In the wonderful, wacky world of the Utah High School Activities Association Rating Percentage Index (RPI), it means Provo and Springville each fell two places in the 4A and 5A rankings.

The RPI system has been tweaked a bit from its original form which I think has made it better. Now it’s based on the formula of 45-45-10, or 45 percent is based on a team’s overall record, 45 percent on the winning percentage of that team’s opponents and then another 10 percent of the winning percentage of the opponents of your opponents. When the RPI was first introduced it was a 40-40-20 formula but with the new formula it does put more weight on what a team actually does and who they directly play.

But when Provo (5-4) beat Uintah 64-2 on Friday, the Bulldogs slid from No. 5 to No. 7 in the 4A ratings, mostly because Uintah is just 1-8. Springville was punished a bit in the 5A ratings because their opponent last Thursday, Spanish Fork, is just 3-6 overall. The Red Devils (8-1) slid from No. 2 in the 5A RPI to No. 4.

Provo and Springville aren’t the only teams that backslid after posting a victory. Orem beat Payson 49-0 but gave up their top rating in 5A. No. 2 West, by beating 7-2 Granger, shot up past Springville to the top spot while Fremont, which came in at No. 4 the previous week slid in at No. 3 between Orem and Springville thanks to its 65-3 drubbing of 6-3 West Field.

Provo, Springville and Orem don’t present the only anomalies in the RPI.

Lehi is just No. 10 in the 6A rankings though they just beat No. 6 Lone Peak 34-6. Lehi also owns a 26-3 win over No. 7 American Fork. Still, the Pioneers will likely move up, win or lose this week, as they host No. 1 Corner Canyon (8-1).

As fate would have it, since Region 3 is a five-team league, Lone Peak’s regular season has completed with the Knights posting a 5-4 record. Lone Peak was definitely bolstered by a tough schedule that included nationally ranked Bishop Gorman. But they might see some teams, including Lehi and American Fork, leap past them, even if those teams lose their games. It could be said there is justice in that because Lone Peak did lose to both of those squads.

Skyridge (6-2) finds itself at No. 2 in 6A and visits No. 7 American Fork (6-3). Davis (8-1) is lurking at No. 3 and could pass the Falcons. However, in bracketology, No. 2 and No. 3 are on the same side of the bracket so the switching of positions wouldn’t mean that much in the grand scheme of things.

Westlake (7-2), by the way, is at No. 8, and plays at No. 5 Mountain Ridge (7-2) so the Thunder look to stay in the top ten, win or lose.

Cedar Valley (1-7), is ranked No. 17 out of 17 6A teams but does own a win over No. 15 Copper Hills. Layton is between those teams at No. 16 and if the playoffs started with the current ratings, the Aviators would travel to play Layton in the first round while the other 15 6A teams get byes.

Because 4A and 5A have the most schools, they are the only classifications that have some sort of a cut. The top 24 teams in each classification make the playoffs. In the other classifications, every team is invited to the playoffs. The word “invite” is used versus qualified because some schools in the past have bowed out of the opportunity and it wouldn’t be surprising to see that happen again.

Grand is 0-9 and dead last in the 2A ratings and has actually bowed out before when they finished their season 0-10. It wouldn’t be shocking to also see Ben Lomond (0-8) skip the playoffs either. Besides both programs being winless, they are just beyond futile. Grand has just scored 34 points on the season while giving up 528 and Ben Lomond has been outscored 379-18.

If we look at the 4A RPI, all local teams look good to make the playoffs. Besides Provo at No. 7, Salem Hills is No. 11, Timpanogos No. 15 and Mountain View is No. 21. In fact, if Salem Hills and Timpanogos can finish inside the top 16, they will host first-round contests.

In 5A, Payson at No. 25 and Maple Mountain at No. 27 are on the outside looking in. Payson hosts No. 16 Pleasant Grove (3-6), while Maple Mountain entertains No. 2 Orem (7-2). Both might need to win to get in but even a victory for Maple Mountain might not be enough.

Spanish Fork is at No. 17, and if things held up as they are currently, the Dons would play at Pleasant Grove. But likely things are going to shift a bit. Meanwhile, Wasatch (4-5) with a current No. 21 rating should make the playoffs.

Currently, ALA is at No. 7 in the 2A ratings. ALA’s actual index is just a little less than No. 6 Delta as the Eagles finish up their regular season playing No. 8 Judge Memorial (1-7). Delta (2-6) visits No. 5 Emery (2-6). If ALA stays at No. 7, they would host Grand in the 2A first round, that is if Grand chooses to take part.

At 4-3, Utah Military Academy-Camp Williams (UMACW) is at No. 5 in the 8-player classification. The Marauders host No. 7 UMA-Hillfield (4-4) in their last regular season game. UMACW hasn’t played a game since September as scheduled contests with Escalante and Dove Creek, CO were canceled.

There are important lines of demarcation which are different in some classifications. In all classifications being in the top four gets you home games through the quarterfinals.

In 6A, being in the top 15 gets you a bye and being in the top eight gets you a second-round home game.

In 4A and 5A, teams ranked 9-24 will play in the first round but teams ranked 9-16 will get to host. Teams ranked 1-8 will host second-round home games and get byes in the first round.

In 3A there are 13 schools so the top three seeds will get byes and teams ranked 4-8 will host first round games. In 2A with 10 schools, teams ranked 1-6 get byes while the other four teams play first-round games. In 1A, there will be just one first round game between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds and then in 8-player football with 11 schools, seeds 1-5 get first round byes while teams seeded 6-11 will square off in the first round.

So as one can see, there is still a lot to play for.

In 6A Westlake would love to stay in the top eight, get a first round bye and then host a second round playoff contest. Lehi wants to work into that top eight while American Fork and Lone Peak want to hold their spots. And even Cedar Valley would love up a spot and host that first round game if all possible.

In 5A. Springville wants to stay in the top four and looks strong to do that while Orem could still muscle itself back to the top spot. For both Pleasant Grove and Spanish Fork, finishing in the top 16 would be huge so each school could host a first round game. Spanish Fork is currently at No. 17 so they need to move up a spot or the Dons will hit the road in round one. And of course, Payson and Maple Mountain are desperate for victory as both are not in the top 24.

In 4A, Provo certainly wants to stay in the top eight as it looks like getting in the top four might not happen. No. 11 Salem Hills is safely in the top 16 but Timpangos at No. 15 is not out of the woods quite yet. And like Lone Peak in 6A, the Timberwolves are done with their regular season and will have to sit and wait to see how things shake out. And Mountain View at No. 21 should make the 4A field.

For ALA, moving from No. 7 to No. 6 would mean a first round bye and for UMACW, getting into the top four with a win over its military academy rival is a real possibility. This means a first round bye in the 8-player playoffs and then a chance to host a second-round game.

By the way, all games with Utah Valley schools will be played Wednesday because of fall break. And if you want to see the exact RPI standings after Week 9, they can be found at https://uhsaa.org/football-rpi/.

The UHSAA bracket reveal show for all football classifications is scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. and can be seen at kslsports.com.