Well, the boys in Boone got together today. And the word of the day sounds like no news for the moment in regards to football for the next two years.
Per IAHSAA.org
"Football announcements on hold
The biennial release of football classifications, districts, and schedules is being delayed from its usual January drop. The Board of Control spent time Thursday discussing the football advisory committee’s recommendations from last month regarding the number of regular season games and playoff qualifiers, as well as ideas shared in a meeting of Class 4A athletic directors at the IHSAA offices on January 16.
The board previously considered and tabled a playoff and scheduling recommendation from the advisory committee and Iowa Football Coaches Association – eight regular season games and 32 playoff qualifiers per class, not including Class 4A – and did not vote on the topic Thursday.
In working with the IHSAA’s Classification Committee and Class 4A athletic directors, executive director Tom Keating and assistant director Jared Chizek shared with the board possible scheduling models to address competitive equity concerns. The IHSAA will seek feedback on the models, and the Board of Control set February 5 as the deadline date for an IHSAA recommendation regarding football districts."
In other words, it sounds to me like the decision to drop from 48 to 42 schools fell into the rule of unintended consequences, and rather than increase the level of parity and competitive balance as had been intended, it created an even greater disparity. So I would imagine they're still deciding on how many teams should be assigned to 4A for the next 2 years, before they can go ahead and announce the new district assignments.
Per IAHSAA.org
"Football announcements on hold
The biennial release of football classifications, districts, and schedules is being delayed from its usual January drop. The Board of Control spent time Thursday discussing the football advisory committee’s recommendations from last month regarding the number of regular season games and playoff qualifiers, as well as ideas shared in a meeting of Class 4A athletic directors at the IHSAA offices on January 16.
The board previously considered and tabled a playoff and scheduling recommendation from the advisory committee and Iowa Football Coaches Association – eight regular season games and 32 playoff qualifiers per class, not including Class 4A – and did not vote on the topic Thursday.
In working with the IHSAA’s Classification Committee and Class 4A athletic directors, executive director Tom Keating and assistant director Jared Chizek shared with the board possible scheduling models to address competitive equity concerns. The IHSAA will seek feedback on the models, and the Board of Control set February 5 as the deadline date for an IHSAA recommendation regarding football districts."
In other words, it sounds to me like the decision to drop from 48 to 42 schools fell into the rule of unintended consequences, and rather than increase the level of parity and competitive balance as had been intended, it created an even greater disparity. So I would imagine they're still deciding on how many teams should be assigned to 4A for the next 2 years, before they can go ahead and announce the new district assignments.