As high school football teams across Tennessee work toward resolving on-the-field questions before the season kicks off, most coaches are cautiously optimistic that the newly tweaked playoff format will do away with the confusion of last year’s system.
In March the TSSAA’s Board of Control made several changes to its new playoff format, putting more emphasis on total victories in choosing playoff qualifiers.
Uncertainty surrounding last year’s format quickly turned to anger from coaches and fans across the state when the brackets were announced, then recalled hours later because of numerous mistakes. The corrected brackets were not posted until more than six hours later, causing confusion for coaches who needed to begin preparations for their first-round foes.
“There were a lot of teams who weren’t sure they were even in the playoffs,” Marion County coach Troy Boeck said. “Then most of us got misinformed on who we were supposed to play and were even confused about which team would host. It was very frustrating. The TSSAA had to do something.”
After discussing several options, the board adopted a plan that had been developed by a committee of 12 coaches from across the state, four board members and the state association’s staff.