[…] Rankings are everywhere. Behind every ranking is a vector of weights that assigns the relative importance of the factors. As demonstrates in these articles, if you change the weights, you will change the scores, which often change the rankings. Consequently, when you see a ranking reported in the media, you should think about what criteria (and biases!) are used to create the ranking. Are they the same criteria that you value? Furthermore, you should realize that a slight tweak to the weights will often change the rankings. A team that is ranked 10th in one set of rankings might be ranked considerably higher or lower if you use slightly different criteria. When the rankings are based on statistical quantities (such as means and proportions), you can add confidence limits that quantify the uncertainty in the rankings. …