Not playing does cost teams in rankings.
It costs you more if you're not ranked as highly to begin with. Why is that? Because usually a team started being ranked highly because it is good every year. So you need more results to dislodge such a team.
There's also an objective standard. After a while we can observe a team and picture them playing someone else and consider who would be stronger. It's not a perfect system, by any means—we've been known to be wrong, But it's all part of the system.
So ... Cal moves down mostly because other teams are playing. Lindenwood moves to #2 because they played and beat a strong team in Davenport. Could Life be #2? Of course. They lost to Navy but it was very close. Could BYU be better than all of them? Of course, but they have currently been winning their conference, which gets them in the Top 10, but no further. That's OK ... they play at Lindenwood Friday.
Army remains a huge question-mark and their game with Navy this coming week is an interesting one. Can the Black Knights challenge the Midshipmen? If so, does this mean they are stronger now than they were?
Arkansas State vs Davenport is also a game that tells us a lot.
And that's how these rankings work—they self-correct as more teams play, and especially as more ranked teams play each other.
Big movers? Michigan Sate, Wisconsin, Texas.
Reminder: D1A does not include NCR D1, which is separate. So, for example, in Rugby East, Notre Dame College, St. Bonaventure, Kutztown, and Queens are all NCR D1 and won't be ranked below. Similarly, Indiana, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Purdue from the Big 10 are NCR D1 and won't be ranked below.
