

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.