TSSAA 11/13/06

[ImaOWL]

Football Playoffs

 

The proposal for selection of the 32 teams qualifying for the football playoffs and the setting of the bracket will deviate from standard procedures that are currently in use, but the selection and seeding of teams will continue to follow the underlying selection philosophy described in the TSSAA football regulations.

 

The following will show (1) selection of the teams for the playoffs, (2) placement of the teams in the brackets, and (3) seeding the teams in the brackets.

 

(1) Selection of teams for the playoffs: Obviously, nine regions destroy the symmetry as there is no basic logic for placing nine regions in a 32-team bracket. The plan is to select the top three teams from each region, based on current playoff procedures set forth in the football regulations. This will set 27 of the 32 teams in the playoff series. The remaining five slots will be filled by a wild card selection. These five teams will be selected by the guidelines that are in the football regulations.

 

The process will be to take all the 2A schools that did not qualify for the playoffs as one of the top three teams from their region, and sort them by overall won-loss records. The top five teams in overall won-loss records will make the playoffs as wild cards. In the event of a tie in overall records for the 32nd position, then factors such as head-to-head (if applicable), opponents with victories over teams winning 50% of their games or more, etc., would determine these five playoff teams.

 

(2) Placement of teams in the brackets: Here we will deviate from the traditional bracket. Once the 32 teams have been selected for the playoffs the schools will be grouped into four 8-team quadrants. This grouping will be done without regard to region alignments. The grouping will take into account factors such as even distribution of the #3's and wild cards in the four quadrants, geography, etc.

 

(3) Seeding the teams in the brackets: Once the four quad brackets are created, the eight teams within each bracket will be seeded from 1 - 8. All #1 region finishers in the bracket will be listed in the bracket using standard TSSAA football regulations, i.e., head-to-head (if applicable), overall records, etc. Once the #1 seeds are placed in the bracket, the same procedures will be used for the #2 teams, then the #3 teams, and then the wild card teams. You will also place the teams so that #1's and #2's from the same region would not meet until the quarterfinal round of the playoffs. Once the teams are seeded in the bracket, the home team will always be the higher seeded team.

 

Major Differences in the Playoff Bracket

 

Schools will not know until the bracket is released where they will fall or what line they will be placed on. It is possible that a team could play a team from their region in the first round (example: #1 is in first seeded position and #4 is a wild card team placed in the #8 seeded position). Teams in the same region may not be in the same quadrant, depending on wild cards and geographic location of all 32 schools. Also, teams in the same region (probably Region 5) could go to the opposite bracket (upper and lower), depending on wild cards and geographic location of all 32 schools.

[ImaOWL]

Football Playoffs

 

The proposal for selection of the 32 teams qualifying for the football playoffs and the setting of the bracket will deviate from standard procedures that are currently in use, but the selection and seeding of teams will continue to follow the underlying selection philosophy described in the TSSAA football regulations.

 

The following will show (1) selection of the teams for the playoffs, (2) placement of the teams in the brackets, and (3) seeding the teams in the brackets.

 

(1) Selection of teams for the playoffs: Obviously, nine regions destroy the symmetry as there is no basic logic for placing nine regions in a 32-team bracket. The plan is to select the top three teams from each region, based on current playoff procedures set forth in the football regulations. This will set 27 of the 32 teams in the playoff series. The remaining five slots will be filled by a wild card selection. These five teams will be selected by the guidelines that are in the football regulations.

 

The process will be to take all the 2A schools that did not qualify for the playoffs as one of the top three teams from their region, and sort them by overall won-loss records. The top five teams in overall won-loss records will make the playoffs as wild cards. In the event of a tie in overall records for the 32nd position, then factors such as head-to-head (if applicable), opponents with victories over teams winning 50% of their games or more, etc., would determine these five playoff teams.

 

(2) Placement of teams in the brackets: Here we will deviate from the traditional bracket. Once the 32 teams have been selected for the playoffs the schools will be grouped into four 8-team quadrants. This grouping will be done without regard to region alignments. The grouping will take into account factors such as even distribution of the #3's and wild cards in the four quadrants, geography, etc.

 

(3) Seeding the teams in the brackets: Once the four quad brackets are created, the eight teams within each bracket will be seeded from 1 - 8. All #1 region finishers in the bracket will be listed in the bracket using standard TSSAA football regulations, i.e., head-to-head (if applicable), overall records, etc. Once the #1 seeds are placed in the bracket, the same procedures will be used for the #2 teams, then the #3 teams, and then the wild card teams. You will also place the teams so that #1's and #2's from the same region would not meet until the quarterfinal round of the playoffs. Once the teams are seeded in the bracket, the home team will always be the higher seeded team.

 

Major Differences in the Playoff Bracket

 

Schools will not know until the bracket is released where they will fall or what line they will be placed on. It is possible that a team could play a team from their region in the first round (example: #1 is in first seeded position and #4 is a wild card team placed in the #8 seeded position). Teams in the same region may not be in the same quadrant, depending on wild cards and geographic location of all 32 schools. Also, teams in the same region (probably Region 5) could go to the opposite bracket (upper and lower), depending on wild cards and geographic location of all 32 schools.

 

 

Mistake... This is for 2a only... SOrry

[FHS_Admiral]

Mistake... This is for 2a only... SOrry

Are there not going to be any changes for the other classifications? There should be. I don't think that there should be so many rematches in the playoffs in rounds 1-3. Perhaps maybe in the semis or finals, but not so early in the playoffs. Just my opinion.

[Big Country]

Mistake... This is for 2a only... SOrry

 

I wish it was that way for all of the teams in all classes

[ImaOWL]

Step 2 and 3 is what we need. BasketballisBest... This is kinda like what you were talking about!

[HTV]

Are there not going to be any changes for the other classifications? There should be. I don't think that there should be so many rematches in the playoffs in rounds 1-3. Perhaps maybe in the semis or finals, but not so early in the playoffs. Just my opinion.

 

No, that is only for Class 2A for the next two years because significant changes in enrollment necessitated going to 9 regions for 2A instead of the 8 that the rest of the Division 1 classes have.

[basketballisbest]

Step 2 and 3 is what we need. BasketballisBest... This is kinda like what you were talking about!

 

Very similar. I think this would be a vast improvement over the current playoff system. Picking five at large teams would also increase the possibility that some of the teams that should have been in the playoffs still made it (i.e., Independence in 5A this year).

[Owlbino]

I like the system that's in place now.

 

People need to realize that with any playoff system or with the BCS or any other way of deciding a champion, there will always be some team that's an exception. Always.

 

This year it was Independence. Well, what could possibly be a reason they should be in the playoffs anyway? They didn't win well in the region, they got beat by John Overton, a school with a much worse record, and their nonregion opponents were all very weak.

 

Plus, with this system, Hendersonville would've been left out of the playoffs. Look who they beat in the first round.

[Big Country]

I like the system that's in place now.

 

People need to realize that with any playoff system or with the BCS or any other way of deciding a champion, there will always be some team that's an exception. Always.

 

This year it was Independence. Well, what could possibly be a reason they should be in the playoffs anyway? They didn't win well in the region, they got beat by John Overton, a school with a much worse record, and their nonregion opponents were all very weak.

 

Plus, with this system, Hendersonville would've been left out of the playoffs. Look who they beat in the first round.

 

You can't discredit a team's total body of work to get a potential "Cinderella" in the playoffs that pulls an upset then gets brought back to reality the following week. I am not saying the Commandoes did not deserve to be in by any means but I'm also saying that the team that they upset in the first round was an outstanding football team.

[PAPAWOFBOO]

When you use words like wild card and seeding in a playoff system covering a state you can be sure of one thing. Some body is going to get screwed.

 

Be careful with what you say about this because it can come back to bite you in a couple of years.

 

I just like the way it is now, everyone knows in week 0 where they have to be in week 11, just don't know how much simplier it can get.

[tdntn]

give up

[reddevil1]

HIV,

You are alive and well, great. How is bb going at Powell? Prolly about the same as it is at HHS. Heard Lowe is having some problems at PHS? The wonder boy had better turn that hat around and T.C.B., before he wears out his welcome.