This year the rankings will be based on regular season results against all conference teams. Previously, it had been calculated based on the records against teams that were in a playoff position, or the top three teams in each division. This makes losses to non-playoff teams as detrimental as losses to playoff teams.
To see how this may affect the upcoming season, let's compare how the new format would have affected last season's women's basketball postseason.
As far as teams qualifying for the playoffs are concerned, there is only one change, highlighted by the asterisks. Lakehead would have made the playoffs under this format, leaving Laurentian on the outside looking in. The major reason for this change is the fact that no longer do only the top three teams from each division qualify for the playoffs, the top 12 teams qualify, regardless of their position in their division. In this scenario Lakehead who compete in the strong Central division, benefits a great deal.
The major difference between the two tables, is the seeding of the teams. In the new format, Windsor slides into the top four, granting them a first-round bye, while Carleton drops to the sixth seed. The new rankings would change the first round matches from:
- (5) Queen's — (12) Laurentian
- (6) Windsor — (11) Laurier
- (7) Western — (10) Toronto
- (8) Guelph — (9) Brock
- (5) Queen's — (12) Lakehead
- (6) Carleton — (11) Toronto
- (7) Western — (10) Laurier
- (8) Guelph — (9) Brock
While there is no telling what the changes in those three matches would have meant for the quarter-finals and beyond, it is still noteworthy how much of an impact the new RPI format will have.
The updated RPI format makes every match of the season important for every team. Any loss, whether to a playoff-bound team or not, will have an effect on a team's RPI. It will further reinforce the ideology that every game is important, regardless of who your opponent is.
It will be interesting to see how the changes affect next year's OUA playoffs.