I am at a lower level but to some extent, I faced the same problem as taliman. I am the best side, I started with 2-2-3 run agaisnt the poorer sides. Was thinking of dropping the season and tanking. Then, suddenly, 8 wins in a row... But nothing changed, same tactics, same players, same position and on top of that, same rating. My players got a 7.1 average rating when I lost to a team 12 Q points below me. And now, when I win 4-0 against the 2nd, it's about the same... It feels like they are playing with me. Frustrating.