Placement matches are easier than the last month of ranked

I'm in Bronze 5. It is what it is. Like bronze 5, every now and then I get to try out for Bronze 4 and I lose, Bronze 5. However, I've noticed in my placement matches that they're considerably easier than my ranked bronze 5 matches were previously.

I assume that the level of skill at the start of a season is lower than at the end of the previous season, though it's possible that this could just be because I'm in Bronze 5 as opposed to Silver 5 or somewhere else in the middle of the ranking system.

So I'm curious about others' experiences. Please comment! :)