Power Point Proposal NJFCA Meeting March 10, 2014

Introduction  Since going to 5 groups two years ago, some sections consistently have below.500 teams in playoffs, while other sections keep teams with winning records out.  Proposed to NJSIAA by Mike Sabo, Morris Hills Head Coach.  At Football Committee Meeting, Jack DuBois asked for the coaches’ opinion of the proposal.  Projections run by John Fiore, Montclair Head Coach  Only affects public schools.  Nothing will change for the 2014 season.

Goals  Work within the existing parameters of our playoff structure.  Get the best teams in the playoffs.  Share our association’s voice with the NJSIAA.

Procedure  At the beginning of each year divide all of the teams in the state into 5 groups.  Same as NJSIAA does currently.  After the 8-game cutoff, the top 32 teams in each group qualify for the playoffs.  Teams will qualify based on the current power point system  (If we follow current procedure, under.500 teams will only be accepted after all of the teams.500 and above.)  Teams will then be divided into sections using their northing numbers.  Coach Fiore’s Excel examples can illustrate.

Examples

Group Current Format Proposed Format

Group  From Mike Sabo’s Proposal: “In 2012, North Group 4 had only 1 team with a winning record at the state cutoff date. The section also had 3 teams with losing records qualify (including a 2-6 team). In addition, this section had an team (with power points) within 7.5 power points of qualifying. In contrast, Wayne Valley with 84 power points and a 4-4 record (including a win against highly regarded Wayne Hills) missed the playoffs in N1 G4. If they were in N2 G4, they would have been the #2 seed. The new system places the 3 teams at.500 or better at the cutoff date in the playoffs. It takes the 3 teams with losing records out of the playoffs. The new system places all 32 teams in Group 4 in 2012 at.500 or better at the state cutoff in the playoffs. “

Group Current Format Proposed Format

Group  Three 4-4 teams did not qualify.  Under the proposed system, they would have replaced one 3-5 team and two 2-6 teams.

Group Current Format Proposed Format

Group  Two 3-5 teams made the playoffs.  Under the proposed system, these teams would be replaced by 4-4 teams.

Group Current Format Proposed Format

Group  No teams under.500 qualified for the playoffs.  Under the proposed system, three 4-4 teams would replace 4-4 teams with fewer power points.

2013 Groups 1-3  Some highlights include the following:  In Group 2, Bernards (N2) did not qualify for the playoffs at 6-2. Eight teams with fewer power points did qualify. They would have been the #3 seed in N1.  In Group 3, two teams made the playoffs in the South with 3-5 records with 63 power points, while Matawan (Central) did not qualify with a 5-3 record and 82 power points.

Modified Proposal  Some coaches felt it was unfair to move a top team in a section to make room for a lower seed.  Projections were made under “Modified Proposal” that kept the top 4 seeds intact in each section, then ranked the remaining teams, took the top 16, and divided them into sections by northing number to fill out each brackets.  While the proposal had less simplicity, in the projections we ran, this proposal also eliminated the issue of teams with losing records keeping teams with winning records out of the playoffs.

Comments/Questions  To represent the voice of our membership, we need to know what it truly is.  We will attempt to push this proposal if it is what the coaches want. If not we won’t.  Proposal will be on website for review