UPS Introduces New Data-Driven “Team Performance Index” for 2012 NCAA College Football Season

New Weekly Index Created with Sports Information Leader STATS Highlights Most Efficient Overall Teams in College Football

ATLANTA & CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Global logistics leader UPS (NYSE:UPS) today announced it has joined STATS LLC, the world’s largest sports technology, data and content company, in creating the UPS Team Performance Index (TPI) for college football -- a data index that comprehensively measures offense, defense and special teams for all 120 NCAA® Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams.

“UPS is pleased to work with STATS to create the Team Performance Index, which will help demonstrate the impact of logistics in determining success on the playing field while underscoring our already strong association and support of collegiate athletics.”

UPS is the Official Logistics Partner of the NCAA.

Currently there is no overall statistical algorithm of this type that together ranks college football teams across all three statistical categories -- offense, defense and special teams. The UPS Team Performance Index will include 13 key statistical components with a proven correlation to a team’s overall success. These statistical components then are combined in a manner that rewards teams for performing efficiently and effectively in all categories to create the Index and ranking them from highest to lowest.

“Preparation, planning and precision are the foundation of logistics, but they also play a critical role in football or any sport,” said Ron Rogowski, UPS vice president, global sponsorships & events. “UPS is pleased to work with STATS to create the Team Performance Index, which will help demonstrate the impact of logistics in determining success on the playing field while underscoring our already strong association and support of collegiate athletics.”

“STATS is proud to team with the college football enthusiasts at UPS to introduce this new Index,” said STATS Senior Vice President Greg Kirkorsky. “The UPS Team Performance Index measures efficiency and teamwork for FBS college football teams. It was designed to identify well-balanced teams that do multiple things well, just as UPS does in logistics. We’re measuring a number of efficiency factors across offense, defense and special teams, because across a long, tough college football season strong contributions are needed from every unit to achieve success.”

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), and Miscues (combination of 4 categories - penalty yards, opponent penalty yards, turnovers, opponent turnovers). For each of the four 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 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. 17, 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 a comparison of the past five National Champions utilizing the UPS TPI, visit the Facebook app, accessible through www.ups.com/football.

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 and enjoyed. STATS’ calling card consists of real-time scores, historical sports information, Associated Press editorial content, a turnkey fantasy sports operation and SportVU technology. Today, STATS’ worldwide client network of media companies and professional sports leagues and teams utilize a broad spectrum of 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 News Corporation with corporate offices across the globe. For a complete tour of STATS’ sports content 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.

About UPS

UPS (NYSE:UPS) is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including the transportation of packages and freight; 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.