Redlands' losing record hides a stronger team than Pomona-Pitzer

The records read backwards from what Versus sees. Pomona-Pitzer sits at 5-3 and Redlands at 3-5, yet Redlands carries a power rank of 115 against Pomona-Pitzer's 141, and a B- power grade to the Sagehens' C. Pomona-Pitzer's divisional rank of 122 is 36 spots ahead of Redlands' 158, but that gap says more about scheduling than form right now.

Redlands' five losses have all come against teams with winning records, and over its last five games the Bulldogs have outscored opponents by 19 points on average while going 3-2. A strength of schedule rank of 153 compared to Pomona-Pitzer's 172 suggests Redlands has simply had the tougher road to its record.

Pomona-Pitzer's own losses have come the same way, all three against winning teams, but the Sagehens arrive off a four-game winning streak that snapped with a 2-35 result. That kind of swing is the sort of thing a 5-3 mark can mask.

This one counts in the Southern California standings, and Versus gives Redlands the edge on the road, projecting a 25-21 win and a 58 percent chance to leave with the result, a four-point margin that lines up with the ratings gap more than the records do.