Scheduling|Playoffs|Seeding

[Alexander32]

Assign 64 teams to each class, 8A through 2A, with the remaining teams (smallest schools) assigned to 1A. Then divide the 64 teams in each class into 8 geographic regions with 8 teams in each region. Each region is then randomly bracketed into quarterfinals, and the first three games of the season are played to determine the ranking (1 thru 8) of the teams within each region.

Games 4, 5 and 6 of the season are played to determine playoff qualifiers and the seedings for the playoffs. The first place teams from each region are bracketed regionally into a quarterfinal playoff, the second place teams would similarly play each other in a quarterfinal playoff, and the third place teams, and so on down the line. This will provide for very competitive games since, for example, games 4, 5 and 6 for an eighth place team will all be played against other eighth place teams.

After this six-game regular season is played, the playoff teams will be selected and seeded as follows. The top five finishers among the eight first place teams will qualify for the playoffs and be seeded 1 through 5. The champion of the second-place finishers will qualify and be seeded 6th. The champion of the third-place finishers will qualify and be seeded 7th. And the champion of the fifth-place finishers will qualify and be seeded 8th. Those eight teams will play for the state championship within their particular class.

As an example of how this might look, the 8A playoff bracket could reasonably look like this:

(1) Lincoln-Way East (6-0)
(8) Fremd (5-1)

(4) Homewood-Flossmoor (4-2)
(5) Loyola (5-1)

(3) Glenbard West (5-1)
(6) Marist (5-1)

(2) Maine South (5-1)
(7) Brother Rice (5-1)

It should be emphasized that the above proposal addresses all concerns. It provides for a six-game regular season (CHECK). The regular season is designed for the purpose of identifying the eight best teams in each class so a meaningful state-championship playoff can be played (CHECK). The remaining 56 teams in each class, (those not in the playoff), can play the equivalent of seven three-game tournaments, thus ensuring every team in the state plays a nine-game season (CHECK).

In summary: Every team gets to play nine games. A true state champion is determined for each of the eight classes. And the season ends on time without running into the seasons that are to follow for the other sports.

In addition, the manner in which it is designed will allow for many of the existing traditional rivalry games to still be played.

 

[LHSTigers94]

Not happening in my opinion. That would likely cause football season to extend by two weeks into spring sports. They just won’t do that to spring sports, who are already complaining about getting the short end.

sports run into each other now. IHSA will not turn down that money period!

 

[johnndoe]

On another note, for kids, playoffs is way more important than regular season games!! They would rather play 4 regular season games with 5 rounds of championship football than 9 regular season game.

I have trouble imagining a scenario that the IHSA would create 4 games for some schools and 9 for a select number of advancing teams.
Somehow I also have trouble seeing all schools completely blowing up their current 9-game schedule to form some district-type model involving advancing to a post-season from geographic regions. It appears more realistic to use existing schedules as a template then just pairing up to account for out-of-state games not to be contested for a 9-game regular season period.

 

[LHSTigers94]

I have trouble imagining a scenario that the IHSA would create 4 games for some schools and 9 for a select number of advancing teams.
Somehow I also have trouble seeing all schools completely blowing up their current 9-game schedule to form some district-type model involving advancing to a post-season from geographic regions. It appears more realistic to use existing schedules as a template then just pairing up to account for out-of-state games not to be contested for a 9-game regular season period.

They don’t make money that way. IHSA need money to survive. It’s a business and salaries need to be paid.

 

[JCHillmen]

sports run into each other now. IHSA will not turn down that money period!

I sincerely hope they do have a state championship. I see the odds of having a postseason as very good. I see the odds of a postseason with more than 3 rounds and a true state champ as less than a few percent. Hope I am wrong but I would bet a lot of money the most any team can declare themselves this year will be sectional or quadrant champion.

 

[LHSTigers94]

I sincerely hope they do have a state championship. I see the odds of having a postseason as very good. I see the odds of a postseason with more than 3 rounds and a true state champ as less than a few percent. Hope I am wrong but I would bet a lot of money the most any team can declare themselves this year will be sectional or quadrant champion.

Keep in mind Football is High risk. So if we are playing, there are very few restrictions. A State Championship game for 8 classes in the spring is too much money to pass up. It’s only so many loans you can get to stay a float. No matter how angry some will get, they will still participate in the championship for spring sports as well.

 

[JCHillmen]

Keep in mind Football is High risk. So if we are playing, there are very few restrictions. A State Championship game for 8 classes in the spring is too much money to pass up. It’s only so many loans you can get to stay a float. No matter how angry some will get, they will still participate in the championship for spring sports as well.

I like your optimism though I don’t particularly share it given who our governor is. Your scenario could happen if they extended spring sports into mid to late July. Still don’t see it as likely, but I would love for it to happen.

 

[LHSTigers94]

I like your optimism though I don’t particularly share it given who our governor is. Your scenario could happen if they extended spring sports into mid to late July. Still don’t see it as likely, but I would love for it to happen.

Not really optimistic but stating what would be considered facts in terms of playing. We are not playing football unless it’s okay. If we are at the point of playing there won’t be many restrictions. There will be cases and deaths from Covid for ever. The same as the Flu. At some point everyone will be okay with it regardless of the fact that people are still getting it along with death. I think In 2018 71K died from the Flu In the US. For some reason we are okay with that fact. The same will be for Covid soon.

 

[bhawks]

Won’t every program want to play the easiest schedule possible since it will be more difficult to make the playoffs?

If playoffs are only 3 weeks - that equals 8 teams per class make the playoffs.

If the IHSA uses the traditional wins/playoff points equation to get seeding...do whatever you have to do to play the easiest schedule possible and get wins. No 5-4, 6-3,7-2 would qualify in normalizing years. Heck, some 8-1’s wouldn’t make it either.

Personally, this isn’t gonna work. This year, please have a selection committee to rank the top 8 teams to qualify for the playoffs

Why do we only play 1 game per week. You can play a few games a week... And playoffs can be wed and Friday. Yiu can get all games in then.

 

[MunyonMustGo]

We shouldn't be classifying by enrollment from the start in this restrictive guideline situation. We need to create 8 regions first. You can do 64ish teams in each region. Once regions are selected then classify by enrollment within the regions. Each region would have 8 classes or divisions. So all games are regionally played. Here's how schedule would look.

Week 1-7 Regional games within enrollment class
Week 8 Regional Championship Game within class
Week 9-11 Class Tournament for Regional Champs. Based on enrollment if allowed to travel throughout state. If travel is restrictive 8 teams within region play 8 team tournament of regional Champs. For teams who are not champions. They are allowed to schedule 1 or 2 exhibition games in weeks 9-10.

 

[Jpnno1]

I think you’re all premature when talking about scheduling and playoffs and playoff seeds. In case you’ve forgotten we’re in a pandemic with no end game in site. At the moment their is no vaccine and “if” the virus rears it’s ugly head later this year and into the winter, you can kiss spring ball goodbye. I hate to even post this but I’ve been a high school and college football coach for twenty years and I’m also realistic and my players have always come first and they always will. I really hope we get to play come spring but I’d rather be safe and healthy and get through this thing than play a seven game season.

 

[MunyonMustGo]

I think you’re all premature when talking about scheduling and playoffs and playoff seeds. In case you’ve forgotten we’re in a pandemic with no end game in site. At the moment their is no vaccine and “if” the virus rears it’s ugly head later this year and into the winter, you can kiss spring ball goodbye. I hate to even post this but I’ve been a high school and college football coach for twenty years and I’m also realistic and my players have always come first and they always will. I really hope we get to play come spring but I’d rather be safe and healthy and get through this thing than play a seven game season.

I'm pretty sure everyone here realizes we are in a pandemic. A lot of these suggestions of plans, schedules, seeds, etc. are in a world where it is safe and football has been given the green light to be played. Many of the suggestions reiterate that message before they state whatever idea for their format they've come up with.

 

[LHSTigers94]

I think you’re all premature when talking about scheduling and playoffs and playoff seeds. In case you’ve forgotten we’re in a pandemic with no end game in site. At the moment their is no vaccine and “if” the virus rears it’s ugly head later this year and into the winter, you can kiss spring ball goodbye. I hate to even post this but I’ve been a high school and college football coach for twenty years and I’m also realistic and my players have always come first and they always will. I really hope we get to play come spring but I’d rather be safe and healthy and get through this thing than play a seven game season.

Realistic and negative are two different things. We are talking 7 months from now. Establishing the amount of years you coach has no validity to a discussion about something that’s never happened before. Waiting to February to plan speaks volumes to your preparation! People are throwing out ideas because that’s what you do on a message board.

And for the record keeping kids safe isn’t the issue. Keeping YOU safe from kids is the bigger concern! They are recovering well. It’s the adults that aren’t doing so well with this pandemic.

 

[SiuCubFan8]

Realistic and negative are two different things. We are talking 7 months from now. Establishing the amount of years you coach has no validity to a discussion about something that’s never happened before. Waiting to February to plan speaks volumes to your preparation! People are throwing out ideas because that’s what you do on a message board.

And for the record keeping kids safe isn’t the issue. Keeping YOU safe from kids is the bigger concern! They are recovering well. It’s the adults that aren’t doing so well with this pandemic.

Plans need to be in place well before Feb and if you have to adjust for some reason you adjust.

 

[corey90]

I think you’re all premature when talking about scheduling and playoffs and playoff seeds. In case you’ve forgotten we’re in a pandemic with no end game in site. At the moment their is no vaccine and “if” the virus rears it’s ugly head later this year and into the winter, you can kiss spring ball goodbye. I hate to even post this but I’ve been a high school and college football coach for twenty years and I’m also realistic and my players have always come first and they always will. I really hope we get to play come spring but I’d rather be safe and healthy and get through this thing than play a seven game season.

Jpnno
Your one of the few on this site that is worried about safety. I agree with you. Stand your ground coach!

 

[LTHSALUM76]

Realistic and negative are two different things. We are talking 7 months from now. Establishing the amount of years you coach has no validity to a discussion about something that’s never happened before. Waiting to February to plan speaks volumes to your preparation! People are throwing out ideas because that’s what you do on a message board.

And for the record keeping kids safe isn’t the issue. Keeping YOU safe from kids is the bigger concern! They are recovering well. It’s the adults that aren’t doing so well with this pandemic.

The virus has been out there for more than five months now. Granted, we know a lot more about it now than we did at that time. But, we are finding, nothing is guaranteed.

I have posted the link to an article I read in the WSJ on Saturday concerning vaccines. It's very good. If you can't pull it up, try and find it somewhere. Well worth the time.

All you guys who think the season will just magically occur once a workable vaccine is found should take a look at this.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-three-key-hurdles-for-a-coronavirus-vaccine-to-clear-11596200623

 

[Gene K.]

Good article LTHS!

 

[LHSTigers94]

The virus has been out there for more than five months now. Granted, we know a lot more about it now than we did at that time. But, we are finding, nothing is guaranteed.

I have posted the link to an article I read in the WSJ on Saturday concerning vaccines. It's very good. If you can't pull it up, try and find it somewhere. Well worth the time.

All you guys who think the season will just magically occur once a workable vaccine is found should take a look at this.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-three-key-hurdles-for-a-coronavirus-vaccine-to-clear-11596200623

You are correct nothing is guaranteed. Everyone know this is real and can have an extreme negative affect on some. On the other hand, there are a lot of people who have been out in this (force by career) since March with no issues. There are also teams, that have been operating in the guidelines since June with absolutely no issues. To say things can't be done is very inaccurate however, I truly understand the concern.

I accepted the spring because the world is not simply ready to accept certain facts so more time is needed. There will be some state play in the fall and prove that everything will be okay and people will still find a way to turn those facts into issues. There have been three all star football games with more fans than most schools see on a Friday night with no issues thus far. There have been several parties at different locations highlighted with no issues or breakouts. There was massive protest with minimal to no issues.

All we are talking about now is the number as daily cases which is something that will never go away. Why do I make this statement? 2 million people are still getting the FLU yearly with several vaccines in place. At some point people are just going to move on. Media will stop reporting and the information will be hard to find. There are ways to move about and stay safe however that is not the topic nor is it the desire right now. I get it and understand it completely.

 

[cornerrat]

All.... I'm not going to put it on here (Tim's been doing a lot of flushing lately lol) Steve Soucie has done a mock-up of 1A-8A regions with scheduling. It's free for viewing on his twitter. Ratsy

 

[EdgyTim]

All.... I'm not going to put it on here (Tim's been doing a lot of flushing lately lol) Steve Soucie has done a mock-up of 1A-8A regions with scheduling. It's free for viewing on his twitter. Ratsy

It's free I could care less if you post it.....and in 99 percent of the cases the deleting had zero to do with the link posted. Especially from someone who has a long history of contributing here. I will however delete stories that we either already have covered and others post links to a competitor site or sites etc...

 

[DeanOfSelection]

Ohio is having a 6 game regular season and everyone makes playoffs. Id prefer something like that for IL if could swing it.

 

[MC63]

Why do we only play 1 game per week. You can play a few games a week... And playoffs can be wed and Friday. Yiu can get all games in then.

2 games a week is a terrible idea. Way too dangerous for the players health and their academics.

No.

 

[ScottieKnows]

I think you’re all premature when talking about scheduling and playoffs and playoff seeds. In case you’ve forgotten we’re in a pandemic with no end game in site. At the moment their is no vaccine and “if” the virus rears it’s ugly head later this year and into the winter, you can kiss spring ball goodbye. I hate to even post this but I’ve been a high school and college football coach for twenty years and I’m also realistic and my players have always come first and they always will. I really hope we get to play come spring but I’d rather be safe and healthy and get through this thing than play a seven game season.

If you've been a football coach for 20 years, then you shouldn't put a damper on those of us who have coached longer and are planning ahead. Nothing wrong with a discussion about preparing for what we know now. I am optimistic that we will be in a far better situation 7 months from now. Not only will we be closer to a vaccine, but treatments, tracing, and all other medical and scientific methods will be better. Equipment to prevent droplets. Testing will be faster. Why not discuss options for the season. It's healthy. Good for the mind and soul. And most importantly....smart. As for the virus, it will be around for a very long time. Time for us to figure things out and be able to live our lives with it.