Points-based Florida high school football playoff format moves forward
- Thread starter peezy28
- Start date
10-0 Mitchell (6A) and 8-2 (5A) Lemon Bay are a problem. Those teams are not able to compete with playoff caliber teams in even the weakest part of the state. It is pathetic that those teams are winning and going undefeated in districts - earning the right every year to face superior teams at HOME in the fist round. Mitchell is UNDEFEATED going into the playoffs, coming off a 56-0 blasting of Gulf High and allows 42 pts on their own field to Gainesville (losing 21-42) in the first round??? How pathetic is Mitchell's District? This is supposed to be a 6A undefeated team heading into the postseason? - Pathetic!
How bad is 5A Gulf High??? Speaking of 5A , Lemon Bay goes into the the playoffs at 8-2 are HOME hosting a 5-6 Imokalee and scores 8 pts , losing 8-15?!
Yet, people still find a way to blame a 2 win team like 7A Blanche Ely team that actually can compete and loses 14-16 @ Dwyer in the playoffs .
Perhaps their should be a Division 1 and Division 2 in the state or perhaps some of these districts should be forced to go independent and/or drop a class until they can compete.
There are pros and cons to the points-based systems in my opinion. There needs to be changes to make better quality post season play. If certain districts are going 10-0 and are flat out garbage, perhaps they should be forced to have to go through a 3rd place 5-5 team in an elite part of the state.
In the end don't we all want the best teams competing?
How bad is 5A Gulf High??? Speaking of 5A , Lemon Bay goes into the the playoffs at 8-2 are HOME hosting a 5-6 Imokalee and scores 8 pts , losing 8-15?!
Yet, people still find a way to blame a 2 win team like 7A Blanche Ely team that actually can compete and loses 14-16 @ Dwyer in the playoffs .
Perhaps their should be a Division 1 and Division 2 in the state or perhaps some of these districts should be forced to go independent and/or drop a class until they can compete.
There are pros and cons to the points-based systems in my opinion. There needs to be changes to make better quality post season play. If certain districts are going 10-0 and are flat out garbage, perhaps they should be forced to have to go through a 3rd place 5-5 team in an elite part of the state.
In the end don't we all want the best teams competing?
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Not much you can do about those teams Broward . The Central part of the state is just really really bad!!! From basically Gainesville to Tampa/Orlando you can't find more than a handful of teams in all classes that are really good. Pretty sad really. That's why Gainesville is always in the regional finals, they don't play a soul until they face Armwood every year.
Sounds to me like either Dwyer didn't take Ely seriously or Ely played a good game, maybe both. Close games and blowouts happen all the time. Doesn't mean a team deserves or don't deserve to be in the playoffs.
When a team wins its district outright, I got no problem with them being in the playoffs regardless of record. Its when teams get in by virtue of being district runner-up in a 3 team district so they get in with a losing record just as long as they win one game is what I take issue with. Even my team got in with a losing record once and I didn't feel they deserved to be there. They even came close to pulling a first round upset, but still I didn't feel like they belonged. Lakewood Ranch nearly pulled off an upset of Armwood who went on to win the state title in 2011. Does that mean Armwood didn't belong?
Bro.. outside of a select couple teams every few years Pasco County has never had a plethora of football dominance... I am okay with a team going 10-0 and making the playoffs we know what they really are to begin with... Its like a badge of honor thing if your a Pinellas Pasco or Hillsborougth school going up against another counties best team and you beat the crap out of them. So to your point they would probably never compete on the level you speak of short of some great Migration from SFL to West Pasco County LOL
The laz index will tell you that 10-0 Mitchell probably still loses by 21 to say a 6-4 Jefferson High or East Lake.
I just am not a fan of 10-0 piss poor teams playing in the post-season in 6A. I would rather see a 5-5 Miami Nortwestern. The fact that a team as Mitchell to go 10-0 in 6A - arguably the best class in the state along with 8A - and is humiliated at Home in the first round should tell you that there is a serious parity problem. It is only Gainesville!
As far as blowouts happening "all the time" sure.... but how many 10-0 teams get blown out by 3 TDs in the first round at home? Again- it is only Gainesville !
You at least admit that many of these teams would struggle to compete with some parts of the state. That said, would you be for a system that allows better teams a chance to compete (regardless where they are from) and make for better post-season play? Would you prefer a 5-5 wildcard Miami Northwestern or a 10-0 District winner Mitchell playing Gainesville?
If the Districts suck so bad up there is there any way they can create mega-districts (10-12 teams but only 2 advance) to have a better team representing in the end? I understand it would probably be a logistics problem though.
Ely does indeed play in a 3 team district that happens to include STA. Would you like to trade with them?
As far as blowouts happening "all the time" sure.... but how many 10-0 teams get blown out by 3 TDs in the first round at home? Again- it is only Gainesville !
You at least admit that many of these teams would struggle to compete with some parts of the state. That said, would you be for a system that allows better teams a chance to compete (regardless where they are from) and make for better post-season play? Would you prefer a 5-5 wildcard Miami Northwestern or a 10-0 District winner Mitchell playing Gainesville?
If the Districts suck so bad up there is there any way they can create mega-districts (10-12 teams but only 2 advance) to have a better team representing in the end? I understand it would probably be a logistics problem though.
Ely does indeed play in a 3 team district that happens to include STA. Would you like to trade with them?
I think your on to something.. Like Texas does a D1 and D2 that would be the solution here the only problem is I don' think we have near the number of teams to fill the classes not to mention you would be adding a whole lot more championship games and teams.
But to your point yes there are probably a ton of teams in 6A Down south from 1-9 to 10-0 that would trample 10-0 Mitchell LOL. But that is apart of Florida Geography... You can't say "No one from this region gets in the playoffs" It just so happens the best teams in the state are concentrated in one area.
But to your point yes there are probably a ton of teams in 6A Down south from 1-9 to 10-0 that would trample 10-0 Mitchell LOL. But that is apart of Florida Geography... You can't say "No one from this region gets in the playoffs" It just so happens the best teams in the state are concentrated in one area.
What if we just divided the state east and west instead of north south. Draw a line through Broward/Dade border - Broward (east) and Dade (west) straight up through dead center Orlando and up just east of Columbia and up to Georgia. Some classes it may not change, some make better and some it could make worse. Logistics could also be an issue.
Maybe make 4-5 classes of Division 1 and Division 2? We also have bad teams down south as well that could fill Division 2 ....The state may be okay with that because it could mean more $ !
Maybe make 4-5 classes of Division 1 and Division 2? We also have bad teams down south as well that could fill Division 2 ....The state may be okay with that because it could mean more $ !
I think best best would be to go back to 6 divisions with 1 2 3 and 4 still only being 1 class but split 5A and 6A into D1 and D2.
There are not enough teams in 1-4 to have 2 divisions. If you combine 5-8 into 2 classes you could do it.
There are not enough teams in 1-4 to have 2 divisions. If you combine 5-8 into 2 classes you could do it.
3 team districts aren't really fair to say a team like mine that has 7 teams in it. Not all push overs either with Sanford, Lake Brantley, Lake Mary, Oviedo and us trying to get 2 spots and because of geography another school wins one district game and is playoff bound??? Maybe even out the districts, even if that means you might have to travel. I know Pierson Taylor has to go to Pahokee for a district game, that's like a 2.5 hour ride, one way!!!
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I don't think there needs to be any more divisions or classes. Look at the map. The state is long ways, north to south, not east to west. It starts in the panhandle and goes clockwise. Sure, some regions and districts are going to be tougher than the other, but if a team is the best in their area, they should be in the playoffs. I think there should be a 4 team minimum for a district. Otherwise, district runner-ups should not automatically get in. Allow for wildcards and if one district is tough enough, let it put 3 or teams in the playoffs.
I agree with Hwy17's plan. Two teams from a 3-team district should not go to the playoffs. Instead, give it to one of the bigger districts. Sometimes, district have to be small due to the distance to other teams in their class. But, that should not give them an advantage to make the playoffs.
At the end of the day it's not about fairness and making sure the 3rd best team in an area gets to feel good about playing a playoff game. The best KIDS from their areas of the state get to compete in the playoffs. If you are the 3rd best team you are not going to win state either. Nobody but a sad Ely fan cares if Some random team somewhere else made the playoffs and they didn't. I agree a bad 2nd place should not make the playoffs but a 3rd place team should never make the playoffs. Make the brackets smaller and make the second place teams the wild cards. Use the point system to seed all the rest and go from there. A winner from a crappy area with crappy wins could be seeded to play another district champ. First round would still be blowouts but not second round
Disagree: Let's look at some real examples. 2000 season, the last time FHSAA had a wildcard system, Lake Gibson was the 3rd place team in their district with a 7-3 record. They got to the 3rd round and only lost that game by a field goal. That same year, Tate and Ed White, both at large teams got played in the regional final.
How would you like to be a 9-1 team but kept out of the playoffs due to a 3-way tie breaker and watch the team you beat in your district get to the state championship? I've seen it happen.
