When it comes to deciding which prep football teams survive and advance each week through the playoffs, there are numbers that certainly influence an outcome — yardage totals and turnover margin are typically at the top of the list — and others, such as time of possession and a team’s regular-season win-loss record, that carry very little significance.
For the next five weeks, as teams across Tennessee follow different formulas for making the only numbers that truly matter — the final score — produce a favorable result, the Times Free Press offers a few incidental figures to be aware of.
A total of 230 teams qualified for the playoffs across the TSSAA’s nine classifications, including 27 from the Chattanooga area. Of that total, there are 18 unbeaten teams, including five from the area: Boyd Buchanan (Division II-AA), Bradley Central (Class 6A), Meigs County (3A), Marion County (2A) and South Pittsburg (1A).
Meanwhile, 52 teams made the TSSAA playoffs despite having a losing record, including four one-win teams and even one, MLK Prep of Memphis, that went 0-10 but qualified because it’s in a region with only four teams. In the Class 4A bracket, Summit and Antioch — who have matching 4-6 records — open against each other, and in DII-AAA, Brentwood Academy (1-9) plays at Briarcrest Christian (4-6).
The total of nine state champions that will be crowned when the BlueCross Bowl title games are held Nov. 30-Dec. 2 at Finley Stadium trails only California (15) and Texas (10) and is tied with Florida.