New playoff system points in right direction

The Florida High School Athletic Association has been using a broken playoff system for football.

If you convince me why it makes sense to automatically reward a second-place district finisher, regardless of record, with a playoff spot, I’ll buy you lunch.

The days of a weak district automatically placing two teams in the playoffs are over. 

When the FHSAA announced it would be switching to a new, points-based system for the 2017 season, there was much rejoicing in football circles.

A summary of the new system’s formula probably would give you a headache. You’re not the only one, I promise.

Let’s just say that everything is based on points, instead of wins and losses.

A team, most of all, gets points for winning. No matter what, a team that loses can’t get more points for that week than a team that wins. However, a team is rewarded for playing a stronger team. The new system of points is based on the win-loss record of a team’s opponents.

Simply said, a team gets more points for losing to a good team than a bad one. A team also gets more points for beating a good team than a bad one. The points aren’t tabulated until the end of the season when all the records are known.

The FHSAA also offers a bonus of three points for playing a team that has made the playoffs within the last two seasons.

In classes 5A-8A, district champions will still get an automatic berth, but the four slots previously reserved for district runners-up will now be awarded to the four teams in each region (not district) that accumulated the most points. Theoretically, that means five teams from one district could make the playoffs, unlikely as it is. For an in-depth breakdown, visit fhsaa.org.

Only one area program has made the playoffs with consistency in recent years, so I chatted with Braden River coach Curt Bradley to get his thoughts on the system.

“It’s good from a coaching perspective, because you can preach to your kids that every week matters,” Bradley said. “In the past, it’s kind of been district weeks that matter,  and you had those games that get sandwiched in between a district game. You’re like, ‘Well, do you play all your guys?’ You don’t want to show everything on film for the next week’s opponent, those sorts of things. You can’t hold anything back this year.”

Bradley is glad the runner-up rule has been eliminated. Last season, Southeast High stole the Class 5A-District 11 consolation playoff slot with a record of 4-6, because all four wins came against district opponents. 

The new system is a step forward, but it also has its share of drawbacks in terms of designing a schedule. Not all districts have the same number of teams, so teams with two or three district games have more freedom than a team like the Class 7A-District 11 Pirates, who have five district games, or half of its yearly schedule, each season.

It also doesn’t account for what might happen to a team within a season. If Braden River beats district opponent Venice High when the Indians have a healthy Bryce Carpenter (committed to Coastal Carolina University) at quarterback, but he gets injured later in the season, misses games, and Venice sinks without him, why should Braden River be punished in the point system for that?

“It definitely changes the way you schedule, as far as the points system and scheduling tougher competition,” Bradley said.

The Pirates start their regular season with an Aug. 24 game against Chatfield High, of Littleton, Colo., at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando. (Yes, the same points system applies to games against out-of-state teams). They follow that with a home game against Clearwater High and a road game against Manatee High before getting into district play. Braden River closes the season at St. Petersburg, meaning the Pirates will get 15 bonus points for playing five teams that made the playoffs last season, the four named here plus Venice.

It’s a tough road, one Bradley clearly thinks his team can handle. There’s no doubt the Pirates are taking the “play the best possible teams” approach.

The move toward valuing teams’ records is a good one, but the overall system still has some holes. Take this season as a test and if it works, great, but I’m guessing there will be more questions.

The best solution remains to take the famous words of the late Al Davis, the Oakland Raiders’ owner, to heart.

Just win, baby.