The penalty for not scheduling cupcakes & bad teams in the playoffs

[PaPaLegba]

It is ridiculous that we can't come up with a system that benefits strength of schedule. Super 32 is an absolute joke! Potential for 0-10 and in the playoffs. Hey kids it doesn't matter, you'll get rewarded anyway. Tssaa is a complete joke! Pathetic

[kwc]

It is ridiculous that we can't come up with a system that benefits strength of schedule. Super 32 is an absolute joke! Potential for 0-10 and in the playoffs. Hey kids it doesn't matter, you'll get rewarded anyway. Tssaa is a complete joke! Pathetic

 

So, 0-10 Antioch, traveling close to 200 miles to play Whitehaven in Memphis (or any other 0-10 team traveling halfway across the state) only to get their heads handed to them in a game nobody expects them to win and could very likely get a running clock set on them for the entire 2nd half of the game, is being rewarded? There are those on this site who think they are being punished ... it just depends upon your POV. There is also the cost involved to play a game that you and everybody traveling with your team have already conceded in their mind that they will probably lose. There is the cost to carry the team and everything involved with that. Do you use the yellow school bus or do you go the charter bus route? Do you bring your band, if you have one. That's another cost as well. Then, there are the parents and the student body. Is there a bus for those folks. How many make the trip?

 

You say rewarded ... some say punished. It just depends upon how you look at it.

 

I personally like the system because it removes any possibility of bias, as far as who gets into the playoffs. I'd rather have 0-10 teams and the like then teams getting in because someone somewhere thought this team was better then that team and decided to select a certain team over another. However, I'm not married to this system either. If they want to do it another way then I'm cool with that ... as long as there is NO WAY for bias to enter into the selection process.

 

I challenge YOU to come up with a system that you think is fair and then state what YOU would do in this thread if YOU were in control of the way the TSSAA handled post season play. I TRIPLE DOG CHALLENGE YOU. IF you take that challenge know this. Your proposal, no matter how well you think it to be thought out will get picked apart and destroyed before you can say Ihcabod Crane. I very seriously DOUBT you will take that challenge, but however, if you do, don't take it personally when folk you don't know start calling your very well thought out plan ... stupid, dumb, idiotic. etc. That's what the folk at TSSAA have to deal with on a daily basis, and they do a very good job of drowning out the noise.

Edited November 6, 2015 by kwc

[Indian]

Should have made 6A with 48 teams instead of 32. It would not have brought the 5A/6A cutoff down too far and there could have been 8 regions, 6 in each, 4/6 make the playoffs.

Edited November 6, 2015 by Indian

[midtnmale]

Should go back to just five classes in Division I. And, Division II really only have enough teams for one class. But as a concession, all teams would make the playoffs until such times as they have over 48 teams .

 

Should have made 6A with 48 teams instead of 32. It would not have brought the 5A/6A cutoff down too far and there could have been 8 regions, 6 in each, 4/6 make the playoffs.

[THE SQUAD]

Should have made 6A with 48 teams instead of 32. It would not have brought the 5A/6A cutoff down too far and there could have been 8 regions, 6 in each, 4/6 make the playoffs.

I like it.

[Indian]

Should have split the classes equally but if they wanted 6A to be different, go with 48.

[PaPaLegba]

So, 0-10 Antioch, traveling close to 200 miles to play Whitehaven in Memphis (or any other 0-10 team traveling halfway across the state) only to get their heads handed to them in a game nobody expects them to win and could very likely get a running clock set on them for the entire 2nd half of the game, is being rewarded? There are those on this site who think they are being punished ... it just depends upon your POV. There is also the cost involved to play a game that you and everybody traveling with your team have already conceded in their mind that they will probably lose. There is the cost to carry the team and everything involved with that. Do you use the yellow school bus or do you go the charter bus route? Do you bring your band, if you have one. That's another cost as well. Then, there are the parents and the student body. Is there a bus for those folks. How many make the trip?

 

You say rewarded ... some say punished. It just depends upon how you look at it.

 

I personally like the system because it removes any possibility of bias, as far as who gets into the playoffs. I'd rather have 0-10 teams and the like then teams getting in because someone somewhere thought this team was better then that team and decided to select a certain team over another. However, I'm not married to this system either. If they want to do it another way then I'm cool with that ... as long as there is NO WAY for bias to enter into the selection process.

 

I challenge YOU to come up with a system that you think is fair and then state what YOU would do in this thread if YOU were in control of the way the TSSAA handled post season play. I TRIPLE DOG CHALLENGE YOU. IF you take that challenge know this. Your proposal, no matter how well you think it to be thought out will get picked apart and destroyed before you can say Ihcabod Crane. I very seriously DOUBT you will take that challenge, but however, if you do, don't take it personally when folk you don't know start calling your very well thought out plan ... stupid, dumb, idiotic. etc. That's what the folk at TSSAA have to deal with on a daily basis, and they do a very good job of drowning out the noise.

 

Yes imo Antioch did get rewarded! They received something they did NOT earn. Making the Playoffs should be a reward and the very fact we are debating Antioch's involvement shows a horrible flaw in the system. It should not ever even be considered a punishment to make the playoffs and the fact you say it is only helps my argument. You would rather 0-10 teams get in than others shows your credibility. It is not my job to come up with a system. It is my job as a parent to criticize this broken system. My kid made the playoffs this year in 5A and I am proud. It should be a tremendous honor to make the playoffs. Under the current format not only is it not beneficial to schedule challenging opponents, winning is not even important at our highest level of competition!!!

 

As far as your challenge, if the TSSAA actually cared about the integrity of our game, they would model TN after a state like Ohio. Ohio is based on strength of schedule and win/loss. No one in Ohio criticizes their system, or at least the coaches do not. Also you have a public private split up there. TSSAA still does not get it right and they deserve to be criticized! They get around 25% of gate money off the top for every playoff game, and it is their goal IMO to have as many teams in the playoffs as possible. You can Triple Dog Challenge me all you want buddy, but Antioch in the playoffs is a joke. Having an A region out west with an 0-10 in the playoffs is a joke. And if you do not think other states like Ohio that are based on strength of schedule + success as well as public private split are not a better alternative than you are a joke as well.

[vuau1989]

Why can't 6A just have 1-4 seeds get in? Jump straight to sweet 16. 2nd round quarterfinals, 3rd round semis, bye week, Championship game. Seems simple. I'm not against the current way it's done, especially considering 6A had two 6/3 upsets, and a 6 seed currently in the quarterfinals. 

 

BUT

 

since everyone loves to complain without offering up any kind of a sensible alternative, I figured I would give my SOMEWHAT HELPFUL two cents. 

[vuau1989]

Also, the strength of schedule is just another variable for people to complain about. I like the idea in theory, but I don't like the idea of having a potentially subjective variable determining playoff seeding or whatever. 

 

I understand why certain people are upset. They play in a very difficult region and get left out of the playoffs, while other teams play in a weak region and get to benefit from that region. To that I say, that's a life lesson. It seems like the same people who are upset about everyone getting in are also upset about weak scheduling, and teams from weaker regions. That is a juicy contradiction to me. You yell, "What about the integrity of the game", "What kind of lesson are we teaching our children", when all teams get in the playoffs. But turn around and yell, "It's not fair", "Our region is hard", when the top 1-4 get in.

 

Each situation is a life lesson, life's not fair, better luck next time.