D1/D2/D3 8-Man Football Proposal

[highschoolfootballnut]

I like it, but I doubt there are 32 Class B teams in the state. 24 yes. DC West, Wayne, Wahoo, Brownell Talbot aren't Class B schools.

A- enrollment above 500
B- 180 to 500
C1 80 to 179
C2 79 and below
D1-8-man 55 to 35
D2-8-man 35 and below
6man 27 and below
Teams will know there classification in advanced if you put enrollment numbers in, yes some classes will be larger, if you believe you can not play in that class then use the current opt down method to give your students the opportunity you so desire
Would also like playoffs number rule, More than 50 teams 32 in playoffs less than 50- 16 teams less than 32 then 8 teams , probably a dream but oh well

 

[northeastNebraska]

I like it, but I doubt there are 32 Class B teams in the state. 24 yes. DC West, Wayne, Wahoo, Brownell Talbot aren't Class B schools.

Wahoo and DC West would adjust just fine to a Class B schedule. I’d be stunned if they both aren’t B in everything by 2030.

 

[GoSkers3]

I like it, but I doubt there are 32 Class B teams in the state. 24 yes. DC West, Wayne, Wahoo, Brownell Talbot aren't Class B schools.

Unfortunately, some of those schools will be forced to be Class B here soon. For example, Wayne was 1 student off of being Class B in boys basketball this year.

 

[Payton2425]

Unfortunately, some of those schools will be forced to be Class B here soon. For example, Wayne was 1 student off of being Class B in boys basketball this year.

Wahoo is Class B in Basketball already

 

[Alum-Ni]

Lakeview girls are Class B in basketball this year.

 

[GoSkers3]

Wahoo is Class B in Basketball already

Yep.

 

[GoSkers3]

Lakeview girls are Class B in basketball this year.

Isn't there a rule that you have to play so many teams in the class or class above you during the regular season? I wonder if Lakeview had to adjust their girls schedule at all to prepare them for the postseason. Teams moving from C1 to B will most likely have to adjust a little but Wahoo already plays quite a few B teams since they are down by Omaha/Lincoln area.

 

[highschoolfootballnut]

Isn't there a rule that you have to play so many teams in the class or class above you during the regular season? I wonder if Lakeview had to adjust their girls schedule at all to prepare them for the postseason. Teams moving from C1 to B will most likely have to adjust a little but Wahoo already plays quite a few B teams since they are down by Omaha/Lincoln area.

yes but it is only 3 before subs

 

[Alum-Ni]

yes but it is only 3 before subs

The only reference I see in the current Basketball Manual is for Classes D1 and D2. There is no mention for the other classes.

CLASSES D1 & D2

b. The next four (4) non-sub-district winners with the highest wild card point averages will qualify for a District Final. The non-subdistrict winners qualifying must have played a minimum of 4 teams/contests at their classification or above to be eligible for the district final.

 

[northeastNebraska]

Isn't there a rule that you have to play so many teams in the class or class above you during the regular season? I wonder if Lakeview had to adjust their girls schedule at all to prepare them for the postseason. Teams moving from C1 to B will most likely have to adjust a little but Wahoo already plays quite a few B teams since they are down by Omaha/Lincoln area.

Yes but Lakeview is in the Central Conference which is mostly B schools anyways.

Bet they’ll be B in everything by 2030 as well.

 

[Bubman86]

9 man is the way to go no question about it
8 man is such a horrible brand of football

There’s nothing wrong with eight man football. If you don’t like it then don’t watch it!!

 

[trackman77]

The number of schools in each class and enrollment restrictions are always going to be debatable but, in my opinion, the one thing that needs fixed is a 9-game regular season schedule for everyone and a maximum of 16 teams to the playoff rounds.

 

[northeastNebraska]

There’s nothing wrong with eight man football. If you don’t like it then don’t watch it!!

There is nothing wrong with 9 man either. 9 man would help a lot of 11 man teams who are on the fence about dropping down and 8 man teams who want to come up.

I can bet you if you polled current 11 man coaches on what style of football they would rather play if they had to drop down, 8 vs 9, 9 would win the poll.

 

[northeastNebraska]

The number of schools in each class and enrollment restrictions are always going to be debatable but, in my opinion, the one thing that needs fixed is a 9-game regular season schedule for everyone and a maximum of 16 teams to the playoff rounds.

And for those who opt into 8 man with 11 man numbers who are in eligible, should play their own schedule so it doesn’t impact points.

 

[Mr. Irrelevent]

There is nothing wrong with 9 man either. 9 man would help a lot of 11 man teams who are on the fence about dropping down and 8 man teams who want to come up.

I can bet you if you polled current 11 man coaches on what style of football they would rather play if they had to drop down, 8 vs 9, 9 would win the poll.

It didn't win the poll. It was voted on 2 of the last 3 years and schools (yes coaches too) were overwhelmingly against 9 man football. Not sure why, as the need not to change the field should be a draw....at least you'd think. Maybe it's that there are only 3-4 states with 9 man, and 8 man exists many places and has a long long tradition.

 

[HuskerO]

There is nothing wrong with 9 man either. 9 man would help a lot of 11 man teams who are on the fence about dropping down and 8 man teams who want to come up.

I can bet you if you polled current 11 man coaches on what style of football they would rather play if they had to drop down, 8 vs 9, 9 would win the poll.

How many 8-man teams have a desire to want to move up?

 

[ClkTwr2011]

How many 8-man teams have a desire to want to move up?

My wild guess is...none.

 

[bullhusk]

How many 8-man teams have a desire to want to move up?

My wild guess is...none.

I would agree. I can’t imagine any team wanting to jump up a class only to get their teeth kicked in for the next 7-10 years.

 

[4xAllConference]

Let's just all admit that the current system is broken though. People are worried about C1 schools having to bump up and play class B schools if some proposals were to pass. Just face the facts right now any proposals lately have only affected the smaller schools. Some small class D schools have to co-op/consolidate just to even try to field a team and because they do they're going to end up D1 more times than not if not even C2 (BRLD is an example that comes to mind) because we all think that raising the cutoff number for 6 man and 8 man is the solution. Well at the rate we're going teams like Neuman, Bergan, HSC, and Norfolk Catholic will be able to play 8 man. Small schools aren't currently going up in arms about having to play D1 football against teams the like of Stanton, Summerland, Sandy Creek, etc, not to mention all the other schools that drop to 8 man because they feel they can't compete in 11 man anymore but still get scheduled for games. They're happy they get to field a team at least more times than not and give the students an opportunity to play at least and develop appropriately with a full JV schedule.
Let's look at the current numbers:
Class A: 32 teams
Class B: 25 teams
Class C1: 39 (4 ineligible)
Class C2: 36 teams
Class D1: 59 (7 ineligible)
Class D2: 53
6 man: 34 (2 ineligible)
Total: 288 teams sanctioned
I might be biased but to me it appears like the only teams that truly have to earn a state championship are 8 man schools with almost twice the number of participating teams compared to any 11 man class.
As I have stated before this state is unique compared to other states as we have a very populated area and a majority of very rural areas. Everyone says consolidation is the answer. I'm sorry but maybe open your eyes a bit and look at a map. Someone from the eastern side of the state just drive out west and find Mullen or other towns/schools out there. Some of those families are already traveling 45 minutes-an hour ONE WAY just to go to school. And it's not just that far out west there's some schools in central Nebraska that I know for a fact a good number of students are already traveling 30-45 minutes one way just to go to school. Now let's go to the eastern side of the state or even metro areas where compared to the rest of the state it's practically a stones throw from one school to the next. Raising the cutoff limit for the small schools every 2 years is not the right answer. Unfortunately I don't have the right answer myself. But I do have an educated idea on what I believe this state would greatly benefit from and I know people are going to be upset about it.
Class A: 11 man keep the current format because let's be honest open enrollment and recruiting (yes I said it) already has lopsided teams
Class B: 11 man with a portion of C1 teams added
Class C1: 11 man regular C1 teams with probably 3/4 C2 teams added
Class C2: 9 man bottom portion of regular C2 with top portion of D1. Easy transition for teams going up or down a class. 100 yard field or 80 yard field, doesn't matter to me.
Class D1: 8 man
Class D2: 6 man
I know people are going to say we don't need 4 different "types of football in Nebraska". It's what fits this state though. And football is football no matter how many players are on the field. This should put enough teams in every single class B-D2 (I believe it should be around 40-45 if my math is correct) that scheduling shouldn't be that difficult.
I'm tired of seeing teams forfeit seasons or be ineligible because little Johnny is tired of losing every week. The biggest adjustments to this would be class B with some C1 teams coming up. Oh it's not fair? Welcome to D1 football when teams that struggle in 11 man drop to 8 man. Toughen up because real life hits harder than football; take your bumps and bruises, get better to compete, and be better prepared for life.
Just my 2 cents on the situation.
Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

 

[DonlugoQ]

How long of a commute do you suppose some of those Westside and MS players have? It takes a while to drive across Omaha.

 

[4xAllConference]

How long of a commute do you suppose some of those Westside and MS players have? It takes a while to drive across Omaha.

Drive ACROSS Omaha... Meaning they've opted into that school district. That's their own choice. When schools consolidate those families don't have a choice

 

[ClkTwr2011]

Let's just all admit that the current system is broken though. People are worried about C1 schools having to bump up and play class B schools if some proposals were to pass. Just face the facts right now any proposals lately have only affected the smaller schools. Some small class D schools have to co-op/consolidate just to even try to field a team and because they do they're going to end up D1 more times than not if not even C2 (BRLD is an example that comes to mind) because we all think that raising the cutoff number for 6 man and 8 man is the solution. Well at the rate we're going teams like Neuman, Bergan, HSC, and Norfolk Catholic will be able to play 8 man. Small schools aren't currently going up in arms about having to play D1 football against teams the like of Stanton, Summerland, Sandy Creek, etc, not to mention all the other schools that drop to 8 man because they feel they can't compete in 11 man anymore but still get scheduled for games. They're happy they get to field a team at least more times than not and give the students an opportunity to play at least and develop appropriately with a full JV schedule.
Let's look at the current numbers:
Class A: 32 teams
Class B: 25 teams
Class C1: 39 (4 ineligible)
Class C2: 36 teams
Class D1: 59 (7 ineligible)
Class D2: 53
6 man: 34 (2 ineligible)
Total: 288 teams sanctioned
I might be biased but to me it appears like the only teams that truly have to earn a state championship are 8 man schools with almost twice the number of participating teams compared to any 11 man class.
As I have stated before this state is unique compared to other states as we have a very populated area and a majority of very rural areas. Everyone says consolidation is the answer. I'm sorry but maybe open your eyes a bit and look at a map. Someone from the eastern side of the state just drive out west and find Mullen or other towns/schools out there. Some of those families are already traveling 45 minutes-an hour ONE WAY just to go to school. And it's not just that far out west there's some schools in central Nebraska that I know for a fact a good number of students are already traveling 30-45 minutes one way just to go to school. Now let's go to the eastern side of the state or even metro areas where compared to the rest of the state it's practically a stones throw from one school to the next. Raising the cutoff limit for the small schools every 2 years is not the right answer. Unfortunately I don't have the right answer myself. But I do have an educated idea on what I believe this state would greatly benefit from and I know people are going to be upset about it.
Class A: 11 man keep the current format because let's be honest open enrollment and recruiting (yes I said it) already has lopsided teams
Class B: 11 man with a portion of C1 teams added
Class C1: 11 man regular C1 teams with probably 3/4 C2 teams added
Class C2: 9 man bottom portion of regular C2 with top portion of D1. Easy transition for teams going up or down a class. 100 yard field or 80 yard field, doesn't matter to me.
Class D1: 8 man
Class D2: 6 man
I know people are going to say we don't need 4 different "types of football in Nebraska". It's what fits this state though. And football is football no matter how many players are on the field. This should put enough teams in every single class B-D2 (I believe it should be around 40-45 if my math is correct) that scheduling shouldn't be that difficult.
I'm tired of seeing teams forfeit seasons or be ineligible because little Johnny is tired of losing every week. The biggest adjustments to this would be class B with some C1 teams coming up. Oh it's not fair? Welcome to D1 football when teams that struggle in 11 man drop to 8 man. Toughen up because real life hits harder than football; take your bumps and bruises, get better to compete, and be better prepared for life.
Just my 2 cents on the situation.
Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!

Yes, you are biased. There are more teams in 8 Man, but twice as many of them get a chance to try to win a State Championship. We already have teams with a win percentage below .500 in the playoffs. I don't know how much easier it can be to earn at least a chance. It is almost as if the regular season is meaningless as it relates to actually getting a chance at a State Championship.

By changing the Class structure as you are proposing, you in essence are doing exactly what you say won't work...you are just changing the cutoff number. You are just doing it in a different way and of course adding 9-Man.

The transition from 11 Man to 8 Man is really not that hard.

If "football is football no matter how many players are on the field", then what is the infatuation with 9 Man football? Your natural response might be to ask why so many are so opposed to it...which I would say is a pretty good question. An 11 Man school that is having trouble fielding a team will often times not get much relief from 2 less players. While that is a step in the right direction, it is likely not enough to help that school solve the problem. The problem is JV football. If the school doesn't have enough players to field an entire season worth of JV games, moving to 9 man isn't going to help. Until these schools can play a complete JV Schedule, their problems are not going to get better.

Teams are not forfeiting because Little Johnny is tired of losing. They are forfeiting because Little Johnny is a 14 year old that has been forced to compete against 18 year olds due to lack of participation, and Johnny is now in Concussion Protocol for the 2nd time this season. His buddy Little Billy has a dislocated shoulder, and their cousin Little Bobby has 3 broken ribs. These kids are giving everything that they have and more than they should. Let's try to throw a little respect at these kids rather than characterize them as poor losers or quitters. They have taken their bumps and bruises and unfortunately they can't absorb any more.

As far as what you are proposing here, I don't really have an issue with any of it. I think as long as you are willing to allow teams to freely opt up, this could work! I believe you will still end up with a few teams opting down, but I have never had an issue with that. You have obviously given significant thought to this, and this is a hell of a lot better than anything that I can come up with.

Good work!

 

[4xAllConference]

Yes, you are biased. There are more teams in 8 Man, but twice as many of them get a chance to try to win a State Championship. We already have teams with a win percentage below .500 in the playoffs. I don't know how much easier it can be to earn at least a chance. It is almost as if the regular season is meaningless as it relates to actually getting a chance at a State Championship.

By changing the Class structure as you are proposing, you in essence are doing exactly what you say won't work...you are just changing the cutoff number. You are just doing it in a different way and of course adding 9-Man.

The transition from 11 Man to 8 Man is really not that hard.

If "football is football no matter how many players are on the field", then what is the infatuation with 9 Man football? Your natural response might be to ask why so many are so opposed to it...which I would say is a pretty good question. An 11 Man school that is having trouble fielding a team will often times not get much relief from 2 less players. While that is a step in the right direction, it is likely not enough to help that school solve the problem. The problem is JV football. If the school doesn't have enough players to field an entire season worth of JV games, moving to 9 man isn't going to help. Until these schools can play a complete JV Schedule, their problems are not going to get better.

Teams are not forfeiting because Little Johnny is tired of losing. They are forfeiting because Little Johnny is a 14 year old that has been forced to compete against 18 year olds due to lack of participation, and Johnny is now in Concussion Protocol for the 2nd time this season. His buddy Little Billy has a dislocated shoulder, and their cousin Little Bobby has 3 broken ribs. These kids are giving everything that they have and more than they should. Let's try to throw a little respect at these kids rather than characterize them as poor losers or quitters. They have taken their bumps and bruises and unfortunately they can't absorb any more.

As far as what you are proposing here, I don't really have an issue with any of it. I think as long as you are willing to allow teams to freely opt up, this could work! I believe you will still end up with a few teams opting down, but I have never had an issue with that. You have obviously given significant thought to this, and this is a hell of a lot better than anything that I can come up with.

Good work!

Thank you for your response, and I agree with a statement you made... Too many times we just ask why instead of why not? People are afraid of change just like with the shot clock this year in basketball and I believe that will be a good addition to the game and state. I don't believe this will solve all problems and it definitely won't overnight but I do believe it'll be a good fit and very beneficial going forward.
I have a lot of respect for high school kids. They are involved in so much when it comes down to all of their athletics, FBLA, FFA, FCCLA, One act, band, choir, etc. Kids these days especially in C1-D2 schools it seems like they do everything.
I'm just trying to find a way to give them the best and fair opportunity for football they can get