Previously
Previously ranks things in a few different ways, and they aren't all the same kind of judgment. This page explains what each list is, where its numbers come from, and how often it changes.
Power rankings are the sports desk's read of a league at a moment in time — and they are computed, not voted on. After each week's games settle (NBA editions land Monday mornings, NFL editions Tuesday mornings), a formula re-ranks every team from verified results: season record counts 40%; recent form — the last 10 games in the NBA, the last 5 in the NFL — 25%; point differential per game 20%; and strength of schedule — the combined record of the teams you have actually played — 15%. The inputs are printed beside every team on the page, so the ranking can be checked against them, and movement arrows compare each edition with the one before it. Rankings are republished weekly during each season and dated on the page. They are an argument made from the numbers — not a prediction and not betting advice.
Leaderboards in the stats hub rank players by the numbers themselves: points, rebounds, passing yards, home runs, and the rest of the recorded line. A leaderboard is sorted by the statistic it names, for the season or career span it names, from official box-score data. When a source corrects a statistic, the board is corrected with it.
Trending lists and Top 10 rows in Browse order titles by current audience interest — what people are watching, searching for, and adding to lists — using industry tracking data for movies and television. They refresh as that data updates, and the label on the row says which list you're looking at.
Music charts on Previously compile published chart and streaming data; the source is credited on the page in the music section. Verse of the Week is different: it is an editorial choice by the music desk, one verse picked each week for the writing itself.
Odds shown on Previously are market prices collected from sportsbooks through odds feeds; they move as the market moves. Where an example line is shown, it uses a $100 example stake so the math is easy to follow. Picks, verdicts, and comparisons — including Marquee Matchup — are the desk's argued opinion, written as opinion, and they sometimes disagree with the market on purpose. They are entertainment, not financial or betting advice.
A ranking built on a wrong number gets fixed when the number is fixed. If you think a ranking used bad data, tell us through the contact page with the page link and the source for the right figure.