UPS Introduces New Data Enhancements To Team Performance Index For 2013 NCAA® Football Season

Atlanta,

Weekly Index, Created with Sports Information Leader STATS, Expands to Include “Quality of Opponent” Measurement To Rank Most Efficient Overall Teams in College Football

Global logistics leader UPS and STATS LLC, the world’s leading sports technology, data and content company, announced new data enhancements to be included in this season’s UPS Team Performance Index (TPI) for college football -- a data index that comprehensively measures overall efficiency on offense, defense and special teams for all 125 NCAA® Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams.

UPS is the Official Logistics Partner of the NCAA®.

The UPS Team Performance Index, first introduced last season, is the first overall statistical algorithm that together ranks college football teams across all three statistical categories -- offense, defense and special teams. The UPS Team Performance Index includes 14 key statistical components with a proven correlation to a team’s overall success, which are then combined in a manner that rewards teams for performing efficiently and effectively in all categories to create the Index and rank them from highest to lowest.

Alabama (13-1), which won the BCS national championship last season, also topped the final UPS Team Performance Index of the season last year with a TPI rating of 130.1, beating out Oregon (125.46) and Kansas State (125.14).

This season, the TPI will also introduce a new data measurement component that incorporates the quality of each team’s opponent based on their TPI.

“The key elements that often determine success on the field—smart planning, great preparation and precise execution—are the same as they are in business logistics,” said Ron Rogowski, UPS vice president, global sponsorship and brand. “UPS is excited to continue to work with STATS on the Team Performance Index for college football once again this season, and to help show fans and consumers the real, tangible impact that logistics can play in determining success.”

“The team at STATS is excited to be back with UPS for year two of the Team Performance Index,” said STATS Senior Vice President Greg Kirkorsky. “The new quality of opponent measure will only strengthen the Index going forward as we identify well-balanced teams that do multiple things well, just as UPS does in logistics.”

The statistical components of the UPS Team Performance Index are as follows:

• Offense (Yards/play)
• Defense (Yards Allowed/Play)
• Special Teams (combination of 6 categories - punt returns, opponent punt returns, kickoff returns, opponent kickoff returns, punting, field goal percentage)
• Miscues (combination of 4 categories - penalty yards, opponent penalty yards, turnovers, opponent turnovers)
• Quality of Opponent (based on each opponent’s TPI rating)

For each of the five components, an Index value is created using a proprietary algorithm, with 100 being average. For all categories, anything above 100 is better than average and anything below 100 is below average. The maximum component index is capped at 200 in any category. These components, and the team’s win-loss performance, then are combined to reward a team that excels in all facets of the game.

The UPS Team Performance Index will be updated each week, beginning Monday, Sept. 16, and then each week thereafter throughout the regular college football season.

In creating the UPS Team Performance Index, STATS reviewed 10 years of past FBS statistical data, finding a strong correlation to overall performance in all aspects of the game and winning. To view the Index, and last year’s final TPI rankings from 1 through 120, visit http://hosted.stats.com/cfb/tpi.asp.

About STATS LLC
STATS is the world’s leading sports technology, data and content company. The company passionately abides by a mission to revolutionize the way sports contests are viewed, understood, played and enjoyed. STATS’ calling card consists of real-time scores, historical sports information, Associated Press editorial content, a turn-key fantasy sports operation and SportVU player tracking technology. Today, STATS’ worldwide client network of media companies, broadcasters, brands, professional sports leagues and teams utilize a broad spectrum of content, games, dynamic in-game broadcast presentations and virtual images, multimedia enhancements and game analysis and tactical coaching tools. STATS is owned jointly by the Associated Press and 21st Century Fox, with corporate offices across the globe. For a complete tour of STATS’ sports content portfolio and solutions, visit www.stats.com.

About NCAA
The NCAA is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities. Each year, more than 54,000 student-athletes compete in NCAA championships in Divisions I, II and III sports. Visit www.ncaa.org and www.ncaa.com for more details about the Association, its goals and members and corporate partnerships that help support programs for student-athletes. The NCAA is proud to have UPS as an Official Corporate Partner. NCAA is a registered trademark of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

About UPS
UPS (NYSE: UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions for the transportation of packages and freight, including innovative delivery options for the global consumer market; the facilitation of international trade, and the deployment of advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. The company can be found on the Web at UPS.com and its corporate blog can be found at blog.ups.com. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.