OHSAA extending 2021 playoffs to 12 teams per region

[Spread All Day]

OHSAA to Expand Football Playoffs in 2021
Board of Directors approves expansion from eight to 12 qualifiers per region


COLUMBUS, Ohio – During its May meeting Wednesday afternoon, the Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Directors voted unanimously to expand the OHSAA football playoffs from eight schools per region to 12 beginning in the 2021 season. The 9-0 affirmative vote was given to a recommendation from the OHSAA staff, which was based on a proposal from the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association.

During the first round of the playoffs, the top four seeds will have a bye, while the No. 12 seed will play at the No. 5 seed, No. 11 at No. 6, No. 10 at No. 7 and No. 9 at No. 8. In the second round, the No. 1 seed will play the winner of the 8 vs. 9 game; the No. 2 seed will play the winner of 6 vs. 11; the No. 3 seed will play the winner of 7 vs. 10 and the No. 4 seed will play the winner of 5 vs. 12.

The expansion will increase the number of football playoff qualifiers from 224 to 336. Last year there were 709 schools in Ohio that played 11-man football. Football is the only OHSAA team sport in which not every school qualifies for the postseason.

“We still have details to work out regarding the format and specific season dates, but this vote by the Board gives us the green light to finalize those details for 2021,” said Beau Rugg, Senior Director of Officiating and Sport Management for the OHSAA and the Association’s football administrator. “We are thankful for the Board’s support on this proposal, which will bring all the great things of playoff football to 112 additional schools and communities.”

Rugg also noted that the football finals in 2021 are expected to end during the same weekend as previously scheduled (Dec. 2-5). Schools will still be permitted to play 10 regular-season contests.

The higher seeded teams will have the opportunity to host their playoff games during the first and second rounds of the playoffs.

The OHSAA football playoffs began in 1972 when only 12 schools qualified for the playoffs (four schools in each of three classes). Expansion first came in 1980 when the OHSAA changed to five divisions with eight teams each (40 total qualifiers). A sixth division was added in 1994 (96 total qualifiers) and the number of qualifiers was increased to eight schools per region in 1999 (192 total qualifiers). A seventh division was added in 2013 to bring the number of qualifiers to 224.

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Thoughts on this?

More on expanded HS Football playoffs:
-Top 4 seeds get first round bye.
-Regular season starts week early.
-Playoffs expand to 6 weeks.
-State championships end season at normal time.

OHSAA expanding football playoffs in 2021

Based on an initial proposal from the Ohio High School football Coaches association, the board is considering expanding the playoffs from 8-12 teams, with the top four seeds receiving a bye in round o

www.wfmj.com

 

[cincifbfan]

Thoughts on this?

More on expanded HS Football playoffs:
-Top 4 seeds get first round bye.
-Regular season starts week early.
-Playoffs expand to 6 weeks.
-State championships end season at normal time.

OHSAA expanding football playoffs in 2021

Based on an initial proposal from the Ohio High School football Coaches association, the board is considering expanding the playoffs from 8-12 teams, with the top four seeds receiving a bye in round o

www.wfmj.com

Shouldn't they figure out if there will be a season this year first and foremost?

 

[Mr. Slippery]

Thoughts on this?

More on expanded HS Football playoffs:
-Top 4 seeds get first round bye.
-Regular season starts week early.
-Playoffs expand to 6 weeks.
-State championships end season at normal time.

OHSAA expanding football playoffs in 2021

Based on an initial proposal from the Ohio High School football Coaches association, the board is considering expanding the playoffs from 8-12 teams, with the top four seeds receiving a bye in round o

www.wfmj.com

IIRC, the idea of expanded playoffs was proposed toward the end of the previous regular season.

Might as well just let every team in, figure out how to divide up the 1st round ticket revenue b/w the participating schools and the OHSAA, and adjust the regular season however it needs to make the season fit into the proper number of weeks.

No doubt the OHSAA is even more in favor of this since they need to increase their revenue stream more than ever.

 

[Caleb]

Bad mistake. I know some of you want football all year round but IMO the season starts to early and ends to late. Go back to 4 teams per region then basketball can start on a decent time of the year.

 

[EHS 2001]

No doubt the OHSAA is even more in favor of this since they need to increase their revenue stream more than ever.

If the OHSAA wants to increase revenue from the football playoffs, take them off live TV. The amount of money received per viewer has to be lower than what they would make up in increased ticket sales.

 

[danville96]

this looks like a playoff quality resume' to me (12th in r25)

2019 Conotton Valley Rockets Football Results / Schedule

 

[Redwing]

If they want to increase revenue, fine. Gives more kids the chance to experience the playoffs, fine. It doesn't make the tournament better, makes the regular season less meaningful, and will allow teams to schedule softer if they choose. An extra round of blowouts is cool, though.

 

[brian1227]

Great move.

 

[Qcity]

Everybody's a winner ......... geez

 

[Insane92]

Can't wait for the blowouts to continue and to show how big the gap is in talent in some regions compared to others

 

[BobcatQB]

I don't agree with it mainly because you are starting a week earlier. Those August games are brutal for everyone.

 

[AllSports12]

It will pass easily

 

[Spread All Day]

Can't wait for the blowouts to continue and to show how big the gap is in talent in some regions compared to others

All it’s going to take is one Catholic school 12 Seed team to upset a public school 1 seed team. Which is entirely possible.

 

[Spread All Day]

If they want to increase revenue, fine. Gives more kids the chance to experience the playoffs, fine. It doesn't make the tournament better, makes the regular season less meaningful, and will allow teams to schedule softer if they choose. An extra round of blowouts is cool, though.

Wouldn’t this also allow teams to schedule a little harder because they know they have 12 seeds to compete for? Like a playoff litmus test so to say. Early in the year. Like some teams already do.

 

[Spread All Day]

Bad mistake. I know some of you want football all year round but IMO the season starts to early and ends to late. Go back to 4 teams per region then basketball can start on a decent time of the year.

I disagree wholeheartedly. This is Ohio, we don’t really care about basketball.

 

[Basement Bias]

Thoughts on this?

More on expanded HS Football playoffs:
-Top 4 seeds get first round bye.
-Regular season starts week early.
-Playoffs expand to 6 weeks.
-State championships end season at normal time.

OHSAA expanding football playoffs in 2021

Based on an initial proposal from the Ohio High School football Coaches association, the board is considering expanding the playoffs from 8-12 teams, with the top four seeds receiving a bye in round o

www.wfmj.com

Almost sounds like it should go to an all in tournament at that point. Drop the regular season to 9 games, and have 7 playoff rounds. Have 6 Divisions with the top division being 69 teams and the other 5 being 128 teams.

 

[The Dock]

Just change the damn L2 divisor from “N” to “N - 1.”

^as N represents “# of games.”

Take the worst record a team would have played out of the formula.

 

[bulldogcountry]

IMO the season starts to early and ends to late.

Completely disagree with this statement.

But I do think this proposal sucks. I’m biased because I’m a football guy, but I think as of now it still takes something special to qualify for playoffs which separates football from every other sport. Don’t water it down.

 

[thePITman]

It will pass easily

Sounds like it passed.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1263194864960880642

I haven't read the press release, yet, but I'm just not sure what this is meant to solve, other than to gather more playoff revenue. The season goes longer, worse teams get into the playoffs, and 112 additional schools are late to the start of basketball practice.

 

[bsee54321]

With the cancellation of the Spring sports and cancellation of the end of the Winter Sports Tournaments has put a financial hit to the OHSAA. So, this was a no brainer for the OHSAA. Football is the money machine in the OHSAA and this is a way to generate revenue. The OHSAA will never be able to recover what it has lost but this extra week of playoffs will help with OHSAA revenue flow.

 

[cincifbfan]

Bye week for top seeds is a HORRIBLE idea. High school kids can't handle a bye week for playoffs. You want momentum & competition, not an off week to play someone who is "high" on winning a round 1 playoff game.

 

[Thavoice]

Last fall a local radio station in NWO was asking many a coach about this. I want to say I heard the opinions from 15 or so.

*I dont think any of them were opposed.
*Many were neutral.
*Most thought it would ease scheduling.
*Many who traditionally are 1-4 (and receive byes) stated they would not know what to do with a bye week. (But they would easilly figure it out).

I guess I dont have an issue with it. I do think it would ease scheduling as there is more margin for error. Some say it would kick the can down the road for those teams routinely are 10-14 and make them look closer at scheduling.

Overall, I dont have an issue with it. Watering it down? Eh, maybe, but if you are in the top 8 and deserve to be legit state contenders you shouldnt be afraid of 9-12.

This isnt like baseball where a bad, bad team can have just one stud pitcher and upset a great team, or in hoops where a bad team just gets unbelievable hot one guy and the top team ice cold.

In football at the HS level, the better tearm wins a much higher percentage of the time than in hoops/baseball.

I say go for it. It wont dilute the meaning of getting into the playoffs for 1-8, and it can give a few more schools/kids the chance to get in.

 

[BirdDog10]

Not a fan... With the exception of the terrible job they did of breaking up regions in 2019, I think the 8 teams per region is as close to a perfect system as you can get, 5 weeks of playoffs, and every team has to prove their worth to make it to the postseason

 

[Thavoice]

Bye week for top seeds is a HORRIBLE idea. High school kids can't handle a bye week for playoffs. You want momentum & competition, not an off week to play someone who is "high" on winning a round 1 playoff game.

Nah.
The better team in HS will win a vast majority of a time, and a week off would be fine.


Oh..and this is not something that just came up to "save" HSsports because of the boogeyman this spring, this was talked about last fall a lot

 

[BirdDog10]

Last fall a local radio station in NWO was asking many a coach about this. I want to say I heard the opinions from 15 or so.

*I dont think any of them were opposed.
*Many were neutral.
*Most thought it would ease scheduling.
*Many who traditionally are 1-4 (and receive byes) stated they would not know what to do with a bye week. (But they would easilly figure it out).

I guess I dont have an issue with it. I do think it would ease scheduling as there is more margin for error. Some say it would kick the can down the road for those teams routinely are 10-14 and make them look closer at scheduling.

Overall, I dont have an issue with it. Watering it down? Eh, maybe, but if you are in the top 8 and deserve to be legit state contenders you shouldnt be afraid of 9-12.

This isnt like baseball where a bad, bad team can have just one stud pitcher and upset a great team, or in hoops where a bad team just gets unbelievable hot one guy and the top team ice cold.

In football at the HS level, the better tearm wins a much higher percentage of the time than in hoops/baseball.

I say go for it. It wont dilute the meaning of getting into the playoffs for 1-8, and it can give a few more schools/kids the chance to get in.

I agree with most of this.. I just liked the system the way we had it. Getting a home playoff game is a big deal to most schools.. not so much anymore. And I have a hard time believing that any 9-12 seeds will make it to the semi's or championship games.

 

[Spread All Day]

Just change the damn L2 divisor from “N” to “N - 1.”

^as N represents “# of games.”

Take the worst record a team would have played out of the formula.

What’s wrong with the current divisor?

 

[Spread All Day]

I agree with most of this.. I just liked the system the way we had it. Getting a home playoff game is a big deal to most schools.. not so much anymore. And I have a hard time believing that any 9-12 seeds will make it to the semi's or championship games.

If you have a Catholic school like Youngstown Ursuline or Youngstown Mooney If you have a Catholic school like Youngstown Ursline or Youngstown Mooney who is usually forced to play a very strenuous schedule, a division four playoffs or division five playoffs could be like a cakewalk for them. No offense but South Range is one of the best division five schools in the Mahoning Valley, and Mooney would beat theM most years by 60 points.

 

[cincifbfan]

Nah.
The better team in HS will win a vast majority of a time, and a week off would be fine.


Oh..and this is not something that just came up to "save" HSsports because of the boogeyman this spring, this was talked about last fall a lot

Just what a 4 seed needs is a bye week to play a 5 seed that has already won a playoff game. They won't be fine, I'm telling you there will be upsets that hadn't happened prior.

 

[Spread All Day]

Just what a 4 seed needs is a bye week to play a 5 seed that has already won a playoff game. They won't be fine, I'm telling you there will be upsets that hadn't happened prior.

They take long breaks in college, and they have buys in the pros. Coaches will have to adjust

 

[Basement Bias]

I agree with most of this.. I just liked the system the way we had it. Getting a home playoff game is a big deal to most schools.. not so much anymore. And I have a hard time believing that any 9-12 seeds will make it to the semi's or championship games.

In Indiana (especially Northern parts) that is the NorthWood exception. 3-6 team in the regular season that won it all with a 9-6 record in 2005 in the middle division of enrollment.