Success Factor Points Update (2025 Season)

[fenderbender]

22 minutes ago, Frozen Tundra said:

Not a fan of teams needing 3 points to stay up. Should’ve stayed at 2 points. 

Interesting that it only impacts EC this year.  
 

 

[Justasportsfan]

41 minutes ago, crimsonace1 said:

Of the schools currently "playing up"

Decatur Central: 1st year in 6A; will stay up through 2027 season if they win a *regional* next year
Heritage Hills: 1st year in 4A. will stay up through 2027 season with a semistate win this year. 
Chatard: Back to 3A next year (1 point during 2 years in 4A)
East Central: Back to 4A next year (2 points during 2 years in 5A)
Cathedral: 1st year in 5A. Will stay in 5A through 2027 season with a semistate win in 2026. If not, will go back to 4A in 2027. 
LCC: 2nd year in 2A. Going back to 1A next year (1 point during 2 years in 2A)
New Pal: 1st year in 5A. Will stay up through 2027 season with a semistate win. 
FW Snider: Back to 5A next year (0 points during 2 years in 6A)
Lutheran: Staying in 2A next year (3 points during 2 years), will need to win a regional next year to stay up in 2027. 

Other teams potentially going up/down
Adams Central: 2A champ last year; 2A regional this year. Going to 3A for 2026/27
Andrean: 2A regional last year. Will go up to 3A for 2026/27 with a state title this year. 
Bloomington South: 5A regional last year. Will go up to 6A for 2026/27 with state title this year
FW Luers: 3A semistate last year. Will move up to 4A for 2026/27 with a semistate title this year. 
Merrillville: 5A regional last year. Will move up to 6A for 2026/27 with a state title this year. 
South Adams: 1A regional last year. Will move up to 2A for 2026/27 with a state title this year. 
South Putnam: 1A regional last year. Will move up to 2A for 2026/27 with a state title this year. 
 

Basically, you get one point for each trophy you win in the tournament (except the runner-up trophy). 

Merrillville wins regionals in back to back years, is it because they didnt get bumped up? Programs need x amount to get bumped up yet need 3 pts to stay in the higher class?

[jakone]

1 hour ago, Coach Nowlin said:

3a because of Enrollment not because of SF 

 

Schools Competing in a Larger Enrollment Classification due to Rule 2-5

# Decatur Central plays in Class 6A for 2025-26, 2026-27 due to Rule 2-5

# Heritage Hills plays in Class 4A for 2025-26, 2026-27 due to Rule 2-5

n Indianapolis Bishop Chatard plays in Class 4A for 2024-25, 2025-26 due to Rule 2-5

$ Indianapolis Cathedral plays in Class 5A for 2025-26 and 2026-27 due to Rule 2-5.

n Lafayette Central Catholic plays in Class 2A for 2024-25 and 2025-26 due to Rule 2

 

Correct 3a due to enrollment not SF from previous cycle :  ie:  LUERS 

Thanks I forgot about moving up due to enrollment. 

[crimsonace1]

1 hour ago, Justasportsfan said:

Merrillville wins regionals in back to back years, is it because they didnt get bumped up? Programs need x amount to get bumped up yet need 3 pts to stay in the higher class?

6 points to get bumped up. So either back-to-back semistates or a regional + state title in a rolling 2-year cycle. 

[foxbat]

5 hours ago, Coach Nowlin said:

Whoopsie:  Yup, always get the points messed up as Regional qualifier is only 1 pt, Regional winner is 2 points 

 

IHSAA Rule 2-5, the Tournament Success Factor, 

promotes competitive balance by moving successful teams to a higher enrollment class for a specific sport. Teams earn points for reaching later stages in the tournament: 1 for a sectional championship, 2 for a regional, 3 for a semi-state, and 4 for a state championship. A team that scores six or more points over a two-year period is moved up to the next largest enrollment class for that sport. 

 

How the rule works

• Point system: Schools earn points for success in the tournament series for specific sports like football, baseball, softball, and basketball.
  • Sectional championship: 1 point
  • Regional championship: 2 points
  • Semi-state championship: 3 points
  • State championship: 4 points
• Reclassification:
  • If a school achieves a total of six or more points in a specific sport over a two-year period, it is moved up to the next higher enrollment class for that sport for the following two years.
  • If a school is already in a higher class, it will move up to the next largest class if it earns six or more points over two years.
• Annual review (effective 2024-25): Beginning with the 2024-25 school year, a school's performance and points accumulated in a two-year span will be reviewed annually.
• Staying in class: A school that is playing in a higher class will drop down one class if it accumulates three or fewer points over the two-year span. Schools scoring four or more points will remain in that higher class.
• Purpose: The rule was created to improve competitive balance and slow the dominance of certain programs by reclassifying teams based on their tournament success, not just their enrollment numbers. 

Use to be 4, then it was 2, now it's 3.

If it was 2 originally, LCC would have stayed in 2A instead of dropping back down to 1A and picking up a couple of state titles back in 2015 and 2019 before heading back to 2A.

[foxbat]

6 hours ago, WWFan said:

If 4 that means LCC and Lutheran go back to 1A? 

Lutheran stays as they have a regional and sectional in 2A ... 3 points and stay.

Would have been fun to watch them and LCC go after each other again ... maybe.

[Frozen Tundra]

5 hours ago, fenderbender said:

Interesting that it only impacts EC this year.  
 

 

Impacted Cathedral last year

[kdets89]

25 minutes ago, foxbat said:

Lutheran stays as they have a regional and sectional in 2A ... 3 points and stay.

Would have been fun to watch them and LCC go after each other again ... maybe.

2027.  Egg should be back in the snake by then.

[HoopsCoach]

Personal opinion - any team that gets moved up a class (or more) and wins a sectional should not get to drop back down a class.  They’ve proven they can compete and find “success” in a class above their enrollment classification.  No team should be eligible to drop back down a class until they do not win at least a sectional.  They should stay up until they lose a sectional.  It is silly to me to let a team drop to a lower class when they’ve been winning in a higher class.  Barr-Reeve’s principal was the driving force behind the rule change to 3 points so their highly successful volleyball team (which has been success factored from 1A to 3A but couldn’t win a state championship in 3A) could move back a class to 2A.  Wouldn’t you know it, Barr-Reeve volleyball dropped to 2A for the current cycle, won a regional last year, and a state championship this year.  Don’t be surprised if there is a push to move the point total back up to 4 points to stay up a class after the Vikings don’t win 3A the next two years.

[23andCounting]

17 hours ago, Justasportsfan said:

Merrillville wins regionals in back to back years, is it because they didnt get bumped up? Programs need x amount to get bumped up yet need 3 pts to stay in the higher class?

Snider back in 5A next season joining Merrillville. Dwenger and East Noble to remain in 4A. Adams Central to 3A. Luers to 4A if they win Friday. 

[Justasportsfan]

24 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

Snider back in 5A next season joining Merrillville. Dwenger and East Noble to remain in 4A. Adams Central to 3A. Luers to 4A if they win Friday. 

Thought Luers would remain in 3A due to their "cycle" starting this year with them bumping up by enrollment. I am lost in the sauce with all the changes.

[23andCounting]

27 minutes ago, Justasportsfan said:

Thought Luers would remain in 3A due to their "cycle" starting this year with them bumping up by enrollment. I am lost in the sauce with all the changes.

They were in 3A last year. My presumption is that they'd move up with a win over Knox. 

[crimsonace1]

3 hours ago, Justasportsfan said:

Thought Luers would remain in 3A due to their "cycle" starting this year with them bumping up by enrollment. I am lost in the sauce with all the changes.

They were in 3A last year. The SF points start over when you move up to a new class, but once you're there, the points continue to accumulate, even if you move up due to enrollment in Year 2 of the cycle. If Luers wins this week, they'll be in 4A the next two years. 

[23andCounting]

33 minutes ago, crimsonace1 said:

They were in 3A last year. The SF points start over when you move up to a new class, but once you're there, the points continue to accumulate, even if you move up due to enrollment in Year 2 of the cycle. If Luers wins this week, they'll be in 4A the next two years. 

This is an example of a flaw in the system. No way a team should move up having not won a title. 

[Muda69]

I sure wish schools could get bumped down due to lack of wins, regardless of what class their enrollment puts them at.  

 

 

[Coach Nowlin]

38 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

This is an example of a flaw in the system. No way a team should move up having not won a title. 

TITLE?  as in State, Sectional, Regional, Semi State?  

[23andCounting]

8 minutes ago, Coach Nowlin said:

TITLE?  as in State, Sectional, Regional, Semi State?  

State. No team should move up without having won a state title. 

[Donnie Baker]

3 minutes ago, 23andCounting said:

State. No team should move up without having won a state title. 

That should be STATE LAW!

[US31]

The best version of Success Factor:

• Cannot be bumped unless you've won on Thanksgiving weekend (seems obvious....but IHSAA gonna IHSAA)
• Rolling 2 year cycles (has been added)
• 2 points to "Stay" (we used to have that...winning your sectional each year isn't good enough to stay up?)
• No P/P in 1A (😇...hate me if you want.  It's the right call)

[Frozen Tundra]

5 hours ago, crimsonace1 said:

They were in 3A last year. The SF points start over when you move up to a new class, but once you're there, the points continue to accumulate, even if you move up due to enrollment in Year 2 of the cycle. If Luers wins this week, they'll be in 4A the next two years. 

Not quite understanding. If a team wins state in year 1, gets moved up due to enrollment, then wins regional in year 2 then that means they just have 2 points right? They wouldn’t get moved up again due to the success factor if their points were split between two classes, right?

[OldschoolFB]

This rule is very stupid. Unless you win 3-4 in a row, it’s not necessary. Or even get to semi state and or state 4 in a row but with the additive you have to win at least 1 state title.  The entire argument is to get more schools state titles so how can you move a team up if you don’t win even 1 title?

[foxbat]

9 hours ago, US31 said:

The best version of Success Factor:

• Cannot be bumped unless you've won on Thanksgiving weekend (seems obvious....but IHSAA gonna IHSAA)
• Rolling 2 year cycles (has been added)
• 2 points to "Stay" (we used to have that...winning your sectional each year isn't good enough to stay up?)
• No P/P in 1A (😇...hate me if you want.  It's the right call)

Think I'm gonna have to disagree with this.

[Muda69]

7 hours ago, foxbat said:

Think I'm gonna have to disagree with this.

Both of these 1A schools would probably have defeated "4A" Frankfort this year.  

 

[23andCounting]

7 hours ago, foxbat said:

Think I'm gonna have to disagree with this.

The rhetoric in Fort Wayne was that Blackhawk would come in and take over the sport. Wonders how long that's going to take. I guess they are showing a third straight year of improvement..........1-9, 1-8, 2-8. Lesson learned. Basketball domination has nothing to do with football domination. 

[Coach Nowlin]

I mean they were 8 man then now 11 man in year 3, so time will tell 

Big noise up my way is the impact Illiana Christian will have on :  Hanover Central, Lowell, Lake Central, CP,  Munster on the Public Side and Andrean, Mt Carmel, St. Rita as well on the Parochial side