DaveDawg
The Bulldog
Canton McKinley's expanded playoff format 'What if'... What is your schools 'What if'?
What if the announced football playoff format coming in 2021 to allow the top 16 teams per region existed since day one in 1972?
How would that have changed the first and second rounds for Canton McKinley?
Out of the 48 years (not including 2020) of the playoffs the Bulldogs would have qualified 42 times.
McKinley in the final computer poll only finished between the 9th and 16th places only 6 times. That means they would have hosted a first round game 36 times.
McKinley and Massillon would have played only two times in the first round in 1998 and 2011 (both times McKinley won The Game in week 10), eliminating the 1980, 1994, 2001 and 2012 games with the Tigers. No matter how many times McKinley would have won a first round game they would not face a Massillon team in the second round while the schools were in the same division. (Games with Massillon could have been possible in the region semifinals or region finals). Of note, while in the same region, McKinley finished the #1 seed eleven times while Massillon took the top spot seven times.
13 times McKinley has played a Stark school in the playoffs in week 11. Under the new format that number of games is reduced to 8 games. Just 14 county games would have been possible in the second round had McKinley and the county school both won in round one out of the 42 years.
Seven (instead of three) 4-loss McKinley teams would have qualified for the playoffs.
All of Thom McDaniels teams would have qualified for the first round games including 1990’s 5-win, 4-loss team that beat playoff-bound Massillon on its new turf 20-7 and would have hosted Freemont Ross week 11.
In this writers opinion there are four Bulldog teams that really were cheated out of a shot at winning a title had they had their chance… 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1992 football squads.
What if the announced football playoff format coming in 2021 to allow the top 16 teams per region existed since day one in 1972?
How would that have changed the first and second rounds for Canton McKinley?
Out of the 48 years (not including 2020) of the playoffs the Bulldogs would have qualified 42 times.
McKinley in the final computer poll only finished between the 9th and 16th places only 6 times. That means they would have hosted a first round game 36 times.
- - denotes in the spreadsheet when Stark County teams would have played McKinley under the new format.
- - denotes in the spreadsheet a Stark County school plays in round 1
McKinley and Massillon would have played only two times in the first round in 1998 and 2011 (both times McKinley won The Game in week 10), eliminating the 1980, 1994, 2001 and 2012 games with the Tigers. No matter how many times McKinley would have won a first round game they would not face a Massillon team in the second round while the schools were in the same division. (Games with Massillon could have been possible in the region semifinals or region finals). Of note, while in the same region, McKinley finished the #1 seed eleven times while Massillon took the top spot seven times.
13 times McKinley has played a Stark school in the playoffs in week 11. Under the new format that number of games is reduced to 8 games. Just 14 county games would have been possible in the second round had McKinley and the county school both won in round one out of the 42 years.
Seven (instead of three) 4-loss McKinley teams would have qualified for the playoffs.
All of Thom McDaniels teams would have qualified for the first round games including 1990’s 5-win, 4-loss team that beat playoff-bound Massillon on its new turf 20-7 and would have hosted Freemont Ross week 11.
In this writers opinion there are four Bulldog teams that really were cheated out of a shot at winning a title had they had their chance… 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1992 football squads.