CURRENT NPI RANKINGS
NPI FAQ/CHEAT SHEET
 
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Since the 2024-25 academic year, the NCAA has instituted the NCAA Power Index – or NPI – as a way to rank teams using objective, data-driven criteria rather than relying on committee judgment alone.
 
In previous years, the NCAA championship selection process was subjective, still using data but it could be interpreted in different ways from committee to committee. The NCAA began NPI rankings to make the process of championship selection more consistent and transparent.
 
For context, each NCAA championship field is decided on by a selection committee that is made up of athletic and conference administrators that are responsible for the choosing and bracketing of teams.
 
But what is NPI, really? In simple terms, NPI is a ranking formula designed to help compare teams across a season.
 
There are five factors that into building the NPI rankings: winning percentage, strength of schedule, home-away multiplier, quality win bonus and overtime results (when relevant). In essence, NPI is not only looking at games won, but also looking at opponents, where a team played those opponents, if a team beat strong opponents and if a team performed well in close games.
 
Let's break it down:

• Winning percentage:
  • Teams that win more games generally rank higher.
• Strength of schedule
  • This measures how difficult a team's opponents are. Beating strong teams usually helps more than beating weaker ones.
• Home-away multiplier
  • Winning on the road is often harder than winning at home, so the location of the game matters.
• Quality win bonus
  • A win over a strong opponent can count more than a win over a lower-ranked one.
• Overtime results (when applicable/relevant)
  • Close games can affect the ranking formula

 
The weight of winning percentage versus strength of schedule is often referred to as one of the "dials" that a sport committee can adjust, placing any subjectivity within the criteria themselves. For example, a sport committee could set the dials to 30/70; 25/75, etc. Other "dials" a sport committee can also choose to apply are home and away multiplier, quality win bonus (QWB), and overtime win/loss weights.
 
What are the benefits of NPI?
One benefit of NPI is that all data will be analyzed and the criteria will be applied objectively to establish the championships field (the at-large berths remaining after automatic qualifiers are awarded).
 
Based on the objective analysis, teams will know how they compare against other teams in their region and nationally.
 
When are NPI rankings released?
Rankings will update every week based on the previous week's results and other criteria listed above. Rankings can be found HERE.
 
*An important note – NPI rankings are separate from coach/committee-voted national polls.
 
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