Realignment Thoughts? I have a few

WEEKLY BLOG: 12/15/18

The state finals in the 6A, 5A, and 4A all provided the same two teams in it with the same result. The combined score of the three blowouts was 167-51 (average of 56-17) leading many to believe there should be changes in the way the playoff format is currently constructed.

I've covered high school football for 10 years and have closely followed the realignment each time (there have been six). Some were more drastic than others. Even before the playoffs began, I've been working on a possible new way to organize the teams. On one hand, everybody wants to know once and for all who the "best of the best" really is. Going beyond that, you have the middle tier of teams that try and compete with those upper echelon schools. Some of them felt slighted, because despite successful years on the field, they didn't qualify for the playoffs. Finally, you have the teams no one talks about. They are the ones that have been down for a while and no matter what method is used to sort the teams, they would likely be stuck at the bottom for one reason or another.

To my surprise, AZCentral reported this week that the Arizona Interscholastic Association is considering the creation of an "Open Division" possibly as soon as the 2019 season. Here is a look at the full article.

I was surprised because I think it may have been a knee-jerk reaction to what had just happened. Think about this, if Chandler doesn't complete that two-point conversion in the semifinals against Highland (and trust me, the Hawks have done plenty of thinking), we would have just crowned a new champion - either Highland or Perry - and this new proposal probably doesn't materialize in less than two weeks.

To summarize, for those that haven't read the article, the proposal calls for some combination of computers and/or humans to determine the top eight teams in the state at the end of the regular season, regardless of conference, to compete in a separate playoff tournament.

I have some reservations with this.

We've long been led to believe that the pinnacle of achievement (no pun intended, Pioneers) in high school football is a state championship. Teams begin the season knowing what conference they are in and the gold ball for that classification is the ultimate prize. Heck, the AIA invites the past champions at every level back 25 and 50 years later to relive the glory that they experienced. Under this method, would the teams ranked 7-10 feel conflicted late in the year? Would they rather just barely make it into the Open Division where four teams will lose in the first round, or would they rather be a top two seed in their respective 6A, 5A, or 4A tournament?

You have to wonder if the champion of that ensuing 6A would feel a little sheepish after winning the title knowing that they weren't the best team. Heck, they might be the third place team in their region and the six teams ranked ahead of them in 6A were taken out of the mix by being better than them. It has an NIT-type feel to it.

What becomes of that upstart 5A or 4A team that is blowing opponents out (for the purposes of this, let's not make it Centennial or Saguaro, but instead a school that has never won a state title)? Would the computers or humans deem them one of the top eight teams in the state despite playing a 10-game schedule of lesser teams than the 6A schools? It could be the confluence of a great team that only comes around once in a lifetime and instead of getting that chance to fulfill the dream of a championship, that school is deemed the 7 or 8 seed and becomes first-round fodder for a bigger school it wasn't on the same level as.

Is the goal of teams to win a state title or simply make the Open tournament?

I don't just come with criticisms today, I bring a possible solution. This isn't simply a reaction to the AIA's proposal cooked up in a few days. I've been working on it for a couple months and considered all types of schools, not simply the dozen teams that would hope to be considered among the final eight. It includes .500 teams, rural schools, private schools, and those teams that simply need a jump start. We'll call it the Gridiron Arizona Realignment Plan (GARP). If the AIA would like to adopt it, I'm perfectly fine with them changing the name. It was designed to be a two-year realignment plan that would begin in 2020, but the timetable could be accelerated to a single year if it were acted on by the end of February (a new schedule for each team would need to be constructed, but there is a precedent as that was done in 2016).

No realignment plan is going to satisfy everyone. Each school is unique in its student population and other amenities, or lack thereof. In the past, I've looked into the promotion and relegation method that is used in European soccer. I don't think it's the answer here. In those professional leagues, players might be there for a 10-year career. High school athletes don't have that luxury (although, I don't think anyone wants to actually be in HS for a decade). Most are at the varsity level for just two years. Should one group of seniors be penalized, if you will, for the success of their predecessors? Likewise, should another be gifted an easier road because a past group struggled? There are plenty of teams out there that had either successful or unsuccessful two-year runs. I'll let you look them up.

The first thing we are going to do is make football separate from all other sports. This is something that should have been done with the current one, but it wasn't brought up until we were a month into the 2017 season. This would also eliminate the excuses (which are perfectly viable) of teams not wanting to move up due to the school's other sports. I don't fault those schools a bit. Consider this, Shadow Mountain's basketball team has been excellent for a long time, but we don't make the Matadors move up to 6A, do we?

This is an outside the box idea that I will freely admit was created during 14 and 16-mile runs in October and November with the finer details narrowed down during a 20-mile run in December (training for a marathon in January). So if it seems a little crazy. . . .

Power Points - People may be confused by them, and they seem a little wonky when they first come out after Week 5, but in the end, they are the most accurate. They also take out-of-state games into account, which should count. People understood the formula in 2009, but it was very basic (50 for a win and 5 for each opponent's win). It also treated every 6-4 team in the state as an equal when looking at strength of schedule. We all know that's not the case.

The 1A Conference - Eight man football touches all areas of the state. Because the type of football is different than 11-man, they should remain to be treated separately.

Transfers - This is simply an argument for another day and the acquisition of them shouldn't dictate what conference a team plays in.

The Game Itself - Not discussing any type of rule changes within the game that we love or the way it is officiated. Simply looking at the way the teams are arranged and the playoff structure. So, without further ado we present:

I've always been skeptical of an Open Conference because I've wondered how many teams would want to be a part of it. Yes, we had the 17-team Division I in 2015, but I'm not sure that all the schools really wanted in that a few years ago. No one really knows the answer because, well, no one has ever asked. The GARP would find out for us.

Completely Voluntary - Like the name implies, this conference is open to anyone that wants in. No petition necessary. Simply fill out the paperwork and you're granted access. It would be a 2-year commitment (starting in 2020). The key here is no one is forced in due to past success. But, if teams don't opt in. . . everyone's going to know, and we don't have the all-other-sports reason anymore.

No Regions - The purpose of the 6A Open is to find the undisputed state champion. We're not going to tie up teams' schedules with mandatory region games against schools that either didn't want to join the conference, or may be a great distance away. Many of the schools that would play here already have region banners hanging up in the gym. These are the ones that want a shot at the (really) big prize.

100% Freedom Scheduling - Teams would be treated like college independents and create their own 10-game schedules. They can consist of out-of-state opponents, other 6A Open teams, or lower conference teams (assuming that both parties approve). Want to continue longtime rivalries with schools that didn't want in the 6A Open? No problem.

Everyone Makes Playoffs - Yes, you are reading that right. One of the rewards for signing up for the 6A Open is getting an 11th game for your team. Power points would be the sole decider of seedings. The bracket would be created each year dependent upon how many schools were in the conference with byes used as needed. I have a hard time believing more than 16 would want in, but if so, you simply create a 32-team bracket (with byes) and go an extra week. If the 7-on-7 people can figure it out, so can the AIA.

Minimum of 8 Teams - This is perhaps the most critical element. If you can't find eight teams that want in the 6A Open, it's simply not going to work. So those who want in may have to do a little lobbying of their fellow coaches and athletic directors to convince them that this is the place to be.

The current separation between the 3A and 4A conferences looks to be an enrollment of right about 1,000. We'll keep that number and combine the 6A, 5A, and 4A conference teams. This year, that would be 127. Next we factor out the teams that decided to join the 6A Open. Let's say there were 15. That would leave us with 112. Split that number right down the middle (based on enrollment) and we have 56 in the 5A Conference and 56 in the 4A Conference. A lot of teams, yes. But we make concessions with it.

Stick with Enrollment - For the initial placement of teams we'll use that minimum figure of 1,000 and divide the teams into two conferences. As it is now, the 6A, 5A, and 4A all play for three state titles. There's no need to make it four state titles with one for each plus an Open (as proposed). That simply waters it down.

Region Play - Once the teams are determined, the AIA will place teams into regions (5 to 7 schools) combining both relative strength of teams and geography. Some regions may be more difficult that others (as they are now). Fortunately, we'll let you have some control though. Region winners would be granted automatic playoff bids.

100% Scheduling of Freedom Games - You may think this was done last time because they were called "Freedom Games", but I believe the AIA conducted most of the non-region scheduling last year. Don't believe me? Take a look at Alhambra's schedule. Do you think they asked for Highland, Westview, and Brophy?

24 Team Playoff Bracket - Because we could be dealing with 56 teams (or more) in a conference, we expand the playoffs out to 24 teams. And these are not called "play-in games", they're playoff games. The top eight in each conference would receive byes and games would be played over Thanksgiving weekend so it would end the same time as the 6A Open (which would have that weekend off).

Petition Process for Moving Down - Since we realize enrollment is not necessarily a factor in the success of a school, teams placed in the 5A could file an appeal if they want to move down to 4A, which would be heard by the proper AIA committee.

Bowl Games - Unlike other sports, when an athlete is done playing football, they never play it again. It isn't like playing pickup basketball or rec league softball as an adult. So, let's have them know when that final game is. Teams that finish 5-5 or better that do not make the playoffs, would be paired up with one another for an 11th game. One of the disheartening things about last year was seeing teams end their season wondering if there would be another one. Now, if you go 4-6, you may still be stuck waiting for 12 hours until the prospective playoff announcement. But not if you're .500 or better. Bowl matchups would avoid rematches and use geography to create closer matchups (as necessary) to increase attendance. Home games would be played by the better seed.

"What? This is why this guy doesn't cover small school football."

No, no. Hear me out. We'll come back to the 2A Conference. But for now, let's get to the new-look 3A Conferences. (Yes, plural)

We'll take all of the schools that are under 1,000 enrollment that aren't playing 8-man football and divide them into two conferences. But not by number of students. It'll be by type of school. Taking the existing 2A and 3A schools and following this method, we would get 47 in the 3A Public Conference and 34 in the 3A Private/Charter. In future years, these numbers would likely decrease (when 2A returns).

Separation - This would create a true state tournament of rural teams. I believe the inherent advantage that the private and charter schools have that are in the Phoenix area is simply having a larger pool of people that live near the school to pull from. Those in Payson and Bisbee don't have as many potential people that can reasonably drive to their schools in this era of open enrollment. And let's get that 3A Public title game in a college stadium. The masses would come.

Region Play - Regions would be constructed and likely, would be similar to how they are now, preserving the rivalries that currently exist in 2A and 3A play. Regions would consist solely of either Private/Charter schools or Public schools. Regions would have five to seven teams and winners would have automatic playoff berths.

100% Scheduling of Freedom Games - Like the 5A and 4A Conferences, teams would be free to decide who their four to six non-region games would be played against. If they want to mix and take on a public or private school, this is the way to do that.

16 Team Playoff Brackets - I know there's a lot of schools in that 3A Public, but due to travel distances, I don't think an extra round is necessary. If the powers that be decide otherwise, I'm okay with that.

Petitions down to 3A - In the event that there was a team placed in 4A didn't feel they would be able to compete there, a petition process would occur to be placed into the appropriate 3A conference.

Sollenberger Classic - I'm not in favor of matching up the winners of the two 3A conferences for a 15th game for a couple reasons. First, I want each school's group of kids to have that final memory of the season be winning that state title, not (possibly) getting smacked 56-17 in a meaningless game. Also, many athletes at the 3A level (with less students at the school) compete in winter sports. Let's not make the basketball and wrestling coaches wait yet another week for them. But, let's give the schools a reward by scheduling them to face one another in a meaningful game, the first one of the next season. The Barry Sollenberger Classic wasn't played in 2018 and it needs to come back. I propose the first of a doubleheader at scenic Cromer Stadium in Flagstaff on the campus of Coconino HS be played between the two 3A title winners from the previous year on the Saturday of Week 1. If it's Year 2 of the realignment, you have the entire offseason to make fixes to the schedules. As for the second game, I'll let the AIA make the call on who the big-school game is. Barry was all about Arizona HS football and I'd like to believe he'd want to see two in-state teams instead of bringing in a team from California or Nevada.

We have the 6A Open Conference at the beginning and this is the other end of the spectrum. We bring the 2A Conference back in 2022 with a couple exceptions.

Open to Some - The only prerequisite to joining the 2A Conference is you had to have had a sub-.500 record over the previous two years. In calculating this, postseason wins count and postseason losses don't. Having a losing record does not automatically place you in 2A. Like the 6A Open, there is a form to fill out. Meet the criterion and you're in. No petition necessary. If a bigger school wants in, they can do that. If a team that has struggled at 4A wants in, they can. If schools that were in the current 2A struggle in either one of the 3A conferences, they can come back. Like the 6A Open, it's a two-year block (commitment). Also, speaking of the 6A, teams would not be able to go directly from the 6A Open to the 2A. I don't know why a team would, but let's just eliminate the loophole from the start.

Region Play - Schools would be broken into five to seven team regions based solely on geography. Because we have no idea how many teams are in this conference from year to year, there could be a lot of travel involved. Something to consider if a team not used to traveling wanted in the new 2A. Region winners would qualify for the playoffs.

100% Scheduling of Freedom Games - Preserve those old rivalries or matchups with nearby opponents that you enjoyed in your previous home by getting to schedule the other four to six games on the schedule.

16 Team Playoff - Teams that haven't sniffed the playoffs in a long time get a shot. Nothing boosts school spirit more in the fall than having a football team that can compete on Friday nights. Power points would be used to determine seedings (byes if less than 16 schools involved). This isn't an "everyone gets a trophy" approach, it's simply giving teams a chance to be competitive. Having a winning varsity football team can help improve the overall numbers in the program. Of course, if you do some winning over your two years in 2A, you won't be allowed to come back in 2024. So, learn how to win football games, build your numbers, and then return to your respective conference and see how it goes.

Here's how a possible calendar might look for a 2-year realignment that would begin in 2020 (it could be moved up to accommodate a single-year for 2019).

November 30 - Teams would need to file paperwork if they want to be in the 6A Open (or in future realignments the 2A). By then, the only games remaining are the championship ones and coaches know how the varsity team did, who's coming back, and how the lower levels did.

December 1 - The AIA releases the initial conference placements for all teams. This makes the 6A Open (and future 2A) completed.

December 8 - Deadline for teams that want to appeal conference placements.

December 11-15 - Appeals heard for schools wanting to move down from 5A to 4A and 4A to 3A (those are the only ones we have). Any school wanting to move UP to 4A or 5A would automatically be granted.

December 16 - Conference placements become official.

January 8 - Initial region placements for 2A through 5A. The 2A ones become official (no appeals).

January 15 - Deadline for teams that want to appeal region placement within a conference.

January 20-25 - Appeals heard for schools wanting to move to another region (3A, 4A, or 5A).

January 31 - Final region placements announced and region schedules distributed to member schools.

February - All schools get the entire month of February to create their non-region schedules. Remember, the 6A Open and the 2A could have begun working on this December 1. Computer software within the AIA (which currently exists) would be used and once each team has clicked in the matchup with each other, it would be approved on the schedule.

March - For any team that did not fill 10 dates on its schedule, the appropriate AIA Conference committee would complete the schedules. Care would be given to make these games against others from the same conference.

April 1 - All schedules completed for the 2-year block (no foolin').

Late April - Spring ball begins and everyone is ready to get after it, knowing what conference they will be playing in for the upcoming season (and the next one).

So, there you have it. Hopefully, there would be enough interest in the 6A Open Conference to make it worthwhile. If there are only 12 teams in the 6A Open, that's fine. Think about the 37 schools in this year's 6A. How many of them had a realistic chance to win a state championship before the season? I'd love to see that video of the coaches telling their team after a practice, "Boys, we're gonna play in the 6A Open".

While we're at it, let's get a big championship belt to present along with the gold ball for the "undisputed champion of Arizona".

Like our friend Chilly at Arizona Varsity likes to say, "Who's ready for that smoke?". Under this method, we'd find out.

Give your opinion! Check out the free Gridiron Arizona forum and let us know what you think of the AIA proposal and the GARP.

https://arizonavarsity.forums.rivals.com/forums/the-gridiron-arizona-forum.40/