How can we return to a true playoff system

[bearbacker52]

Some conferences have five teams in the playoffs, which waters it down, is there anyway we can go to a three team per confetence max?  Using byes when needed...i am for football but quality football not more...

[Backwoods Bart]

AAA gets most of the kitty on all postseason play. Good luck with that proposal.

[Proud Buckaroo]

You're not. AAA is going to keep to current playoff setup until the end of times. During the playoffs. They get the gate money. The more games that are played during playoffs. The more money in their pocket.

[big E]

And money makes the world go round.

[Dayton Kitchens]

It would probably take an act of the legislature to change the AAA in this.   They like their money,   schools and coaches like the chance to say "we made the playoffs".

Interesting the difference it makes.   I worked with a coach who had spent a couple of years up in the Midwest at a school.    He had pointed out that in Arkansas the schools he coached at had made the playoffs three years in a row.   The kids at the school were in awe.   Being in the playoffs was something most of the schools only managed about once every decade or so.

I only see a change being made if some school(s) manage to get in the playoffs with only two or three victories and then run the table to the championship.    Lots of people from high profile programs would probably be upset and they have some influence.

[bigworm]

Schools break away from AAA and form new organization. Have AD's as voting members. Some superintendents dont know and the others probably dont really care.

[MagicMike]

Power Rankings

[beach bum]

And money makes the world go round.

This is probably the truest thing I have ever read on this site....

[big E]

Very true.

[Jimbo Morphis]

I would even be ok with 4 making it but  a 5 seed driving across the state to get mercy ruled is nuts. Has a 5 seed ever had a close game?

[2aball]

I would even be ok with 4 making it but  a 5 seed driving across the state to get mercy ruled is nuts. Has a 5 seed ever had a close game?

Salem won a game as a 5 seed last year against McCrory. They were also fortunate that they didn't have to drive too terribly far as a 5 seed. The 3 and 4 seeds out of that conference both had to go 4+ hours away from home. They only had to drive 2, and came away with the win. Worked out well for them getting the 5 seed instead of the 3 or 4.

The AAA doesn't care about teams making long trips to get mercy ruled. It cares about the tens of thousands of dollars that those 5 seed games bring in each year. They couldn't care less that a lot of those schools are losing money to drive 3-4 hours across the state to get run off the field.

[Jimbo Morphis]

Salem won a game as a 5 seed last year against McCrory. They were also fortunate that they didn't have to drive too terribly far as a 5 seed. The 3 and 4 seeds out of that conference both had to go 4+ hours away from home. They only had to drive 2, and came away with the win. Worked out well for them getting the 5 seed instead of the 3 or 4.

The AAA doesn't care about teams making long trips to get mercy ruled. It cares about the tens of thousands of dollars that those 5 seed games bring in each year. They couldn't care less that a lot of those schools are losing money to drive 3-4 hours across the state to get run off the field.

I've been around a long time and understand that. I can remember when Mcgehee and Hamburg played several years the last game of the season to see who made the playoffs. Only 1 team went.

[big E]

Yeah I remember that.  For my whole high school career 1 team went to the playoffs and guess who that was Barton.

[Pick_DA_EAGLES]

Salem won a game as a 5 seed last year against McCrory. They were also fortunate that they didn't have to drive too terribly far as a 5 seed. The 3 and 4 seeds out of that conference both had to go 4+ hours away from home. They only had to drive 2, and came away with the win. Worked out well for them getting the 5 seed instead of the 3 or 4.

The AAA doesn't care about teams making long trips to get mercy ruled. It cares about the tens of thousands of dollars that those 5 seed games bring in each year. They couldn't care less that a lot of those schools are losing money to drive 3-4 hours across the state to get run off the field.

That was one of the weird playoff seedings last year, a 5 playing a 2 in round 1.

[2aball]

That was one of the weird playoff seedings last year, a 5 playing a 2 in round 1.

And then they turned around and only had to travel to Cross County for round 2. The 3 seed out of that conference (EPC) had to go to Foreman round 1, and would have had to go to Hampton for round 2 if they won. The 4 seed (Marked Tree) went to Mountainburg, and would have gone to Des Arc round 2 if they won. The 2 seed (Earle), had to travel to Murfreesboro round 2.

So other than the 1 seed, the 5 seed was probably the best spot to be in that conference last year.

[Dayton Kitchens]

I would even be ok with 4 making it but  a 5 seed driving across the state to get mercy ruled is nuts. Has a 5 seed ever had a close game?

In 2008,   Strong was seeded 5th,  Having lost conference games to Junction City, Bearden,  Smackover,  and Woodlawn.

They proceeded to crush Johnson County Westside in the first round,  mercy rule,    Beat back Marked Tree in the second round 18-14 and then lost to future state champion Junction City again 24-12.

[HorseFeathers]

In 2008,   Strong was seeded 5th,  Having lost conference games to Junction City, Bearden,  Smackover,  and Woodlawn.

They proceeded to crush Johnson County Westside in the first round,  mercy rule,    Beat back Marked Tree in the second round 18-14 and then lost to future state champion Junction City again 24-12.

I think strong made a habit of winning on the road as a low seed .... Weren't they a 3 seed when they won state?

[beach bum]

In 2008,   Strong was seeded 5th,  Having lost conference games to Junction City, Bearden,  Smackover,  and Woodlawn.

They proceeded to crush Johnson County Westside in the first round,  mercy rule,    Beat back Marked Tree in the second round 18-14 and then lost to future state champion Junction City again 24-12.

That is a terrible example to use.... The 4-2A only had 6 teams that season and went through a stretch where it was quite possibly the worst conference in the history of modern Arkansas high school football during that time frame. JC Westside was not a typical 1 seed and not even close. Just goes to show you how impressive the upswing in the quality of the 4-2A in the years since has been. It's pretty impressive that they aren't just not terrible anymore, but a pretty solid league state wide competitively. Quality coaching and good kids who have bought into that and worked hard changed that all around.

[beach bum]

I think strong made a habit of winning on the road as a low seed .... Weren't they a 3 seed when they won state?

The 8-2A was quite the beast then....

[HorseFeathers]

The 8-2A was quite the beast then....

Strong also had a kid that's now earned a starting position(well suspended now) at rb in the NFL....that tends to help

[HorseFeathers]

Do tend to agree the cross state games in first round are ridiculous....but then again...anyone else remember when the 7E and 7W were the best two conference's and beat up each other in the first round every year? The 4 matched with the old 1 in the Western part of the state...

[Dayton Kitchens]

Strong also had a kid that's now earned a starting position(well suspended now) at rb in the NFL....that tends to help

In the playoffs that year,  Kenneth Dixon was a 9th grader who was playing on the senior high team for the playoffs.

As a defensive tackle.

[beach bum]

Do tend to agree the cross state games in first round are ridiculous....but then again...anyone else remember when the 7E and 7W were the best two conference's and beat up each other in the first round every year? The 4 matched with the old 1 in the Western part of the state...

Those were the days in the smaller classifications... I remember growing up through school and getting so sick of seeing Booneville or Ozark in the 1st round of the playoffs when those teams were rolling at the same time. That was the wrong time to have that conference as our first round neighbor in our classification. We were part of that 4/1 matchup. Our conference was awful then and would get whipped. Finally the tables have turned.

[Rida4Life]

Only way to get a "true" playoff system would be to go to a power ratings system similar to what Louisiana does.  Any other way will always be watered down and teams will get in that really have no business in the postseason.

[Jimbo Morphis]

I think strong made a habit of winning on the road as a low seed .... Weren't they a 3 seed when they won state?

Huge difference in a 3 and 5 seed.

[Lions84]

It all about Money but AAA could go to a regional system that would keep folks closer to home the first 2 rounds.  They also could go to all neutral site playoffs like Texas.

[HorseFeathers]

Huge difference in a 3 and 5 seed.

Not to strong when they were pretty good...

[Jimbo Morphis]

Not to strong when they were pretty good...

I'm saying a 3 is a lot better than a 5 almost always.

[Dragonsvoice]

I thought the playoff's were matched by the strongest conferences against the weakest conferences that's why the 4-2a traveled to 8-2a all those years.

[HorseFeathers]

I thought the playoff's were matched by the strongest conferences against the weakest conferences that's why the 4-2a traveled to 8-2a all those years.

Maybe that's why it seems random...