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34 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, December 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 7, 2004 Michigan playoff system worth another look By Don Hunt When Walt Bazylewicz left Michigan for Oregon five years ago, there was one item the high school football coach wished he could have put in his U-Haul and brought out West: Michigan’s state playoff selection system. No system is perfect, Bazylewicz admits, but he’s convinced the one Michigan uses is far superior to the one used in Oregon, where it’s not uncommon for football teams with 6-3 and even 7-2 records to miss the playoff boat. And squads with 4-5 marks to get in. Bazylewicz has adopted a playoff proposal based on the Michigan arrangement and will begin presenting his plan to Southern Oregon Conference administrators this week and to Oregon School Activities Association representatives early next year. The OSAA, Oregon’s governing body for high school athletics, is already considering adopting a plan beginning in the fall of 2006 that would create a 5A classification that would narrow enrollment gaps. That would help even the playing field, but Bazylewicz’s proposal would go much further in ensuring that the best teams in the state make it to the postseason. Advertisement Under the plan, 24 teams at the Class 2A, 3A, 4A and a newly-created 5A level would qualify, based on a point system that would reward all victories, conference and nonconference alike. (1A schools are excluded from his plan). The plan would also take into consideration strength of schedule. For example, if North Medford beat Central Catholic in its season opener, the Black Tornado would get bonus points each time Central Catholic won a game thereafter. If North Medford lost to Central Catholic, it would still receive bonus points each time Central Catholic won, but at a lesser rate. Wins over 5A opponents would be worth considerably more than victories over 4A foes, and so on down the ladder, which would discourage bigger schools from padding their records against smaller schools. All schools that finished with six or more wins playing a nine-game schedule and schools with five or more wins playing seven- or eight-game schedules would automatically qualify. If more teams were needed to make up the field, they would be selected — based on the point system — from a group that finished 5-4, 4-4 or 4-3. On selection day, the 96 qualifying teams would be positioned by enrollment, breaking into four 24-team brackets. It sounds complicated, but if you look at Bazylewicz’s proposal, step-by-step, it’s actually fairly simple and very logical. "They’ve been using it for six years in Michigan and all the feedback I’ve gotten is positive," says Bazylewicz, who taught and coached in Williamston, a suburb of Lansing. "It would mean that slightly more than half the schools make the playoffs, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. "The only complaint I’ve heard from the coaches back there is getting qualify officials for all of the first-round games." The best part about the plan is that it would never eliminate one of the better teams from the playoffs. That has happened twice over the past four seasons in the SOC, with South Medford in 2001 and Eagle Point in 2004 both posting 7-2 records and missing the playoff party. Bazylewicz’s Rogue River team, meanwhile, would have created a four-way tie for first place in the Skyline Conference had the Chieftains beaten North Valley in their season-ending game. One of the four teams wouldn’t have advanced. "We don’t even have a tie-breaker system in our league," Bazylewicz says. "It would have been a mess." As we’ve seen from the BCS, college football’s formula for ranking the top teams nationally, no system is perfect. But Oregon’s current playoff format has major flaws, and the OSAA, which is likely to create a 5A classification to help solve them, would be wise to take a good look at Bazylewicz’s more detailed plan. The Rogue River coach is welcoming feedback at his email address of [email protected]. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities