From 2016-17 NCHSAA Handbook
4.1.17 Playoff Berths/Qualification:
(a) All teams that finish first (1st) in the conference regular season or are the conference tournament champions, automatically qualify. In a split conference a team must finish 1st in their part of the split or be the conference tournament champion to automatically qualify.
(1) Split conferences cannot have separate tournaments, and the regular season conference champion must participate in the conference tournament.
(b) All other teams qualify based upon the best 22-game record (10-game, Football; All games, Tennis, Wrestling and Lacrosse) from the non-automatic qualifiers in a classification.
(c) All classifications will field a full complement of 64 teams with the exception of Tennis, Wrestling and Lacrosse.
(d) If ties exist for the final at-large berth(s) qualifiers, they will be broken by:
(1) All Head-to-Head Competition:
(i) The non-conference game(s) that are dropped for seeding purposes may still be used in breaking a tie
(2) Conference Winning Percentage
(3) Draw
4.1.18 Seeding:
(a) Once the qualifying teams are determined, they will be divided into four (4) groups, (i.e. East, Mideast, Midwest, West) based upon the longitude of each school.
(b) Seed all first place, regular season conference champions by 22-game winning percentage (10-game, football; All games, Tennis, Wrestling & Lacrosse) followed by;
(c) Conference tournament champions by 22-game winning percentage (10-game, football; All games, Tennis, Wrestling & Lacrosse), followed by;
(d) All other qualifying teams by 22-game winning percentage (10-game, football; All games, Tennis, Wrestling & Lacrosse)
(1) All ties for seeding in (a), (b) or (c) will be broken by:
(i) All Head-to-Head Competition Note: The non-conference game(s) that are dropped for seeding purposes may still be used in breaking a tie. Note: All teams involved in the tie must have played each other.
(ii) 24-game record (11-game, Football; All games, Tennis, Wrestling and Lacrosse)
(iii) MaxPreps Ranking (last available ranking at the time of the seeding)
(iv) Draw
4.1.17 Playoff Berths/Qualification:
(a) All teams that finish first (1st) in the conference regular season or are the conference tournament champions, automatically qualify. In a split conference a team must finish 1st in their part of the split or be the conference tournament champion to automatically qualify.
(1) Split conferences cannot have separate tournaments, and the regular season conference champion must participate in the conference tournament.
(b) All other teams qualify based upon the best 22-game record (10-game, Football; All games, Tennis, Wrestling and Lacrosse) from the non-automatic qualifiers in a classification.
(c) All classifications will field a full complement of 64 teams with the exception of Tennis, Wrestling and Lacrosse.
(d) If ties exist for the final at-large berth(s) qualifiers, they will be broken by:
(1) All Head-to-Head Competition:
(i) The non-conference game(s) that are dropped for seeding purposes may still be used in breaking a tie
(2) Conference Winning Percentage
(3) Draw
4.1.18 Seeding:
(a) Once the qualifying teams are determined, they will be divided into four (4) groups, (i.e. East, Mideast, Midwest, West) based upon the longitude of each school.
(b) Seed all first place, regular season conference champions by 22-game winning percentage (10-game, football; All games, Tennis, Wrestling & Lacrosse) followed by;
(c) Conference tournament champions by 22-game winning percentage (10-game, football; All games, Tennis, Wrestling & Lacrosse), followed by;
(d) All other qualifying teams by 22-game winning percentage (10-game, football; All games, Tennis, Wrestling & Lacrosse)
(1) All ties for seeding in (a), (b) or (c) will be broken by:
(i) All Head-to-Head Competition Note: The non-conference game(s) that are dropped for seeding purposes may still be used in breaking a tie. Note: All teams involved in the tie must have played each other.
(ii) 24-game record (11-game, Football; All games, Tennis, Wrestling and Lacrosse)
(iii) MaxPreps Ranking (last available ranking at the time of the seeding)
(iv) Draw
