It started out as a season that was severely impacted by the COVID pandemic, and that is the way the season will apparently end. The Arkansas Activities Association (AAA) is currently considering how it will bracket playoff match-ups in the upcoming Class 3A state football playoffs that are scheduled to begin November 13. Compounding this year’s playoff configuration are the cancellations of games due to the virus and the question of how to fairly seed teams and determine their eligibility for the state playoffs. This has been an issue that I, as a reporter, have questioned with respect to how the AAA has managed high school volleyball, and now, football is in question.
Earlier in the season, the AAA released a policy for this year in response to the COVID pandemic and how playoffs would be determined. Resident Press reported on this policy and included the policy in its story. In short, the policy stated that if any team or teams in a conference were not able to make up games, then everyone in the conference affected would become eligible for the playoffs. This was as much of a surprise in the football world as that of not requiring all volleyball games to be made up in the conference season, and using the loss of game opportunities as losses and lowering seeded teams going into the state tournament. Now, with football playoffs on the horizon, the AAA is considering two possible brackets for the state playoffs. Each bracket has been drafted to adjust to the actual numbers of non-seeded teams that elect to participate in the state football playoffs.
Originally, per the policy of the AAA, superintendents of the affected, non-seeded schools had until today to declare their intentions to play or not play in the state playoffs. But as a recent memo, obtained by Resident Press, indicates, schools are having multiple issues with scheduling, and the deadline to declare for the playoffs has been extended to Saturday, 8 a.m., November 7. Per the AAA memo, there have been “108 games cancelled. We have played 616.”
The memo goes on to say, “Below are two examples of possible bracket scenarios. One is for the 16 team bracket and the other for the 32 team bracket.” A meeting with conference chairs will be held on Wednesday, October 28 to “discuss seeding responsibilities.” There are opinions among some coaches that the AAA may try to “talk teams out of participating” in the tournament if they would not have traditionally qualified as a 1-5 seed in their conferences.
Below is the sixteen team state playoff bracket that is under consideration by the AAA.
Depending on the total number of non-seeded, or, “wild card teams” as termed by the AAA that elect to participate in the state playoffs, the AAA is also considering the 32-team bracket below:
The conjecture by some coaches I have talked to privately is that the AAA has made a mistake by letting everyone be eligible for the playoffs, and now it has presented a huge problem with respect to ensuring fair play for everyone. Much like the volleyball playoff controversy, football is affected as well, and it will be very interesting to see what the feedback is in the Wednesday conference chairs’ meeting from some traditional football powers that are being adversely affected by the cancellation of games.
Whatever the outcome, a fair solution has to be found now for football, and the issue must be settled with respect to making up games and determining seeding for the basketball regional and state playoffs before the season starts. Both football and basketball popularity around the state will demand this, and it will be very interesting to see what happens when the AAA makes its final decision. In the eyes of football and basketball fans across the state, they will be watching to see that the AAA gets the issue fixed and makes it right with respect to cancellations, make-up games, and the seeding of state playoff teams.
Thinking back to the summer months when all was in doubt as to if football would be played, the common theme that was heard around the state was if we could just play, that would be great. Now that football is entering week nine of the season and the playoffs are just two weeks away, the focus has seemingly shifted to playoff seedings and advantages and disadvantages that teams may or may not face going into the playoffs. Unfortunately, some one, at some point in the state playoffs, will be affected by the virus and will be forced to quarantine players. The potential affect of the quarantine could adversely affect a favored team in the playoffs, and, it could give a team who would not have been given much of a chance to advance in the playoffs, a huge break in their quest to win a championship. No one knows at this point how it will happen, when it will happen, or to whom it will happen, but if it does, there will be virtually no way to make up a game. Here lies the tragedy for the players, in particularly the seniors, who could be affected.
Football is a unique sport from the stand point of the physical nature of the games. Football games are very difficult to make up, and seedings cannot be determined in a conference tournament. Players require recovery time between games, further complicating the issue. Volleyball, basketball, baseball, and softball games can be easily rescheduled, so football has the biggest opportunity to be adversely affected.
The AAA has a daunting task this year. They and the athletic administrators across the state are doing the best they can to make everything fair for everyone. But one step that must be taken is making sure that in the process of trying to make everything as fair as possible, that another problem or opportunity is not created and has the opportunity to be taken advantage of to gain a strategical advantage over other schools. That is the AAA’s task, and the meeting on Wednesday should be a good one.
Resident Press will have more on this issue as information becomes available.
