By royal decree, here's how to improve football's postseason
A lot has changed since the IHSA held its first football postseason 40 years ago.
The playoffs have grown from 80 teams competing for five titles to 256 teams chasing eight championships. The explosion of interest is similar to the hold football now has on our society, as high school fans are projecting matchups, there are team parties to celebrate the accomplishment of qualifying and a big statewide TV show to announce the pairings is filled with interviews and instant analysis.
But nothing is perfect, as high school football followers are quick to point out.
So, if I were IHSA king for just one day — and as long as that day didn't occur when one of the statewide hearings was scheduled — there are some changes that would be made:
One, two to 32: Seed all the teams in each bracket 1 through 32. It's the best and closest way of getting to a true champion.
When the IHSA used that format from 1996 to 2001, it added to the unique mystique that is part of the football playoffs with matchups of teams from different leagues and different areas of the state. Some of my favorite memories are from covering games at places such as Lincoln-Way (back when there was only one), Sycamore, Bloomington, Mount Zion, Geneseo and East St. Louis.
One thing I have never understood was having different standards for different classes. Or having different ones within the same class such as 6A this year, with one bracket seeded 1 through 16 and then two other brackets seeded 1 through 8. Not exactly a level playing field.
Teams in other sports — especially basketball and baseball — are traveling from Illinois all over the country now. Hitting the road for some football playoff trips within state lines shouldn't be viewed as out of line.
A different way of planting seeds:You'll be hearing about some supposed first-round upsets. A No. 14 beats a No. 3. Shocking! Stunning!
Until you take a closer look and see that the 14th-seeded team played in one of the state's power conferences and the third-seed went unbeaten in one of the Chicago Public League's weaker divisions. Not so surprising.
The seeding based solely on the combination of overall record and playoff points (total wins of all opponents on a team's schedule) can obviously be very flawed. So, in today's technological age, why not have the participating coaches seed the way it's done in other sports.
How would it work? Everyone has to complete their schedule of games on Friday night of the final weekend of the regular season. It shouldn't be that big of a problem since there were only 15 games scheduled for the final Saturday this season.
Your 256-team field and classes are set late Friday night or not long after midnight. The coaches in each bracket have until noon Saturday to seed the teams in their class. What, did you really think coaches got that much sleep this time of year, anyway?
The IHSA gets the seeds and has enough time to review and address any problems before finalizing the pairings in time for the Saturday night TV show and media announcements.
Another option would be to have a seeding committee or committees determine the seeds in each class. Whether it was done by coaches or committees, it would definitely be an upgrade from the current system.
No first-round rematches: So you work to get in the playoffs and waiting for you is a team from your own conference for your first-round game. In some cases it's a rematch of a game played a week earlier to end the regular season. Shouldn't the playoffs be about something different?
Make it a rule that the seeds can be adjusted slightly to keep this from occurring. Let's make people wait to see familiar friends and faces until after the first round.
Pick a venue: Find one home for the eight state championship games each year. If the Big Ten schedule won't allow for the University of Illinois to host every year, then move them to Northern Illinois on a permanent basis. The reviews from DeKalb last year seemed pretty favorable and the proximity to the Chicago area helps the potential drawing power.
High five: OK, this is something that shouldn't be changed.
The football playoffs are unique as the only IHSA sport where every school is not eligible to participate in the postseason. Some believe it's already watered down from where it used to be with eight classes and 256 teams.
But making the playoffs is still an achievement for those who achieved success with a winning record or a conference championship. Let's keep it that way.
Marty Maciaszek is a freelance columnist for the Daily Herald who can be reached at marty.maciaszek@gmail.com.