What do you think of this postseason plan?

[TrenchWarrior]

The thread on a multi-state playoff got me thinking...

 

Just to review:

 

If you play for a TN State Championship in DI you play 15 games.

If you play for a NCAA National Title DI FBS; you play 14 games at most. Some might play 1 less.

 

I personally would like to see less High Schools teams in the playoffs and Bowl Games make a comeback.

It's absolutely "crazy" that teams with a losing record make the playoffs every year.

 

Thank you for your suggestion but that won't happen,

 

T$$AA.

 

 

I wish there would be a rule in place where you need to finish at least .500 and in the top half of their conference to qualify for the playoffs. It's disgusting that you have teams go 6-4 or even 5-5 and sit at home because they're 5th in their conference, when a team can finish 1-9 and make it under the old system because they get the 4th seed in a 5 team conference (mathematically possible for the #2 seed there to go 3-7 or even 2-8 and get to host!).

 

I still don't completely understand the way they're going to divide things up into 6 classes come playoff time next year but I suspect we'll see more of the same. It's sad, really.

 

It's obvious the playoffs should be reformed beyond what was done this year. The necessary reform, as I see it, would be requiring that teams have at least a .500 record overall AS WELL AS in conference a requirement for a playoff spot. If you're in a 5 or 6 team conference and you only win 2 games all year by beating your conferences cellar, sorry but you're staying at home. This would cut the playoffs way down, probably by 2 rounds, and it might require that some conference winners get first round byes, but it would also insure that getting there really means something and a bunch of traditional powers don't get a creampuff to embarass in the 1st round every year.

 

Then, 1 week after the championship games, let all the schools who finished .500 or better set up invitation only "bowl" games against teams from in or out of state, with a big chunk of the net profits (say 20-25%) shared with the rest of the TSSAA. That way the playoffs aren't cheapened and you still get to recoup some of the revenue that would be lost from eliminating those absurd 10-0 vs 1-9 matchups in the opening round. It would also give some regional powers or old rivals who've not gotten to play recently because of scheduling conflicts a chance to face off.

 

To recap, the benefits are pretty simple:

 

1. The prestige of the playoffs is protected and reinforced. All the schools with losing records have made the TN HS football playoffs a joke for about 20 years now!

 

2. It actually shortens the season for the teams who make it to the championship game, allowing their kids more time to focus on academics and other sports.

 

3. The addition of bowl games after the postseason would recoup the revenue lost by eliminating losing teams and weak matchups from the playoffs.

 

4. The ability to actively select teams for these games based on marketing concerns, rather than relying on a seeding formula, would create more exciting and profitable matchups that would inject more money into the schools and communities than many of the games played in the first round under the current playoff system.

 

5. Creating these more compelling postseason matchups would be good for the long term growth of Tennessee high school football by raising its profile and interest among fans and players. It would also provide momentum towards the next year.

 

6. Commercial sponsorship and televised games would also raise the profile and revenue of high school football.

 

7. More players would get a chance to go out with a win that means something. In the playoffs, all but 1 team who qualifies for the playoffs in each division goes home a loser.

 

8. Revenue sharing from the bowl games means that every team in the TSSAA would benefit from this system.

 

9. Participation in the bowl games would be voluntary. A school could deny an invitation they choose for any reason (travel expenses, academic issues, etc).

 

Now, somebody tell me why the T$$AA would shoot this down...

[riverdaleman]

SO let me get this straight you think college football does it right?...I have not heard one coach complain because he had to play 15 games to win state nor have i heard one player complain about that...also when you think only the state champs and runner up play 15...I think TSSAA broke a system that was working and now we will have to find out if this new system will work

[nickknx865]

Overall, I like the plan presented, but I've got one of my own.

 

Now that we have 3 classifications for the regular season, why not keep that in the postseason? Have only the District/Reigon winner get into the playoffs. I think this would make a 16 team playoff for the state title(If not, we could add a few wildcard spots). Let them play, and you have your state champions. Instead of 15 games, you have 13-14 games. May not look like a huge difference, but remember, the state semifinals are played on the Thanksgiving weekend. Imagine being done with the season by that time.

 

I like the bowl games proposal that was included. I'd like to add one more thing, and say you have to have a 6-4 record or better to play one. There would be 4 events in Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga, and the teams from that metro area that didn't get in could play in these "classics" at the 4 major stadiums in the state(Liberty Bowl, LP Field, Neyland, Finley Stadium). Make it a 2 day event.

[bounder]

The three classification system with only the two top teams in the district getting to go to the playoffs used to work great. As for bowls... who cares, college has em just watch them.. On another note why don't we just do away with all other sports and play football all year round? Maybe not have high school just football.

[nickknx865]

The three classification system with only the two top teams in the district getting to go to the playoffs used to work great. As for bowls... who cares, college has em just watch them.. On another note why don't we just do away with all other sports and play football all year round? Maybe not have high school just football.

 

 

Haven't you ever heard of Arena Football?

[bounder]

Haven't you ever heard of Arena Football?

 

 

As a matter of fact one of my friends played for New York, Nashville and Phoenix. Just have three classifications and play the top two in each instead of top four like now. Then you have time for a bowl if you want one for the rest of the losers. That didn't sound good but you see what I mean. After all second place IS first loser.

[TrenchWarrior]

SO let me get this straight you think college football does it right?...I have not heard one coach complain because he had to play 15 games to win state nor have i heard one player complain about that...also when you think only the state champs and runner up play 15...I think TSSAA broke a system that was working and now we will have to find out if this new system will work

 

 

I don't think college football "does it right." I said to keep the playoffs in place BUT add a bowl game after the playoffs are done. These bowls would be exhibition games with pride and payouts on the line but they wouldn't happen until AFTER the state champs are decided through a playoff.

 

Basically, I was just trying to combine the best of both worlds. Every fan, coach, and player hates the current bowl system but it's not going anywhere because it's such a huge moneymaker for the top conferences and schools. I was thinking we could bring something similar to high school football as a SUPPLEMENT to the regular season and playoffs, not a replacement.

 

The old system worked once you got to about the 3rd round, but there was a lot wrong with it. I'm honestly not sure how the new one will work out. I like the new conferences for the regular season because they'll reduce travel costs and will restore a lot of natural rivalries that were eliminated in my part of the state under the old system. When you've got to go 50 miles to play schools you've never heard of for all your conference games, your entire program and community suffers.

[devilsden]

I've heard of arena football, but I want be watching any of it this year - CANCELLED

[bandit1234]

The thread on a multi-state playoff got me thinking...

 

 

 

I wish there would be a rule in place where you need to finish at least .500 and in the top half of their conference to qualify for the playoffs. It's disgusting that you have teams go 6-4 or even 5-5 and sit at home because they're 5th in their conference, when a team can finish 1-9 and make it under the old system because they get the 4th seed in a 5 team conference (mathematically possible for the #2 seed there to go 3-7 or even 2-8 and get to host!).

 

Sorry, but I just don't agree with this. Take Region 8-3A for example. #2 seed from that region went 5-5 in the regular season but played in the state championship game. Take a look at some of the teams those schools play out of region:

Daphne, AL (6A) - Olive Branch, MS (6A) - Grenada, MS (6A)- Southhaven, MS (6A) - Whitehaven (5A) - Houston (5A) - Christian Brothers (DII) - Briarcrest (DII)

 

The schools in 5 team regions simply play by the rules TSSAA tells them to. If they have to play 6 non-region games and take games like those above they're not going to have impressive records. They play the games the TSSAA tells them they have to, and then take the $$ to help pay the bills for the season with games like those above.

 

The only way your example above works is if its an apples to apples comparison and every region has the exact same number of teams.

[MavFan]

I disagree only because I have seen a 4 seed win a State Title because they came out of the toughest region in the state. They where below .500 in conference but obviously deserved to be their. Don't cut the teams in the playoffs that just means that the traditional powers continue to dominate and leaves less chance for everyone else.

 

I do not agree with going to a watered down 6A system, and I am anxious to see how it works. I call it watered down because really a lot of teams moved up that where going to move up anyway. 6A is just trying to give the state a better reputation in football.

 

Here is what I want to know. What state did they steal this new format from? I don't believe they made it up from scratch I fully believe they stole. I want to know where they got it from so I can look at see if it worked there.

[silverpie]

I disagree only because I have seen a 4 seed win a State Title because they came out of the toughest region in the state. They where below .500 in conference but obviously deserved to be their. Don't cut the teams in the playoffs that just means that the traditional powers continue to dominate and leaves less chance for everyone else.

 

I do not agree with going to a watered down 6A system, and I am anxious to see how it works. I call it watered down because really a lot of teams moved up that where going to move up anyway. 6A is just trying to give the state a better reputation in football.

 

Here is what I want to know. What state did they steal this new format from? I don't believe they made it up from scratch I fully believe they stole. I want to know where they got it from so I can look at see if it worked there.

 

 

I haven't seen one that matches it in every detail, but it's pretty close to the Virginia setup.

[Indian]

At the time I felt the system of 2 teams making it from each district, 16 districts, 3 classes, was acceptable, until the team here finished 8-2 and third in a district of 7 or 8 teams. One of the teams beating them went on to win the state title, the other had just dropped down from Class AAA, barely. It's been a while but I think they allowed more than a touchdown only twice all year, in those two losses. The new playoff format should help limit or even cut out teams with losing records getting into the playoffs, I think in a 2A projection I did there was just one making it out of 32 (using this year's regular season results).