KenPom Rankings

[OrangeXtreme]

Syracuse opens 68th

2026 Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings

 

[orange79]

WE'RE DANCING!!!

 

[721Comstock]

Syracuse opens 68th

2026 Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings

Sooo close to….

 

[SU94]

Syracuse opens 68th

2026 Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings

This is what is wrong with pre-season rankings, and analytics too. Only really happens in college sports, as pro sports and their postseasons are based entirely on results.

These rankings set up biases that are a challenge for humans to overcome. And it is humans that choose the 12-team CFB playoff and the NCAA Tournament.

No one has played. All teams should be equal on Oct. 12.
Syracuse is equal to Kansas, as is UTEP or Marist to Syracuse/Kansas. You get the gist.

BTW, these pre-season analytics are skewed to favor the B10 and SEC, so know that going in.

 

[jncuse]

This is what is wrong with pre-season rankings, and analytics too. Only really happens in college sports, as pro sports and their postseasons are based entirely on results.

These rankings set up biases that are a challenge for humans to overcome. And it is humans that choose the 12-team CFB playoff and the NCAA Tournament.

No one has played. All teams should be equal on Oct. 12.
Syracuse is equal to Kansas, as is UTEP or Marist to Syracuse/Kansas. You get the gist.

BTW, these pre-season analytics are skewed to favor the B10 and SEC, so know that going in.

Hopefully the ACC does better than 4-34 (I may be off a few games) against the SEC this year to overcome that bias.

 

[FloridaCuse]

10th in the ACC

 

[Eric15]

This is what is wrong with pre-season rankings, and analytics too. Only really happens in college sports, as pro sports and their postseasons are based entirely on results.

These rankings set up biases that are a challenge for humans to overcome. And it is humans that choose the 12-team CFB playoff and the NCAA Tournament.

Unfortunately, it's a mathematical necessity. Pro sports have a much larger sample size of games, and the talent difference between the best pro team in each league and the worst team is fairly small. So evaluating by pure standings is logical. College is much different. There are way more teams and way fewer games, and the disparity in talent and strength of schedule with 350+ teams is enormous. So a bit of subjectivity is necessary.

 

[SU94]

Unfortunately, it's a mathematical necessity. Pro sports have a much larger sample size of games, and the talent difference between the best pro team in each league and the worst team is fairly small. So evaluating by pure standings is logical. College is much different. There are way more teams and way fewer games, and the disparity in talent and strength of schedule with 350+ teams is enormous. So a bit of subjectivity is necessary.

Fair point to process. But let’s allow the subjectivity of results set the tone. Not roster retention. Not returning QB. Not recruiting rankings. Not third down conversion percentage last season.

I don’t much like Indiana football, but they are a good example (from 2024). Syracuse swam upstream most of last year, unfairly.

 

[Orangezoo]

All I see is that there is an immense opportunity to be sitting in the top section of these rankings for a while if we do some damage in Vegas.

Houston is a much more difficult team to play later in the year vs earlier. Mind you they are difficult in any setting of course.

Kansas has been struggling more than usual is not the typical juggernaut.

 

[Goin' Deep]

Last one in...
why play the season??
Where's the "play in" game??

 

[Sherman20]

10th in the ACC

The analytics like KenPom and Evan Miya like is less going into this season, and I assume that’s because of Autry’s track record and poor record last year—even though it’s almost a wholesale turnover—because coaching and recent program track record gets baked into these preseason analytics. The CBB experts seem to like us more. The Athletic has us finishing 6th in the ACC, and they acknowledge that might be low based on the excellent off-season talent acquisition but they are a bit guarded only because Red still has to prove himself as a head coach.

 

[FloridaCuse]

The analytics like KenPom and Evan Miya like is less going into this season, and I assume that’s because of Autry’s track record and poor record last year—even though it’s almost a wholesale turnover—because coaching and recent program track record gets baked into these preseason analytics. The CBB experts seem to like us more. The Athletic has us finishing 6th in the ACC, and they acknowledge that might be low based on the excellent off-season talent acquisition but they are a bit guarded only because Red still has to prove himself as a head coach.

I haven't read it yet but someone told me that person who wrote the analysis in The Athletic about us said something like he might be going out on a limb rating us that high.

 

[Niastri]

None of the ranking systems should put out a ranking until most teams have played at least 4 games... Maybe December 1st?

There is a reason the BCS rankings don't come out till the midpoint of the season.

Unfortunately, ESPN needs to sell ads for early season games and they make all the decisions, so we have preseason rankings that mean nothing.