Saw this and wondered how much might also apply to soccer... http://deadspin.com/5890921/for-the...-committee-reveals-how-the-brackets-are-built It is clearly a basketball document, but some of the "principles and procedures" could work for other sports as well.
Funny, the basketball tournament only uses the RPI as a tool even though with more games it is statistically more signficant. Soccer admins/coaches don't do as much pre-selection leg work, seem a little less informed (# of games on TV) and seem to pick teams strictly based on RPI. As more and more games are on tv, those selecting should be doing a little more work leading up to selection.
Here's Nate Silver's take on the same theme. Not surprisingly, he rips the RPI and its importance. "In truth, almost any other computer ranking system would do a better job of what the N.C.A.A. is trying to accomplish." http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/11/s...e-ncaa-tournament-bubble.html?_r=2&ref=sports
