Open for discussion, but just spitballing a possible scenario. I have read posts for years, but this is my first post.
Consider a football playoff system based on components of both the existing, past, and some taken from bordering states:
Week 1-9 : current point system for seeding into a week 10 matchup with existing district alignment
Week 10 : play-in game 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5 winner advances. (Similar to the old wrestling sectional round before they expanded districts and eliminated the week in between districts and state wrestling) Byes given to higher seeds as needed for non-8 team district higher seeds so there would be 4 teams left after week 10 in each district. Winners advance, non-winners (losers) check in gear Monday.
Week 11-15 : remaining 4 teams from each district that won or received bye week 10 are placed into bracket similar to the Oklahoma system bracket, one team from each district in each quadrant of a 32 team bracket. Rotate evenly so you have same ratio of (2 each) 1-4 seeds in each quad. This would allow that you could not face a team from you own district until semifinals and could possibly have a district opponent in the state championship game. Seeding within each quad based on week 1-10 point system carryover so a 3 seed in a district could be a higher or lower seed in the bracket. Imagine having a way with a playoff system that could allow us to determine if class 4 district 5 or 8 are dominant enough over others, as has been loosely implied by some, to provide the last 4 teams remaining in the playoffs for their class. This system would also give more teams a true playoff experience with first round matchups that could be very interesting.
I haven't taken the time to plug in this years scenario, but I am certain that the week 11 matchups would have been at least as intriguing as this year and we could have eliminated a lot of "state championship" games in district play.
Some Downside: potentially more travel earlier (but that already happens within some districts as is). down sizing at the MSHSAA district plaque factory. MSHSAA would not be able to engineer possible championship matchups through district assignment.
Consider a football playoff system based on components of both the existing, past, and some taken from bordering states:
Week 1-9 : current point system for seeding into a week 10 matchup with existing district alignment
Week 10 : play-in game 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5 winner advances. (Similar to the old wrestling sectional round before they expanded districts and eliminated the week in between districts and state wrestling) Byes given to higher seeds as needed for non-8 team district higher seeds so there would be 4 teams left after week 10 in each district. Winners advance, non-winners (losers) check in gear Monday.
Week 11-15 : remaining 4 teams from each district that won or received bye week 10 are placed into bracket similar to the Oklahoma system bracket, one team from each district in each quadrant of a 32 team bracket. Rotate evenly so you have same ratio of (2 each) 1-4 seeds in each quad. This would allow that you could not face a team from you own district until semifinals and could possibly have a district opponent in the state championship game. Seeding within each quad based on week 1-10 point system carryover so a 3 seed in a district could be a higher or lower seed in the bracket. Imagine having a way with a playoff system that could allow us to determine if class 4 district 5 or 8 are dominant enough over others, as has been loosely implied by some, to provide the last 4 teams remaining in the playoffs for their class. This system would also give more teams a true playoff experience with first round matchups that could be very interesting.
I haven't taken the time to plug in this years scenario, but I am certain that the week 11 matchups would have been at least as intriguing as this year and we could have eliminated a lot of "state championship" games in district play.
Some Downside: potentially more travel earlier (but that already happens within some districts as is). down sizing at the MSHSAA district plaque factory. MSHSAA would not be able to engineer possible championship matchups through district assignment.
