Too Many Teams in the Playoffs?

Sparky13

New member
448 teams to start the Playoffs with the top 16 from each Region in each of the 7 Divisions. "73" teams have "losing records", with 3 teams, Stow-Monroe Falls at 1-9, Cincinnati La Salle at 2-8, and Lancaster at 2-8. Are they playoff worthy and do they really want to play one more game? It will be interesting to see how many of the "73" teams win a game.
 
 
Obviously. 8 was the perfect number for each region. 16 per region devalues the regular season and big time matchups have way less stakes. Ohsaa money grab

What is your reasoning for saying it devalues the season? I can follow reasoning of the "too many games" crowd but I'm not clear on the "devalue?" If a 1-8 deserves to be in play-offs then they should be able to beat a 9-16, no?
 
If you are a football coach : NO. It gives you more time to work with the younger ones
If you are a basketball or any winter sports coach : YES. Some of your best players might be playing on a team with no chance.
 
What is your reasoning for saying it devalues the season? I can follow reasoning of the "too many games" crowd but I'm not clear on the "devalue?" If a 1-8 deserves to be in play-offs then they should be able to beat a 9-16, no?
Before you had to win some of your big time matchups to get in. Mentor has had years where they lost to all good teams. Teams like Ignatius, Solon, Massillon etc and missed the playoffs.

Now those results don't matter. Mentor can lose them all and honestly win one or two games and get in the playoffs. Those games aren't nearly as meaningful now. The regular season doesn't really matter in football now just like in all the other sports where every team makes the playoffs.

Sure it's worse in D1 than others because there are less teams . There are only less teams though because of D2 and D3 type schools whining to get more divisions and in some cases run away from D1.

So you can't have a different playoff system for one division vs the others after that. I'd switch it back to 8 per region in a second if I had the power
 
I think we may start to see schools looking to schedule as many winnable games as possible to try and be able to play as many backups as possible throughout the the course of the game to stay healthy for the post season. I know that injuries are part of the game, but with the ease of making the playoffs, it might become more prudent to try find games where you feel confident in being able to play backups for large portions of games when you can. Really it would be more trying to avoid games against teams that play very physical football.

Honestly at this point, just go 8 regular season games and put everyone in like during the covid year. Then if you lose in the first round and want that 10th game, you can play it. Just can't play more than 10 non post season games. I feel like that is where we are headed anyway.
 
Way too many teams! 8 was perfect. Everyone knew after COVID that the state was going to find a way to get their money back after a missed spring sports season. Shame that is all they think about. 16 is way too many. In D1, basically every team in the region gets in. You got teams at 3-7 and 1-9 in the playoffs?!?! I mean come on. It is sad to say but the state will turn football into every other sport where everyone makes the playoffs........... Participation Awards ruined everything!!!!
 
448 teams to start the Playoffs with the top 16 from each Region in each of the 7 Divisions. "73" teams have "losing records", with 3 teams, Stow-Monroe Falls at 1-9, Cincinnati La Salle at 2-8, and Lancaster at 2-8. Are they playoff worthy and do they really want to play one more game? It will be interesting to see how many of the "73" teams win a game.
Yes, they want to play one more game, or else they would’ve opted out of the playoffs. No one is forcing them to play.
 
448 teams to start the Playoffs with the top 16 from each Region in each of the 7 Divisions. "73" teams have "losing records", with 3 teams, Stow-Monroe Falls at 1-9, Cincinnati La Salle at 2-8, and Lancaster at 2-8. Are they playoff worthy and do they really want to play one more game? It will be interesting to see how many of the "73" teams win a game.

I looked at this last year. 77 teams with losing records qualified, including Cincinnati Oak Hills at 0-10 because Western Hills opted out. I think 10 of the 77 advanced. There were also 48 teams with .500 records that qualified so 125 teams with non-winning records made the playoffs in 2021.
 

This is just silly! Clearly the OHSAA is only concerned about one thing....$$$$$$.
There will even be some of these losing record playoff teams that will boast and probably already have the playoff t-shirts printed. Embarrassing!
 
Until 2012 there were 6 divisions and 8 teams per region = 192 teams made the playoffs in the state. Based on 2012 numbers 32/116 D1 = 27.5%, 160/599 D2-6 = 26.7% and 192/715 = 27% total

From 2013-2019 a 7th division was added, adding 32 more teams to the playoffs, 224 total. Based on 2019 numbers 32/72 D1 = 44.4%, 192/636 D2-7 = 30.1% and 224/708 = 31.6% total

2020 all teams made the playoffs (covid)

2021-? 7 divisions with 16 teams per region = 448 teams make the playoffs. Based on 2022 numbers 64/72 D1 = 88.8%, 384/635 D2-7 = 60.4% and 448/707 = 63.3% total

I would vote to go to 5 divisions plus an 8 man division. Division 1 remains the same size (72 teams, any school over 200 boys per class) but only 8 teams make the playoffs per region 32 of 72 total or 44%. In D2-5 the 635 remaining schools would be split into regions of roughly 40 teams (40x4x4=640), 16 teams per region make the playoffs. In D2-5 that would mean 256 of 635 or 40% make the playoffs. A total of 288 of 707 schools or 41% of all 11 man teams make the playoffs.

My proposal would subtract 32 D1 teams and 128 D2-7 schools from the playoffs. That’s just over 21 teams per division or 5 to 6 per region in D2-7.
 
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448 teams qualified but 260 teams did not. I would bet a lot of those 260 teams would like to be playing this weekend.

I know the playoff expansion is a money grab by the OHSAA but I still think it’s cool when your team qualifies.

Does it devalue the regular season? No. Teams are still fighting for conference championships, rivalry games and a home playoff game.

Note: I counted 708 teams on Joe Eitel. Not sure how accurate that is and I may have missed a team.
 
448 teams qualified but 260 teams did not. I would bet a lot of those 260 teams would like to be playing this weekend.
Then 259 of those schools should have had a winning record. Only one school over .500% missed the playoffs, Otsego in region 18 went 6-4 with 4 of their wins going 2-8 or worse and 0 wins against teams that went .500 or better.
 
I liked the plan they had but then changed. Stay with the 7 divisions. Top 12 teams make playoffs. Top 4 teams get a bye, 5-12 play each other. Round 2 top 4 teams play the winners of those games according to seed, 1 plays lowest seed and so forth. This way it's not watered down as much and many times the 9-12 teams are very close to making it in anyways.
 
Well I'm glad it's at 16 teams. Now I get to watch my Son play one or two final games. They wouldn't gave qualified at 6-4 without the 16 teams. 8 is not enough. At 8 teams with great records got left out at times.

Give more kids and teams a chance for another week of practice and games.

If the teams don't want in the opt out
 
Well I'm glad it's at 16 teams. Now I get to watch my Son play one or two final games. They wouldn't gave qualified at 6-4 without the 16 teams. 8 is not enough. At 8 teams with great records got left out at times.

Give more kids and teams a chance for another week of practice and games.

If the teams don't want in the opt out
I'll second this! Post people replying no don't even have kids playing.
 
Well I'm glad it's at 16 teams. Now I get to watch my Son play one or two final games. They wouldn't gave qualified at 6-4 without the 16 teams. 8 is not enough. At 8 teams with great records got left out at times.

Give more kids and teams a chance for another week of practice and games.

If the teams don't want in the opt out

Good for 3-7 teams and their participation trophies. Bad for teams who are legit contenders and deserve to be there, forced to risk injury to play them for very little reason.

No offense to your team or son. At least 6-4 is a winning record.
 
Before you had to win some of your big time matchups to get in. Mentor has had years where they lost to all good teams. Teams like Ignatius, Solon, Massillon etc and missed the playoffs.

Now those results don't matter. Mentor can lose them all and honestly win one or two games and get in the playoffs. Those games aren't nearly as meaningful now. The regular season doesn't really matter in football now just like in all the other sports where every team makes the playoffs.

Sure it's worse in D1 than others because there are less teams . There are only less teams though because of D2 and D3 type schools whining to get more divisions and in some cases run away from D1.

So you can't have a different playoff system for one division vs the others after that. I'd switch it back to 8 per region in a second if I had the power

It would at least be somewhat palatable if expanded playoffs made scheduling easier, but it hasn't. The teams that duck competition continue to duck competition.
 
If you're 3-7 or 4-6 you have zero chance to win the whole thing so whats the point other than $$$$. Now a 7-3 or 6-4 team that is a smaller school and in a league with almost all larger schools does have a shot at making a little or lot of noise.
 

This is just silly! Clearly the OHSAA is only concerned about one thing....$$$$$$.
There will even be some of these losing record playoff teams that will boast and probably already have the playoff t-shirts printed. Embarrassing!
First, I don't follow statelinesports he's a knock off wanna be. ;)

Too many teams. Either (1) allow everyone in no matter what, (2) go to 8 teams again, (3), consider maybe 10 or 12 with top two or four earning a bye, or (4) you can't get in with a losing record - many states have this approach. They play nine regular season contests and you must win 5 to get in.
 
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