My bracket proposal

[SimmonsRatings]

I have a look at what I think the brackets "should" look like - I take the seeding rules and give them some common sense adjustments. You can see them at the link below - let me know what you think. Be sure to read
the rules carefully so you can see how I tweak the rules.

http://www.simmonsratings.com/bracket

 

[TVILLEDAWG2370]

Any bracket that has Shelby as a #4 seed can't be right...but I guess it's because they didn't win their conference and the teams seeded ahead of them did.

 

[Be_A_Dog]

I like it. I really like trying to avoid rematches in the first round. Thanks for all the time and work you put in each week!

 

[jsc1973]

Any bracket that doesn't make a 7-4 Mount Airy play at 8-3 Whiteville in the first round is an improvement. If someone has to go all the way across the state to play in the first round, it should be a losing team, not a seven-win team.

And the 11-game record is how they used to do it, and should do it again. Letting a team drop a loss, but only if you play 11 and it's a non-conference loss, is silly.

 

[Be_A_Dog]

Any bracket that doesn't make a 7-4 Mount Airy play at 8-3 Whiteville in the first round is an improvement. If someone has to go all the way across the state to play in the first round, it should be a losing team, not a seven-win team.

And the 11-game record is how they used to do it, and should do it again. Letting a team drop a loss, but only if you play 11 and it's a non-conference loss, is silly.

Tough bracket. Only 3 teams with a losing record in the west 1AA. Somebody had to take the trip. Happens to be the Bears this year.

 

[NWWatchdog]

Any bracket that doesn't make a 7-4 Mount Airy play at 8-3 Whiteville in the first round is an improvement. If someone has to go all the way across the state to play in the first round, it should be a losing team, not a seven-win team.

And the 11-game record is how they used to do it, and should do it again. Letting a team drop a loss, but only if you play 11 and it's a non-conference loss, is silly.

It's partially a product of a split playoff system where (most often) bigger teams beat smaller teams from their conferences, thus tend to have more wins in their overall record. Football is the only sport that splits their playoffs within classification levels, partially for more money and partially to give smaller schools a better shot of winning a state title (football is the sport where school size tends to show more of a discrepancy within classifications). Basketball and Baseball have 32 teams in the western bracket, not 16. Heck, there were years past when 2 teams with LOSSING RECORDS would play in the first round in basketball or baseball. Having a playoff bracket with mostly winning teams is a welcome sight (I wish they would drop the other sports down to 16). If you're not happy with the MA draw, tell them not to finish 3rd in their conference.

 

[jsc1973]

If you're not happy with the MA draw, tell them not to finish 3rd in their conference.

Give me a break, dude.

I've been in Mount Airy for less than two months. Seen them play one game since I've been here, and that was against Atkins, which wasn't really a game. I hate it for them that they're getting sent halfway across the state in the first round, but if it was the other way around and Whiteville was 7-4 and coming here, I'd say the exact same thing. It's a problem that needs to be addressed.

My interest in the subject is as a person who's been writing about North Carolina high school football for 22 years.

 

[btango]

They did the pod system for a few years and it saved some miles but it was terrible from a competition standpoint. Everyone complained about having to play teams from their conference in the first round or two but they complains about travel before.

I think the biggest issue is when a 16 seed travels hours to get rolled when they could have been preparing for winter sports a week earlier.

Is 64 of 76 teams making the playoffs too many???

 

[SamTheMan]

Yep. Should be 32

 

[NWWatchdog]

Give me a break, dude.

I hate it for them that they're getting sent halfway across the state in the first round, but if it was the other way around and Whiteville was 7-4 and coming here, I'd say the exact same thing. It's a problem that needs to be addressed.

Never accused you of being a Mt.Airy homer so you can stop with the righteous indignation and "give me a break" comments. If it were the other way around, I'd say the exact same thing to Whiteville...should have finished higher if you wanted a better seed and didn't want to travel so early. That comes from 20+ years of watching playoff sports in North Carolina. Should Starmount not have to travel to Swain? N.Moore not have to travel to Mitchell? It is what it is.

The pod system was a disaster from a competition stand point because teams from the same conferences would be pitted against each other earlier and the tougher conferences would devour themselves leaving the weaker pod to produce an inferior representative. East Surry actually benefited from this in basketball a couple years ago when they were sent to the western pod as a 14 seed wild card and made it to the regionals due to the western pod being much weaker than the Midwestern pod. That still doesn't make it right - the pods are not the best option, from a competition standpoint. At least a straight seeding is more fair. I agree that Whiteville should be in the east rather than west, but it is what it is. Have concern for limiting travel during the regular season, but the playoffs should be about producing the best team as champion. There's no perfect system, but the seeding for playoffs should reflect a top down approach based on performance and shouldn't be handcuffed by travel restrictions.

 

[FridayNiteLights1217]

A positive point is if Mount Airy beats Whiteville in the east which is not much further then going to Robbinsville or Swain, that knocks off 1 eastern team and half the west will be getting knocked off for week 2.

 

[sbbbfan]

If Whiteville wins they probably get to travel to Mitchell if yhey win