FHSAA Board of Directors approves adding teams to playoffs; other football changes coming this fall

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — After a successful first year under the new playoff points format for the FHSAA, a few tweaks that were considered to make things even better for year two are now officially locked in place.

On Monday, the FHSAA Board of Directors approved unanimously to increase the number of playoff teams from four teams to six teams in Classes 1A, 2A, 3A, and 4A.

And the @FHSAA Board of Directors has unanimously approved increasing the number of teams making the playoffs per region in Classes 1A-4A going from 4 teams to 6 teams starting this fall. #flhsfb

— FloridaHSFootball.com (@FlaHSFootball) January 29, 2018

The change to increase the number of playoff teams per region in the lower classifications came part as a result of some great quality teams just missing out of the playoffs this past season, with the other part coming as a result of room on the playoff schedule to allow two more additional playoff games per region without altering the calendar altogether.

As such, in Classes 1A to 4A, each region will have six total seeds with the first and second seeds getting a first-round bye advancing automatically to the second round, while the three seed would host the sixth seed and the fourth seed hosting the fifth seed from each region for the regional quarterfinals round of the playoffs.

The bye week prior to the state championships for Classes 1A-4A has been eliminated as result of the changes.

One example of a team that would have benefited from the change had this been implemented prior to last season is Booker T. Washington in Miami.

Having finished sixth in Class 4A-Region 4, the Tornadoes sat at home in the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. However, if they had the new policy been put in place, the Tornadoes would have traveled to Key West in the first round of the playoffs, while Glades Central would have hosted Gulliver Prep. University School and Monsignor Pace would have gotten a first-round bye as that region’s top two seeds.

Other changes officially coming to the playoffs for 2018 include increase in the points table for a loss in each category. Category 1 losses will see an increase from 30 points for a loss to 35 points, while Category 2 losses will go from 25 points to 30 points, with Category 3 losses going from 20 points to 25 points while Category 4 losses will go from 15 points to 20 points.

The the maximum amount of points a team can now earn for a Category 1 loss to a playoff team from 2015 or 2016 seasons will go from 33 points to 38 points with the 3 additional bonus points included.

The final change for FHSAA football teams this fall will include more concise guidelines on how to handle postponements, interruptions and makeups as a result of the crazy schedule that came about after most of the state missed two weeks worth of football games due to Hurricane Irma in Weeks 3 and 4 this past season.

The new guidelines came as a result of many schools waiting until the last moment this past season to determine if they needed to make up a game for the points to help allow them to get into the playoffs.

The new guidelines make it clear how teams must handle contests that are postponed, interrupted games. This also includes clear guidelines that a makeup day will be the next day if a contest interrupted or that a cancellation must be agreed upon by all parties (schools) involved in the contest.

A two hour cumulative delay time period is also built into the guidelines from the moment officials and/or administrators interrupt a game, which then triggers moving into the guidelines for the interrupted contest if a game is not resumed prior to the two hours being met.