KidSilverhair (like "oranges", nothing rhymes with your name, so I can't follow the pattern), if they scrap the BEDS numbers, what would be the criteria for being "top 48"? If not size, then how do you get moved into 4A? Also, West Dubuque talks like they are going to get moved down in basketball. Seems a little contradictory. I know lots of schools play different classes, but football is such a clear numbers game, if West Dubuque can't justify the numbers for basketball, why football?
By top 48, they mean the highest 48 schools ranked by BEDS numbers. That's actually how they do classes in other sports - X number of teams in 4A, the next X number in 3A, etc. The arbitrary 700 number cutoff was only used for football, and that's why there's been fewer than 48 teams in 4A for football for the past several years.
It's my understanding this move is coming from the coaches. This is actually their proposal - they've had several years with 5- and 6-team districts, where in some cases fewer than half your games determine playoff qualifiers, and they don't like it. They want more district games, no more nondistrict games after Week 2, so that means 8-team districts. I suppose, even though 6 districts are going to be pretty spread out, doing something like 5 districts (40 teams total) would be really extended geographically - and in that case you'd have schools like Mason City, DM Hoover and North Scott dropping to 3A. That would not necessarily be bad for a lot of reasons, but that's not what the state wants to do.
Another potential change in other classes, like 4A going to 6 districts, is 3A/2A/1A going to 7 districts of 8, instead of 8 districts of 7. Increasing the number of district games, top two in each district make the playoffs, and then figure out four "wild card" qualifiers. Personally, if the above changes go in for 2016-17, I expect more changes, perhaps significant ones to numbers of classes and such, for the years beyond that.
Potentially next year, going by the current list of BEDS numbers, changes in classes could be as follows:
4A - Top 48. Add Western Dubuque and Norwalk. Eventually the new Iowa City high school will move somebody back down.
3A - Next 56. Lose Western Dubuque and Norwalk to 4A, and Solon, Gilbert, and Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley to 2A. Add MOC-Floyd Valley, Center Point-Urbana, Spirit Lake, South Tama, and Iowa Falls-Alden.
2A - Next 56. Lose the five teams above to 3A. If I had the time this morning I'd dig through all the numbers and sharing agreements to see the 2A/1A changes, but that will have to wait for later.
1A - Next 56. Class A is everybody else who isn't playing 8-player, so you have to wait and see who elects 8-player before working all that out. This year there are 61 schools playing 8-player and 62 in Class A, but there could be a big move to 8-player next year, possibly, so the lower classes are in flux.
