New High School Football Playoff System
The new high school football format will began this fall. It will be different and not all agree it will be better.
Members of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association approved an innovative statewide football playoff format which will take effect during a two-year trial period starting in the fall of 2013.
Under the new format, after seven regular-season games, football playoffs will begin and conclude with state championship games. Six divisions will be established based on enrollment with games played at Gillette Stadium on the first Saturday in December.
After seven weeks, teams that qualify for the playoffs will begin sectional quarterfinal play. Week 8 playoff games are scheduled for Nov. 1-2 in 2013. After sectional semifinals and finals in the following two weeks, the state semifinals will be held Nov. 22-23, with Central teams facing off against schools from the West, North and South sections. The Thanksgiving Day rivalry games will be held as usual the next week, followed by six state championship games at Gillette on December 7. The old system produced 19 Super Bowl champions across the state.
Teams that do not qualify for the playoffs and those that are eliminated will play non-postseason games in weeks 8-10 against teams of similar size and location.
Many athletic directors feel the two-year trial period will give schools a chance to review the new system and make needed changes. The concern with the new system is the possibility that schools that traditionally play on Thanksgiving Day may meet during the playoffs.
On the plus side, fewer teams will be playing after Thanksgiving. Schools with small enrollments that rely on the participation of football players for the winter sports teams will have the athletes sooner.
Concerns about working to make sure teams face opponents of similar enrollment sizes has been addressed. Another concern is will the earlier start to playoff football diminish the traditional Thanksgiving Day games across the state. The Athletic Directors were not all in agreement but the consensus was to put the plan in action and assess the results.
(Information gathered from MIAA press release)
