How to Read the MatMetrics Rankings

Every week we get questions about why a particular wrestler is ranked higher than someone with a better win-loss record. The short answer is that MatMetrics doesn't rank by wins. It ranks by Glicko-2 rating, which weights every match by the strength of the opponent and the dominance of the result. Beat a 2,300-rated state placer in a 4-2 decision and your number jumps. Beat an unrated wrestler 18-1 and your number barely moves.

Confidence is the second piece most people miss. Every Glicko-2 rating comes with a rating deviation, or RD, that measures how sure the system is about that number. A wrestler with 30 matches against varied competition has a low RD and a stable rating. A wrestler with 6 matches against three opponents has a high RD and a rating that can swing quickly. We display each wrestler's confidence as High, Medium, or Low so you can tell at a glance whether the number you're looking at is a settled estimate or a work in progress.

Finally, the rankings table only shows wrestlers who have wrestled within the activity window — currently 180 days. That keeps the list relevant during the season and prevents inactive seniors from ghosting the rankings months after they last competed. If you don't see a wrestler you expect, check whether they have a recent match on their profile.

If you want the full story behind the math, our Learn hub has a deep dive on Glicko-2 and a separate page on how rankings translate into the leaderboards you see across the site.