Florida has long been known for one of the best states in the nation when it comes to high school football, but how do we tell who is really the best football team in a certain time frame? There are many answers to this question, but we are going to provide you with our answer. That answer is 10 years.
Why 1o years? It is a decade and we felt it would be a good thing to keep things in perspective. Going beyond 10 years or cutting it short with the amount of information readily available for us ton consider could have many different effects.
With that we are launching what we believe is the first ever attempt to establish dynasty rankings for high school football in Florida. We have compiled data from nearly 450 teams that have made the playoffs in the last 10 years and we taking a look at the top 200 teams based on a points system we came up with.
First, we took 10 years worth of the Associated Press/Florida Sports Writers Association final regular season polls and gave teams points in each classification based upon final standing. That means a first place team in any classification would get 10 points.
Second, we came up with a playoff points system going from 32 points with the state champion of each classification down to 1 point for the worst team in the playoffs. To make this as simple as possible, the later a team exited the playoffs, they received a higher point value after records were imputed with amount of points determined based upon overall winning percentage. If a bracket only had 16 teams the highest 8 teams were given 32 points down to 25 points. The last 8 teams, which exited in the first round got points anywhere from 8 points down to 1 point.
As the points added up it became clear this was easily the best way to determine dynasty rankings and we think you will be impressed what our formula has churned out on our end.
With that said, we want to present to you the first part of the Florida HS Football Ultimate Dynasty Rankings, which will expand out over 10 days. Everything will be counted down in groups and you can easily share them with anyone using our share buttons above.
Breakdowns: 1-25 | 26-50 | 52-75 | 76-100 | 102-123 | 127-150 | 151-175 | 178-197
Condensed list: View full condensed list here
The Varsity Message Board: Share you thoughts on the Ultimate Dynasty Rankings here
| 26. Palm Bay | 255 points | ||||
| The Pirate might have not seen a state championship game in the last decade (last title game came in 2002, two years after our cutoff of 2004), but the Pirates havee been consisten in making the playoffs each and every year and usually go deep on most occassions. | |||||
| 27. South Sumter | 254 points | ||||
| The Raiders are another team that is almost always in the playoffs every single year. Only twice have they missed the playoffs in the last decade which was in 2009 & 2010. South Sumter does have a state runner-up finish from 2005 as part of the points here. | |||||
| 28. Naples | 252 points | ||||
| The Golden Eagles of Naples are arguably the best football program in Collier County. Having won a state championship in 2007, but also had a trip to the state semifinals to count for from the 2012 season as well. | |||||
| 29. American Heritage (Plantation) | 244 points | ||||
| The Patriots are riding high from their state championship win this past season and having made the playoffs every single season this last decade helps them a lot in the points. | |||||
| 30. Dr. Phillips | 242 points | ||||
| Dr. Phillips has a state runner-up finish that we counted here in the points, but ultimately had it stripped after violations were found after the 2010 season. Overall, though Dr. Phillips has been one of the Orlando-area’s most successful teams since the 2006 season. | |||||
| 31. Pensacola Catholic | 241 points | ||||
| The Crusaders are one team that has shown they can play with almost anyone in any given year and in almost any classification as well. Pensacola Catholic’s state runner-up finish from 2004 does count here in the points for this year. | |||||
| 32. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) | 239 points | ||||
| Trinity Christian has two state championship wins from 2010 and 2013 that count here in the points and playoff appearances across every single year for the last decade that helps them be here. With big things expected from them in 2014, they could make a big jump in next year’s dynasty rankings. | |||||
| 33t. Columbus | 237 points | ||||
| The Explorers haven’t made it to a state finals game since the 1980’s but they have come close a couple of times in the last decade. Overall, though Columbus has not missed the playoffs once in the last decade, a showing of how hard work can pay off. | |||||
| 33t. North Marion | 237 points | ||||
| The Colts have not missed the playoffs at all in the last decade, thanks to former head coach Craig Damon’s dedication to the program. North Marion does have three state semifinals appearances that helped them big time in the points, which has been the deepest the program has been in the playoffs. | |||||
| 35. Blountstown | 227 points | ||||
| Blountstown has two state runner-up finishes in the last ten years and two more state semifinalist appearances that helped them get here. With being a typical playoff contender almost every year, they should stay in the Top 50 for some time to come. | |||||
| 36. Miramar | 225 points | ||||
| The Patriots likely could have been in the Top 25 if they had not fallen out of the regional finals this past season and had made the run to state that was predicted Nonetheless, this program has been an annual playoff contender, but will now have to continue that streak under a new head coach going into the 2014 season. | |||||
| 37. Niceville | 221 points | ||||
| The Eagles have two state runner-up finishes from 2009 and 2013 to complement their consistent performance of being a playoff contender almost every single season. The Eagles are expected once again to be one of the top teams in the state this season, so their ranking should only rise next year. | |||||
| 38. Pahokee | 220 points | ||||
| Pahokee has been down every since the 2009 season when they fell out of the playoffs in the first round with only a recent bounce back starting to take place that had them in the playoffs this past season. However, the Blue Devils have won four state championships in the last decade and one state runner-up finish that marks a time when Pahokee was one of the best teams in the state. | |||||
| 39. South Dade | 216 points | ||||
| South Dade won its first state championship on its first attempt this past season and it complements the many other years that this program has been a consistent playoff contender in South Florida. The Buccaneers are expected to be successful once again in 2014, so their ranking should hold steady for a while. | |||||
| 40. Jefferson | 206 points | ||||
| The Dragons won a state title in 2010 and have a runner-up finish from 2004 that counts as well here. Only has Jefferson missed the playoffs twice in the last decade coming in 2011 and 2012 in what was dubbed as the district of death in Tampa. | |||||
| 41. Largo | 203 points | ||||
| The Packers don’t have any state finals appearances in school history, but does have one state semifinalist appearance that counts here from the last decade. Overall, Largo hasn’t missed the playoffs since the 2005 season. | |||||
| 42. Tampa Catholic | 200 points | ||||
| The Crusaders have been highly successful over the last decade, bringing home two state runner-up finishes and having being a state semifinalist two other times as well. It is expected that Tampa Catholic will continue to be a dominant team going into the 2014 season. | |||||
| 43t. Merritt Island | 194 points | ||||
| The Mustangs are pretty consistent in making the playoffs almost every single year, but its not come close to the glory days of the early 1970’s when the program went to state and won. Overall, though expect to see this program remain in the top 50 for a while | |||||
| 43t. University School | 194 points | ||||
| The Suns have had recent success including winning a state title in 2012, plus a state runner-up finish in 2010 that helped them in the points here. However, with recent changes the program has had, its glory days might not be with them for much longer. | |||||
| 45. Deerfield Beach | 190 points | ||||
| The Bucks have been successful over the last decade having a state runner-up finish that helps bring points on the board for them. However, Deerfield Beach might slide on the scale depending on success of the upcoming season with heavy graduation losses taking place. | |||||
| 46. Lake Gibson | 188 points | ||||
| Lake Gibson’s runner-up finish in 2004 counts here, but drops off the rankings next year. However, the Braves are a consistent contender for a playoff spot in almost any given year, so the blow to not having the points from 2004 will be soften very likely in the update next year. | |||||
| 47. Clearwater Central Catholic | 187 points | ||||
| The Marauders finally broke through to the state finals this past season, but didn’t come close to winning it after Trinity Christian rolled them in the 3A title game. However, the consistent performance of this program and making the playoffs in most seasons helps them break into the Top 50. | |||||
| 48. Union County | 186 points | ||||
| Union County has only recently began to turn the corner to rise back in to a team that most do not want to mess with. With a stretch of missing the playoffs bookend by great playoff performances, this standing could go up or down in the coming years. | |||||
| 49. Pensacola | 185 points | ||||
| Pensacola won their first state championship in 2009, but the last couple of years have not been favorable for the Tigers. If they missed the playoffs in 2014, it will be almost certain that they drop out of the Top 50. | |||||
| 50t. First Coast | 183 points | ||||
| A state runner-up finish in 2011 helped First Coast get in the Top 50 and now being a playoff consistent team in the last few years will only help them rise up further in the rankings in the years to come. | |||||
| 50t. Lafayette | 183 points | ||||
| The Hornets haven’t been to the state finals in many years, but deep playoffs runs almost every single year have helped them stay towards the top of teams that know how to make the postseason count almost every single year. | |||||
Breakdowns: 1-25 | 26-50 | 52-75 | 76-100 | 102-123 | 127-150 | 151-175 | 178-197
Condensed list: View full condensed list here
The Varsity Message Board: Share you thoughts on the Ultimate Dynasty Rankings here
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