History of the playoff system
- Thread starter kaching
- Start date
The first ten years or so there was a point system that was used that was similar to the way they now seed the districts, however you were penalized for playing smaller schools. There were around 15 schools in a district. Whoever had the most points moved on. A lot of undefeated teams never advanced.
1968-1987 Points System
1988-2007 Ten game regular season with your last 3 games being District games (4 team districts) 1 team advanced to state playoffs.
2008-2011 Ten game regular season with your last 3 games being District games (4 team districts) 2 teams advanced to state playoffs.
2012-present Nine game regular season. Points System is applied to regular season to seed (8 Team districts). Districts is a 3 game tournament with winner advancing to state playoffs.
1988-2007 Ten game regular season with your last 3 games being District games (4 team districts) 1 team advanced to state playoffs.
2008-2011 Ten game regular season with your last 3 games being District games (4 team districts) 2 teams advanced to state playoffs.
2012-present Nine game regular season. Points System is applied to regular season to seed (8 Team districts). Districts is a 3 game tournament with winner advancing to state playoffs.
The points system crowned the 4 semifinalists in each class. Broken up by region. I'm not sure when they went to 4 classes and away from the small, medium and large classes. In 1977, the playoff field was doubled to include quarterfinals in all four classes. Fun times.
Am I right that in the original point system, only two advanced in each district? How big were the districts and how many teams in each class were put in the playoffs? Does/did the champions play the same number of games in each of the systems? so many questions...
How did the current system come about? Who's idea was it? Usually things go through the state football association but this one didn't. Assume some nearby state does this? Or was it to match it up to basketball and other district tournaments?
The state was split into 4ths. Each class had 4 playoff teams. One from each corner of the state. Doubled to 8 teams from each quadrant in 1977. From 68 to 76, the state champion played up to 10 regular season games, then semifinals, and the state championship. After 77, the quarterfinal round was added.
1968-1981 there were Class 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A.
1982-1987 there was Class 1A thru 5A.
In 1988 8-Man was introduced.
In 2002 Class 6 was added and the designation of A was dropped
1982-1987 there was Class 1A thru 5A.
In 1988 8-Man was introduced.
In 2002 Class 6 was added and the designation of A was dropped
I'm fairly sure that since 1968 people have complained about the high school play off system and prior to 1968 people complained about no play off system in Missouri lol. I remember reading an article in the late 1960s in the Chillicothe newspaper about the work on the first play off system. Here's a 1967 Chillicothe Constitution Tribune column from 1967 about the first play off system proposal. https://ibb.co/gEOn5m
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In 1968 Class 1A had 4 Districts.
District 1 had 14 teams
District 2 had 15 teams
District 3 had 15 teams
District 4 had 14 teams
D1 Princeton vs. D2 West Platte Semifinal
D3 Cass Midway vs. D4 Lockwood Semifinal
Princeton vs. Cass-Midway Championship
Princeton 1968 Class 1A Champion
District 1 had 14 teams
District 2 had 15 teams
District 3 had 15 teams
District 4 had 14 teams
D1 Princeton vs. D2 West Platte Semifinal
D3 Cass Midway vs. D4 Lockwood Semifinal
Princeton vs. Cass-Midway Championship
Princeton 1968 Class 1A Champion
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Actually until 1964, Classes in Missouri went A, B and C from biggest to smallest. In 1956 it was changed to L, M and S for basketball as they had a different class structure. It changed to all other sports in 1965 as they all started to follow basketball enrollment classes. In 1968, when football added playoffs, it had 4 classes and they called them 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A. In 1974, almost all sports went to 4 classes and used the same 1A-4A format. Some exceptions when the number of schools limited the number of classes. Football, I believe, followed classes set by basketball until 82 when it went to 5 classes.
Most states use the A followed the class unless the use and A, B C system. I think it was because it was easier to write "4A state champ" than "Class 4 champ". That is just a guess.
In the old days the point system worked like this:
You got BASE points for each game: 30 for a win, 20 for a tie, 10 for a loss.
For an opponent who was a different size classification...you got 1/2 point plus or minus for playing schools smaller or larger. (Example: a 2A school playing a 1A school got minus .5 points...a 2A school playing a 4A school would get plus 1.0 points.
Then you got plus or minus points for the win/loss record of your opponent for every game above or below .500 they finished with their final record. (Example: if you played a 10-0 team, you got plus 10 points...if you beat and 0-10 team...you were tagged with -10 points. This meant that losing to a 10-0 team resulted in the the same amount of playoff points as beating an 0-10 team.
If you had any 0-10 or 1-9 type teams on your non-conference schedule...it could REALLY HURT your playoff chances back in the days when only 4 or 8 teams from each class made the play-offs. It was not uncommon for an undefeated or one-loss team to miss the playoffs entirely.
It was CRAZY...and you needed really good "Math Guy" on your staff to figure it all out. You had to not only keep track of the W/L record of all your own opponents...you had to keep track of the W/L record of all the teams on all the schedules for all your District opponents as well.
Also...back in the old days before the SHOW ME BOWL...there were no neutral site or common-sites for the Championship games. I remember watching Fulton (led by Tony Galbreath) host Richmond (led by Blaine Henningson) in the 1971 Class 3A State Championship game at the old Hornet Stadium located adjacent to what is now Fulton MIddle School.
Those were fun and crazy times...but it was really tough to just MAKE the playoffs. I am not sure and would be curious to know...WHEN did MSHSAA move from 4 to 8 playoff teams...and then did they change again to 16 teams?
You got BASE points for each game: 30 for a win, 20 for a tie, 10 for a loss.
For an opponent who was a different size classification...you got 1/2 point plus or minus for playing schools smaller or larger. (Example: a 2A school playing a 1A school got minus .5 points...a 2A school playing a 4A school would get plus 1.0 points.
Then you got plus or minus points for the win/loss record of your opponent for every game above or below .500 they finished with their final record. (Example: if you played a 10-0 team, you got plus 10 points...if you beat and 0-10 team...you were tagged with -10 points. This meant that losing to a 10-0 team resulted in the the same amount of playoff points as beating an 0-10 team.
If you had any 0-10 or 1-9 type teams on your non-conference schedule...it could REALLY HURT your playoff chances back in the days when only 4 or 8 teams from each class made the play-offs. It was not uncommon for an undefeated or one-loss team to miss the playoffs entirely.
It was CRAZY...and you needed really good "Math Guy" on your staff to figure it all out. You had to not only keep track of the W/L record of all your own opponents...you had to keep track of the W/L record of all the teams on all the schedules for all your District opponents as well.
Also...back in the old days before the SHOW ME BOWL...there were no neutral site or common-sites for the Championship games. I remember watching Fulton (led by Tony Galbreath) host Richmond (led by Blaine Henningson) in the 1971 Class 3A State Championship game at the old Hornet Stadium located adjacent to what is now Fulton MIddle School.
Those were fun and crazy times...but it was really tough to just MAKE the playoffs. I am not sure and would be curious to know...WHEN did MSHSAA move from 4 to 8 playoff teams...and then did they change again to 16 teams?
It was called "Sport Stats" I believe. ***I stand corrected..."Playoff News" per posts below***
Here is a history of the MSHSAA high school playoffs: http://www.mshsaa.org/resources/pdf/MSHSAA Football Championships history.pdf
This link link provides Championship game results all the way through last season: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Missouri_state_high_school_football_champions
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State playoffs with title game host sites 1968-present and Hall of Champions
http://harrisonvillefootball.com/in...nt&view=category&layout=blog&id=82&Itemid=130
http://harrisonvillefootball.com/in...nt&view=category&layout=blog&id=82&Itemid=130
Missouri Classification and District assignments by team 1968-present.
http://harrisonvillefootball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=98&Itemid=151
http://harrisonvillefootball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=98&Itemid=151
Article on Bob Bryant Playoff News.
http://www.columbiatribune.com/2b402ae0-6ab0-5a63-b1fa-7b9cdff67261.html
http://www.columbiatribune.com/2b402ae0-6ab0-5a63-b1fa-7b9cdff67261.html
Article with the best explanation of the playoff formats in Missouri HS football 1968-present.
http://www.ozarkpreps.com/articles/history-of-missouri-football-playoff-formats
http://www.ozarkpreps.com/articles/history-of-missouri-football-playoff-formats
Blue&WhitePride...I probably speak for many when I say THANKS for all the posts...sharing those links is MUCH appreciated!
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No problem. I just love the history of HS football.
Really enjoyed this. Thanks for posting.
before my time, Joplin Parkwood was coming off their first state title in 75. The next season the 76 Bears go undefeated 10-0 and don't make the playoffs, the defending state champs lol You talk about a screwed up system. wow. Parkwood left some state titles on the board no doubt, in todays environment they may have played for a title 6 to 8 times in their last 10 years of being a school. 75,76,79,80,83,84. did or would have. but I think one or two more would have got in as well.
Harrisonville missed the playoffs in the following years of the points system.
1971 (10-0)
1974 (8-1-1)
1975 (9-1)
1976 (9-1)
1979 (8-1)
1971 (10-0)
1974 (8-1-1)
1975 (9-1)
1976 (9-1)
1979 (8-1)
For all sports?
PVC use to have members from other conferences for certain sports. North Nodaway (275) for softball and SW Livingston (HDC?) Football
Cole Camp is next year being in the Ozark Highlands and Kaysinger for football.
1971-72 Chillicothe was in NCMC and MEC at the same time for football and boys basketball. Finished 2nd in NCMC and MEC for football, and strugged in basketball, won 1 conference game in one conference and 2 in the other conference.
What is that, a 14 game schedule? I don't see how that worked. I would say 2 2nd's = 1 1st.
I think that year the MEC was Benton, Lafayette, LeBlonde, Maryville, Savannah and Chilli. The NCMC was Moberly, Marshall, Kirksville, Trenton, Brookfield and Chilli. Possible to do in a 10-game season.
I see from KCHI website that Chilli did complete both conference schedules.
I see from KCHI website that Chilli did complete both conference schedules.
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someone with a better memory - 2008-2011: Same structure as had been in place, except each four-team district qualified two teams to the state playoffs - did the districts cross bracket? Surely, the top finisher just didn't play the second place finisher again in the opening round. How long in the process would the first finisher play the second place finisher again?
I believe it was (for example) 1st place team in District 1 plays 2nd place team in District 2 in a regional game, and the bracket below that 2nd place District 1 played 1st place District 2 team, then the winners of those two games play in a Sectional game.
Why dont you just keep the same type of districts. But have everyone play 10 games. Same point system but have a bonus points for strength of schedule at the end of the year. Then take the top 32 teams and place them in a playoff format going from top point team Playing the least point team and so fourth
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