Ross County is new to this division, so the rank comparison rests on less than a shared season. Against the block the other keeps: Queen of the South takes 1.00 points a game, Ross County 0.69 -- nothing between them.
Queen of the South: 46 league matches in the bank, 10 from this season and the rest from last season. Ross County: 45 league matches in the bank, 9 from this season and the rest from last season in the Scottish Championship.
The question this step asks
Step one is THE TABLE: rank against rank, and the blocks -- the table cut into a top, middle and bottom block, drawn from last season's final standings. The question is not just where each side stands but how it behaves against the company the other keeps: does it play to rank against the blocks above and below, or come apart?
The two sides
Queen of the South -- at home
Where it stands
Stands 6th of 10 after 10 games, with 10 points. Last season it finished 3rd of 10 in this division.
Its block
By last season's final table it sits in the top block (1st to 3rd). Blocks are drawn from last season because the current table is only 10 games old.
Against today's opponent's block
Today it faces a side new to its division. Against that block it has won 1, drew 0, lost 2 of 3 -- 3 points of 9. At home against them: won 1 of 1. Away against them: won 0 of 2.
Across all the blocks
Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 0, drew 5, lost 3 of 8 (0.62 a game); against the middle block won 11, drew 3, lost 7 of 21 (1.71 a game); against the bottom block won 6, drew 4, lost 4 of 14 (1.57 a game); against sides new to the division won 1, drew 0, lost 2 of 3 (1.00 a game).
Ross County -- away
Where it stands
Stands 1st of 10 after 9 games, with 25 points. It was not in this division last season -- it came down from the Scottish Championship, where it finished 10th of 10.
Its block
New to the division this season, so it takes no block from last season's final table.
Against today's opponent's block
Today it faces a side from the top block (1st to 3rd). Against that block it has won 2, drew 3, lost 8 of 13 -- 9 points of 39. At home against them: won 2 of 7. Away against them: won 0 of 6.
Across all the blocks
Across the blocks, over the last two seasons: against the top block won 2, drew 3, lost 8 of 13 (0.69 a game); against the middle block won 8, drew 5, lost 6 of 19 (1.53 a game); against the bottom block won 4, drew 3, lost 4 of 11 (1.36 a game); against sides new to the division won 2, drew 0, lost 0 of 2 (3.00 a game).
Built 07:05 from matches completed before
kick-off. Every figure is an observed count with its denominator —
not a forecast, and nothing here is a tip or a selection.