[Bloody Harlan]

I know it's not happening, but I'm tired of the first 3 rounds of the playoffs being so watered down.

Go back to 4 classes

Play 11 regular season games (where the gate will be better with an extra local game than a 1st round slaughter that has 200 people in the stands).

Take the top 2 teams from each district. That way the playoffs aren't decided until late in the year and regular season games actually have some impact for a change.

[HDE]

Harlan County had a pretty good crowd for its first round slaughter.
What local game are you going to get for Week 11? They have enough trouble getting 10 games, and very few of them are local.

[sstack]

Would love to see the teams seeded in the playoffs so you get the two best teams in the championship game. I know that is not possible with the regional titles but it would be nice.

[EKUAlum05]

Would love to see the teams seeded in the playoffs so you get the two best teams in the championship game. I know that is not possible with the regional titles but it would be nice.

Obviously geography prohibits seeding the entire state, but could you seed the Semi-States?

I am thinking a 24 team bracket

The field is composed of the top 2 finishing teams in each district, as well as each Semi-State having the top 4 remaining teams who finished either 3rd or 4th as determined by the same rating system used to determine the seeds. Each District Champ is seeded 1-4 in their Semi-State and awarded a First Round Bye. The remaining teams are seeded with no precedence according to if you finished 2nd or 4th. This would allow the District Champs to be rewarded, cut down the number of "non-deserving teams" and also be a failsafe for those 3 seeds who would be on the outside looking in due to a tiebreaker (ex: Cooper) if it were a 16 team playoff.

Just to play around with the idea let's take Class 3A and we will use the Cantrall ratings (even though I am not a fan of them) that were compiled before the First Round of the Playoffs:


1. Central
BYE

8. @Larue Co
9. South Warren

5. @ Paducah Tilghman
12. Adair Co

BYE
4. Monroe County




2. Bell County
BYE

7. @ Corbin
10. Trigg Co


6. @ Wayne Co
11. Edmonson Co

BYE
3. Ft. Campbell





EAST
1. Belfry
BYE

8. @ Russell
9. Lawrence Co


5. @ Garrard Co
12. Bath Co

BYE
4. Mason Co



2. Breathitt Co.
BYE

7. @ Sheldon Clark
10. Morgan Co


6. @ Pike Central
11. Fleming Co

BYE
3. Bourbon Co



This looks very good to me. The only blowouts I see are the Tilghman/Adair and Wayne/Edmonson games... whereas every East 1st Round game would be pretty even. Ultimately it probably would have been in the Final 8 being Monroe @ Central, Wayne Co. @ Bell, Mason Co @ Belfry, Bourbon Co @ Breathitt. 3/4 games would be very close.

You then make the Semi-Finals a neutral site on each side.

Bell vs. Central @ Warren Central HS
Breathitt vs. Belfry @ Morehead State.

I'll do one more to see if it looks as good. Give me a little and I will return with 5A.

[EKUAlum05]

5A

West

1. Bowling Green
BYE

8. @ JTown
9. Grayson Co.



5. @ Warren Central
12. Bullitt East

BYE
4. Graves Co



2. John Hardin
BYE

7. @ Greenwood
10. N. Hardin


6. Christian Co
11. Bullitt Central

BYE
3. Shelby Co.



East

1. Franklin Co.
BYE

8. @ Whitley Co.
9. Perry Central

5. @ Cooper
12. Madison Southern

BYE
4. Pulaski Co



2. Harlan Co
BYE

7. @ Anderson Co
10. Montgomery Co.


6. @ Conner
11. Scott

BYE
3. South Oldham



Cooper, despite being a 3 seed in their district, is seeded higher than all other 2 seeds. This sets them up with the easiest 1 seed Pulaski Co. This class was much more top heavy, but the non-competitive teams form this year's first round are gone.

Your Final 8 are probably:
Warren Central @ BG, Christian Co @ John Hardin, Cooper @ Franklin Co, and Conner @ Harlan Co. All 4 close or at leats competitive games.

This sets up:
Bowling Green vs. John Hardin @ Stadium of Champions
Conner vs. Cooper @ Georgetown College

[EKUAlum05]

1A is a clear place where this new system has distinct advantages, but very distinct disadvantages

1. Mayfield
BYE

8. @ Bethlehem
9. Eminence

5. @ Russellville
12. Bracken Co

BYE
4. KCD


2. Frankfort
BYE

7. Bellevue
10. Paris


6. Lou. Holy Cross
11. Dayton

BYE
3. Beechwood



EAST

1. Hazard
BYE

8. Campbellsville
9. Nicholas Co


5. Raceland
12. Allen Central

BYE
4. Pikeville



2. Fairview
BYE

7. Pineville
10. South Floyd


6. Harlan Ind
11. Berea

BYE
3. Williamsburg


The good news:
- Winless and 1 win teams everyone hates seeing in the playoffs are gone
- Higher frequency of more evenly matched 1st/2nd Round games
- Very strong Final 8 matchups: Mayfield vs. Russellville, Frankfort vs. Beechwood, Hazard vs.Pikeville, Williamsburg vs. Fairview
- The Neutral site semi-finals makes life easier since it is almost always Beechwood vs. Mayfield


The Bad News:
- Bracken County travels to Russellville, Nicholasville travels to Campbellsville...
- 1A is the bracket which needs Regional Pairings the most because travel cost and attendance is most liekly to be a loss,,, yet with the way this class is aligned every year you will essentially see pilgrimages in the 1st Round

[Mountaineer Man]

Would not use Cantrell ratings, no one that I know has any confidence in them. Besides Trinity doesn't get ranked till they have played 3 Kentucky teams.

[tomcatfan722000]

I love the pairings the way they are. Having to play Cov Cath and highlands has made Ashlands coaches and players better. Any highlands fan will tell you the improvement Ashland has made from 2008 when they played highlands to this year was leaps and bounds. The same can be said for Johnson centrals program. Those improvements would not have been possible without highlands and Cov Cath in our region. Really challenging our teams and exposing our coaching staffs to the best gameplans and play calling the state has to offer.

[EKUAlum05]

Would not use Cantrell ratings, no one that I know has any confidence in them. Besides Trinity doesn't get ranked till they have played 3 Kentucky teams.

As I stated I am not a big fan either...but I needed a rating system that I could find specifically for that last week of the seaosn to use as an example

[sstack]

I love the pairings the way they are. Having to play Cov Cath and highlands has made Ashlands coaches and players better. Any highlands fan will tell you the improvement Ashland has made from 2008 when they played highlands to this year was leaps and bounds. The same can be said for Johnson centrals program. Those improvements would not have been possible without highlands and Cov Cath in our region. Really challenging our teams and exposing our coaching staffs to the best gameplans and play calling the state has to offer.

But I just do not like Ashland getting knocked out in the second round, when Collins is declared state runner-up, a team I feel Ashlands beats by 2 TD's.

[EKUAlum05]

But I just do not like Ashland getting knocked out in the second round, when Collins is declared state runner-up, a team I feel Ashlands beats by 2 TD's.

I hope it is more of an anomaly than a rule, but I legitimately feel 8 of the Top 10 teams, and probably all of the Top 6 teams in 4A happened to fall on the same Eastern side of the bracket this year.

1. Highlands
2. CovCath
3. LexCath
4. Boyle
5/6. Ashland/JC
7. Collins
8. Russell County
9. Knox Central
10. Warren East

[sstack]

I hope it is more of an anomaly than a rule, but I legitimately feel 8 of the Top 10 teams, and probably all of the Top 6 teams in 4A happened to fall on the same Eastern side of the bracket this year.

1. Highlands
2. CovCath
3. LexCath
4. Boyle
5/6. Ashland/JC
7. Collins
8. Russell County
9. Knox Central
10. Warren East

I am not to sure Collins should be ranked ahead of Russell and Knox?

[Mountaineer Man]

I still think a point system is the best, that way you earn points with a win, and if a higher class school, plays a lower class school you get a lower point total. Plus you earn points for each win an opponent that you defeated wins. Besides does anyone know how Cantrell arrives at his point system?

[Bloody Harlan]

Harlan County had a pretty good crowd for its first round slaughter.
What local game are you going to get for Week 11? They have enough trouble getting 10 games, and very few of them are local.

That's good for us, but I garuntee you that our 1st round was the exception, and not the norm.

Assuming that our enrollment continued to drop and we were 3A, we would be in a 6 or 7 team district, so that's around 6 games that we would be GARUNTEED around here, which would be a plus.

I can see your point about the 11 game season, but it's not like we are the only big mountain school that has to travel. Bell has gone to Lexington more than once in a year. Belfry played Henry Clay the last couple of years. Letcher Central played Russell Co. and Franklin Co. that I know of and Knox has gone to Gatlingburg and Clinton to play. Personally, I'd be happy to stay at 10 games and a 4 week playoff. Maybe the answer would be to take the extra week and allow teams to have one more live scrimmage.