ADVERTISEMENT

Bracket Dark Horses (spoilers)

As true dark horses that have at least a small chance of winning a title, I will go with:

1A - LeRoy (Everyone seems to have Althoff and Lena-Winslow ahead of them, so this should qualify.)
2A - Chicago Christian (They have a difficult path and no playoff pedigree, but their only loss was to 4A Wheaton Academy.)
3A - St. Joseph - Ogden (Although unbeaten, clearly both Byron and Montini would be considerable favorites over them.)
4A - Normal University High School (They are battle tested in the Central State Eight.)
5A - Morgan Park (Forget the Chicago Catholic League, let's go Public League here.)
6A - Geneva (I will stay away from the Flyers as long as possible and go with a DuKane co-champ.)
7A - Downers Grove North (The Trojans regain early-season form and sweep to the title.)
8A - West Aurora (Do you believe in miracles?)

Edit: After posting the picks above, I checked the CalPreps rankings to make sure the teams could reasonably be viewed as dark horses. I believe they all can be viewed that way. Here are the CalPreps rankings within their respective classes:

LeRoy - 3rd
Chicago Christian - 6th
St. Joseph - Ogden - 4th
Normal U-High - 11th
Morgan Park - 7th
Geneva - 3rd
Downers Grove N. - 7th
West Aurora - 18th

All are ranked 3rd or worse, and even where they are as high as 3rd or 4th, they are ranked behind powerhouses such as: Althoff and Lena, Byron and Montini, East St. Louis and Cary-Grove.
Six of the eight dark horses are through to the quarterfinals; but no miracle for West Aurora.
  • Like
Reactions: forlouann

Higher seeds should get the home game.

So Illinois football is so fundamentally different from other states as to need a yet to be written ranking algorithm? And West Aurora performed better than the CCL Blue champ.

We will agree to disagree. Enjoy your burboun and the rest of your evening!!
LOL. Again, you're focusing too much on the number next to the team. WA got smoked and Loyola is still alive so who cares where they were ranked? The better team is still playing.

Ok, lets use Calpreps rankings. WA is ranked 17 so they would have played the 16 seed Edwardsville in round one and lost. So they would have lost one week earlier and it still would not have effected Loyola who is ranked #3 in 8A.

Higher seeds should get the home game.

I just enjoy a good debate with my fellow degenerate fans of high school football. I don't take any of it personal and I hope you don't either. My only issue is what many of you say on various topics comes with nothing behind it. We need a better playoff ranking system, ok I don't disagree, so what's the answer? Just saying "computers" offers nothing of substance.
To be clear, I meant it as something respectable. Conceding when wrong, or refusing to until proven, is not a bad trait to have. I think we need more of that as a people, personally.

Higher seeds should get the home game.

Nah, he fights until you prove him wrong. But, you need empirical evidence
I just enjoy a good debate with my fellow degenerate fans of high school football. I don't take any of it personal and I hope you don't either. My only issue is what many of you say on various topics comes with nothing behind it. We need a better playoff ranking system, ok I don't disagree, so what's the answer? Just saying "computers" offers nothing of substance.
  • Like
Reactions: Cross Bones

Higher seeds should get the home game.

No offense to any of these teams, but we aren't talking about national brands here. These would be, by definition, all communities of the same size and same relative viewership. If the idea is gain more viewership, then the obvious choice would be to have as many teams from the Chicagoland area, not try and draw fans small, rural, southern il towns.
Again, I agree with this, which is why it should be 1-32 for all classes, but that's not what the IHSA wants.

Higher seeds should get the home game.

So we can’t agree that there’s at least a theoretical computer algorithm that’s better than the current system without someone laying out the pseudo code for the algorithm?

Regardless, across all sport, seedings are about creating the easiest path to advanced rounds for teams that had good regular seasons. The current system is not that.
Yes, there is a theoretical computer system that would work, but no one has come up with one for the state of Illinois.

How is the current system not that? Teams that performed the best in the regular season are seeded highest.

Higher seeds should get the home game.

More viewers for the title games. If it's all northern teams you don't get downstate people watching the title games.
No offense to any of these teams, but we aren't talking about national brands here. These would be, by definition, all communities of the same size and same relative viewership. If the idea is gain more viewership, then the obvious choice would be to have as many teams from the Chicagoland area, not try and draw fans small, rural, southern il towns.

Higher seeds should get the home game.

As I said, it's not a perfect system, but no one has proposed a better system, other than saying to use computers with no criteria as to what those computers will use when ranking.

In the current system, who has been let down or didn't win a title that should have based on their ranking? Last year Naz was 4-5 and seeded as low as can possibly be and they won the title. Illinois is top heavy in terms of it's best teams and regardless of seeding they will end up still playing the last two weeks of November.
So we can’t agree that there’s at least a theoretical computer algorithm that’s better than the current system without someone laying out the pseudo code for the algorithm?

Regardless, across all sport, seedings are about creating the easiest path to advanced rounds for teams that had good regular seasons. The current system is not that.

DGN 13 Fenwick 10 final

It's what we've been told 🤷🏿‍♂️

I see it's now again okay to blame the refs for losses again. Funny how that works.
Yeah if you seen my other thread you can tell I don’t like excuses. Doc may have been right and I might of assumed he was blaming the refs so it struck a nerve. I don’t like excuses and I can tell you I have never made excuses for a loss. It happens and it will happen. Nobody knows better that East fans losing to finals to LA.

Higher seeds should get the home game.

I’m on my 15th and we’re not debating, im not defensive, I’m a complete stand up guy. I’m just done if you think seeding doesn’t matter. I think I presented a logical argument for 1-32+ computer seeding . After 2 bourbons, you need to catch up to me or you need to stop drinking. Have a great night.
eireog
You won’t get the last word. It’s not in his nature. He say 2 but I think it’s much more. Hahahaha
  • Like
Reactions: eireog

Higher seeds should get the home game.

So you are good pulling names out of a hat? Because you have to beat them all sooner or later?
As I said, it's not a perfect system, but no one has proposed a better system, other than saying to use computers with no criteria as to what those computers will use when ranking.

In the current system, who has been let down or didn't win a title that should have based on their ranking? Last year Naz was 4-5 and seeded as low as can possibly be and they won the title. Illinois is top heavy in terms of it's best teams and regardless of seeding they will end up still playing the last two weeks of November.
  • Like
Reactions: Cross Bones

Higher seeds should get the home game.

I’m on my 15th and we’re not debating, im not defensive, I’m a complete stand up guy. I’m just done if you think seeding doesn’t matter. I think I presented a logical argument for 1-32+ computer seeding . After 2 bourbons, you need to catch up to me or you need to stop drinking. Have a great night.
1-32 I'm on board with, but just saying computers means nothing. What computers? What's the algorithm? What is weighted more? You can't just say computers and just imply it's a better system.
  • Like
Reactions: Cross Bones

Higher seeds should get the home game.

I'm on my second bourbon, so of course I'm happy. We're just debating a topic from opposing sides, no need to get defensive. As far as I'm concerned, you're a stand up guy.
I’m on my 15th and we’re not debating, im not defensive, I’m a complete stand up guy. I’m just done if you think seeding doesn’t matter. I think I presented a logical argument for 1-32+ computer seeding . After 2 bourbons, you need to catch up to me or you need to stop drinking. Have a great night.
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: PRokie and PowerI66
ADVERTISEMENT

Filter

ADVERTISEMENT