My theory is that the difference is due almost entirely to the nature of the scoring systems. In CMx1, you always scored points for enemy losses and lost points for friendly losses. Since both sides generally took losses and those losses formed a significant part of the total score, the results tended towards the center. With CMx2 scoring, there is often not a penalty for losses at all, or perhaps just a bonus for keeping friendly casualties low. Therefore the final score is more extreme for the same battle action as in CMx1.
TT