2020 SCPrepTalk SCHSL 5A,4A,3A,2A, and 1A Playoff Projections after Week 5

[Rebel-Fan-74]

It sounds like you are calling for a bracket that is determined by seeding. As a long time supporter of a 3A team, we have dealt with that exact problem since the 1980s. With the creation of the Big 16, the SCHSL adopted a system of pre-determined Playoff Brackets for Class 4A DII and lower. This has been the screaming point of many teams during the lifespan of that system.

I would presume that over the long haul, it was supposed to even the playing field for all teams with similar records after the regular season was completed. 2004 was a prime example. 11-0 Beaufort and 11-0 Conway in 4A DII Lower State. Beaufort had home field throughout due to the pre-determined Brackets.

I am in agreement with having a seeded Bracket. But how to determine those seeds may be yet another source of concern. Nothing is simple, but common sense does dictate something needs to change.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6395

Check out this post and see if this is something like you were thinking

[Penguin]

That would work great if you seeded all Region winners first. Playing in a Region full of weak opponents shouldn't be cause for a low seeding for a Region Champ. 1-8 all Region Champs, seeded by points, and 9-whatever after them. That would be a very good system in all Classes.

[Rebel-Fan-74]

That would work great if you seeded all Region winners first. Playing in a Region full of weak opponents shouldn't be cause for a low seeding for a Region Champ. 1-8 all Region Champs, seeded by points, and 9-whatever after them. That would be a very good system in all Classes.

Should it be cause for a higher seeding???

[Penguin]

Yes, because schedules are made before the season starts and a team can only play who is on that schedule. If you win your Region, you should be rewarded. If not, what is the purpose of having different Regions? Without that, scheduling would determine playoff seeding and make the rich get richer while the poor are downtrodden and forgotten.

The SCHSL mandates that you play every other team in your Region. They determine the Regions.

[racincowboy02]

I like what yall are saying and to an extent I do agree with Penguin that just because you are in a region that has teams that aren't that good for example Beaufort. Beauforts region is probably one of the weakest in 4A if not the whole state. Beaufort won the region and is the region champ so they should be seeded with the region champs based off of points (which by the way I love how you have your points broken down and agree 100%) and if they were to be a higher seed than say a Greenwood or a Greenville then i don't have a problem with it but then again I understand the other way to and that way is that Beaufort doesn't have any competition in there region which ain't there fault. I think if i was a part of the Beaufort high school coaching staff and i knew my region was weak then i would be looking for some 5A or tougher competition with in the 4A ranks to try and boost my points up

[Penguin]

I like what yall are saying and to an extent I do agree with Penguin that just because you are in a region that has teams that aren't that good for example Beaufort. Beauforts region is probably one of the weakest in 4A if not the whole state. Beaufort won the region and is the region champ so they should be seeded with the region champs based off of points (which by the way I love how you have your points broken down and agree 100%) and if they were to be a higher seed than say a Greenwood or a Greenville then i don't have a problem with it but then again I understand the other way to and that way is that Beaufort doesn't have any competition in there region which ain't there fault. I think if i was a part of the Beaufort high school coaching staff and i knew my region was weak then i would be looking for some 5A or tougher competition with in the 4A ranks to try and boost my points up

In a "regular" season, that is definitely a possibility. We currently are in a 6 team Region, but Lucy Beckham is also in our Region, just not playing varsity football for 2 years. Region 7 and Region 6 will have 7 teams each, meaning 6 Region games. Only leaves room for 4 "outside" games. Some schools have district mandates to play district teams in other Classifications.

With what they have set up in the Charleston area for 5A, there is hardly a chance for a 4A team to get a game with all of the cross Region games that they all play. We are in a peculiar situation, and even most of the local Georgia schools are 3A or lower these days. That makes for long road trips (Valdosta, Wayne County, Carolina Forest).

Winning your Region should be rewarded with a top 8 seed (7 in this case), and at least one home playoff game. I support a 16 team playoff bracket that would allow for everyone to get an 11th week of regular season games. As for the points system, perhaps put a limit on the games that could count, say 8 for arguments sake. That would allow for rivalry games to be played, and make scheduling much easier and level. Just my 2 cents.

[Rebel-Fan-74]

Yes, because schedules are made before the season starts and a team can only play who is on that schedule. If you win your Region, you should be rewarded. If not, what is the purpose of having different Regions? Without that, scheduling would determine playoff seeding and make the rich get richer while the poor are downtrodden and forgotten.

The SCHSL mandates that you play every other team in your Region. They determine the Regions.

I agree with rewarding, but the amount was my question. I had originally thought about giving the Region Champ 2.5 points and the runner up 1.5 points and seeding all 24 teams with whomever came in at #1 - #8 getting the bye week. That could possibly but not very likely give a Runner Up a bye week over a weak Region Champ. (Say a team went 0-4 in Non-Region and was Champ with a 4-2 Region Record and won due to tiebreakers. A 4-6 Region Champ up could end up seeded #9 behind a 9-1 Region Runner Up and not get a bye.)

Then I changed to the Region champs at 1-8 and bye week and the next 16 teams (all runner ups and wild cards) all seeded next.

Then I settled on Runner ups hosting the wild card teams in week one. Region Champs get a bye week before hosting, and Runner up would host week one and no wild card could ever host. Even a 9-1 wildcard would be on the road. Does that reward the Runner Up too much?

[Penguin]

Again, I like the 16 team bracket allowing for an 11 week season. If you were to go that route, no Byes would be necessary. That is just my personal opinion based upon what I am seeing with 16 team brackets this season. It puts a premium on winning those Region games.

Another bonus to that scenario, is that every team is guaranteed an 11 game season.

After saying it out loud in another post, I also like the idea of not having every game count. That really would allow for some rivalry games to still get played, and level the playing field by not making it absolutely necessary for every team to try to maximize points every week. That way, scheduling gets a whole lot easier.

I think that you are on to a really good idea, but as you said, good ideas are usually the first ones discarded by the SCHSL. LOL