Footballking16

Maybe prefaced that wrong. There have been several inclinations, many on this thread alone, that suggests teams would start mailing it in after starting 0-4, as if the all-in is the single motivating factor for keeping teams intact. Would you disagree with that?

I was just giving my experiences having played in a sport with an all-in and a sport where you had to qualify. Granted, these experiences were anywhere from 15-20 years ago so I'm sure times have changed in certain instances. But my point remains that kids are going to play when and where you tell them to play. Seems to be this myth floating around that if you "take" away the postseason from everyone then you'll start to see a decline in participation. Is there any evidence that a state like Indiana has a growing participation rate being it's an all-in state bs a state where teams have to qualify? I haven't seen anything that suggests this.

Wire is a stretch but yes Penn did play Cathedral better than they've had in the past. It is important to note that CHS was down their starting RB, TE, and DT, two of which are D1 commits. Definitely suffered a first half hangover after a pretty demoralizing loss to Brownsburg, but turned it on in the second half when they needed too. As far as Carroll goes, I haven't seen them play so can't really comment. They should have their chance to prove themselves here in a few weeks assuming they get past Crown Point.

It makes the regular season actually mean something. I've said this from the onset. Can't tell me that an historically weak program actually qualifying for the postseason wouldn't bring great joy and achievement to that school, community, its players, fans, and coaches. Much more than being entitled to a postseason game under the current format. I played under the all-in. I was indifferent to it, I didn't know any better. But as a competitive person who for years has watched different sports at different levels for nearly my entire life, it's asinine to think a playoff format can exist without taking a single ounce of consideration from the regular season. It doesn't make any sense. I grew up playing travel baseball. Played 10-15 tournaments a summer. You were put in a pool with 3 other teams. You played a round robin schedule Thursday and Friday and the top two teams advanced to the championship bracket and the other two either went to the consolation bracket or in some cases didn't play over the weekend at all. Never once did I get the feeling we were being cheated in the event our team didn't advance. Winners get rewarded, losers don't. I think most kids realize that at an early age. I played CYO football and back in the day you had to win your division to make the playoffs. It wasn't a novel idea back then just like it isn't today. I'm guessing if you polled 100 Indiana high school football athletes from all over the state in different classes, very little, if any, would tell you they play high school football because the all-in exists. I'm guessing the same percent would tell you they'd still play football even if their team was forced to qualify.

Never said it was a given that if a team starts 0-4 they will make it, but it doesn’t it doesn’t automatically end their season right there. Just because you played in a terrible qualifying format decades ago doesn’t mean a functioning and competitive format can’t exist today. Nobody is advocating for the old points or cluster system to return. Eliminating half the field at the conclusion of the regular isn’t a stretch by any means.

Call it whatever you like. Pike Central’s “run”,along with inclusion, to the sectional championship only exists due to a fundamentally flawed and broken system.

An added tenth regular season game gives teams more flexibility. Again, if all but 2 states in the Union can figure it out so can Indiana. Mailing it in is a choice. That’s a program/culture issue, not a postseason format issue. If you need an “entitled” postseason game to bring yourself to strap it up every Friday night you need to be taking a long hard look in the mirror.

Irregardless, if teams mail it in early because they are no longer “entitled” to a postseason game that’s a “culture/program” problem not a postseason format problem. Adding a tenth regular season game solves that issue rather quickly.

I think Georgia is better than UT and expect them to beat the Vols next week but I think UT deserves to be #1 out of the gate purely based on resume to date.

I might be ready to put Illinois ahead of Penn State. Can’t help but to think where Illinois would be ranked today had they not tripped out of the gate to IU of all teams.

Two very good teams, agree with that. Kokomo could make some noise with Bidunga as well. Do you know if Cathedral and BD are scheduled to play again in the regular season?

Xavier Booker has exploded since that first meeting and will be the difference maker in my opinion. Irish return 3-4 other D1 kids as well.

Under my proposal, the field is cut in half AFTER the conclusion of the regular season. In a system that uses a computer ranking formulating W-L record, opp W-L record, SOS, and opponent SOS, no team is mathematically eliminated until the conclusion of the regular season. This kills the argument so many use about teams mailing it in after they start the year 0-3 or 0-4.

Agreed but still believe Cathedral is the heavy favorite unless Tibbs doesn’t play.

Not defending champ Cathedral who has the #1 rated recruit in the country?

I don’t think the MIC is near the gauntlet it used to be. It’d be one thing if CG and Carmel were still around but they aren’t. And no I don’t think New Pal would run roughshod like they do in their current conference but they could more than hold their own. Believe Pike, NC, LN, and LC all have a few guys who go both ways.

How many kids from New Pal play both ways? How many do it out of necessity? New Pal playing a MIC schedule and then turning around and playing in the 4A tournament isn’t the gauntlet you think.

I disagree given current trends and trajectory. Over the next 10 years I’d see NP success rate over current MIC teams as follows: NC 90% Pike 80% LC 60-70% LN 60-70% Warren 50% BD 30-40%

I don’t disagree at all that in an all-in format that appropriately seeds team 1-8 and 1-4 that the first week of the postseason serves as a qualifier. There’s enough data out there that suggests top half Sagarin teams don’t lose to bottom half Sagarin teams and a format that seeds the sectionals accordingly will serve as a de facto qualifier. And if/wgen that happens, hopefully it completely changes the outlook for those who favor the all-in. The current format theoretically gives every team a “chance” to win due to the blind draw. Teams with terrible regular seasons can draw other teams with regular seasons and in some cases be put in the same half of the bracket as two other teams with terrible regular seasons. Everyone on this board knew there was a mathematical certainty that one of West Vigo, Princeton, Washington, or Pike Central would be playing for a sectional championship due to the blind draw. Its scenarios like this why people favor the all-in. In an all-in format that effectively seeds teams 1-8, this scenario effectively ends the second the ball is kicked off in the opening round. Pike Central is losing to a team like Owen Valley by 60 points. In the event the all-in is kept but seeding is properly introduced, the former outlook that everyone has a chance (like they did under the blind draw) immediately evaporates. The next reasonable outlook then becomes, “why are these first round games even happening”? The IHSAA does not want this and that is why seeding will never occur. It’s a precursor to a qualifier. But until seeding happens, you’ll still have a large sect of followers that still believe Cinderella is a real thing.

I think New Pal would more than hold their own. They would have been head over heels better than anybody not named Ben Davis this year.

I’d get New Pal on the horn stat. Maybe Whiteland.

Hopefully just a more competitive state tournament that rewards and takes into account regular season success. I know, I know, wishful thinking on my part.

If that sectional was seeded appropriately, there would have been 4 second half running clocks in the first round. Cut those teams out completely and you have a highly competitive sectional featuring the 4 top half teams.

You seed it then after a few years there’s no other logical choice but to cut the field in half. Appropriate seeding is step 1 to an eventual qualifier. That’s why the IHSAA hasn’t enacted it.

IU’s staff will be turned over here sooner than later and should be available. Hell Tom Allen probably has a job then if he wants it.