One change has already made its way to the FHSAA Football Playoffs. In fact, that name is the change.
The football playoffs are now known as the “Drive To December” as decided by a fan vote. Its location and format now are the parts that remain up in the air. The FHSAA requested bids to host the game as the tournament games appear set to leave Camping World Stadium where they have been held for much of the last decade.
The format too could be undergoing a change as FHSAA has floated a new proposal in front of athletic directors and coaches ahead of the end of the school year.
This could be the final year of district play as it is currently formatted.
The current playoff format has teams split among eight classifications into several districts of varying sizes. The teams that finish in first and second place in the district advance to the state playoffs.
That format could be changing. George Richards of the Miami Herald reports the FHSAA is considering doing away with districts and awards points to teams for playing tougher schedules. Beating a team with more wins generates more points and the eight teams with the most points in each classification will advance to the playoffs.
It is an intriguing idea for sure. Certainly something unique. And something that could create a made-for-TV special and intriguing matchups in the earlier rounds of the Playoffs. It would also eliminate teams in stronger districts missing the postseason.
But there are certainly problems with the format too. It is too uncertain for some teams to schedule 10 games without guaranteed district games. It may create a power imbalance as teams line up to play bigger schools in hopes of scoring big wins. Bigger schools may also schedule less marquee games for the regular season to protect their record and advance further up the standings.
It is important to remember this is still just a proposal. It is not finalized and coaches and athletic directors are still reviewing it.
The FHSAA released this statement regarding the proposed changes:
Creating the fairest and most exciting playoff format for our student-athletes in any sport has always been a top priority for the Florida High School Athletic Association. We realize any new system faces challenges, which is why we are currently working with football coaches and athletic directors across the Sunshine State to fine-tune this proposal. Once we have gathered opinions and feedback from across the state, we will present the proposal June 13-14 at our next Board of Directors meeting in Gainesville. Should it receive positive sentiment from the BOD, the proposal would then go before the AD Advisory Board later this fall in hopes of implementing it for the 2017 season. While in its infant stages, this proposal has already received overwhelmingly positive feedback thus far. We look forward to the possibility of providing student-athletes, coaches and fans the most exciting playoff system possible.
Again, it is unclear if this will get implemented for the 2017 season yet or not. The process is still being developed.
But it is certainly an intriguing idea and proposal for the state’s biggest high school sport.
