Strength of schedule is a must for any team looking to make a run in the postseason. It's even more important if you have a cupcake district. I think it gives the players and coaches confidence after a tough schedule.

Just ask Paducah Tilghman if their schedule prepared them for the playoffs?

SOS is about one thing - playing a challenging enough schedule that it exposes your team's weaknesses. That is how it makes your team better. The players and coaches are forced to dig deeper and find ways to get better. If you are playing a weak schedule, that weak team can't stop you from doing what you want to do and you can get wins doing your basic things. Play the tough team and suddenly those two plays that always worked against the easy team don't work - now what do you do? It is about getting better every weak, facing all the things the really good playoff teams will do to you and knowing how to overcome that.

 

The second point on SOS is impact on opinion and team record. Let's use Johnson Central. Their undefeated record was an illusion. Covington Catholic's 8-4 record was more impressive because they played the toughest SOS in all of 4A. People will often talk about how good an undefeated team is but you always have to weigh that against their SOS. The tough thing on this is JC may have been better than CCH but you have no idea because of who JC played. A team can be a great team playing a weak schedule.

 

To the Male/Trinity game, I don't think SOS had any impact. Male played a tough schedule and was challenged enough. If you flipped the schedules, I don't think it would have much, if any impact on who wins when those two play each other at this point in the season. The players on both teams were well prepared. At the end of the day, it comes down to the players getting it done.

 

Agree with much of what you said.

 

Except the bolded, I guess.

Think Cooper's current position says it all, only team in area remaining from 5A. Did we get trucked by SK and Dixie? Yes, but I think in one way or another it prepares us for postseason. Glad most continue to doubt us, love surprising people. This week will be another test but I'm confident our boys will work hard this week and be ready for FNL.

I hate to give them credit for anything, but I give Pulaski props for scheduling Bowling Green. BG speed overwhelmed them last year and they knew they had to get better to compete so they scheduled them this season. Too bad QB was out and they never could mount any offense to see how that game could have went. But I give them credit, for scheduling BG.

I have mixed feelings about this, however I do feel our schedule absolutely beat us down last year due to our inexperience & youth. But I have enjoyed the schedule this year, we were competive in every single game and absolutely feel like it helped us beat Male. Male had one Hell of an offense, best I've seen in awhile from a passing standpoint. With that being said, I'm glad we are only playing 3 OOS opponents next year as we will be losing A LOT of key seniors this year. I don't think we will EVER see a schedule like the one Trinity has played the last 2 seasons again in KY, it's just been insane!! lol

Think Cooper's current position says it all, only team in area remaining from 5A. Did we get trucked by SK and Dixie? Yes, but I think in one way or another it prepares us for postseason. Glad most continue to doubt us, love surprising people. This week will be another test but I'm confident our boys will work hard this week and be ready for FNL.

Well another 5a school team in NKY played essentially the same schedule, just change Dixie to CCH.

Think Cooper's current position says it all, only team in area remaining from 5A. Did we get trucked by SK and Dixie? Yes, but I think in one way or another it prepares us for postseason. Glad most continue to doubt us, love surprising people. This week will be another test but I'm confident our boys will work hard this week and be ready for FNL.

I am very impressed with what Cooper did this year. Everyone said they would be down this year. They have battled injuries but played through it! I hope to see them truck through Anderson County

Guys just look at the facts. Comparisons regarding SOS. (Calpreps)

Ohio: StX...SOS 51.2 95-46

KY: Trinity..SOS 46.8 109-31

Cov Cath....SOS 16.3 71-67

Highlands...SOS 14.4 66-70

 

Cov. Cath may have the highest SOS in KY 4A, but that means nothing when you look at the National perspective. Hard for me to understand how teams Cov. Cath. (opps record 71-67) and Highlands (opps record 66-70) can talk about SOS. Facts do not lie. Trinity, Lou. StX and the GCLS teams all play very difficuly schedules. It does not matter if they have an experienced team or a very young team, they play the best they can find.

More fun and interesting to watch teams play "quality" teams week in and week out, as opposed to playing 1, maybe 2 quality teams as most Ky schools do (Trinity, Lou. StX the exceptions). Remember, in KY - only your 3-4 District game counts....so it should be fairly easy to step-up and play a few more quality teams during the season. Most Ky schools do not want to do that. When only certain games on your schedule actually count (District games) why not schedule up. All games should count like Ohio does IMO.

Guys just look at the facts. Comparisons regarding SOS. (Calpreps)

Ohio: StX...SOS 51.2 95-46

KY: Trinity..SOS 46.8 109-31

Cov Cath....SOS 16.3 71-67

Highlands...SOS 14.4 66-70

 

Cov. Cath may have the highest SOS in KY 4A, but that means nothing when you look at the National perspective. Hard for me to understand how teams Cov. Cath. (opps record 71-67) and Highlands (opps record 66-70) can talk about SOS. Facts do not lie. Trinity, Lou. StX and the GCLS teams all play very difficuly schedules. It does not matter if they have an experienced team or a very young team, they play the best they can find.

More fun and interesting to watch teams play "quality" teams week in and week out, as opposed to playing 1, maybe 2 quality teams as most Ky schools do (Trinity, Lou. StX the exceptions). Remember, in KY - only your 3-4 District game counts....so it should be fairly easy to step-up and play a few more quality teams during the season. Most Ky schools do not want to do that. When only certain games on your schedule actually count (District games) why not schedule up. All games should count like Ohio does IMO.

 

CovCath and Highlands HAVE to play Harrison Co and Holmes. Combined, they were 2-20. Take them away, and the CovCath opponents record is 69-47. Highlands is 65-50. Both teams play fairly challenging non-district schedules and being 4A schools, you have to remember they are just a bit smaller than Trinity and St X.

Colonel Don....you can substract as many as you want. OKAY take out Holmes and Harrison Co (combined 2-20). Lets see also, let take out 2-9 Boyd Co for HHS, and 1-10 Boone Co for CovCath. My point: the way the KHSAA classifications are constructed, you are going to have this happen every year. In Ky, you have the 3-4 "top teams" in each class, and the rest of the 28- 32 teams are average at best.

 

IMO, fewer classes (from 6 to 4) would actually expand the number of teams in the new classifications, which would allow teams to schedule more games within that new classification. 2A New Cath would not be playing 4 or 5, 6A schools. SOS to me is a teams schedule from top to bottom.

In the case of CovCath and Highlands (since you eliminated the bottom 2) lets eliminate the top 2 (record wise as well)....and what does that leave, and very average .500 schedule. Hard for me to call that a strong SOS. Just an opinion. I hate the 6 class system in Ky.(not enough teams in Ky to justify 6 classes) and keep it competitive. The rich get richer; the poor get poorer. Why can't people see that?

Colonel Don....you can substract as many as you want. OKAY take out Holmes and Harrison Co (combined 2-20). Lets see also, let take out 2-9 Boyd Co for HHS, and 1-10 Boone Co for CovCath. My point: the way the KHSAA classifications are constructed, you are going to have this happen every year. In Ky, you have the 3-4 "top teams" in each class, and the rest of the 28- 32 teams are average at best.

 

IMO, fewer classes (from 6 to 4) would actually expand the number of teams in the new classifications, which would allow teams to schedule more games within that new classification. 2A New Cath would not be playing 4 or 5, 6A schools. SOS to me is a teams schedule from top to bottom.

In the case of CovCath and Highlands (since you eliminated the bottom 2) lets eliminate the top 2 (record wise as well)....and what does that leave, and very average .500 schedule. Hard for me to call that a strong SOS. Just an opinion. I hate the 6 class system in Ky.(not enough teams in Ky to justify 6 classes) and keep it competitive. The rich get richer; the poor get poorer. Why can't people see that?

 

I am so confused with this post. What is your point, that we need fewer divisions? If so, you are preaching to the choir. We need to go back to 4 but that will not happen and has been debated on here forever.

 

If you are saying that HHS has not had a tough SOS, I guess I would ask who is not a strong opponent of the opponents HHS chose to play, not teams they are FORCED to play (Harrison Co. and Holmes)? HHS played Campbell Co (decent, not great 6A school and local), Bryan Station (6A and in final 8 of state), John Hardin (5A and still playing - a bit down this year for them but normally a top 15 team in the state regardless of class), Paducah Tilghman (the only team smaller than HHS on its schedule - 3A- but still playing and won their first two playoff games by a combined 90-14), CovCath, Christopher Columbus (very good Fla school - 8A - largest class - that is 10-1 and still playing), Elder (perennial Cinti power) and Warren Central (5A power that was a little down this year). You don't think that is a strong schedule?

 

We were debating HHS and CCH schedules compared to Johnson Central's schedule. I would argue that every one of the teams HHS chose to play this year (not Holmes and Harrison Co) was better than every team on Johnson Central's schedule - with the possible exception of Belfry, who may be close to a couple of the lower end teams HHS played.

 

If you are comparing HHS's schedule to Trinity or Cincinnati St. X, then I would agree it is not as tough. Trinity and Cincinnati St. X typically play some of the toughest schedules in the US. Are you saying HHS should schedule like those two schools, who have 2 or 3 times as many boys in the school? Again, I guess I am confused.

Colonel Don....you can substract as many as you want. OKAY take out Holmes and Harrison Co (combined 2-20). Lets see also, let take out 2-9 Boyd Co for HHS, and 1-10 Boone Co for CovCath. My point: the way the KHSAA classifications are constructed, you are going to have this happen every year. In Ky, you have the 3-4 "top teams" in each class, and the rest of the 28- 32 teams are average at best.

 

IMO, fewer classes (from 6 to 4) would actually expand the number of teams in the new classifications, which would allow teams to schedule more games within that new classification. 2A New Cath would not be playing 4 or 5, 6A schools. SOS to me is a teams schedule from top to bottom.

In the case of CovCath and Highlands (since you eliminated the bottom 2) lets eliminate the top 2 (record wise as well)....and what does that leave, and very average .500 schedule. Hard for me to call that a strong SOS. Just an opinion. I hate the 6 class system in Ky.(not enough teams in Ky to justify 6 classes) and keep it competitive. The rich get richer; the poor get poorer. Why can't people see that?

 

Regardless if there are 3, 4 or six classes, the bolded part is true.

 

Since 1959, there have been 218 State Champions Crowned

5% of the teams (12) have won 56% (122 of 218) championship games since the playoffs began in 1959.

 

.9% of the teams (2) have won 20% (44 0f 218) of the titles.

 

If you haven't already, check out this thread: http://bluegrasspreps.com/ky-football-high/since-1959-there-291110.html

 

All I was saying is both teams SOS is skewed by Holmes and Harrison Co. Year after year, CovCath and Highlands CHOOSE tough opponents for their non-district schedule. How many 4A schools play GCL South teams, top ranked Florida teams and historically successful HIGHER class KY powers? You can't "eliminate the top 2" because those are the CHOSEN opponents.

Colonel...certainly not argueing what you are saying. I look at the entire state of Ky, and on a state level, would rather watch Trinity, Lou. StX, Male etc then watch NoKy football (state level mind you). But let's face it, No Ky football, for the most part, has it's Have's and Have Not's. And it very seldom changes. It's Highland's in 4A, Beechwood in 1A, New Cath in 2A, and this year Dixie, Simon Kenton in 6A. The story never changes IMO.

The only 'competitive' Class is 6A this year (No. Kentucky speaking). Don't people get tired of the same story every year? I guess not. But it could be changed. Look at Ohio...this is the second year of 7 Divisions (7th created because in the Big School Division) the bottom half complained that they could not compete with top half. So they broke it up and the bottom half is now D2.... and everyone else move down one Division. I agree with you... Ky should consider a 4 class system. 221 teams in 6 classes just feeds the saying: rich gets richer; poor get poorer.

Colonel...certainly not argueing what you are saying. I look at the entire state of Ky, and on a state level, would rather watch Trinity, Lou. StX, Male etc then watch NoKy football (state level mind you). But let's face it, No Ky football, for the most part, has it's Have's and Have Not's. And it very seldom changes. It's Highland's in 4A, Beechwood in 1A, New Cath in 2A, and this year Dixie, Simon Kenton in 6A. The story never changes IMO.

The only 'competitive' Class is 6A this year (No. Kentucky speaking). Don't people get tired of the same story every year? I guess not. But it could be changed. Look at Ohio...this is the second year of 7 Divisions (7th created because in the Big School Division) the bottom half complained that they could not compete with top half. So they broke it up and the bottom half is now D2.... and everyone else move down one Division. I agree with you... Ky should consider a 4 class system. 221 teams in 6 classes just feeds the saying: rich gets richer; poor get poorer.

 

I don't know how many classes would be perfect. We've tried 3, 4 and 6. No matter how it is sliced, a dozen teams have won most of the title. IMVHO, if we went back to 3 or 4, the same teams would be taking home the gold, maybe at a higher rate than with six classes.

H

Colonel...certainly not argueing what you are saying. I look at the entire state of Ky, and on a state level, would rather watch Trinity, Lou. StX, Male etc then watch NoKy football (state level mind you). But let's face it, No Ky football, for the most part, has it's Have's and Have Not's. And it very seldom changes. It's Highland's in 4A, Beechwood in 1A, New Cath in 2A, and this year Dixie, Simon Kenton in 6A. The story never changes IMO.

The only 'competitive' Class is 6A this year (No. Kentucky speaking). Don't people get tired of the same story every year? I guess not. But it could be changed. Look at Ohio...this is the second year of 7 Divisions (7th created because in the Big School Division) the bottom half complained that they could not compete with top half. So they broke it up and the bottom half is now D2.... and everyone else move down one Division. I agree with you... Ky should consider a 4 class system. 221 teams in 6 classes just feeds the saying: rich gets richer; poor get poorer.

 

So you're saying it's not the same for the most part in Ohio? It's the GCL or Cleveland Parochials in big division. It's Delphos St John and smallest level. It's not a Kentucky thing. Best programs are best programs, period. What would playing a more difficult schedule do for Highlands, have them win more state championships? New Cath and BW play arguably the toughest small school schedules you can find, and occasional beat a much larger school. Even if every game counted, how would that change anything?