INFORMATION
| |
INFORMATION |
Since the Michigan High School Athletic Association Football Playoffs began
in 1975, the tournament has been expanded three times: From 16 to 32 teams
after two years, from 32 to 64 teams after eight more years, from 64 to
128 teams after six more years. Again there is talk of expansion.
We began with four teams in each of four classes, one team per Region; and
the Playoffs consisted of two games: Semifinals and Finals. Next came eight
teams in each of four classes, two teams per Region, with a three-game Playoff
series: Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Finals. Then came 16 teams in each
of four classes, four teams per Region, with a Playoff series consisting
of four games: Pre-Regionals, Regionals, Semifinals and Finals. Then came
16 teams in each of eight divisions, and the genius of that expansion was
that it doubled the number of qualifiers without lengthening the Playoff
series.
When this occurred in 1990, so many people were so much happier than before.
And so many people were so much happier then than now. As we predicted then,
expansion would not solve problems; expansion would double problems. Twice
as many teams just miss qualifying; and teams that do qualify often have
twice as far or more to travel for Playoff games.
So now, in addition to proposals for reclassifying the Playoffs so that
there are an equal number of teams in each of 8 divisions, we're seeing
proposals emerge or reemerge to expand the number of qualifiers overall.
Equalizing the number of teams in each of eight divisions is popular. At
the MHSAA Update Meetings in October, the equal divisions concept was favored
by 78 percent of 785 respondents. On a mail survey to schools sponsoring
football, 72 percent of 420 respondents favored equal divisions.
Complicating what would appear then to be a no-brainer is what to do about
Playoff points. For example, if we reclassify the Playoffs into eight equal
divisions, what do we do with a small Class A school that is now in Division
III? Do we assign it Class AA and A points (80), or Division III and IV
points (64)? It makes a difference to that school, to its opponents, to
its league, and to other schools trying to qualify for the Football Playoffs.
And any change in points stresses again league and conference alignments.
In other words, eight equal divisions is not a no-brainer.
The ideas in current circulation for expanding the Football Playoffs are
the same as or variations of proposals that have been received and rejected
previously. They involve lengthening the four-game Playoff series to five
or six weeks, and/or starting the regular season a week earlier, and/or
utilizing the 9th week or 8th and 9th weeks of the regular season. Each
of these ideas has been received before, and each of these ideas has been
rejected before, either by the MHSAA Football Committee or Representative
Council.
This is not to say the philosophies do not change or that frustrations do
not grow and that for one reason or the other, old proposals can't be seen
in new light. Like a millage that is defeated three times before passing,
so may some of these proposals to extend the length of the season for Playoffs
or invade the regular season for Playoffs, in either event, so more teams
qualify, the assumption being that the more schools which qualify, the less
strain on scheduling and leagues. That's unproven, but possible.
Some will argue that if we can't expand the Playoffs, at least abolish the
Regional concept, in other words, qualifying the 16 teams in each class
with the highest Playoff points, regardless of Region. There are a lot of
reasons to reject proposals that would abolish the Regional concept.
First, some will claim that the system isn't fair without Regions -- or
at least it's not any fairer without Regions than with them, for it would
require schools which are isolated from schools of the same size or larger
to travel much more to generate Playoff points. For example, Marquette might
have to travel 800 miles round-trip almost every weekend to generate the
same Playoff point potential as Mt. Clemens can generate within 80 miles
round-trip.
Secondly, if we bracketed so that the team with the highest points played
the 16th and No. 2 played No. 15, etc., without Regions, more teams would
travel a lot farther than they do now for even Pre-Regional and Regional
games.
And if we place the top 16 teams of each division into four Regions at the
end of the season, there would be much more last-minute chaos and controversy
over pairings, scouting, hosting, and neutral sites than there is now. It
is far better to determine Regions in August than in November.
Some suggest a blend, in other words, for each class, take the top two teams
from each Region and then the eight schools left out which have the highest
Playoff points, regardless of their Region. But where do you put those eight
teams? In what Regions? In what positions within those Regions?
Or, again, do you then discard the Regions and pair No. 1 vs. No. 16 and
No. 2 vs. No. 15, etc., creating that chaos and controversy with scouting
and hosting and pairing, and causing more teams to travel much farther for
Pre-Regional and Regional games?
I usually find myself like a dog chasing its own tail, going round and round
without result, except to conclude that the chase is futile and the format
that we have is about as close to best as we can make it given the number
of schools playing football (619), the unusual geography of our state, and
our climate.
Ohio's format is pretty much like ours, but with six classes, qualifying
96 of 706 football schools; and there's a proposal pending to double Ohio's
qualifiers. Indiana gets all of its 308 football schools into post-season
play by utilizing the last two weeks of the regular season as Playoff games.
Wisconsin got 196 of its 389 football schools into its 1997 Playoffs, but
isn't sure the effort was worth it; and among the models that Wisconsin
is looking at is Michigan.
The MHSAA Football Committee met in January and voted first and strongest
that some sort of expansion occur.
Then the committee voted to recommend to the Representative Council a proposal
that had been endorsed by the Board of Directors of the Michigan High School
Football Coaches Association in January. That plan -- "Proposal 16"
-- blends several controversial ideas: (1) reclassification into eight equal
divisions; (2) one week earlier start to games; and (3) converting the ninth
regular season game to the first round of a six-week Playoff series.
This quadrupling of Playoff qualifiers to 512 of 619 plus teams by means
of a six-game Playoff series after an eight-game regular season, is considered
too much by many observers, including veteran football coaches, members
of the media, school administrators and MHSAA staff. Some who voted for
the expansion to 512 teams, called "Proposal 16" because it qualifies
16 teams out of every Region, have indicated they would have supported a
more modest plan for expansion had the Football Coaches Association been
aware of such a plan at the time of its January convention and the Board
of Directors' vote.
In fact, a more modest plan has been undergoing MHSAA staff discussion since
early January. This would not require reclassification into eight equal
divisions, nor would it require conversion of the ninth regular season game
into the first round of the Playoffs. It would, however, require regular
season games to start one week earlier, as is the case in Indiana, Ohio
and Wisconsin.
Under this plan, following a nine-game season, 32 teams would qualify in
Classes AA, A, BB, B, CC and C for a five-game Playoff series. Classes DD
an D, which have about half as many schools as the other divisions, would
continue to qualify 16 teams for the Playoffs, and they would have a week
off before their Finals at the Silverdome on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
Some folks believe no expansion of the Football Playoffs is best -- a tournament
for the elite. Others favor a tournament that allows almost everybody in
-- like MHSAA tournaments in other sports, fixing the Playoffs once and
for all. Still others prefer the more gradual approach, like all previous
expansion of the Football Playoffs.
Stay tuned, and stay involved. And remember, in the work of the MHSAA as
in local school business, simple solutions rarely are.