As to your questions, let’s start with the importance of determining a single state champion. I’ll use Texas for my example.

Texas is far too big to determine one overall state champion; however, they should be able to determine one state champion per classification. In Texas, schools are classified by enrollment, 1A-5A, but within each classification there is a “big school” and “small school” champion crowned. The ultimate goal of any team is to be the best team in their classification. With the current system, this is not possible to determine.

For example, in 1999, my alma mater, Atlanta High School, a 3A school, finished the regular season undefeated, won their district, and went to the 3A “small school” playoffs, where they lost to the eventual 3A “small school” state champions in the third round of the playoffs. However, the second place team in the district, a team Atlanta beat 28-0, went to the 3A “big school” playoffs and won the state title. Which team was the best in 3A?

In Texas, I don’t think extending the playoffs is necessary. Currently, the state playoffs last six weeks, with the state title games being played the weekend before Christmas. It’s perfect scheduling as that weekend is usually the weekend of finals for schools statewide and signals the end of football season and the semester. I’m not sure how long the playoffs are in Connecticut, but I do know that in the upper divisions of Arkansas football the playoffs are sometimes only two or three rounds, with the state title game being played around Thanksgiving. I think in Arkansas they have too many classifications and could probably consolidate some of their classes and extend their playoffs. If your top classification consists of 20 schools, there’s not going to much competition for the championship. Whereas if you combined the top two classifications you would have over 100 schools, you make the field much more interesting. (In Texas, each classification has over 200 schools).

I hope that helps.

I’m a high school student in Connecticut writing a research paper about our mess of a state playoff system (Four teams make each of four divisions, so we have four state champions each year, and most teams that go 9-1 or lose a single game do not even make the playoff) and I want to use your article to cite in my paper. To do this though, I would need your name for a MLA citation. Also if its not too much work, I have a few other questions that would help my paper tremendously.

-Why do you feel it is so important to determine a single state champion?
-What do you say to those who feel a longer playoff system takes too much time?

Thank You
Chris