Strength of Schedule GUIDE

Our Strength of Schedule numbers are geared towards Fantasy Football.
In fantasy football, wins and losses do not matter. What counts is how many yards and touchdowns your fantasy player is going to rack up against the opponent. We created our SOS numbers with this in mind.

High numbers are "good".
If your player is facing a school with a SOS of 110, it means that opponent has the 110th toughest defense in the country (out of 120 schools). They are a fantasy cupcake.

Low numbers are "bad".
An opponent with a SOS value of "1" is the toughest defense in the country.


TERMINOLOGY

Total Defense SOS - the strength of the opponent's total defense
Pass Defense SOS - the strength of the opponent's passing defense
Rush Defense SOS - the strength of the opponent's rushing defense
Playoff SOS - the strength of your opponents Total Defense in Weeks 11-13, when most fantasy leagues will host their playoffs.
"Average" - the average SOS of your opponents. For example, Kansas State's Total Def SOS average is 88.75. This means, that on average, KSU will face the 88th toughest defense in the country on weekly basis


COLOR AFFILIATIONS

RED - Toughest matchup (ranked 1-10)
PINK - Unfavorable matchup (ranked 11-40)
WHITE - Middle of the road matchup (ranked 41-79)
L.GREEN - Favorable matchup (ranked 80-109)
GREEN - Easiest matchup (ranked 111-120)
YELLOW - Bye week

* All division II (FCS) schools were assigned a SOS value of 120.


SOS FORMULA

We built a complex algorithm to compile our SOS numbers. Some of the factors used in the calculation include:

2008 Yards Against
2008 Points Against
2008 S.O.S. (level of competition - not fantasy)
2008 Opponents' S.O.S.
Conference Affiliation
2009 Opponents' Number of Returning Defensive Starters
2009 Opponents' Projected Points Against
2009 Opponents' Projected Yards Against