Back to the old playoff system?

[jusboro]

I read in the newspaper today that they are thinking about changing the "Z" plan......anyone have any ideas what they might be changing? Or are they going back to the old playoff system?

[MikeWinchell]

I personally liked the old playoff system. Whatever they decide to do they need to change the z plan.

[ksgovols]

A male bovine's butt and a bass fiddle come to mind when I think of TSSAA and post season.

 

All they've done is eliminate the top 2 in the district in a particular classification and put more emphasis on total wins, which is an indicator of................nothing, except you got on your scheduling early and your district could be weak. The out of district schedules will be weak. Good teams will have a tough time filling in games. Weak teams will schedule each other and hope to get in with a 5-5 record with 5 wins against their weak brethren.

[Gerry Bertier]

ks,

 

at least harpeth is in a district with mostly 3a teams. over here at fairview, we have 4 solid 4A programs we have to play each year. this is not fair to the 1A,3A,5A teams. maybe they will keep this just for the upcoming season and restructure the whole thing in 2011.

[silverpie]

What this would have meant last year:

 

In 3A, Lewis County would not have qualified. Either East Lit or South Greene would have replaced them. (Both might have qualified, at the expense of one of the eight 5-5 teams that did qualify--Cumberland Gap, Grundy County, Happy Valley, Harpeth, Johnson County, Kingston, Oakhaven, or Pearl-Cohn.)

 

In 4A, two of the 4-6 mass consisting of Carter, Haywood, Hillcrest, Ripley, Scott County, and Sycamore would have gone instead of just Scott County, this at the expense of Stone Memorial. Kingsbury would be safe at 4-6 as a district qualifier.

[wilsontd]

No Doubt, Big discrepency between the 1A, 3A and the 5A schools. I did not agree with the last years

playoff formula but at least a team could finish the year with hope of making the playoffs. Withe the TSSAA setting up uneven districts that are not fair. 5 6A and 2 5A in one and 5 5A in one and 2 6A. Same for the 1A-2A-3A-4A.

Makes NO SENSE.

Go back to the old playoff system of top 4 get in.

My thoughts on a possible solution. Adjust the districts every two years and change which district your paired with every year. Takes away always having to play the same people in the playoffs.

Travel is not a problem, people will go to watch their teams play.

This way, also gives more teams chances to qualify and move on instead of letting the strong survive and get stronger.

Take out one of the classes also I believe 5 plus the 2 private divisions are enough.

[Big Daddy G]

This is absolutely crazy. What is wrong with the old system of having every playoff position settled on the field rather than some "criteria". I would rather have a few fourth place teams with losing records in the playoff than be unsure about how I am going to get in. The teams with losing records are a nice warm up for those higher qualifying teams. If the teams with losing records do advance, it makes a great story for their community and the state.

[ksgovols]

ks,

 

at least harpeth is in a district with mostly 3a teams. over here at fairview, we have 4 solid 4A programs we have to play each year. this is not fair to the 1A,3A,5A teams. maybe they will keep this just for the upcoming season and restructure the whole thing in 2011.

 

It's hard to feel sorry for Fairview when they opted out of 11AA for 12AA and further travel, but I see what you're saying. They'll drop Creekwood like Harpeth dropped Sycamore.

 

What it hurts is the really good team trying to get games like Jo Byrns playing Harpeth. The weaker teams are going to be inundated with requests for games while the traditionally strong teams will struggle to put a non district schedule together.

 

The old system stunk too. Coaches liked it because they knew who they were likely to play weeks in advance and could swap tape and prepare. That's the only benefit. It's boring as heck to play the region next door to you year after year after year. Of course, that's no different than basketball or baseball, which have stupid post seasons too.

 

In the end it doesn't really matter. The bubble teams change, but they're not going far anyway. The top teams would stay the same, they're just trying to lessen their travel. Let's be real about what T$$AA is really trying to do. It has nothing to do with an equitable playoff system or making things better. They are motivated by the same things that motivate most folks, money and effort. Most bucks with the least amount of effort on their part.

[littlegreendevil1]

I personally liked the old playoff system. Whatever they decide to do they need to change the z plan.

 

I concur.

[Gambler]

Honestly their is no fair way to do it. Everyone wants to win. What is high school football all about its about participation in many peoples mind. Many simply want their kid or kids to represent the school they grew up cheering for in their community. Others say its about championships. Those of you that hate this playoff system and the old one then what is the answer. I have an idea and it unfortunately comes from Kentucky. Let everybody into the post season. Thats what happens in other sports. Play the season then seed everyone and let them play. I think everyone is right about the money being a motivator for the TSSAA. Whats so bad about letting losing teams into the post season I mean. The alternative is what some of the guys were talking about earlier in that the season actually matter. In the old system guess what bad teams still made the playoffs and nobody cared. There record may have been better because they scheduled winnable games outside the district but bad is bad and so what. Lets face it in every state teams exist that are dominant and no matter what the set up they will be succesful and win it. Alcoa, Maryville, Goodpasture, Lipscomb, CPA, Riverdale, Oakland, South Pittsburg, Trousdale, Hillsboro (changing), Knox Fulton/Cath, Milan will always be at the top no matter how far they have to drive. The thing I dont like about the Z plan is it takes away championships in the district and region. I know their still is a district but its comprised of teams with different sizes and classes. The other reason I say let everyone in is if your going to put teams from smaller classes in a district then they deserve a shot to win a STATE championship against TEAMS THEIR OWN SIZE because to win a DISTRICT championship they dont have that opportunity. At least since its by geography teams can know who the best team is in their area which is worth something. Either make the season matter which is what the old days were as the other guys mentioned or make it all about the post season. Now we are somewhere in between with the playoff seeding being based on distrcits with teams playing one another that will not compete for a state championship. Do major league teams play minor league teams no. If the season really matters then every game is a playoff game they just start in the regular season which makes sense. Have a system for the best of the best or dont or let everyone feel good and get in and compete in the end the same teams will win. ALSO the old old system was better than what we have now. D-2 with all the elite private schools still existed. All the small private schools that are going small school (BGA, FRA, DCA, EHCS, Davidson etc. D-2 were in 1A in the same region and eliminated each other. In 2A you had Lipscomb and Goodpasture knocking each other around and I think Livingston was the only 3A and no private played in 4 or 5A. Also teams could play up to avoid private schools and many 2A's did that in 3A against similar larger rural schools or to avoid Milan, DL, and GP. It all worked but some of the bigger schools got tired of losing to Riverdale before RAnkin left. Anyhow if it aint broke dont fix it and I am confident that it will all be scrapped after this year expect that now we have 6 state champions at 10 dollars a ticket and that wont change. In lieu of that I would rather play a tough ten game schedule against my neighbors and say Im the best in town. Enough I typed to much.

[BoardHater71]

I honestly did not even know about these changes until I just now read them so let me get this straight..........

 

 

Instead of the top half from each class within each district qualifying for the playoffs as automatic bids it is now set up to where the top 2 teams in each district qualify for the playoffs automatically regardless of classification. Is this correct??????????

 

 

 

 

There is no real "right way" of doing it except for 1 WAY and that would be to go back to A, AA, AAA and have 16 districts and take the top 2 teams from each district and send them to the playoffs. This system right here that I just asked about sucks. All of the teams that scheduled "watered down" non-district schedules are going to get those WILD CARD BIDS over teams that finish in the top half of their particular class within their own district but did not far as well due to extremely difficult non-district schedules.

 

 

 

 

Stewart County Rebels Non-District Schedule

 

McEwen

Clarksville Academy

Houston County

Riverside

 

 

 

 

Waverly Central Tigers Non-District Schedule

 

McEwen

Hickman County

Houston County

Riverside

 

 

 

 

Harpeth Indians Non-District Schedule

 

Jo Byrns

East Robertson

Fairview

Hickman County

 

 

 

 

Cheatham County Cubs Non-District Schedule

 

Smith County

Sycamore

Greenbrier

East Robertson

 

 

 

 

So what this all means is that IF both Camden Central & Creek Wood happen to finish in the Top 2 in the district and earn the "automatic bids" for the TSSAA State Playoffs then a team like Cheatham County is going to be punished for scheduling tougher competition (which was originally scheduled to better prepare them for types of teams that they may see in a playoff game). The only thing this system does is reward programs that are traditionally terrible for weak schedules and punish teams that are traditionally contenders for going out and playing better competition.

 

HOW IS THAT EVEN CLOSE TO BEING FAIR?????

 

I AM SURE THERE ARE EXAMPLES LIKE THIS IN EVERY DISTRICT ALL OVER THE STATE

[ksgovols]

Right. It's a geographical non district schedule at best. Schools can't afford to travel across the state seeking either easy or challenging opponents. You're sort of locked in to who you can schedule for the most part and there's competition for those.

 

The best are usually there. The other seeds are subjective based on total wins which means.........nothing.