Football playoff proposal earns endorsement vote from Athletic Directors Advisory Committee

[SportsNut25]

Read more on the big news here: http://floridahsfootball.com/2016/09/07/fhsaas-football-playoff-proposal-earns-endorsement-vote-athletic-directors-advisory-committee/

[Tigerfan1]

I am not fan or it but looks like it's going to pass.

[Sharkbait]

I don't understand why they are doing away with districts in the small classes but not the large classes, if it is good for one why not all.  Maybe they are just going to experiment with the small classes.  It is hard to tell how strong a team will be from year to year so you could make a schedule that looks good in the spring but by October you realize you are screwed.  I also think it will be hard for really good teams and really bad teams to find games.

[DisabledAccount]

I don't understand why they are doing away with districts in the small classes but not the large classes, if it is good for one why not all. Maybe they are just going to experiment with the small classes. It is hard to tell how strong a team will be from year to year so you could make a schedule that looks good in the spring but by October you realize you are screwed. I also think it will be hard for really good teams and really bad teams to find games.

Best idea is try to schedule teams that have a long history of winning 8-9 games a regular season so you know what you getting

[SportsNut25]

I don't understand why they are doing away with districts in the small classes but not the large classes, if it is good for one why not all.  Maybe they are just going to experiment with the small classes.  It is hard to tell how strong a team will be from year to year so you could make a schedule that looks good in the spring but by October you realize you are screwed.  I also think it will be hard for really good teams and really bad teams to find games.

 

5A-8A coaches/ADs said they wanted to keep the districts while 1A-4A was in favor of ditching the districts, I believe. 

[Tigerfan1]

Best idea is try to schedule teams that have a long history of winning 8-9 games a regular season so you know what you getting

Go back 10 years on each and every team that has won 8 or more games in 1A and name them, I bet there are not many. Small schools are getting screwed over by this and having it forced on them. It will be very hard for teams like Trenton and Madison to find local games in 1A if other schools dont have to play us.  

[Tigerfan1]

5A-8A coaches/ADs said they wanted to keep the districts while 1A-4A was in favor of ditching the districts, I believe. 

How many 1A coaches voted for this? I am not asking about 2 3 or 4A i  want to know how many in 1A voted for it or agreed to it. 

[Hwy17]

I can see why the smaller schools in classes 1a-4a might not want districts but form a conference; travel for one.  Take District 1a-8 for example,  Pahokee, Taylor, Fort Meade, Frostproof, Cresent City:  With the exception of Fort Meade & Frostproof which are neighbors, the distance between the others is great.   Wasn't this an attempt to try and lure some of the 70+ independents back into FHSAA?  

[SportsNut25]

Wasn't this an attempt to try and lure some of the 70+ independents back into FHSAA?  

 

Yes that was part of it. Some schools who fit into the 1A-4A category are very interested in coming back into the FHSAA now that they know they won't be forced into a district. 

[SportsNut25]

How many 1A coaches voted for this? I am not asking about 2 3 or 4A i  want to know how many in 1A voted for it or agreed to it. 

 

Gotta ask Frank Beasley that question. (Or perhaps some other folks with the FHSAA know the answer.) 

[DisabledAccount]

Wouldn't this mean every game counts towards playoffs?

[PickSix]

Why not do one or the other? 1A-4A will not have districts and 5A-8A will, so weeks 4,5,6,7,8,9,10 are almost blacked out for the 1A-4A teams to play 5A-8A teams. It's already hard enough to fill non-district games for successful programs, now they have to fill 10 games? Can someone please explain how this is good? How are the Trinity Christians, Bolles, Madison County, Trenton, Cocoa teams going to find 10 games? Travel to Miami? Pay for opponents to play them? I know certain counties force teams to play within county first before going outside, but that's great when you have 7 schools in a county, but most 1A-4A teams don't have that luxury. Not bashing the FHSAA, I really do like the 5A-8A format, but still gives them a district - automatic games, district championships, and a birth into the playoffs.

[Hwy17]

Why not do one or the other? 1A-4A will not have districts and 5A-8A will, so weeks 4,5,6,7,8,9,10 are almost blacked out for the 1A-4A teams to play 5A-8A teams. It's already hard enough to fill non-district games for successful programs, now they have to fill 10 games? Can someone please explain how this is good? How are the Trinity Christians, Bolles, Madison County, Trenton, Cocoa teams going to find 10 games? Travel to Miami? Pay for opponents to play them? I know certain counties force teams to play within county first before going outside, but that's great when you have 7 schools in a county, but most 1A-4A teams don't have that luxury. Not bashing the FHSAA, I really do like the 5A-8A format, but still gives them a district - automatic games, district championships, and a birth into the playoffs.

 

Maybe, maybe not.  You still have the possibility of odd size districts in 5a-8a which leaves a team having a hard to fill week.  Let me ask you this,  if your someone like Fort Meade or Frostproof do you like traveling 3 hours to Cresent City or Taylor for a district game or would you rather play a up a class against a neighboring school?  District 4a-6 is another that has teams scattered a long ways apart.  

[Joshua Wilson]

Merging this into the thread already started in this. We do not need duplicate threads on the same topic.

[PickSix]

I see what you a saying, but at the same time are those schools going to be able to find 10 games that they won't travel far distances to? being rural areas you are going to have to travel. Both Fort Meade and Frostproof are in Polk county with a number of high schools, which is easy. Like I was saying earlier, what about the teams that aren't in good size counties or in counties that the county doesn't force in county games.

 

Also, what if a county forces you to play in county teams and yet all those teams are below average. It hurts your strength of schedule and you might lose out on a playoff spot? I just see too many question marks for 1A-4A. I need to see the pros and cons to 1A-4A, once again I really like the 5A-8A - eliminate dingleberry districts that a 1-9 runner up makes the playoffs.

[Joshua Wilson]

Hold on....before anyone else answers on this, let me answer some things I can answer (some I have likely answered already)

 

1. A survey was sent to EVERY football member school in the FHSAA. Over 70% of the schools responded, which is a huge number giving it was a survey and not mandatory I believe.

 

2. Asking about the specific number of schools in each class asking for this, that is something I will have to see if can secure from Frank Beasley. I make no promises that I will get this.

 

3. Schools in 1A-4A can form conferences if they want to. That means 1A Port St. Joe and 4A Marianna could be in the same conference and both be eligible for playoff qualification. 

 

4. To answer PickSix's question more directly - The teams you mentioned directly have been circled already as potentials that are going to ask to move up to stay in a district and respectfully, most of the teams SHOULD BE be playing up anyways given the fact they put the rest of the schools in their classification at huge disadvantages. If a team really wants to keep a district then they can be placed into one. Simple as that.

 

5. Why no districts in the smaller classes? SportsNut answered it, but yes there are over 30 plus independents that have indicated they are ready to be eligible again for playoffs, but THEY DON'T want to be to be told they have to play a powerhouse team on their schedule unless it calls for it on the playoff bracket. One of the independent football conferences in North Florida has already indicated to me this passes, all their teams will mark to be placed in a proper classification, but keeping their conference alignment set. I see a couple of other conferences leaning this way as well. 

 

Hopefully, this answers some of the questions. 

[DisabledAccount]

will every game count for higher classes towards playoffs?

[blackmagic]

Is there going to be a limit on the number of 1a teams allowed in?? Guess the better question is, are the 600+ schools going to be forced out of 1a?

[Joshua Wilson]

will every game count for higher classes towards playoffs?

 

Every game is going to count for every team no matter what class you are in.

[Joshua Wilson]

Is there going to be a limit on the number of 1a teams allowed in?? Guess the better question is, are the 600+ schools going to be forced out of 1a?

 

That I don't know. Since this is changing in the middle of a four-year cycle, the 2014 numbers will be in play, not the 2016 numbers. I will have to ask. 

[Tigerfan1]

Is there going to be a limit on the number of 1a teams allowed in?? Guess the better question is, are the 600+ schools going to be forced out of 1a?

God i hope so 

[PickSix]

So the powerhouses of 1A-4A will more than likely to move to 5A to guarantee games? 5A is about to be crazy if Bolles, Trinity Christian, Cocoa, Booker T. etc. all move up!

[DisabledAccount]

So the powerhouses of 1A-4A will more than likely to move to 5A to guarantee games? 5A is about to be crazy if Bolles, Trinity Christian, Cocoa, Booker T. etc. all move up!

Bolles would be in trouble if TCA get put in their district

[Hwy17]

So the powerhouses of 1A-4A will more than likely to move to 5A to guarantee games? 5A is about to be crazy if Bolles, Trinity Christian, Cocoa, Booker T. etc. all move up!

 

I don't think so.  Most of the independents are private schools that otherwise would be in 2a.  

 

Moore Haven I believe is the only public school in 2a and basically didn't want to play in 1a-8.  While Pahokee is in their geographic area, the rest of that district isn't.   Also, many of the 1a-4a schools in an area try to play each other anyways but due to district conflict, can't always:  Example:  Fort Meade (1a) & Avon Park (4a).  Typically they play one another but because they have long distant district games that are mandatory, some years they can't.  With the new rules they would have the flexibility to do so.  

[Joshua Wilson]

So the powerhouses of 1A-4A will more than likely to move to 5A to guarantee games? 5A is about to be crazy if Bolles, Trinity Christian, Cocoa, Booker T. etc. all move up!

 

The could be put in 5A or 6A, or even 7A. Booker T and Cocoa are two teams I could see handling the task of a 6A or 7A schedule. All depends where the FHSAA feels the best placement is at.

 

To be honest, this might not be the only change we see in how football operates. I predict the changing of the playoff structure is only the first start to many changes that totally flips football 180 into a format that jolts the whole state.