As I am sure most of you know, IAHSAA announced the new playoff structure.
https://www.iahsaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/1.24-Football-Release.pdf
Big take aways are: (1) No expansion of playoffs. Keep 16 teams.
(2) Conference winners into playoffs, at large spots determined by power ranking.
(3) Out of state games are allowed again. No clue why they were ever banned, but that is an editorial comment.
My question is what do you think this does for 3A vs 4A type games (or 1A vs 2A)? I know the power ranking does not take into account school size (a loss to a 5-5 4A is the same as a loss to a 5-5 1A) but inasmuch as average 2A is stronger than the average 1A does the 1A risk (greater 50%) chance of a loss or insist on a 1A game?
What got me thinking about this are the Parochial powers in 3A and 2A. Half their losses are or could be against larger schools. For example, does a 2017 Wahlert not play DBQ Senior and Western DBQ (going 0-2) and try and set up 2 games against 3A teams which they were 5-2 against? I can't imagine the way the power ranking is set up being 7-2 or 6-3 would not be better than 5-4 with 2 losses against .500% 4A teams.
https://www.iahsaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/1.24-Football-Release.pdf
Big take aways are: (1) No expansion of playoffs. Keep 16 teams.
(2) Conference winners into playoffs, at large spots determined by power ranking.
(3) Out of state games are allowed again. No clue why they were ever banned, but that is an editorial comment.
My question is what do you think this does for 3A vs 4A type games (or 1A vs 2A)? I know the power ranking does not take into account school size (a loss to a 5-5 4A is the same as a loss to a 5-5 1A) but inasmuch as average 2A is stronger than the average 1A does the 1A risk (greater 50%) chance of a loss or insist on a 1A game?
What got me thinking about this are the Parochial powers in 3A and 2A. Half their losses are or could be against larger schools. For example, does a 2017 Wahlert not play DBQ Senior and Western DBQ (going 0-2) and try and set up 2 games against 3A teams which they were 5-2 against? I can't imagine the way the power ranking is set up being 7-2 or 6-3 would not be better than 5-4 with 2 losses against .500% 4A teams.
