RPI = 0.25 * WP + 0.50 * OWP + 0.25 * OOWP
That’s the well known WIAA RPI formula. It helps to win games. Those get weighted 25%. It helps to play good opponents. That gets weighted 50%. And if those opponents also play good opponents that helps too, weighted 25%.
Comparing Gig Harbor with Prairie (the poster child for RPI victims, at least according to the Vancouver Columbian)–
Prairie has a better win percentage: .833 (10-2) v .692 (8-4). Prairie will win all their league games. They haven’t lost a league game since 2000. The only possible loss is to Rogers (Puyallup), but that is still a likely Prairie win. Gig Harbor is favored in 7 or their 8 remaining games. Both teams are likely to see an increase in their WP, although the higher WP is, the less impact a win has on increasing WP.
Comparing the non-league opponents, Gig Harbor has a much stronger slate
| Gig Harbor | Prairie | ||||
| opponent | WP | TBPts | opponent | WP | TBPts |
| Kentlake | .769 | 30.2 | Tumwater | .273 | -5.4 |
| Curtis | .750 | 25.0 | Camas | .615 | 35.8 |
| Kentridge | .923 | 46.4 | Battle Ground | .250 | -0.9 |
| Snohomish | .833 | 33.2 | Skyview | .357 | 18.7 |
| Lynden Christian | 1.000 | 45.5 | Union | .769 | 27.0 |
| Garfield* | .750 | 47.8 | Whitney (CA) | .643 | N/A |
| S. San Fran (CA) | .727 | N/A | |||
| San Joaquin Mem (CA) | .667 | N/A | |||
| W.F. West | .909 | 48.3 | |||
| Rogers* (Puyallup) | .615 | 24.4 | |||
* not yet played
The WP record is calculated without the game involving the Gig Harbor or Prairie.
For league opponents, start with 0.500 for the average league opponent for league games not involving Prairie or Gig Harbor. Then combine with their WP for non-league games. The rest of Gig Harbor’s league is a combined 30-9 in non-league games. The rest of Prairie’s league is a combined 15-33. Gig Harbor’s non-league OWP is very high, and is likely to drop as league games are played. But the 30-9 record will cushion that drop. Prairie’s OWP will also drop but the 15-33 record will accelerate the decline.
Since league opponents have a lot of opponents in common (they’re in the same league) the overall record of a league in non-league games impacts the OOWP. Again the weakness of Greater St. Helens 3A will pull down Prairie’s OOWP. The strength of SSC will help Gig Harbor’s OOWP.
There is no better 3A league in non-league games than South Sound Conference. There is no worse 3A league for non-league games than Greater St. Helens 3A. Gig Harbor will likely remain highly ranked in RPI. Prairie is actually likely to fall as league games against the very weak GSHL 3A start to count in RPI.
So howcum Gig Harbor is #1 for RPI? They belong there.
Did Gig Harbor schedule for RPI? I think so. But a lot of other teams did too. When you’re rewarding people based on a measurement, and people know what that measurement is, you can expect people to try to optimize that measurement. I’m surprised that Prairie did a poor job of non-league scheduling. Prairie knows it is in a weak league. They’ve known that for decades. The only way they can counteract that for RPI purposes is the non-league schedule. Or maybe Prairie realizes that no matter what they do, they won’t be in the top 8 in RPI anyway.