From the Sidelines: Playoff system needs re-vamped
Sports reporter
Sometimes things just don't make sense.
Like why they made a sequel to "Dumb and Dumber" without Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels.
Or how anyone could ever take Paris Hilton seriously.
One of those "what the heck is going on moments" that hits close to home is the Kansas high school football playoff system.
Marion High School finished as league champs after a 5-0 season in the Mid-Central Activities Association, and sits at 7-1 with one game remaining on its schedule.
Should the Warriors lose Thursday at home to Hesston, they'll be at home for the playoffs.
In 11-man football, 2-6A, each team belongs to a four-team district that has nothing to do with its regular season league.
The four teams play a round-robin tournament fit into their schedule before the season.
The two teams with the best records after the round-robin, advance to the state playoffs.
In 3A there are 16 districts, meaning 32 teams advance to state.
This might be worse than the BCS system in college football.
It is better than before when only the top team from district moved on, but still this system allows for the first six games on the schedule to mean nothing toward the playoffs.
It also allows for teams with losing records to advance, and like last season with Marion, it's possible league champions could be staying home.
For example: 3A District XI consists of Hoisington, Lyons, Ellinwood, and Ellsworth.
Hoisington, at 7-1, has already clinched the one seed, and Ellsworth has been eliminated.
Lyons and Ellinwood play Thursday for a trip to state.
They have a combined three victories, and even worse, have been outscored by opponents a combined 401-169.
Don't sound like playoff teams to me.
To make matters worse, the Warriors have beaten both teams, along with Hoisington, this season.
There is a simple solution to all of this: Teams qualify based on records.
First take all the league winners automatically, and then fill out the remaining 32 slots with the teams with the best records.
Tie-breakers can be formed in the event some teams have the same record.
Like in every other sport, division winners would have a higher seed than any at-large teams regardless of records.
Some divisions are weaker than others and records may not reflect how good a team always is, but at least those teams battled a full nine-game season to qualify. An 0-6 team, like Ellinwood, should not have the opportunity to qualify for state by finishing 2-1 its last three games.
If Marion defeats Hesston Thursday, which is no small task, it won't matter in Warrior land.
That wouldn't mean the system isn't still flawed, it would just give a new set of fans something to grumble about.
