You're in charge - How many divisions for football?

How many divisions should there be?

  • 1

    Votes: 1 0.7%
  • 2

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 3

    Votes: 12 8.0%
  • 4

    Votes: 11 7.3%
  • 5

    Votes: 40 26.7%
  • 6

    Votes: 55 36.7%
  • 7

    Votes: 17 11.3%
  • More than 7

    Votes: 14 9.3%

  • Total voters
    150

queencitybuckeye

Well-known member
You are placed in charge of determining the number of divisions for Ohio High School Football. How many will there be? Why that number?
 
 
Four + an eight man division and keep the 16 team playoff format. There are so many D2s around that are not that dissimilar from solid D1s from a resources and numbers standpoint. Peruse any D3-6 teams on Joe Eitel's site and you'll see so many cross division games in the regular season that the lines get really blurred.
 
I originally went with 5, changed it to 6 for 8-man.

My considerations would be general level of play and not worrying about having the same number of schools per division.

With some small tweaks at the top and bottom of the student counts I would have:
D1 - more or less the same
D2 - more or less the same
D3 - combine current D3 and D4 - in general, I don't see a substantial difference in the level of play.
D4&D5 - split the current d5-7 into two more or less even divisions.
D6 - 8-man
 
6 divisions and an 8 man division (3 yr committment)
I was going to also say 7 divisions including 8 man.

I believe there are a lot of small schools struggling to compete at 11 man that would jump at the chance to compete for an 8 man state championship.
 
I was going to also say 7 divisions including 8 man.

I believe there are a lot of small schools struggling to compete at 11 man that would jump at the chance to compete for an 8 man state championship.
and that 3 year commitment would allow there to be some program building rather than the current scenario that often accompanies an 8 man season or 2.
 
Great question, but it just causes a lot more questions for me. Maybe there should be some sort of ratio of playoff teams vs number of division. The less divisions the more teams make the playoffs or vice versa. If you keep 16 per region and eliminate 2 divisions that removes 128 teams from the playoffs pool.
 
Smurfyeah19 hit the nail on the head - too many teams qualify in D1 only because there aren't enough D1 teams.

What I propose for D1 is scale back the number of qualifiers from 16 to 12. Top 4 seeds get week 11 byes, seeds 5-12 play. You end up with 8 teams for week 12.

This way D1 is not ahead of the other divisions as we play down to a champion.

Six total divisions - D7 gets annexed into D6.

Those D7 schools choosing to do so - an 8 man tackle division is created.
 
This is very easy for me: ( 2 options only):

Option 1

D1- Privates/open enrollment Big schools
D2- Privates/open enrollment medium/small schools
D3- Non private/ non open enrollment - Big schools
D4- Non private/non open enrollment - medium schools
D5- Non private/non open enrollment - small schools
D6- 8 man football

State finals: - 3 on Friday, 3 on Saturday

Option 2
I will say this. I am also not opposed to not splitting the Privates/open enrollment from the non privates/non open enrollment. And if I go that route then it looks like this:

D1 - Big school
D2- medium
D3- medium/small
D4- small school

4 classes is plenty. The more classes you have, the more watered down it becomes. It's a cash cow. Schools are closing or merging, enrollments are lowering, less kids are playing so states expand??? It's for money.
 
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This is very easy for me:

D1- Privates/open enrollment Big schools
D2- Privates/open enrollment medium/small schools
D3- Non private/ non open enrollment - Big schools
D4- Non private/non open enrollment - medium schools
D5- Non private/non open enrollment - small schools
D6- 8 man football

State finals: - 3 on Friday, 3 on Saturday
VERY few open enrollment schools are any good. Why are you sending them to the slaughter?
 
VERY few open enrollment schools are any good. Why are you sending them to the slaughter?
Probably because I don't know enough about how open enrollment works. I assumed open enrollment could recruit and also have kids that live outside of a school district's boundries. And if that is not the case, then my option 2 would be better. (also go relook at my post- I did add a note to the bottom).
 
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Well, girls will be getting 1 or 2 OHSAA football divisions,,,
And then they will have to play at the same facility and same weekend as the boys,,,
So,
We will have to go to 6 divisions for boys and 1 for girls to start, then a 3-year plan to transition to 5 boys and 2 girls division.
Argue and you’re discriminating.
Thanks for your support.
Vote democrat.
 
I'll be happy to change my mind if you post a list of state champions where several of their top players come from a different school district.
Give some reasons you're worth the effort. 🤷


I like this! I'd go 7 divisions still but seeds 9-16 get to play a "bowl game" in Week 11 while 1-8 get to participate in the playoff. IMO too many teams make it in D1

The advantages of the 16 teams in D1 and D2 remains, it allows the larger schools who have the depth to safely schedule it, a tougher schedule without worrying about Harbins. Particularly it allows those struggling with OOC to fill schedules using high caliber IN, Kentucky and Michigan teams instead of risky over-matched harbin cows. The leading unsaid argument for 8 teams is the money paid to the Harbin cows is at risk when their points are not going to be needed.

This develops teams, players and coaching. I think it could strengthen Ohio football. The effects on the smaller platooning teams is not as clear to me. For the private schools it is clearly an advantage to be able to schedule tougher
 
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7
Big Private
Medium Private
Small Private
Take the public schools divide by 4.
D1 Public (Current D1 and D2)
D2 Public (D3 and half of D4)
D3 Public (half of D4 and D5)
D4 Public (D6 and D7)
 
Give some reasons you're worth the effort. 🤷




The advantages of the 16 teams in D1 and D2 remains, it allows the larger schools who have the depth to safely schedule it, a tougher schedule without worrying about Harbins. Particularly it allows them to fill schedules using high caliber IN, Kentucky and Michigan teams. This developes teams, players and coaching. I think it could strengthen Ohio football. The effects on the smaller platooning teams is not as clear to me. For the private schools it is clearly an advantage to be able to schedule tougher
Sorry, I'm sure your response answered a question, but not my question. My question was about open enrollment public schools that get significant players from other districts and have a high level of success. I believe this to be a very small number. In D1 for example, the last OE school to take home the trophy was in 1996. Hardly justifies splitting them out, even if they imported the entire squad.
 
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I think this is a hard thing to determine when talking about splitting into different divisions. Especially if we are talking about D1. I think it is hard to do D1 schools for the fact that your largest school has 1300 10 - 12 graders in the school from the bottom at 605 boys in the school 10-12 grade. I mean that is a lot of people to choose from at the top and about 1/2 for the bottom if that makes sense. People will say that does not matter. You are correct it does not matter when your 1's are healthy and ready to play a full 10-game schedule. However, the drop off from 1's to backups at a school that has 1300 compared to 605 is huge!!! in my opinion. You have injuries every week and if they are your best players some of those smaller schools don't have a backup that can compare to their level. So it is a hard thing to determine. Of course, this excludes the schools that recruit players to come to their schools. I wish there was an easy answer to this question and it could be implemented and everything would be great, but with everything, there are flaws and people who complain about it even if it is damn near perfect! But that is one person's opinion.
 
Well, girls will be getting 1 or 2 OHSAA football divisions,,,
And then they will have to play at the same facility and same weekend as the boys,,,
So,
We will have to go to 6 divisions for boys and 1 for girls to start, then a 3-year plan to transition to 5 boys and 2 girls division.
Argue and you’re discriminating.
Thanks for your support.
Vote democrat.


Classic example of complaining about a problem that doesn't even exist just to hear himself talk.


Jesus Christ was this a dumb post.
 
Classic example of complaining about a problem that doesn't even exist just to hear himself talk.


Jesus Christ was this a dumb post.
So 2 lingerie divisions by 2025 and we'll be compliant with Fox/Disney Corporation? That is going to soak up some of the good officials if they plan on playing weekend games.
 
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