Football Playoff Format Changes Being Considered By OHSAA

Like it's been said, you will have multiple teams with losing records if this happens, especially D1. Heck, Moeller made it at 4-6 couple years ago under the current format. Are we really going to support a 3-7 or even a 2-8 team making the playoffs? Don't say it won't happen, it is a very real possibility.
 
I thought going to 8 was reducing the mystic of making the playoffs. Now putting 12 in each region is a jooke with all the divisions we have now. Maybe back in the day when there was only 3 classifications but 7 is ludicrous to take 12. Why do we need 500 level teams and many under 500 making the playoffs. Dumb idea. Its like the thousand bowl games have made being in a bowl game meaningless.
 
i like this idea only because there would be better matchups in the first round. if there’s one thing i hate, it’s running clocks in the playoffs. and in smaller divisions, it’s really hard to tell who’s better between all the teams seeds 7-11 or so. i don’t hate this, i feel like the preseason is already too long anyways. however, 16 teams is a disaster
 
Shortening the preseason is a horrible idea, not to mention why do 12 teams per region need to make it. In a lot of the regions that will mean at least 3 teams with .500 records or worse , everyone needs a participation ribbon....
We can agree on something.

Taking valuable conditioning and practice time away from young kids still learning the game is a horrible idea.

In the NFL, men who have made a career of playing the game and know how to get their body ready for the season, get a substantial training camp plus 4 preseason games.

As it is now in high school you get what 3, 3 1/2 weeks from the start of practice to the first game? You get 2, maybe 3 scrimmages, of which one is highly controlled, no full go special teams work in any of them.

Expanding the playoffs might save some coaches jobs (sure we went 4-6 but we made the playoffs!) but not sure how it benefits the game.
 
As a coach myself, I think this is a bad idea.

1) Shortening the preseason will cause more injuries. In an era where we are being expected to teach proper tackling without the use of the head to limit head injuries, people want to limit instruction time? Doesn't seem smart. With ever shrinking rosters, it would be better to go to a 9 game schedule and add a playoff game. Keeping the preseason as is.

2) What separates football from other sports is that not everyone gets in. This makes the end of the season more exciting and makes games meaningful throughout the year. That's just my personal opinion though.
 
As a coach myself, I think this is a bad idea.

1) Shortening the preseason will cause more injuries. In an era where we are being expected to teach proper tackling without the use of the head to limit head injuries, people want to limit instruction time? Doesn't seem smart. With ever shrinking rosters, it would be better to go to a 9 game schedule and add a playoff game. Keeping the preseason as is.

2) What separates football from other sports is that not everyone gets in. This makes the end of the season more exciting and makes games meaningful throughout the year. That's just my personal opinion though.
I agree. I know I'm in the minority but I'd actually like to see Harbins used in all team sports. We dont need a team that's won 1 game all year in basketball, baseball, softball etc in the playoffs. You should make it on merit, not simply because you are there.
 
Im baffled as to why the coaches assoc put this proposal together. It seems as if every summer there are coaches upset at the limited amount of practices they have in pads and able to use full contact. To me everything about this is a bad idea.
 
I'm reminded of the 2016 5-5 St. Xavier team who won the state and deservingly so. In addition there is another thread of 10-0 teams in danger of not making it into the play-offs. Food for thought!
 
i like this idea only because there would be better matchups in the first round. if there’s one thing i hate, it’s running clocks in the playoffs. and in smaller divisions, it’s really hard to tell who’s better between all the teams seeds 7-11 or so. i don’t hate this, i feel like the preseason is already too long anyways. however, 16 teams is a disaster

So there will be more running clocks in the 2nd round now rather than the first? lol You will see the same matchups in the 2nd round as you would in the first round now.

Why dont we make an "A" playoff and a "B" playoff. 1-8 can play for the real title. Then the 9-16 can play for the B title hahahahahaha
 
No No and No at least for for Division 1 with only 16 teams in each region.

For Example here are the 4 sub 500 teams that would be added to this regions playoffs if this was in effect this year. Ouch !

Findlay - 4-5
Centerville - 4-5
Hilliard Bradley - 3-6
Deleware Hays 3-6
 
As a fan - more football is great. For schools that just miss out - great opportunity. For great programs - chance at a bye to get healthy sounds good.

BUT, Change Management 101 - "why is the change needed?" What is this change "fixing"? All I can see is that it is generating more revenue for the OHSAA. Might decrease the blowouts in round 1, but if a 7 seed beats a 10 seed in a close game, does that give them any more of a chance against a rested 2 seed in the second round? Nope.

If state wants to generate revenue, need to find a way to stream games across the state and not tie them to regional cable packages. What if you had the chance to be at your local game and watch Anna v Coldwater or Dover v New Philly on your phone? Or alumni watching their alma maters from another state while playing with their kids? Let alone the chance to go back and watch some of the best games from the previous Friday night.

Ohio high school football game is one of the greatest in the nation. Giving more folks access to it is more important than simply having more of it.
 
I don’t know why not lets kids play more games? So some teams at 9-12 will get rolled. It is happening first round now anyway.
I look at it from the small school perspective, since that is the level I played at many, many years ago.
I dont see a down side of having 5-5 teams getting an extra game in.
It might be a catalyst to get more kids out for those teams that really struggle year in and out to have a legit shot of making the playoffs.
Try it for a time.. if it is obviously too much then go back to 8.
 
I have a better idea. Disband all the league's, cancel the playoffs and give everybody a trophy at the end of the year. No more league champs, no more state champs. Everybody's a winner.
 
Every other sport has a tournament that lets everyone in. I wouldn't mind seeing a variation of what Michigan does: every team that wins 6 games gets in. Divisions and regions are set after the field is filled.

Play 9 regular season games and start the playoffs in week 10. Non-qualifiers play a 10th regular season game that same week. Playoff teams are seeded via the Harben system.
 
I would rather see a system that guarantees the top 4 in each region a playoff home game, followed by the next 16 teams in the division highest in Harbin points, regardless of region. OHSAA would have to arrange 're-districting' of the 5-8 seeds based on geographic location, but it would make sure more good teams in exceptional regions get in the playoffs, and fewer bad teams in worse regions.
 
I think it makes more sense to shorten the regular season to 9 games and add a round to the playoffs. I definitely don't like the idea of a shorter preseason.
 
I worked through my example above in Div I - III, with the current Harbin pts. Top 4 teams guaranteed a home game, then go to next best 16 team in Division, regardless of region. In each case, two regions 'lost' a playoff seed while two regions 'gained' playoff seeds.

In D1, Region 2 loses Northmont and Marysville, while Region 4 loses Princeton, Hamilton, and Sycamore. In their place, the region 1 teams Stow, Brunswick, and St. Ignatius qualify, and the region three teams Hilliard Darby and Westerville Central.

In D2, Region 5 loses South, Warren G Harding, and Hoover, while Region 7 loses St Francis De Sales and Piqua. Region 6 gains Wooster, while the powerhouse Region 8 gains Anderson, Little Miami, Talawanda, and Teays Valley. (Seriously, the 12th place team in Region 8 has more Harbins than six other D2 playoff qualifiers)

In D3, Region 10 loses Glenville, and Region 12 loses Hughes and Ross. Region 11 gains Zanesville, and Region 9 gains Ravenna and Canfield
 
From a fan perspective, I like it. It would have been great for this year considering the things going on with Iggy, Winton Woods and Gibsonburg. Also that would allow my Indians in the playoffs this year (who, if they win tonight, will be 7-3 and only have a 6% chance of getting in still).
 
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