The MaxPreps/CapPreps computer rankings are based off of Opponent Rating and Margin of Victory. The opponent rating is based of a complicated mathematical formula that takes into account win percentage, opponents win percentages, ratings of opponents, and game scores (for those interested, you can read this paper by Kenneth Massey
https://masseyratings.com/theory/massey97.pdf). The margin of victory has a range of 15 to 31 points (for MaxPreps/Calpreps, see below).
For any individual game, a team is rewarded for running up the score up to 31 points higher than the opponents rating. That's why Laurel and St. Elizabeth, with all their high scores against weak opponents have relatively high ratings despite playing teams who have dismal ratings (you have to go all the way down to the 34th ranked team, Seaford, to find a team who has played a weaker schedule than St. Elizabeth).
In short, a win less than 15 points greater than an opponents rating gives the minimum rating increase for that game while a win of 31 points or greater than an opponents rating gives the maximum rating increase for that game.
Losses of less than 15 points greater than an opponents rating gives the minimum rating decrease for that game while a loss of 31 points or greater than an opponents rating gives the maximum rating decrease for that game.
Playing higher rated opponents will give higher ratings increases.
From the CalPreps site:
*Single game performance rating adjusted to 15 points above or below (depending upon win/loss) the rating of the opponent instead of using the true margin of victory. This is done in order to properly credit the win itself as being the most important thing-- short of doing that, a 1-point win would nearly be equal to a 1-point loss, and of course it is not. The actual number used for this, again currently 15, may fluctuate over time as it is derived by analyzing the margin of victory of every game played nationally and taking the 40th percentile of all those margins. (Capped at 15 to avoid early-season small sample size anomalies.)
**Single game performance rating may have been adjusted to 31 points above or below (depending upon win/loss) the rating of the opponent instead of using the true margin of victory. This is done so as to not reward teams for scheduling/running up the score against vastly inferior opponents. The actual number used for this, again currently 31, also may fluctuate over time as it is derived by analyzing the margin of victory of every game played nationally and taking the 63rd percentile of all those margins.
