Football coaches share playoff thoughts

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

For many football fans, it was an announcement that seemed to come out of nowhere.

The Ohio High School Athletic Association’s Board of Directors voted unanimously last week to expand the football playoffs from eight to 12 teams per region beginning in 2021. Approval was based on a proposal from the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association and it will increase the number of playoff qualifiers from 224 to 336 in Divisions I through VII.

Under the new format, the top four seeds in each region will have an opening round bye, while seed five through eight will host playoff games in the first round. The higher seeds will have the opportunity to host second round games.

The VW independent anonymously polled 15 area football coaches from the Northwest Conference, Western Buckeye League, Green Meadows Conference and Midwest Athletic Conference. They were asked the same questions – “Are you for or against the expanded playoffs and why? Also, do you have any concerns at all?” 11 of the coaches provided responses.

The majority of coaches seem to be in favor of the expanded field, but some also voiced some concerns. In no particular order, here are their responses.

Coach No. 1

“I like the expanded playoff format. There are some very tough regions out there and some very good teams have come up short, even with very good records. This would give them the opportunity to play.”

Coach No. 2

“The expanded playoffs give more teams and communities the opportunity to experience the thrill of the playoffs. I do not like our practices starting a week earlier.”

Coach No. 3

“I have mixed feelings to a degree. I am more in favor than against. Mainly because I am hoping this will open some minds on non-league scheduling. It is very difficult to find non-league games because everyone is trying to maximize Harbins (Harbin points).”

“Maybe this expansion will create more opportunities for good non-league games. I am not looking forward to a bye in week 11. I was more in favor of just adding to 16 teams per region right from the start.”

Coach No. 4

“I am for the expanded playoffs. (As a) Matter of fact I am not so sure they shouldn’t have just went with 16 teams with no first round bye for the top four seeds.”

“The reason I am for the expanded playoff format is in our conference a lot of the middle tier teams that go 7-3, 6-4, or even 5-5 that may have not made the playoffs in the past can now get in and if they are matched up with a team from another conference that they are superior to then they just made it to round two of the playoffs which in my opinion is even more competitive now then before with the eight team format.”

“I also think this helps teams that play in great conferences and don’t have the best record to show that they aren’t a mediocre team they just play in a great conference. This would also help out teams like Gibsonburg who went 10-0 last year but due to lack of competition that their opponents faced they could not make the eight team playoff format due to lack of computer points.”

“These two instances are exactly why I think the playoffs should be expanded. Help the teams that can’t necessarily help that they don’t play a tough schedule and also help those teams that do play a tough schedule get a chance against other conferences best teams to prove that they are better than mediocre like some of the teams in our conference.”

Coach No. 5

“The expanded playoffs give more teams and communities the opportunity to experience the thrill of the playoffs. I do not like our practices starting a week earlier.”

Coach No. 6

“I am definitely for the expansion. The more teams and communities that get to experience the uniqueness of the football playoffs I believe is better for everyone.”

“The only concern I have is that it makes the pre-season much more condensed, and if you have an inexperienced team returning then one full week less of practice could make a big difference early on for teams.”

Coach No. 7

I am for the playoff expansion (since it was voted in already). I actually voted against it. There are good and bad notes for this. I have a few pros and cons for the expansion.

1) Pro – the playoff experience is great for a school and a football program. More schools will get to experience it. Program builder
2) Pro – getting to play a game against an opponent you did not schedule for all year is a great experience.
3) Pro – For our school, getting to play another school of equal size is exciting. We play mostly bigger schools during our league schedule.
4) Pro – Possibly hosting another game, increasing the revenue possibilities for the school and program.
5) Pro – Bye week for top 4 teams. Great advantages a) “healing” week for the team b) great scouting opportunity for coaches – ability to scout next opponent live at the game.
6) Pro – All “deserving” teams would get in. We’ve seen 10-0 teams not make the playoffs. Less pressure on your regular season scheduling.
7) Con – Shorter pre-season
8) Con – Watered down playoffs
9) Con – Possibility of more blowouts in the first and even second round.
10) Con – State Champion could play a 16 game season. That’s more than the colleges play.
11) Con – Long travel in the playoffs could be round 1 AND round 2
12) Con – Playoffs could include teams with a losing record (deserving?)

Coach No. 8

“I am for the expansion of the playoffs. Playing in a tough region you see teams who have a good record and miss out being 8-2. Strength of schedule is a key factor as well. Those teams played a tough schedule and should be rewarded for that. It was also helpful to keep kids motivated knowing they have something to play for in week 10 with an expanded playoff format.”

Coach No. 9

“I felt that expanding to 12 teams from each region made sense. I think it has a chance to elevate programs who make the playoffs for the first time and it gives more schools a chance to host a playoff game. This will also help the OHSAA recover from revenue lost due to COVID-19. I am not saying that money controls everything but it is definitely a factor to consider when you are trying to run a healthy organization.”

“The only concern that I would have is the off week for the top four seeds and if the layoff would affect performance or increase injury risk. Also, it shifts the schedule forward so I am assuming two-a-days will be starting earlier which is not necessarily a concern, but it has an impact on how a coach prepares his team in the summer.”

Coach No. 10

“Mixed thoughts on the playoff situation. Positives: obviously more teams get in and sometimes justified. For our league I think we can go to only one non league game thus making scheduling way easier for game 2 and playing everyone in the league every year.”

“Possible negatives: I’m not sure I like the bye week but it could be a blessing depending on health situation. There may be some bad mismatches in those first and second round matchups. There will be teams with less than a 5-5 regular season record making the playoffs.”

Coach No. 11

“I think that Ohio’s football playoff system Is special and really means something to the teams that earn a spot. I also think teams that go 9-1 or 10-0 deserve the opportunity to prove how good they are vs. the best in the state.”

“So I don’t know if I’m for or against adding more teams. Time will tell on that, but high school playoff football will most certainly continue to be as entertaining as high school sports has to offer.”