Beginning with the fall sports season in 2026 and extending through the 2028 school year, the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) is set to revolutionize its sports ranking and playoff seeding procedures. The organization has opted to exclusively utilize MaxPreps ratings, thereby discontinuing the RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) component of its previous formula. This strategic shift aims to enhance the accuracy and fairness of team evaluations, ensuring that playoff berths and seedings are determined by a more comprehensive and robust analytical framework.
The decision to adopt the new methodology was made during a unanimous vote by the CHSAA Board of Directors in October 2025. This move follows a period of evaluation where the board closely monitored the efficacy of both RPI and MaxPreps ratings. The RPI, a system in place since at least 2015 and later combined with MaxPreps in 2022, primarily considered a team's winning percentage, their opponents' winning percentages, and the records of their opponents' opponents. However, data analysis revealed that MaxPreps ratings offered a more precise prediction of game outcomes.
Unlike RPI, MaxPreps' algorithm does not factor in winning percentages. Instead, it meticulously assesses schedule strength by analyzing scoring margins and game results for every team in comparison to others throughout the state. This approach provides a deeper insight into a team's true competitive strength, as it accounts for the quality of opposition and the dominance exhibited in victories, rather than simply the number of wins. The CHSAA leadership expressed confidence in this new system, with Board of Directors President Joe Brown stating that the change would lead to a more accurate representation of teams' abilities heading into the postseason.
To further refine the integrity of the MaxPreps ratings, CHSAA has also implemented specific margin-of-victory caps for various sports. These caps are designed to prevent teams from intentionally running up scores against weaker opponents, which could artificially inflate their rankings. For instance, baseball games will have a 10-run cap, basketball 20 points, field hockey and soccer 5 goals, flag football and tackle football 28 points, ice hockey 5 goals, lacrosse 10 goals, softball 10 runs, and volleyball 3 sets. This measure promotes fair play and ensures that rankings reflect genuine competitive performance rather than excessive blowouts.
Under the new system, conference champions will still automatically secure a spot in the postseason for their respective sports and classifications. However, MaxPreps ratings will be the sole determinant for filling the remaining at-large playoff slots and for assigning seedings. This comprehensive overhaul will apply to a wide array of sports across all three seasons, including field hockey, flag football, tackle football, boys soccer, softball, girls volleyball in the fall; basketball (boys and girls) and ice hockey in the winter; and baseball, lacrosse (boys and girls), girls soccer, and boys volleyball in the spring.
It is important to note that certain sports will not be affected by this change. Specifically, tennis and wrestling will continue without MaxPreps ratings, as the platform does not currently provide ranking formulas for these sports. Additionally, non-bracketed or non-tournament qualifying sports such as cross-country, golf, gymnastics, skiing (nordic and alpine), swimming and diving, and track and field will also operate outside of this new ranking framework. The CHSAA rankings will be updated twice weekly on chsaanow.com/rankings, with on-demand access available for seeding meetings as needed.
The Colorado High School Activities Association is implementing a significant change to its athletic ranking system for the 2026-2028 school years, exclusively adopting MaxPreps ratings for playoff seeding. This decision, unanimously approved by the CHSAA Board in October 2025, eliminates the previous RPI component, which was deemed less accurate. The new system prioritizes schedule strength and scoring margins while introducing victory caps to prevent score manipulation. This revised approach aims to ensure a more equitable and accurate representation of team performance in postseason qualifications for most sports, though some, like tennis and wrestling, remain outside this new framework.
