Footballking16

Except for last year, the games between Cathedral and Center Grove have been pretty exciting given the final score. Cathedral and Center Grove both have byes the following week. I suspect one of Cathedral's best players will be held out this week for precautionary reasons as he was injured against Brebeuf.

You know what limits first round blowouts? A qualifying format. Seeding the sectionals appropriately would justify the means to eliminate half the field after the conclusion of the regular season. It's perhaps the only reason why the IHSAA has implemented a blind draw. It's not right. The blind draw waters down the entire postseason and renders the regular season meaningless.

Add a tenth regular season game and there's that problem solved. Whose to say schools that haven't qualified for the playoffs can't play a "bowl game" the week the playoff's start and split that revenue 50-50 instead of 4 to 8 different ways? Not implementing a qualifier at the sake of schools not receiving a quarter of gate revenue (for an already watered down system) isn't a good reason to stick with the all-in, blind draw.

Sure. Let's have de-facto state championships in round 1 and then try and enjoy a watered down postseason as it extends. Seems fun. I enjoy 50 point blowouts in the state finals as much as the next guy.

Try zero states. Nobody but Indiana uses an all-in, blind draw format. I believe Minnesota is the only other state with an all-in format, but it's seeded.

That's called life. Every other state in the country has that part figured out.

Meaningless in the sense that nothing you do in the regular season impacts your chances in the postseason. Go undefeated and you can play another undefeated team in your opening game. Go winless and there's a chance you can play a 1 win team the opening weekend. That ain't right. The postseason draw should impacted by the regular season. It isn't. It's a glorified 9 week exhibition.

That's only because we continue to allow it to happen lol. If this were any other state in the country, Avon gets a protected seed or bye and they aren't playing the second best in the state the opening weekend. Avon/Brownsburg is only allowed to happen because we continue to allow it to happen. That's why I'm advocating change, to make the regular season actually mean something.

It's not about proving how tough your team is, it's about making the regular season mean something. What value is there in a conference title that doesn't get you a protected seed or a bye in the first round and at the very worst doesn't even guarantee you a home game in the first round? Avon is a game away from going undefeated in one of the toughest conferences in the state. Their reward? Drawing an away game against the second best team in the state the opening weekend. It's maddening. It's wrong. Show me another sport at any level where a conference championship doesn't impact your postseason draw. You can't.

-add tenth regular season game -formulate a rating system that effectively cuts ~half the field in half at the conclusion of the regular season (32 teams 1A-4A; 16 in 5A-6A) -Once the field is established; split the top half into a "Northern Bracket" and the remaining half into a "Southern Bracket" and seed accordingly (1-16 1A-4A; 1-8 in 5A-6A North and South) -neutral site semi-state games played as double headers -State finals Thanksgiving weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium stays the same This not only enhances high school football in the state of Indiana, but gives the regular season actual meaning.

Add a tenth regular season game and your problem is solved. Not that hard of a concept really.

Avon/Brownsburg is a game that a minimum should be played at the regional level, if not SS or the finals. Only Indiana does the #1 team in the state who went undefeated and won their conference get to play on the on the road in the first round of the postseason, against the 2nd best team in the state no less. That’s unfathomable. It’s wrong. I fully support the IHSAA seeding the sectionals because it’s the first step to a qualification format which I fully endorse. The number of blowouts in round 1 if the sectionals were seeded properly would only further the case for a qualification system. In fact I believe that is the ONLY reason why the sectionals aren’t seeded, because the IHSAA would then have to justify the current all-in format.

Not if every team is playing at the same time thanks to the all-in format.

There’s plenty you can do, seeding the sectionals is a start. Every single state in the Union has figured out a rating system that determines qualification to the postseason with the exception of Indiana. It ain’t rocket science. Seeding the sectionals would be the starting domino to a qualification system that eliminates half the field after the conclusion of the regular season.

That’s irrelevant. The current format renders the regular season meaningless.

Wait a second...wasn’t the entire premise of this thread for Carmel and CG to leave the MIC because their other conference foes don’t travel well (ie pull their weight like CG and Carmel)???? Now Carmel doesn’t travel particularly well either? Geez you’re all over the place. This did get to 7 pages, congrats I guess?

Really hurts your "MIC fans don't travel narrative" doesn't it?

Wouldn't be shocked in the least. Still doesn't override the nearly three decade long run of dominance the MIC is on.

Win a few state titles, heck make it to the state finals and we can start to about the HCC closing the gap. A few regular season wins over Pike, North Central, and Lawrence Central does signal current dominance. You still don't know what the word means.

They have been better this year as in terms of record. That in no way, shape, or form speaks to the dominance that the MIC currently has over the HCC. It's not comparable, you cannot use a small sample space such as 7 games to offset the significant gap between the two conferences.

That's recency bias, that is not the definition of dominant by any stretch of means. I don't think you know what the word dominant means. You're picking a select (and small sample at that) to push a narrative that doesn't exist.

How else do you define "dominant"? 16/19 titles in football is dominant. It's actually more than dominant. The last 2 basketball finals have been all-MIC and the MIC has won 6/10 titles including the last 3 and are huge favorites to 4peat. That's dominant. What is your definition of dominant?

One season does not define a conference LOL. You're extrapolating data from 7 games in a single year that in no way defines that gap between the HCC and the MIC. The two conference's in terms of success really aren't comparable at this juncture. If this pattern keeps up for another 3-5 years, then yes you can make a legitimate argument. Until then....stop.

If Avon or Brownsburg win the state title this year I will congratulate either one on a great season while still acknowledging the that the HCC has a LONG way to go before catching up to the MIC. Basketball there's an even wider gap. The ACC won the CFB playoff last year but is still light years behind the SEC.

Are perceptions not realities too? Ever think Center Grove is now the "measuring stick" because they compete and beat the remaining top competition by playing in the TOUGHEST conference?