2012 Intended Strength of Schedule

Here are the final 2011 RPI numbers for the teams on MU's announced 2012 schedule. RPI numbers are from Boyd's World Pseudo-RPI final rankings. MU is also listed with their 2011 RPI, for comparison purposes.

As we do every year, we've adapted a statistic used by Boyd Nation at BoydsWorld.com which he calls the Intended Schedule Strength. We're taking a look at the average final RPI numbers for the teams on the schedule (counting each team's RPI as many times as they will play MU on the schedule), with the goal of seeing what the Tiger coaches are expecting from their assemblage of opponents. Of course, neither they nor we have any way of knowing how well MU's opponents will actually perform in 2012 as compared to 2011, but these most recent statistics are all we have to go on.

Based on that approach, Missouri's intended schedule strength for 2012 comes out to 0.522.  In 2011, a team with an RPI of 0.522 would have finished in 101st or 102nd place in the RPI rankings.  Basically, this schedule averages out to MU playing a full schedule against North Carolina-Wilmington or Penn State.

On the other hand, a year ago we calculated the Intended Strength of Schedule as a .533 RPI, but by season's end, BoydsWorld.com listed MU as having the 38th toughest Strength of Schedule in Division I.

0.598  Texas A&M
0.598  Texas A&M
0.598  Texas A&M
0.597  Texas
0.597  Texas
0.597  Texas
0.588  Arkansas
0.588  Arkansas
0.570  Oklahoma
0.570  Oklahoma
0.570  Oklahoma
0.568  Baylor
0.568  Baylor
0.568  Baylor
0.560  Auburn
0.560  Auburn
0.560  Auburn
0.556  Oklahoma State
0.556  Oklahoma State
0.556  Oklahoma State
0.552  Texas Tech
0.552  Texas Tech
0.552  Texas Tech
0.551  Kansas State
0.551  Kansas State
0.551  Kansas State
0.543  Missouri State
0.543  Missouri State
0.538  Charlotte
0.538  Charlotte
0.538  Charlotte
0.538  Charlotte
0.537  Missouri
0.528  San Francisco
0.528  San Francisco
0.528  San Francisco
0.520  Kansas
0.520  Kansas
0.520  Kansas
0.514  Memphis
0.514  Memphis
0.514  Memphis
0.513  Illinois
0.495  High Point
0.495  High Point
0.495  High Point
0.495  Indiana State
0.495  Central Arkansas
0.495  Central Arkansas
0.494  Arkansas-Little Rock
0.450  Ball State
0.450  Ball State
0.450  Ball State
0.378  North Dakota
0.378  North Dakota

I have left the single game against Nebraska-Omaha out of the calculations. 2012 will be the UN-O Mavericks' inaugural year in Division I, so there are no D-1 stats or RPIs from 2011.

Previous Years Intended Strength of Schedule for Mizzou:

2011: .533
2010: .540
2009: .541
2008: .537
2007: .534
2006: .532
2005: .528
2004: .528

As I say every year, I won't at all be surprised if someone writes me an e-mail to tell me I've made some colossal error in my calculations. I'm not a statistician by any means.