Playoffs no place for teams with losing records

Maybe it’s time for the Colorado High School Activities Association to adopt what college football has implemented –; and I don’t mean spread offenses.

The 16-team Class 5A playoff field was set Nov. 6, with the seven champions of the realigned leagues getting the top seven seeds, with the Ratings Percentage Index formula used to determine the other nine qualifiers.

I’d be surprised if there weren’t plenty of growls about the RPI formula, a computer rating, with two teams having only three wins each making the playoffs.

That’s where the formula for making the playoffs needs an asterisk. The RPI is complicated and confusing. A pair of three-win teams in the final 16 isn’t OK no matter how strong a schedule they played.

In college, it takes six wins to become bowl eligible. It should take a minimum of five wins in a 10-game slate to become playoff eligible in Colorado high school football.

Nine of the 10 teams ranked below the final qualifier, No. 16 Bear Creek, had .500 or better records, including 8-2 Doherty and 7-3 Fossil Ridge. They would seem more deserving of a postseason bid than Bear Creek and No.15 Fountain-Fort Carson, which both finished the regular season 3-7.

It will be interesting to note in the next couple weekends whether the lack of tough games will hurt any of the league championship teams in the playoffs. Sometimes it’s good to have a couple close games to prepare a team for the tougher competition in the playoffs.

All of the seven league champions were undefeated in league play. And the margin of victory in each conference was 21 points or better for the title team.

Top-seeded Pomona won the Mount Evans league by an average of 37.2 points a game, Regis Jesuit whipped Mount Antero opponents by an average of 36 points and Grandview had a 35.6 margin of victory in the Mount Massive league.

Winter sports set to start

It seems like just a few weeks ago that boys golfers were ushering in the 2016 fall sports season. But the seven winter sports can start official practice Nov. 11. Actually, boys and girls skiing practices have already started.

Initial contests can be played Nov. 30.

Here are some historical nuggets:

Overland is the defending 5A boys basketball champion. But how many basketball aficionados remember that Greeley was the first state titlist in 1927?

Lutheran (3A), Valor Christian (4A) and ThunderRidge (5A) were crowned champions last year in girls basketball. In 1979, it was Golden that was the title team.

Pomona is the defending 5A wrestling champion. In 1936, Greeley won the initial championship.

Last year, Regis Jesuit was added to the list of hockey champs that started when Littleton won the first title in 1976.

Valor was the 4A girls swimming winner in 2015 with Fairview capturing the 5A first-place trophy. It was Cherry Creek that was the first girls swimming champ in 1974.

Time to turn it around

It’s mind boggling to watch some of the routines of high school girls gymnasts but it sure seems like the scoring to determine the team champion is backward.

Team titles for the two classes are determined on the first day of competition, with the all-around champion also decided.

Individual titles in four events are determined on the second day and the efforts of those competitors are not part of the final team standings.

It’s the only sport where this happens.

Other sports with individual titles up for grabs, like wrestling, tennis, swimming, golf, cross country and track, wait until the final day, and points for individual state championship wins are tallied in the team scores.

Recruiting event

All unsigned Colorado senior football players are encouraged to attend the football recruiting event Dec. 8 at Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch.

The purpose of the evening is to provide an opportunity for players to connect with Division II, Division III and NAIA coaches from all over the United States.

Those interested in registering to attend should go to http://govalor.com/event/colorado-recruiting.

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