NJSIAA To Consider Plan To Drastically Change High School Football Playoffs

The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) will consider a proposal to drastically overhaul the playoff format for high school football in the state later this year.

The major change that would come as a result of the proposed legislation, known as the “NJ United Playoff Proposal,” is that the top 32 teams in each of the five groups overall would qualify for the playoffs, as opposed to the top eight teams in each region.

There will still be 20 sectional champions crowned, with five groups remaining in each of the four sections of the state (North I, North II, Central and South). However, once the 32 teams are determined, that will be placed into the four sections, based on location.

“We must ensure to the best of our ability that the most deserving teams are rewarded with the opportunity to enter the NJSIAA Playoffs,” the proposal posted on the New Jersey Football Coaches Association’s website says. “The current system does not accomplish this initiative. We have applied this seeding process to the 2016 season and the outcome clearly illustrates the legitimacy and immediate need for this change.”

According to the proposal, 16 teams that missed the playoffs last season would’ve made it under the new system. The overall combined record of these teams is 77-51, with six teams that were 6-2 or 5-3. All 16 were .500 or better.

The overall combined record of the 16 teams that made it under the old system that would be left out in the new one was 55-73, including nine that were under .500, three that were .500 and four that were 5-3.

A total of 12 teams that were below .500 made the playoffs last year, but only three would qualify under the new format, and there would be no two-win playoff teams.

The power points system will still be used to determine the playoff teams, but the state will now use the power points in all a team’s first eight games, as opposed to the best seven of the first eight games as it is now. The power points system is a separate issue that is still being examined by the NJSIAA.

The sectional quarterfinals will be held in Week 9, followed by the sectional semifinals in Week 10 and the sectional finals in Week 11. After Thanksgiving, a new round of the playoffs will be held.

The new round will be known as the Public “Single A” and “Double A” bowl games, and each game will match champions from each of the groups based on size. For example, of the four sectional champions in Group 1, the two largest in terms of enrollment will play in the “1AA” game and the two smallest will play in the “1A” game.

Geography is not a factor in determining which teams pair up, it will not be a group semifinal where North 1 plays North 2, and Central will play South, necessarily.

• 5AA - Piscataway, (Central, 1598) vs. Westfield (North II, 1398)
• 5A - Ridgewood (North I, 1294) vs. Millville (South, 1348)
• 4AA - Wayne Hills (North I, 1015) vs. Sayreville (North II, 1248)
• 4A - Allentown (Central, 958) vs. Timber Creek (South, 992)
• 3AA - Morris Hills (North II, 940) vs. Wall (South, 892)
• 3A - River Dell (North I, 786) vs. Rumson-Fair Haven (Central, 750)
• 2AA - Manasquan (Central, 749) vs. Mahwah (North I, 714)
• 2A - West Deptford (South, 701) vs. Madison (North II, 634)
• 1AA Hasbrouck Heights (North I, 430) vs. Weequahic (North II, 332)
• 1A - Asbury Park (Central, 264) vs. Paulsboro (South, 284)

Among non-public schools, 10 teams will qualify in Groups 3 and 4, and 12 teams will qualify in Group 2.

In Groups 3 and 4, the playoffs begin with two first round games and the top six teams receiving byes. In Group 2, there will be four first round playoff games, with the top four teams receiving byes. The playoffs will continue as they currently are from the second round on.

Teams that miss the playoffs will still play consolation games during the first weekend of the playoffs. However, a second round of consolation games will be added for the following week, consisting of both teams that missed the playoffs and teams that lose in the first round.

This second round of consolation games is optional, but exist so that there isn’t a huge gap in between a team’s Week 9 game and a Thanksgiving Game.

Leagues still control scheduling, and individual teams can choose if they would like an eight- or nine-game schedule. Playoff qualification inequities will be reduced, and this plan will promote the ability to create better schedules, according to the proposal.

This proposal was created as a merger between two existing proposals that were going to compete for votes during the NJSIAA’s meeting in December. Now, when the governing body meets in December, the only question will be whether to adopt this proposal or leave things as they currently are.

For more on the proposal, visit njfca.org.

Additionally, coaches from North Jersey have been holding impromptu sessions to discuss some of the other issues facing the sport. For more on that, visit nj.com.

Patch file photo