TSSAA 2A Playoff picture changes

TSSAA's best kept secret in years has to be the new playoff structure of 2A football for the 2007 season.

Until Ronnie Carter explained the breakdown of the regions and the playoff structure at the a gathering of the Tennessee Sports Writers last week many across the state were unaware.

In fact, some may still be confused as to how the 2A playoffs will unfold this fall.

First, 2A has added a ninth region.

Second, in an effort to complete the 32-team state playoff bracket in 2A the top three teams will qualify in each of the nine regions.

Now, where I went to school that totals 27 teams.

So, where are the other five teams going to come from?

That's where the fun starts.

In a formula that rivals NASCAR's cup chase, TSSAA will fill the final five spots in 2A with what will be referred to as wild card berths.

The 2A playoffs are then divided into four eight-team brackets with the teams seeded one through eight based on criteria.

This is where the average high school football fan will likely get confused. Come October the message boards will be filled with questions of who is in the playoffs and who is out.

The top three 2A playoff teams in each region will be based on region records. The same formula that 1A, 3A, 4A and 5A will use to determine the top four teams in each region.

Starting with best overall record for the season, the remaining five 2A wild card berths will start with best overall record.

With this as the formula, the question will be whether perennial playoff teams like Alcoa and Tyner will continue with the tough out of region foes the schools play each year.

Alcoa played D-II runnerup McCallie and 4A state champion Maryville in 2006 and face the Rebels again this season.

Obviously, Tyner head coach Wayne Turner didn't realize that the 2A playoff criteria was going to be different when he scheduled a 4A Brainerd team that has beaten his Rams the past two seasons and gave Maryville a scare in the state playoffs in 2006. Nor would he have likely scheduled defending 3A state champion Fulton, McCallie and 1A power South Pittsburg for out of region contests this fall.

Although, wins over those teams could be a boost for Tyner with a strength of schedule factor being added to the criteria for determining the wild card spots.

The new 2A format could allow some regions to place as many as five teams in the postseason.

Plus, some of the teams from the same region could face off in the first round of the TSSAA 2A playoffs.

Football fans from across the state will now have to look much closer at the scoreboards on Friday night and keep up with what is going on from Bristol to the Mississippi River.

Confused yet?

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