I dont see the big deal! Basketball playoffs have been done this way for years.

 

No, it hasn't. In basketball, the district winner and runnerup are placed on opposite ends of the bracket. The new football setup will have potential second round matchups of a desrict 1 seed and 2 seed in the second round, not the regional final.

My computer is givng me fits. sorry about double post. Basketball still has to play each other in the district tournament. Basketball gives the loser a second chance.

Many coaches resent the fact that the KHSAA chose to format football like basketball, with teams guaranteed to play the same teams in your district for the first two rounds. I've heard more than one coach say that they don't want football to be treated like basketball.

 

If this format had come to a vote of the coaches, it would have failed miserably.

I dont see the big deal! Basketball playoffs have been done this way for years.

Basketball teams play up to 25 games a year they get to play plenty of different teams. The variety will be missed in football.

New playoff setup draws ire

 

Pulaski Southwestern football coach Dale Anderson thinks it stinks. Male coach Bob Redman used an even harsher word.

 

No matter whom you talk to, one thing is clear: Kentucky's high school football coaches don't like the new setup for the opening rounds of the playoffs, which begin across the state tonight.

 

First- and second-round games will match teams from the same district. Teams used to play opponents from nearby districts in first-round games.

 

"I have my own thoughts on why they did this, and to be honest I don't think it's in the best interest of the kids," Redman said. "I think it's very unfair and short-sighted."

Please correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Dale Anderson earlier before the season claim partial credit for this system? I remember a quote about how he said something alongs the lines of "Julian and I have worked hard and come up with a good system." I'll look for a link. I think its quite funny now he is coming saying his own system stinks. Although I do agree with him, the system is terrible for high school football. There will be no fan support this Friday at most of the games around the state and likely to be the same for next week's playoff games.

Basketball teams play up to 25 games a year they get to play plenty of different teams. The variety will be missed in football.

Exactly.

Please correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Dale Anderson earlier before the season claim partial credit for this system? I remember a quote about how he said something alongs the lines of "Julian and I have worked hard and come up with a good system." I'll look for a link. I think its quite funny now he is coming saying his own system stinks. Although I do agree with him, the system is terrible for high school football. There will be no fan support this Friday at most of the games around the state and likely to be the same for next week's playoff games.

 

Isn't Somerset one of the main schools fighting to seperate the Public/Private school championship? If so, the above post wouldn't surprise me that he was involved in developing this playoff mess!

Please correct me if I'm wrong but didn't Dale Anderson earlier before the season claim partial credit for this system? I remember a quote about how he said something alongs the lines of "Julian and I have worked hard and come up with a good system." I'll look for a link. I think its quite funny now he is coming saying his own system stinks. Although I do agree with him, the system is terrible for high school football. There will be no fan support this Friday at most of the games around the state and likely to be the same for next week's playoff games.

Coach Anderson was speaking about the new 6 class system not the play off system.. The KHSAA came up with the play off changes when gas was around 3 dollars a gallon to cut travel expenses..

Coach Anderson was speaking about the new 6 class system not the play off system.. The KHSAA came up with the play off changes when gas was around 3 dollars a gallon to cut travel expenses..

 

They may say that is the reason, but the truth of it is, this is a knee jerk reaction to the split of public\private. It put T & X in the same bracket to try and sqaush some of the groud swell that was rising when the board of control and state board of ed. over turned the vote.

Coach Anderson was speaking about the new 6 class system not the play off system.. The KHSAA came up with the play off changes when gas was around 3 dollars a gallon to cut travel expenses..

Thanks Cammando I guess thats what I was thinking about.

Isn't Somerset one of the main schools fighting to seperate the Public/Private school championship? If so, the above post wouldn't surprise me that he was involved in developing this playoff mess!

What would Somerset have to do with a Southwestern coach? I really don't think your post makes much sense but please clarify.

The 6 classes has zero, and I mean zero, to do with trying to work out a compromise on the public private split. You can believe me or not, but the 6 classes came directly from the Football Coaches Association, that is predominantly public school football coaches. The football coaches felt that the discrepancy in size in the current A and AAAA classes was too great and felt that going to 6 classes would alleviate that problem. They also felt it would result in more teams being state champions and more teams making the playoffs, both of which the football coaches felt was a good thing. It was totally their idea.

 

The change in the playoffs was not the idea of the football coaches association. It was the idea of the KHSAA to reduce travel costs and poor gates. While the gate may be poor when the 4th place district team has to play the 1st place district team again a week after the 1st place team just beat the brains of the 4th place team in, but based on past year's the gates were also very poor when the 4th place team of one district had to travel a long distance to get its brains beat in by the 1st place team of another district. But at least the travel costs and time will be reduced for the 4th place team under the new arrangement. That in and of itself will be an improvement.

 

The football coaches may not like the change, but I have to tell you that a whole lot of superintendents and principals, who are concerned about the money issue, really like it a lot. And anyone who says money should not factor into high school sports is living in some type of dream world in my mine. Unless there are a whole lot of high schools flush with excess cash (and there's not) the KHSAA was looking out for high school sports when it voted on this new format.

 

We have a whole lot of prima donna coaches in this state who like to complain. At the end of the day, is there really a whole lot of difference if Highlands has to play CovCath in the second round vs the third round? Does one week really matter at all in the determination whether you show your whole offense or whole defense in the regular season game? I cannot understand how one week would affect that decision one iota personally.

The 6 classes has zero, and I mean zero, to do with trying to work out a compromise on the public private split. You can believe me or not, but the 6 classes came directly from the Football Coaches Association, that is predominantly public school football coaches. The football coaches felt that the discrepancy in size in the current A and AAAA classes was too great and felt that going to 6 classes would alleviate that problem. They also felt it would result in more teams being state champions and more teams making the playoffs, both of which the football coaches felt was a good thing. It was totally their idea.

 

The change in the playoffs was not the idea of the football coaches association. It was the idea of the KHSAA to reduce travel costs and poor gates. While the gate may be poor when the 4th place district team has to play the 1st place district team again a week after the 1st place team just beat the brains of the 4th place team in, but based on past year's the gates were also very poor when the 4th place team of one district had to travel a long distance to get its brains beat in by the 1st place team of another district. But at least the travel costs and time will be reduced for the 4th place team under the new arrangement. That in and of itself will be an improvement.

 

The football coaches may not like the change, but I have to tell you that a whole lot of superintendents and principals, who are concerned about the money issue, really like it a lot. And anyone who says money should not factor into high school sports is living in some type of dream world in my mine. Unless there are a whole lot of high schools flush with excess cash (and there's not) the KHSAA was looking out for high school sports when it voted on this new format.

 

We have a whole lot of prima donna coaches in this state who like to complain. At the end of the day, is there really a whole lot of difference if Highlands has to play CovCath in the second round vs the third round? Does one week really matter at all in the determination whether you show your whole offense or whole defense in the regular season game? I cannot understand how one week would affect that decision one iota personally.

Excellent post! You hit the nail right on the head. Very informative to those who care to listen.

Money I'm sure was the reason that they changed the format. That being said, I think that there will be quite a few home playoff games that could go in the negatives in terms of making money. You can say that this may have happened in the past but from my knowledge it usually didn't. A new opponent will still draw a crowd whether they are underdogs or not. Playing the same team you just beat by 56 points(which is the case for many schools) would make fans not want to the game at all. The only fans you are going to have are a few mom and dad's there supporting their kids and the home schools are going to absorb the financial loss.

Money I'm sure was the reason that they changed the format. That being said, I think that there will be quite a few home playoff games that could go in the negatives in terms of making money. You can say that this may have happened in the past but from my knowledge it usually didn't. A new opponent will still draw a crowd whether they are underdogs or not. Playing the same team you just beat by 56 points(which is the case for many schools) would make fans not want to the game at all. The only fans you are going to have are a few mom and dad's there supporting their kids and the home schools are going to absorb the financial loss.

Here is the difference. If your four seed is so bad that they got beat by 56 they they are going to get beat that bad traveling to another district's one seed. Bad four seeds don't bring fans to far away playoff games. Your not losing out on any opponent fan's gate. If your home home fans don't attend the game because they are going to win, that is their fault. In districts that are competative with one another, this is going to lower travel cost and greatly increase the gate by having RIVALS play one another in the first round of the playoffs. I can't wait till tonight to watch Boone and Campbell play again, not to mention Ryle and Dixie. The traveling team is saving money in both cases, and the gate is going to be huge.