**HYPOTHETICAL WARNING**

So there is still a lot to play out, I get that, but we may be on the verge of one of the first openly blind spots of the RPI system getting exposed. I just want to make sure I am not wrong in my assumptions here.

Reference Page 42 if needed:

https://khsaa.org/common_documents/Instructions/20232024/Fall/2023-24falltournamentinstructions.pdf

 

First let's take a trip back to this past Friday where Lexington Catholic had little resistance by crushing District foe and previously unbeaten Lloyd Memorial 41-0 on a running clock. With this win, LexCath locked up the top seed in the District 5.

As long as Lloyd Memorial takes care of business against Bourbon County, this sets up a playoff path that should feature a very winnable Round 2 game against East Carter or Russell. The Juggs also end their season with a very winnable game against 5A Scott, so a 9-1 record seems very likely and with it a very solid RPI, highly likely the third best RPI of the Eastern bracket teams.

This is where things get sketchy. Despite losing head to head, Lloyd enjoys a pretty solid RPi edge over the Knights as we stand today. LexCath will face a low RPI Pendleton County in District play before ending with a game against powerful Scott County that the Knights will be expected to take their fourth loss in. It is a strong to likely possibility that when the dust settles Lloyd ends the year with the better RPI... and now you are picking up on my bread crumbs along the trail.

Looking at the remainder of the East, you have a similar situation happening with Rockcastle and Bell County. Bell County will have to travel to Belfry for what should be an extremely competitive game though.

This leaves us with two potential RPI outcomes, both as blind spots for the RPI system (assuming LexCath and Lloyd vanquish their District 6 foes):

Scenario 1: Bell beats Belfry, this sets up a scenario where Bell County becomes the top overall seed despite being a #2 team from their district. They would host Lloyd while fellow District-mate Rockcastle would likely host LexCath.

Scenario 2: Belfry beats Bell and Rockcastle gets the top seed and the honor of hosting the Pirates, but this also leaves us with the scenario that despite losing 41-0 head to head and losing the District.... Lloyd Memorial then gets the right to have homefield advantage when they host the team who bested them in the regular season LexCath.

If either of these very possible scenarios play out, you end up with a strong chance that a District Runner-Up gets to host a 3rd Round playoff game and in the case of Lloyd Memorial, may even get to host the team who won the District over them with a running clock a few weeks prior.

 

 

 

It happens more often than you might think.  Last year Male was a district runner-up & hosted Henderson Co. in the 3rd round even though Henderson Co. was a district champ.  Also last year Lex Cath. beat Boyle Co. in the regular season & Boyle Co. ended up hosting Lex Cath. in the playoffs due to RPI.

This has triggered my weekly grapple with the RPI.

Last year in 2 A, we had to go to Walton Verona for a 2nd round matchup and then hosted Breathitt County in the 3rd round.

I've been looking at it as well, for the Lloyd potential playoff matchups. If the four teams end up as Bell County, Rock, Lloyd and LexCath in that order, wouldn't Rock host Lloyd and Bell host LC?

This is why the put the odd numbered problems answers in the back of the book.

I think the simplest fix would be to add the provision that if the RPI matches up 2 district foes in a later playoff round, that the host should be the team that placed higher in their common district. 

Seems like head to head matchups would figure in. But in the long run unless they are just extremely close matched teams the better team is going to win rather it’s home or away.