High school football loses its virginity on Saturday (SF Chronicle)

Not sure how many more games.

The problem is -- CIF would have to be completely revamped to get a state playoff.

You'd have to do away with the geographical sections, which have been around for more than a century, and reclassify the sections like other states (by size).

It could work (you'd have a south bracket and a north bracket in each classification, with the winners meeting in the finals) ... but there's sooooo much reorganization that would have to be done, plus the weight of tradition to contend with, that it's not feasible in the near-future.

Plus, if it ain't broke ...

 

So I go to the gym last week, and they're talking about the local Class AA team that lost in the state semifinals. "You know, the state, they don't care about the schools. After the districts, it's all about the money." : Cry me a river.

Like Shot, it's pathetic it took so long for Pennsylvania to add state playoffs, but the recent move to extend the season two weeks by expanding the playoffs was a joke. A 14-week season worked just fine. And the next plan, to move to EIGHT (?!) classifications, is just as much of a joke.

 

Illinois has eight football classifications (two or three too many) and is expanding its basketball tournament from two classes to four next year. Big mistake.

How many basketball classifications does California have? For how many schools?

 

Couldn't tell you. Just now figured out all the football mess, and then they changed it on me so I had to figure it out again.

Most other sports (i.e. non-football sports) do have state tournaments in CIF, btw.

I'm not sure if basketball is a state competition or just sections like football. But I know for sure that the smaller sports all have state tournaments.

 

California crowns a state champion in basketball. They sort it out after the section playoffs.

In 2005, the Southern Section had football playoffs in 13 divisions.

It looks like they did it differently this year, can't exactly figure it out...

 

Actually, they had 13 divisions this year, too. They just named than differently than Division I, Division II, etc.

 

Yep. Still 13 divisions, but they're now more based on geography and size rather than tradition and size. There were quite a few teams that had no business still playing in the old Division I when they should have been in Division V, etc.

 

Are California high schools trying to give the BCS a run for its money?

 

uhhhm, sectional vs. state. hmmm.

so the OC title offically is bigger than state, eh?

somehow i can't buy that.

 

how's the playoff system working out for texas buck?

 

I find it hard to swallow, too ... but they're not the only ones who feel that way.

It's much like the Pennsylvania team, Easton, that refuses to call off its Thanksgiving game even when it has a state playoff game two days later. They have said if they have to choose one or the other, they'll dump states.

 

Somehow, you'd have to -- before this season, there was no state title. Hadn't been one for 79 years.

This year, there were three "bowl games" at the end of the season. Six teams got a chance to play for a "state title", although it was a BCS-like process of choosing them.

So until there's a state-wide tournament, section title is always bigger, IMO.