What’s your thoughts on a team getting a Bye in the first round? Do you think it hurts your team to not have a game the first week of the playoffs? Class 1A has 5 teams with a Bye in the first round. The only other class with a bye is 5A. Does it give them a advantage to scout the upcoming opponent two weeks?

I'd rather there be first round byes than 0-10 teams in the playoffs...

A bye is an advantage because two weeks to prepare, extra time to heal injuries, and no risk of player being injured in a first round game.

I think a bye is a must. These first round games are brutal. Without it, the first round send teams with no chance to get blown out and it puts a good team at risk for an unnecessary injury.

 

I believe many schools lose money too because not enough fans show up to some of these first round games too. Let lower seeds play each other first.

The ONLY thing that can come out of some of those games is injuries...

I've always been a fan of each district sending three teams to the playoffs so the top seed gets a bye. Gives the team a needed "off" week in the playoffs (and puts value on winning the district in the regular season).

What happened to 32 teams in 1A with 8 4 team districts?

Here is how to reward a team for winning their district in regular season.

 

- Combine districts and regions into 7 team units. (vs the current 3, 4, 5 or 6).

- Regular season champion gets the bye week. A just reward for being best during the regular season.

- Others start week one with either of the following formats:

 

Straight brackets: 2v7,3v6, 4v5 first week. 4v5 winner gets #1 second week.

Play-in bracketing (isolate 6v7 first week, winner gets #1 second week): 2v5, 3v4, 6v7 first week.

 

By the chalk, you get a 2v3 game in the second week of both approaches. The play-in bracketing has the advantage of allowing two struggling season to try to get a post season win and postpone (in many cases) the 'blowout' to the second week. It should also reduce the blowout phenomena with (hopefully) competative games in week 1.

 

This would work with 4 classes and 8 'super districts' of 7 teams each. All schools would then be in the post season. But that is another topic to deal with class reduction!

I do not like the "Byes". Playoffs used to be a reward for the better teams. Too many classes as well. Makes for some watered down early playoff games.

I see in 5A while 3 teams (Anderson Co, South Warren, and Covington Catholic) all ended the regular season undefeated with 10-0 records, only Anderson Co. was awarded the bye week.

 

There are 31 teams in the 5A playoffs, and I understand that to make it work someone had to have the bye, but how was it determined that it would be Anderson Co. and not South Warren or CovCath?

I see in 5A while 3 teams (Anderson Co, South Warren, and Covington Catholic) all ended the regular season undefeated with 10-0 records, only Anderson Co. was awarded the bye week.

 

There are 31 teams in the 5A playoffs, and I understand that to make it work someone had to have the bye, but how was it determined that it would be Anderson Co. and not South Warren or CovCath?

 

It isn’t determined by records. What ever District played the Cov Cath, Highlands, and Dixie District their #1 seed would get the bye because of Grant County dropping out District play. It could have been the worst record #1 seed in 5A if they matchup with the aforementioned District.

I hate the idea that we play games in August, but have good teams not playing the first Friday in November.

 

We need to play NOW, not August.

Rather than eliminating 1st rd byes, they should eliminate teams in last place. An example would be 0-10 Seneca even being in the playoffs, or Jtown traveling to Paducah for a rd 1 loss. Completely pointless.

@gchs_uk9 has the BEST playoff plan....BY FAR. Maybe someday.