Wow, really? Where to begin. The same criteria is used to rank the top 25 teams. Thst right there refutes any point you are trying to make.
Georgia is out and the top 4 are shuffled because one of the stipulations for the playoffs is that the top 5 ranked conference leaders get in, and the top 4 of those receive a bye so Boise St. jumps them being a conference leader, not due to some other formula for ranking them. There's not one formula to rank the top 25 and then another for the top 12, they get shuffled due to conference leaders, that's it, no different formula.
Apply this Logic to the IHSA playoffs and both Loyola and Marist would have lower rankings because each division of the CCL/ESCC doesn't have enough teams for the IHSA to crown a conference champion so there would be a number of conference champs seeded ahead of them using this method.
Besides why would you cite this method as it doesn't ensure the best teams meet in the quarters or later?
jha618's point is valid. While the committee may rank the top 25 teams, the playoff bracket does not get seeded in strict accordance with the rankings. The top four seeds will always be the champions of the Big Ten, SEC, ACC, and Big Twelve Conferences. That is true regardless of where those four champions are ranked. That is why Miami, which is ranked 9th, is seeded 4th for the playoff (as things presently stand).
jha618 is also correct to provide the NCAA basketball tournament as an example that supports his case. An organization can, and many do, use different criteria for qualifying teams for a playoff/tournament, and then seeding teams for the tournament. Roughly 25% of the participants in the NCAA basketball tournament each year would not qualify for the tournament based on power rankings, or based on a committee's vote evaluating team strength. They qualify only because they are a conference champion. They then get seeded by the tournament committee.
The World Cup soccer tournament is an example of a tournament that only seeds the top eight teams. The remaining 24 national teams are assigned to the eight groups randomly. So, yes, some people think that too is a reasonable way to run a tournament.
You, "4Afan", have your preferences regarding the structure of the Illinois high school football playoffs. Many people agree with you. Some others do not. There is at least some merit to both points of view. You would be more influential in presenting your case if others could trust that, at times, you might agree there is some logic to points they are making. This is especially true when they provide ample evidence supporting those points.
