The economic and social changes of sport have begun to render some handicapping factors obsolete. More on this topic another time. There are many different methods used to handicap sporting events. We all have our own way of doing things. Others primarily use statistics and have come to develop prediction models based on numerical values.
Power rankings are a good example of statistical-based methodology.
Others handicappers prioritize the emotional and fatigue factors that are part of every game. Of course, most successful handicappers use some combination of all these determinants. In short, no technique works all the time. This is why even the best handicappers only hit about 60 percent of their games. One way to determine if you methodology is based on solid fundamentals is to look at THE WAY you are winning or losing games.