article Intra-District Playoffs - Great work Commissioner Tackett

I can tell from reading BGP most of you disagree with my sentiment here and stance on Commissioner Tackett and I think you are all wrong. I believe he is the 'adult in the room' and he did great work here.

I believe the vast majority of us Kentucky High School Football fans agree too many teams get in the playoffs in each class.

Additionally, we fans are all over the place on the number of classes we should have in Kentucky but six is certainly at the extreme high end in a state with only 222 schools playing football.

Doing some "simple math" here, when you combine too many teams getting into the playoffs in each class with a large number of classes (6) you ultimately have an overabundance of teams getting in the playoffs.

In any sport, when you have an overabundance of teams getting the playoffs, you are asking (no begging) for all kinds of issues including long travel, financial hardships, and of course a bunch of non-competitive games.

Before I go any further, I want to share this post from The Scribe that appeared in another thread on this topic:

You know what would reduce a lot of travel and keep some of the 0-10 and 1-9 teams out of the playoffs? Reverting back to four classes.

When you continually tweak the format, you are just admitting that the current way isn't working. How many tweaks were made from 1984-2006? One. Four teams from a district make the playoffs. That is all. Since the switch to six classes, we have seen cross-bracketing, to intra-district, to cross-bracketing, and now back to intra-district in the first round. We've seen state championship games moved to Sunday afternoon. We've seen first round byes. We've seen five teams in a district make the playoffs. We've seen a mandatory scheduling grid for regular season games. And we've seen rotating regions for first round games. It's just rearranging chairs on the six-class Titanic.

Back to theguru again, now ask yourself, why have all those tweaks been made? My assertion is because the Member Schools mostly wanted it that way. In other words, each school, Super, AD, Coach, etc. is looking out for their team, their school, what is in their best interests, and so on.

What we are left with is a system that has evolved in large part because of selfish motivations and we all know systems like that eventually fail.

So coming full circle here, Commissioner Tackett (and his predecessors) have been tweaking the system little by little in an attempt to placate "all" the member schools going ME ME ME!

At some point there has to be accountability for all the member schools looking out for number one instead of looking out for Kentucky High School Football as a whole.

Intra-District Playoffs is exactly the right solution to create that accountability.

Hey Kentucky High School Superintendents, Athletic Directors, Head Football Coaches, Powers that be...

All of you wanted more classes, wanted more teams in the playoffs, and wanted more opportunities for your school.

You got it!

Now, all of you can explain to all of your constituents, fans, parents, players, alum, etc. why you wanted this many classes and this many teams in the playoffs.

That is called accountability, thanks Commish, great work!

So go back to 4 classes. Seems simple to me.

I actually agree with you. But I think a little backbone and insisting on a return to a more restrictive play-off system is in order. You are also correct in stating that the administrators of the various schools and district are who really calls the shots and indeed do put their own selfish interests ahead of the student athletes and the game itself. Here, here Mr. Guru.

When I stand six inches (or even feet) from the billboard I can't read it. What is best for the sport, may not be best for me. Six classes are crazy, but the inmates are running the asylum. Decisions above my paygrade that affect me will always be 2nd guessed and be criticized. Hope KHSAA can migrate to big picture decisions rather than the loud and vocal outspoken.

It is a no-brainer, an 0-10 or 0-9 team does not deserve to be in the playoffs. I could not believe it when I first heard that Boone's 0-10 team had a playoff game. It gave my son his first varsity experience when he was a freshman. He got to tackle Collin England from Ryle. But it really was foolish for Boone to be in that game.

So count me as one who would applaud any attempt to keep the opening playoff games between teams who earned the right to play there during the regular season.

But everyone still makes the playoffs, right?

6 classes would be too many if Kentucky didn't have such a disparity in the sizes of schools playing football.

4 classes was perfect.

The bottom line is usually always money, and the first two rounds of intra-district games would likely draw bigger gates and would save on travel. If the aim is to be like baseball and basketball as far as almost everyone making the playoffs, then intra-district playoffs is what the first rounds of those sports have.

As far as the fan experience goes, I would prefer seeing playoff games against the opposing district. But what the fans want and what the school administrators want are sometimes two different things.

4 classes was perfect.

If went back to 4 classes this would be the size spread in each class...

4A 1,344 to 648 (107.4%)

3A 633 to 430 (47.2%)

2A 428 to 274 (56.2%)

1A 273 to 80 (241.2%)

The bottom line is usually always money, and the first two rounds of intra-district games would likely draw bigger gates and would save on travel. If the aim is to be like baseball and basketball as far as almost everyone making the playoffs, then intra-district playoffs is what the first rounds of those sports have.

 

As far as the fan experience goes, I would prefer seeing playoff games against the opposing district. But what the fans want and what the school administrators want are sometimes two different things.

Baseball, Basketball and Softball also advance two teams after the district playoffs to the regionals. Should Football advance two teams to the regionals as well?

Baseball, Basketball and Softball also advance two teams after the district playoffs to the regionals. Should Football advance two teams to the regionals as well?

I don’t think so, and that shows part of the problem with trying to make football playoffs like other sports. The other sports can be played on consecutive days or even more than one a day with basketball and softball. Their playoffs are over in 3 weeks. Football is just a different animal. I would rather keep 6 classes or reduce to no less than 5, and let no more than the top 3 teams in each district into the playoffs.

I don’t think so, and that shows part of the problem with trying to make football playoffs like other sports. The other sports can be played on consecutive days or even more than one a day with basketball and softball. Their playoffs are over in 3 weeks. Football is just a different animal. I would rather keep 6 classes or reduce to no less than 5, and let no more than the top 3 teams in each district into the playoffs.

I like the top 3 making it in each district, that would eliminate winless teams and most 1 win teams. There will still be blow outs and running clocks no matter how the numbers are reduced. Hopefully no one actually thinks cutting classes or reducing the number of teams will stop those.

If went back to 4 classes this would be the size spread in each class...

4A 1,344 to 648 (107.4%)

3A 633 to 430 (47.2%)

2A 428 to 274 (56.2%)

1A 273 to 80 (241.2%)

What are those percentages?

What are those percentages?

Difference in size between what would be the largest and smallest school in each class.

More than any other sport numbers matter in football. Our current spread within 6 classes is similar to the size comparisons in other larger states.