Big 9 Conference - Football

[tricitiessportsfan]

Big 9 Conference Football A Reality?

 

After personal analysis on the situation facing Class AAA-District 1, it seems to me that it would be very possible that the current Big 9 Conference could remain the same for the 2009-2013 classification term, while adding football to the district mix. With the release of the classification numbers by the TSSAA yesterday, it is apparent that District 1 will be comprised of:

 

Sullivan Central - 1,069

Sullivan South - 1,094

Volunteer - 1,249

Tennessee High - 1,342

David Crockett - 1,346

Daniel Boone - 1,407

Dobyns Bennett - 1,942

Science Hill - 2,158

 

Sullivan East's Dilemma

Left out of this conference by the TSSAA's choice of classification #'s is Sullivan East - 989. With Sullivan Central being moved out of Class AA-District 1, Sullivan East is left the lone 4A playoff school. How does this change things? Sullivan East will no longer be guaranteed one automatic playoff spot at the end of the regular season based on performance. The Z plan specifies that if one team is in a playoff classification, zero teams receive an automatic playoff bid. Without this automatic bid, Sullivan East will be forced into the wild card pool, where strength of schedule and results against are used to grant and seed playoff berths. This will force Sullivan East into a scheduling dilemma, schedule cupcakes or schedule tougher competition. With the cupcakes wins may be more plentiful but one runs the risk of having a low power rating, with the bigger schools tougher competition one runs the risk of losing and by moderate to large margins, dually hurting Sullivan East's power rating. A Patriot catch twenty two.

 

Sullivan East's Opportunity

What can Sullivan East do to solve this quandary? Move up to Class AAA-District 1, and into the 5A playoff classification. Why? Sullivan East is approximately 75 students away from the Class AAA student population cutoff. If Sullivan East was to choose to move up in classification, this would push the 5A playoff classification in Class AAA-District 1 to seven members. According to the details of the Z plan playoff classifications, seven playoff classification members earn three automatic playoff bids. Currently, Sullivan East competes against Sullivan Central, Sullivan South, and Tennessee High in conference, and have played Volunteer and David Crockett out of conference, in football, five of the six teams they would be vying for a playoff berth with in the new Class AAA-District 1 football conference. Out of these three automatic bids, one would surmise that Sullivan South and Tennessee High would earn two of the three playoff berths. This would leave Sullivan Central, Volunteer, David Crockett, Daniel Boone and a possible Sullivan East competing for the third automatic playoff spot. In recent years, Sullivan East has shown success on the gridiron against each of these schools, save Daniel Boone (they have not played). If Sullivan East did not earn the third automatic playoff berth, they would be back in the same position, the wild card pool, which they would be placed in automatically in Class AA-District 1. The potential of an automatic playoff berth and recent success against teams that they would, therein, be competing against for that automatic bid could sway the administration at Sullivan East into moving them up in classification, rounding out Class AAA-District 1 or the Big 9 Conference.

 

It All Makes 'Cents'

Also included in any conversation is the money situation. In this instance, the argument is more convincing. The potential of having the visiting crowds of Class AAA-District 1 conference member's filling the athletic coffers at Sullivan East more readily, more consistently, and more abundantly than the conference members of Class AA-District 1 is a persuasive case. This is not only so in football, but also in other major sports. In essence, there is more money to be made in Class AAA, than in Class AA, with only a potential slight drop off in competitiveness.

 

Now, I understand the realistic argument that Sullivan East, from a winning and success standpoint, looks to benefit more in Class AA than they ever would in Class AAA. To some it would be ignorant to move Sullivan East up solely for the principles I explained in detail above. It is now up to the administrators, both athletic and fiscal, to make the right decision for Sullivan East. Luckily we will know their conclusion by October 20, the deadline for Division I schools to move up in classification.

 

Your thoughts, opinions, and information are encouraged. /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

[compusatman]

They have no choice but to move up.

[THSVikings2004]

I feel this will create a snowball effect where District 1 AAA will basically turn into a AA conference with several 3a/4a schools wanting to move up... the way it currently is in Region 1 4A. Also, what about Elizabethton? The article I read a few months ago said they weren't happy about the Z-Plan. What if they want to move up as well?

 

I honestly doubt East will move up. May be wrong, but I'm just not convinced that East would be willing to play in a conference that almost guarantees 4 losses a year. I can't imagine East playing DB regularly. Since Tennessee expanded into 5 classes, I don't think they have played any 5A schools in non-conference games. They schedule below average 4A schools or try to schedule schools in a lower classification such as Unaka, Cloudland, South Greene, North, and Johnson Co.

 

Next year the Patriots will return almost every player on offense and defense. If they compete in District 1 AA they have the possibility of going 9-1 or perhaps 10-0 for the first time in history, depending on who they schedule for non-district games. If they finish first or second in the district, then they'll probably make the playoffs. However, I don't see the Patriots finishing any better than 7-3 or 6-4 in District 1 AAA next year and that will be with an experienced team.

 

I would like to hear the opinions of DB fans on their team having to play schools such as Central, Volunteer, and Crockett. With the possible inclusion of East, that would leave DB with two non-district games to help prepare them for the 6A playoffs.

[tricitiessportsfan]

I feel this will create a snowball effect where District 1 AAA will basically turn into a AA conference with several 3a/4a schools wanting to move up... the way it currently is in Region 1 4A. Also, what about Elizabethton? The article I read a few months ago said they weren't happy about the Z-Plan. What if they want to move up as well?

 

I honestly doubt East will move up. May be wrong, but I'm just not convinced that East would be willing to play in a conference that almost guarantees 4 losses a year. I can't imagine East playing DB regularly. Since Tennessee expanded into 5 classes, I don't think they have played any 5A schools in non-conference games. They schedule below average 4A schools or try to schedule schools in a lower classification such as Unaka, Cloudland, South Greene, North, and Johnson Co.

 

Next year the Patriots will return almost every player on offense and defense. If they compete in District 1 AA they have the possibility of going 9-1 or perhaps 10-0 for the first time in history, depending on who they schedule for non-district games. If they finish first or second in the district, then they'll probably make the playoffs. However, I don't see the Patriots finishing any better than 7-3 or 6-4 in District 1 AAA next year and that will be with an experienced team.

 

I would like to hear the opinions of DB fans on their team having to play schools such as Central, Volunteer, and Crockett. With the possible inclusion of East, that would leave DB with two non-district games to help prepare them for the 6A playoffs.

 

Nice rebuttal. As a Dobyns-Bennett fan, it makes me shutter to know we will be playing such teams over the next four years. If Sullivan East were to move up, thus making an eight game district schedule, it will become more difficult to schedule quality non-district opponents due to date avaliability. The benefits gained from these quality opponents will also be nullified come playoff time because those non-district game will most likely be scheduled in weeks 0-3, a far cry from week 10. It will be interesting to see how everything shakes out.

[THSVikings2004]

Nice rebuttal. As a Dobyns-Bennett fan, it makes me shutter to know we will be playing such teams over the next four years. If Sullivan East were to move up, thus making an eight game district schedule, it will become more difficult to schedule quality non-district opponents due to date avaliability. The benefits gained from these quality opponents will also be nullified come playoff time because those non-district game will most likely be scheduled in weeks 0-3, a far cry from week 10. It will be interesting to see how everything shakes out.

 

 

Another thing is that Dobyns-Bennett fans travel well regardless of distance. They'll have a hard time finding seating at some of those schools. It will definately feel like DB dropped down in classification.

[AP.battleground.59]

It seems like someone might know, but how do they make the switch from 3 classes to the 6 playoff classes. How will the regions/districts work, which games will count towards making the playoffs, etc? It seems like they left a perfectly simple and effective system for this mess.

[tricitiessportsfan]

It seems like someone might know, but how do they make the switch from 3 classes to the 6 playoff classes. How will the regions/districts work, which games will count towards making the playoffs, etc? It seems like they left a perfectly simple and effective system for this mess.

 

Now that they've split the classes into 1A-3A they will again classify into Classes 1A-6A. The explanation the Z plan gives for this split is to try to have around 55-65 teams per playoff class. A simple way to do this would be to take each class already defined (1A-3A), count the # of teams and and divide by two, count the number of teams down starting from the lowest in the classification and you can get a good idea for the classification deciding line. Hope that helps.

[kingsportfan]

I think Sullivan East will move up, but they might stay in the District 1 AA. They would be one of the top teams in that conference every year. If they move up to District 1 AAA they would be competitive, but struggling to make the playoffs ever. They would be going against DB, South, Tenn High, and Science Hill every year, most likely would loose those games every year. They could play well against Boone, Crockett, Central, and Volunteer. It would be hard for East to be .500 in that conference, but in District 1 AA they should always have a winning season. We will soon find out what East will do.

[compusatman]

If I were at DB I would be furious. And I'm sure most of the Tribe is against it. I would like to hear GC's comments. For South and the Vikings it is wonderful and an exciting new challenge but to be honest they should have left it as it was. In four years the South Side will be so chopped up we will have to rejoin with Central to compete.

[PlayFearless101]

This is not good times. As a Central fan, we are scheduling 4 losses every year before the season even begins (DB,SH,SS,TH). Maybe even Boone. We are going to have to schedule cupcakes for out of conference games, and hope East plays in the conference. For 2 games a year for most of this conference, every team that plays DB and SH will just be hoping their team doesn't get an injury.

 

The only people in the state this plan really hurts is upper East Tn, we have 2 enormous schools that will beat up on everyone compared to other regions who will have 5 or 6 huge schools that will beat up on each other. It doesn't seem to make sense to me. I just hope Central will have kids still go out for the team.

[kingsportfan]

If I were at DB I would be furious. And I'm sure most of the Tribe is against it. I would like to hear GC's comments. For South and the Vikings it is wonderful and an exciting new challenge but to be honest they should have left it as it was. In four years the South Side will be so chopped up we will have to rejoin with Central to compete.

 

 

This new conference really doesn't help DB at all. They will do their best to schedule teams that would still want to play them, to help prepare them for the playoffs.

[tricitiessportsfan]

If the Big 9 Conference adds football to it's sports, it will become much like the other major sports where the rest try to run with the bigger two of Dobyns Bennett and Science Hill. Yearly there will be teams that give these two runs for their money and may pull the upset. All of this is theory, however. If Sullivan East does not move up, and only eight teams are members of District 1-AAA, are we looking at a conference title of the 'Big 8', or could we for once be dubbed something creative?