It's Week 10 and the Power Index is back with some key questions ... and maybe some answers.

The Power Index is brought to you by Sliver Week 10 Power Index

Silverbacks Elite Rugby's analytics team have developed a ratings system using a complex mathematical formula that adjusting rating points for results—wins, big wins, close losses. The model learns from past results. If your team's not where you think it should be, the quickest way for them to move up is big wins versus quality opponents. Thanks to Silverbacks Elite Rugby we are sharing the Top 40 with you every week.

SIlverbacks Elite Rugby offers year-round programming and skill development for players and coaches in the Upper Midwest who want to be great. The program provides a high-level training environment with personalized plans for every participant. For more go to silverbacksnation.com.

See Past Power Index Reports Here>>

Fall Teams Wind Down

The list of matches is dwindling as the season moves into Conference Championships and Playoffs. CRAA is preparing to announce a series of Bowl matchups between teams that don’t typically cross paths. With those announcements just around the corner, we thought we’d use the Power Index to suggest some of the matchups we would love to see (even if some are USAR vs NCR impossibilities).

10 BYU vs 11 Indiana – The Rocky Mountain Champs and the current number one team in the Big Ten. Power dynamics between East and West are difficult to assess. Seasonality and weather give Western teams a huge continuity advantage going into D1A Playoffs. While we don’t contend the Rocky Mountain or Big Ten are at the top of the D1A heap, the result of this fixture would be a fun conversion tool for pundits when Indiana takes on the likes of Davenport, or BYU meets PAC opponents.

19 Iona/20 Northeastern vs 22 Queens – The Chesapeake teams did not have a historical precedent in our Index like the Liberty Conference. As a result, Queens, Mary Washington, and Mount St. Mary’s have had to claw their way into the Top 40. We have heard several of you theorizing that the Chesapeake is stronger than the Liberty. We’d love to see this hypothesis tested by the winner of this weekend’s Liberty Conference Championship taking on Queens University. (And maybe for good measure, whoever finishes second best on Saturday could take on 31Mary Washington.)

24 Iowa Central vs 25 Texas A&M – We still feel we don’t have a precise understanding of where the Tritons should stand in our rankings. By the Power Index ratings, they have not had a parity match this season. The ascending Aggies are the closest rated team to the Tritons. Both programs have played this year like they have something to prove. Iowa Central has punched up against Midwest powerhouses: Texas A&M has toppled the Red River’s old guard. We expect an Iowa Central-Texas A&M game would deliver an electrifying matchup.

21 Ohio State vs 30 Adrian – Adrian College were the plucky upstarts that took down a number of D1A/D1AA/D1 teams in their pre-conference schedule. Adrian became the first and only D2 team to earn a spot in our Top 40. Since starting conference play, they’ve more or less stayed put because they did not have the strength of schedule in-conference to move up. The Buckeyes are battle tested; beating #18 Penn State and only falling to #11 Indiana by a conversion. Would the Bulldogs prove their mettle or would the Buckeyes prove too big a challenge?

32 Tennessee vs 18 Penn State – Tennessee beat Ohio State. Ohio State beat Penn State. Does the transitive property hold? Just where does the top team in the D1AA SCRC stack up? Like Adrian, the strength of Tennessee’s D1AA conference schedule has limited their ascent in the rankings. If the Volunteers deserve to be higher up, this would be the fixture to prove it. Plus, who doesn’t love a Power Five matchup on the marquee: Rocky Top vs Happy Valley? Tasty! 

Lions Put #1 Spot on the Line

Lindenwood head to West Point this weekend; marking the first time this year the Lions will play a match within the 15 Point Rating Gap. It’s an opportunity to consolidate their position atop the Power Index, but against an Army side that has steadily moved up to the #6 spot in our Top 40. Can Army hang another big time upset just two weeks removed from toppling Navy at FedEx Field?

CURR RK	Δ RK	PREV RK	SCHOOL	COMP	Week 8 Results	PREV RAT	CURR RAT	Δ RAT
1	0	1	Lindenwood	D1A		97.64	97.64	0
2	0	2	California	D1A		97.29	97.29	0
3	0	3	Life	D1A		96.94	96.94	0
4	0	4	St. Mary's	D1A		95.51	95.51	0
5	0	5	Central Washington	D1A		91.68	91.68	0
6	0	6	Army	NCR1		87.22	87.22	0
7	0	7	Arkansas State	D1A		86.95	86.95	0
8	0	8	Arizona	D1A		85.5	85.5	0
9	1	10	Navy	NCR1	Big Win vs Kutztown	84.12	85.28	1.16
10	-1	9	BYU	D1A	Big Win vs Colorado State	85.06	85.06	0
11	0	11	Indiana	D1A	Big Win vs Purdue	78.33	78.33	0
12	1	13	UCLA	D1A		76.25	76.25	0
13	-1	12	Kutztown	NCR1	Big Loss vs Navy	76.96	75.8	-1.16
14	0	14	Grand Canyon	D1A		74.29	74.29	0
15	0	15	St. Bonaventure	NCR1		74.25	74.25	0
16	0	16	Davenport	D1A		73.98	73.98	0
17	0	17	Dartmouth	NCR1		72.24	72.24	0
18	0	18	Penn State	NCR1	Close Win vs Notre Dame College	69.62	70.14	0.52
19	0	19	Iona	NCR1	Big Win vs Syracuse	68.07	68.08	0.01
20	0	20	Northeastern	NCR1	Close Win vs Fordham	68.06	68.06	0
21	2	23	Ohio State	D1A	Big Win vs Illinois	63.49	66.05	2.56
22	4	26	Queens University	NCR1	Big Win vs Mary Washington	62.36	65.21	2.85
23	-2	21	Colorado State	D1A	Big Loss vs BYU	64.52	64.52	0
24	-2	22	Iowa Central CC	NCR1	Big Win vs Wisconsin	63.65	63.65	0
25	-1	24	Texas A&M	D1A		63	63	0
26	-1	25	Boston College	NCR1		62.52	62.52	0
27	1	28	Colorado	D1A		62.19	62.19	0
28	1	29	Notre Dame College	NCR1	Close Loss vs Penn State	61.99	61.47	-0.52
29	1	30	Fairfield	NCR1		60.34	60.34	0
30	1	31	Adrian College	NCR2		59.42	59.42	0
31	-4	27	Mary Washington	NCR1	Big Loss vs Queens	62.23	59.38	-2.85
32	0	32	Tennessee	D1AA	Big Win vs South Carolina	59.08	59.37	0.29
33	0	33	Utah Valley	D1A		58.89	58.89	0
34	1	35	Bowling Green	D1AA	Close Win vs IUPUI	56.66	56.97	0.31
35	-1	34	Baylor	D1A		56.68	56.68	0
36	0	36	Mount St. Mary's	NCR1		56.36	56.36	0
37	1	38	Syracuse	NCR1	Big Loss vs Iona	56.08	56.08	0
38	—	UR	Michigan State	D1A	Big Win vs Michigan	51.98	55.81	3.83
39	0	39	Kentucky	D1AA	Big Win vs Kennesaw State	55.32	55.32	0
40	0	40	American International	NCR1		54.76	54.76	0