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Q of the Week: How will you define success of the expanded IHSA state football playoff system

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Edgytim

All-Conference
Staff member
May 29, 2001
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I know many of you are already set to kill it after one season and that's cool I get it and in many ways I agree.

But overall how would you define success for the expanded playoff system? Again I'm very interested to know your thoughts here.
 
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SiuCubFan8

All-Conference
Jul 27, 2007
6,373
4,146
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This is the way I have looked at it.
16 teams make the playoffs in each class and get a bye.
32 remaining teams are in a "play in" round to fill the remaining 16 spots.
Then we have the same old 32 team bracket.
We will get much the same blowouts in all rounds including championship games.
Maybe we see some more deserving teams get in to the 32 team round than years past, that we have to wait and see.
 
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ramblinman reborn

Sophomore
Aug 15, 2025
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Edgytim said:
I know many of you are already set to kill it after one season and that's cool I get it and in many ways I agree.

But overall how would you define success for the expanded playoff system? Again I'm very interested to know your thoughts here.
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Hmmmm...very interesting question. You're asking me to take what I think is a lemon and turn it into lemonade.

The extra week for schools receiving a bye is more time to prepare and perhaps add a new play or two to the playbook. Most importantly, it is an opportunity for those players who are banged up to rest, recover, rehab and generally do whatever they need to do to be as healthy as possible for when their playoffs begin.

For those schools who won't be receiving a bye, it's a chance to lengthen their season and have one more week of practice and one more game. The benefits of that for most of those first round schools may well be felt in the next year as those underclassmen will have an extra week that they normally wouldn't have had.

Other than playoff revenue, I think it is pretty much impossible to establish metrics to measure the success (or lack thereof) of the expanded playoffs.
 
A

AwGabJazz

Redshirt
Jun 8, 2026
13
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ramblinman reborn said:
Hmmmm...very interesting question. You're asking me to take what I think is a lemon and turn it into lemonade.

The extra week for schools receiving a bye is more time to prepare and perhaps add a new play or two to the playbook. Most importantly, it is an opportunity for those players who are banged up to rest, recover, rehab and generally do whatever they need to do to be as healthy as possible for when their playoffs begin.

For those schools who won't be receiving a bye, it's a chance to lengthen their season and have one more week of practice and one more game. The benefits of that for most of those first round schools may well be felt in the next year as those underclassmen will have an extra week that they normally wouldn't have had.

Other than playoff revenue, I think it is pretty much impossible to establish metrics to measure the success (or lack thereof) of the expanded playoffs.
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Not sure if a BYE in High School is that beneficial. Not having real game action in 2 weeks could hurt a team. Not like NFL where it can certainly help and get injured people back, in High School it could make teams come out flat and not as physically prepared. Just my opinion....
 
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SiuCubFan8

All-Conference
Jul 27, 2007
6,373
4,146
113
AwGabJazz said:
Not sure if a BYE in High School is that beneficial. Not having real game action in 2 weeks could hurt a team. Not like NFL where it can certainly help and get injured people back, in High School it could make teams come out flat and not as physically prepared. Just my opinion....
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I'm confused, HS kids get banged up, NFL teams come out flat after a bye week.....
 
4

4Afan

All-Conference
Sep 15, 2001
4,690
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I think that's a question for the teams that will make it this year that previously wouldn't have made the playoffs. Ask the leadership of those 4-5, 3-6, and 2-7 teams that made the playoffs feel that the extra game was worth it to their coaches, players, and fans.

If a 2-7 team hangs with a 5-4 team in the opening round but still loses, is that playoff experience worth it for their kids?
 
J

johnndoe

Senior
Oct 19, 2019
1,260
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Colin2299 said:
If the 32 team format average margin of defeat is improved from last years
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One factor may actually INCREASE the margin in the Round of 32 games. The seeded teams waiting will know their possible opponent with the chance to personally scout with the whole staff the play-in game feeding in to their bracket. Previously, both competing teams in the Round of 32 were flying blindly equally.
 
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ramblinman reborn

Sophomore
Aug 15, 2025
165
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AwGabJazz said:
Not sure if a BYE in High School is that beneficial. Not having real game action in 2 weeks could hurt a team. Not like NFL where it can certainly help and get injured people back, in High School it could make teams come out flat and not as physically prepared. Just my opinion....
Click to expand...
Yes, I thought of that, and there is probably some truth to it. Then I also thought of teams at the end of the regular season that might be banged up and can use the week off to become healthier. Certainly, there's truth in that too.
 
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ramblinman reborn

Sophomore
Aug 15, 2025
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McCaravan said:
I think it's going to be another round at the CCL punching bag as some 3-6 CCL team is going to get matched up with a 7-2 public team and if they win, the separation talks will happen a week earlier then they normally do.
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And the whining from those 7-2 public schools will claim they would have run the table if it hadn't been for that 3-6 private all-star team. :rolleyes:
 
Q

Quags22

Senior
Aug 15, 2006
2,298
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The only way this is a success, is if it has the ability to grow the game of football in programs that have not been successful.

That maybe can come from schools like Joliet Central, which has only made the playoffs once or just a few times. Or for schools that have qualified for the playoffs in the past, but haven't hosted a playoff game in a long time or even ever. Add in a school that gets its first playoff.

All of those could be huge boosts to sluggish programs all over the state.

If schools across the state, especially those that fall into those above categories don't build off the momentum, that this whole thing is a giant whiff.
 
S

SouthofI80Fan

Junior
Aug 3, 2021
408
353
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Well, it was supposed to improve scheduling with the hope that teams wouldn't dodge games to help their record. Maybe it's too soon to to tell, but that so far has been a failure.

As mentioned, maybe it helps grow some programs and improve their numbers because they get a "taste of success" but they won't be seen until next August.
 
M

MsDavis10

Sophomore
Nov 9, 2019
174
193
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Many teams scheduled more competitive than usual non-con games due to the new playoff rules where wins don’t matter. This has caused a handful of good teams to currently be slightly above, on, or below the .500 line. The CCL, for example, has a ton of teams that this board think can do some real damage in the playoffs, even though they currently have 2,3, or 4 wins. I believe we will have a few instances of two very good teams with bad records matching up in the “play-in” round. Screwed by the draw. We will also having some very bad 2 win teams facing off vs very bad 5 or 6 win teams in the “play-in” round. Luck of the draw.
 
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