Football High seeds hosting playoff games.

[n2deep2bn]

Serious question here, not being a smart@%$. Besides the costs related to the bus trip (gas, maintenance, bus driver, etc) is there any other costs? Don't most booster clubs or even host schools booster clubs pay for any food costs for the kids? Is there some costs I'm missing that would cause financial burden to a small school athletic budget?

Reimbursement will be allowed for players and coaches not to exceed the following  Class A – 42  Class B – 42  Class C1 – 38  Class C2 – 38  Class D1 – 28  Class D2 – 24 o Prior to the game, the visiting school superintendent, principal or athletic director shall verify the number of individuals who are members of the official traveling party with the host school game manager. o The host school game manager shall use this information to calculate reimbursements. o The number to receive reimbursements shall not exceed those given above. o Each school will be allowed eight passes in addition to those for the players and coaches.  These passes will be sent to the school administrator of each school by the host school.  Visiting teams will be reimbursed with mileage. o Mileage: (Can be adjusted by the NSAA Board of Directors)  Mileage will be calculated by State Department of Roads map shortest distance.  Mileage reimbursements will be based on the number of participants (qualifiers, number on roster) and one coach. (Note: Student Managers will not be included.) A school’s mileage reimbursement will be figured using the following formula: [(#miles one way x # trips)-50 miles] x appropriate amount listed below:
Amount per mile Number of Participants/Coaches $3.40 19-24 $4.25 25-30 $5.10 31+
o First-Round, Second-Round, Quarterfinal, and Semifinal games.  Mileage will be allowed from available funds.
60
 If income from First-Round, Second-Round, Quarterfinal, and/or Semifinal games is not sufficient to cover the mileage, the refunds to the team shall be pro-rated.  If net receipts to the NSAA from the football playoffs exceed $25,000, the NSAA will refund the schools failing to receive allowable mileage an amount equal to the difference between the allowed mileage and the amount the school actually received.  State Championship Games.  Allowable travel expenses will be guaranteed by the NSAA for all State Championship games.

 

[nenebskers]

Reimbursement will be allowed for players and coaches not to exceed the following  Class A – 42  Class B – 42  Class C1 – 38  Class C2 – 38  Class D1 – 28  Class D2 – 24 o Prior to the game, the visiting school superintendent, principal or athletic director shall verify the number of individuals who are members of the official traveling party with the host school game manager. o The host school game manager shall use this information to calculate reimbursements. o The number to receive reimbursements shall not exceed those given above. o Each school will be allowed eight passes in addition to those for the players and coaches.  These passes will be sent to the school administrator of each school by the host school.  Visiting teams will be reimbursed with mileage. o Mileage: (Can be adjusted by the NSAA Board of Directors)  Mileage will be calculated by State Department of Roads map shortest distance.  Mileage reimbursements will be based on the number of participants (qualifiers, number on roster) and one coach. (Note: Student Managers will not be included.) A school’s mileage reimbursement will be figured using the following formula: [(#miles one way x # trips)-50 miles] x appropriate amount listed below:
Amount per mile Number of Participants/Coaches $3.40 19-24 $4.25 25-30 $5.10 31+
o First-Round, Second-Round, Quarterfinal, and Semifinal games.  Mileage will be allowed from available funds.
60
 If income from First-Round, Second-Round, Quarterfinal, and/or Semifinal games is not sufficient to cover the mileage, the refunds to the team shall be pro-rated.  If net receipts to the NSAA from the football playoffs exceed $25,000, the NSAA will refund the schools failing to receive allowable mileage an amount equal to the difference between the allowed mileage and the amount the school actually received.  State Championship Games.  Allowable travel expenses will be guaranteed by the NSAA for all State Championship games.

Wow, thanks for the help.

So basically no it's not a big financial burden to go on the road for multiple playoff games then, right? Or am I missing something?

 

[liltoad_99]

Wow, thanks for the help.

So basically no it's not a big financial burden to go on the road for multiple playoff games then, right? Or am I missing something?

A school’s mileage reimbursement will be figured using the following formula: [(#miles one way x # trips)-50 miles] x appropriate amount listed below:

Well if One school is less then 50 miles from the host, they don't get mileage.

 

[Mavric]

Agree with previous commets about the wild card points. The four-division system is a big improvement over the three-division system but still needs to be a little more separation between winning and losing. But that's not going to help the poor-schedule vs. strong schedule argument.

The biggest reason for the way the home-road is set up now is travel distance. It's (basically) not a problem in Class A which is why they changed it. It isn't as big of a deal in the east because a lot of the game are an hour or so travel time.

But it can be quite a hardship on the players - to say nothing of the fans - if you have to take a couple four- or five-hour trips in back-to-back weeks. Kids are missing days of school. Parents are having to take full days off work and a lot of other fans simply won't go because of the distance. For example, if Scottsbluff were to upset York after a five-hour bus trip this week, their "reward" may be to have to make a six hour bus trip the next week (and they may have to do that anyway but just as an example). I would guess they are going the night before so it's added expenses of meals and hotel rooms as well. It's just a way to try to spread those things out so it's not the same school having to deal with it all the time. Not saying that's the best way, but it's looking at a bigger picture than just seeding.

I wonder if a possible solution would be have the "higher seed" get to host but you take over a team's seed if you beat someone seeded higher than you. Thus you are rewarded for actual on-field performance but you aren't stuck traveling every game if you are a lower seed that goes on a run. The #1 seed would have home-field advantage as long as they won but at least a lower seed would have a chance to get a home game or two.- the bigger the upset the better the chance. Just a thought.

 

[hailvictors2]

I think Mavric is on to something here. If you upset a team, you take their seed. That way if the 9 beats the 8, the #1 still hosts. But if the the 9 (who became the 8 with their win) beats the 1, they would then host the 4 or 5 seed in the semi-finals.

 

[coffeedrinker11]

Worrying about school days missed and parents/fans having to take time off to get to games is a real concern. Why not have the games played on Saturday in the afternoon. No school missed, no extra days off, might miss the Husker game which this year would be a bonus.

 

[hdendzonecam]

I'm pretty sure kids are hyped to play at Memorial Stadium as well, but Seacrest is a much better venue for state Championship football than Memorial Stadium. The locker rooms are great, not broom closets, and the crowd fills the stadium nicely. Its a perfect size for any game. 6 man is played at UNK, and its a great stadium as well. If someone in Lincoln could take the Abbott complex and put up a nice football stadium it would be a great spot as well since its right off the interstate. Also if you are hosting a high school championship, fix the darn uprights so the kids play on a legit field.

 

[HappyTrail3200]

As for setting up TV coverage, again I say for the 3rd time, it happens every single week. There is a Nebraska High School game on local TV every Friday night. It seriously isn't that hard. It doesn't take Memorial Stadium to have a TV broadcast.

We get it, everyone with a camera can put a game up live, but after watching these pop up broadcasts on say NCN, they are a bit better than Facebook live and that's about it. It would be like the Super Bowl being broadcasted by the HuskerVision Crew or by the Comcast Sports Network. NET is the best this state has for broadcasting a game, and logistically speaking having all the games in one place with an already well established broadcasting infrastructure (something Doane, UNK, or Seacrest do not have) is the best way to go. Sorry the top seeds cannot host the final game, but besides the sports with series championships, what relevant championship isn't done neutral sight.

 

[JET20]

I'm pretty sure kids are hyped to play at Memorial Stadium as well, but Seacrest is a much better venue for state Championship football than Memorial Stadium. The locker rooms are great, not broom closets, and the crowd fills the stadium nicely. Its a perfect size for any game. 6 man is played at UNK, and its a great stadium as well. If someone in Lincoln could take the Abbott complex and put up a nice football stadium it would be a great spot as well since its right off the interstate. Also if you are hosting a high school championship, fix the darn uprights so the kids play on a legit field.

Spot on. Not to mention watching the 8 man games on the "big" field sucks to put it mildly.

 

[gokodo]

Spot on. Not to mention watching the 8 man games on the "big" field sucks to put it mildly.

Wouldn't Seacrest field be the same size? They'd still have to make new boundaries and shrink the field for 8 man no matter where its played

 

[Sean Callahan]

That's incorrect, Memorial Stadium is not the only stadium that can pull it off. In fact, it gets pulled off every week. There is a live broadcast from a new stadium every week throughout the state. It really isn't hard at all to set up. Setting it up in Norfolk or McCook wouldn't be much trouble. Do you guys realize how illogical you sound saying the higher team should host until the finals? Why wouldn't the higher team host the finals, too? You can't get on a soap box and preach about how unfair it is that the #1 seed is on the road in the quarterfinals, but then ask them to go on the road in the finals. That's nothing buy hypocritical.

I personally think the coaches around the state and the other leaders enjoy the facility/set-up at Memorial Stadium. Having level 3 on the West side open for all the coaches is like a state basketball set-up where they all hang and talk.

That will keep the coaches happy. The press box set-up also keeps the media and radio crews happy and they can accommodate everyone, along with NET. All those factors make it next to impossible in my eyes to see it ever leaving Memorial Stadium. I wish it was played on a Thursday-Friday-Saturday though with two games each day. Monday-Tuesday is not ideal. I think a lot of people have a hard time driving into the game those days, and just end up watching on TV instead.

 

[Alum-Ni]

With the NSAA taking 6-man back starting next year, will that game remain in Kearney or will it move to Lincoln, too?

Edit: Did a little digging, looks like 6-man title game will be staying in Kearney from what I can tell.

 

[Southernblood]

I wish it was played on a Thursday-Friday-Saturday though with two games each day. Monday-Tuesday is not ideal. I think a lot of people have a hard time driving into the game those days, and just end up watching on TV instead.

Given the current set up with 8-man playing on the Monday before, could they not have played the Championship games the 16-17-18? C2 & A on Thursday, C1 & B on Friday, then 8-man on Saturday would be a fine schedule IMO.

 

[hailvictors2]

Given the current set up with 8-man playing on the Monday before, could they not have played the Championship games the 16-17-18? C2 & A on Thursday, C1 & B on Friday, then 8-man on Saturday would be a fine schedule IMO.

One issue there is tou would have the teams playing on Thursday night would only get 6 days to prepare for the state title game. Not sure that is a big deal, but it would certainly be different. Semi finals Friday the 10th, finals Thursday the 16th

 

[hazard05]

I personally think the coaches around the state and the other leaders enjoy the facility/set-up at Memorial Stadium. Having level 3 on the West side open for all the coaches is like a state basketball set-up where they all hang and talk.

That will keep the coaches happy. The press box set-up also keeps the media and radio crews happy and they can accommodate everyone, along with NET. All those factors make it next to impossible in my eyes to see it ever leaving Memorial Stadium. I wish it was played on a Thursday-Friday-Saturday though with two games each day. Monday-Tuesday is not ideal. I think a lot of people have a hard time driving into the game those days, and just end up watching on TV instead.

I agree with this. Having the games on Monday and Tuesday probably helps the attendance at the State Championships Football Coaches Clinic that is held on the Sunday before.

 

[Southernblood]

One issue there is tou would have the teams playing on Thursday night would only get 6 days to prepare for the state title game. Not sure that is a big deal, but it would certainly be different. Semi finals Friday the 10th, finals Thursday the 16th

8-man only gets 6 days throughout the playoffs though. Then they would get Tuesday-Friday off before their final. I think having them play closer to the weekend would help attendance better than that Monday-Tuesday setup.

 

[JET20]

Wouldn't Seacrest field be the same size? They'd still have to make new boundaries and shrink the field for 8 man no matter where its played

Obviously the football playing field has the same dimensions, however Seacrest is more intimate for fans watching over sitting a 1/2 mile way in Memorial Stadium, hence the "quotes". Oh, and the uprights are high school regulation.

 

[gokodo]

Obviously the football playing field has the same dimensions, however Seacrest is more intimate for fans watching over sitting a 1/2 mile way in Memorial Stadium, hence the "quotes". Oh, and the uprights are high school regulation.

I still and always will like Memorial, although I cannot speak on part of Seacrest because I've never been there...gonna have to make it out there before the season ends.

 

[northeastNebraska]

Bump for more recent insight.

 

[TC53]

I know some changes have been made with higher seeds getting to host. I'd just say that there were two reasons in 1975 that they came up with the goofy system to decide home field:
1) hosting a playoff game is good money for the host and the host deserves it because it is a lot of work; spreading that out to more schools is good
2) the playoff formula is not good enough to give someone home-field; it just isn't (which is why I hate district basketball finals played at higher seed). Home field/court is a huge advantage and shouldn't be awarded at complete levels because of a super-simple math formula that doesn't even get to opponents' opponents.

 

[hailvictors2]

I know some changes have been made with higher seeds getting to host. I'd just say that there were two reasons in 1975 that they came up with the goofy system to decide home field:
1) hosting a playoff game is good money for the host and the host deserves it because it is a lot of work; spreading that out to more schools is good
2) the playoff formula is not good enough to give someone home-field; it just isn't (which is why I hate district basketball finals played at higher seed). Home field/court is a huge advantage and shouldn't be awarded at complete levels because of a super-simple math formula that doesn't even get to opponents' opponents.

I agree with most of this, but I have a HUGE problem with the #1 seed going on the road in round 2. That happens a lot because #9 vs #8 is usually a toss up game. When #9 wins it means the #1 seed is on the road, which is dead wrong. Sometimes that #9 vs #1 game is a rematch of a game #1 won earlier in the year....now they have to play again at the lower seed's place? No way. That's crazy.

A few suggestions for improvements in the system...
1- If a playoff game is a rematch of a game played earlier in the year it automatically becomes a home game for whoever won that game in the regular season.
2- Teams seeded #9-16 can't get a home playoff game until the semi-finals. EX: Seed 10 beats seed 7 and seed 2 beats seed 15, that 2-10 game is still at 2. If #10 wins that game they can be at home for the semis.

 

[nenebskers]

Great suggestions. 2 years ago Ponca beat Battle Creek at Battle Creek in the regular season. Ponca was the #1 seed and Battle Creek the #9. Ponca goes on the road to Battle Creek for the second round and losses in a close game. Obviously they should have taken care of business and won but it does look poor on the current setup.

 

[bruiser84]

Yes that Ponca -Battle Creek matchup was unfortunate if you were a Ponca fan. We all know the difficulty of beating a team a second time in the same season. Why that is such a mental hurdle for the team that won the first matchup I will never fully understand. TC 53 you are exactly right that the playoff formula is not good enough to give some one home field advantage. And hailvictors I like your suggestions. I don't know if I like giving a lower seed home field in the semi final, but I guess it is reward winning two road playoff games. Makes me wonder if maybe we aren't trying to stack the deck to protect the top seeds too much. Someone has to travel. If I go one the road as a top seed and win in the second round, then I am guaranteed a home game in the semifinal where I can punch my ticket to Lincoln in front of a home crowd. Ultimately, it really doesn't matter unless you lose.

 

[highschoolfootballnut]

Looks like the overwhelming group would like to see top seed host. Not seeing the problem

 

[TC53]

You guys have great belief in the top seeds being the best teams absolutely. Weird that they lose enough going on the road to make us talk about this. A #1 ought to go on the road and beat a #9, 95% of the time if the formula is good enough to use it for home field. #1's have not won 95% time. Why? Because the formula doesn't really give us a good look at who should be nine and who should be one. That's why the random nature of home team selection is fine. In fact, if we are going to keep the simplistic formula I'd be more in favor of all home teams decided by coin flip that relying more on the formula.

 

[hailvictors2]

You guys have great belief in the top seeds being the best teams absolutely. Weird that they lose enough going on the road to make us talk about this. A #1 ought to go on the road and beat a #9, 95% of the time if the formula is good enough to use it for home field. #1's have not won 95% time. Why? Because the formula doesn't really give us a good look at who should be nine and who should be one. That's why the random nature of home team selection is fine. In fact, if we are going to keep the simplistic formula I'd be more in favor of all home teams decided by coin flip that relying more on the formula.

The point is NOT that they should win on the road @ #9. The point is that they shouldn't have to based on the regular season. By your logic we should just eliminate the power points and have a random drawing, Oprah Winfrey style, to see who gets in to the playoffs...... "You get in the playoffs!!! You get in the playoffs!!!!! You get in the playoffs!!!!" Then after that we can have another random drawing to see who gets a home game..... "You get a home game!!!! You get a home game!!!!! You get a home game!!!!" It will be great....we could call it the Bernie Sanders playoff model!

 

[highschoolfootballnut]

The point is NOT that they should win on the road @ #9. The point is that they shouldn't have to based on the regular season. By your logic we should just eliminate the power points and have a random drawing, Oprah Winfrey style, to see who gets in to the playoffs...... "You get in the playoffs!!! You get in the playoffs!!!!! You get in the playoffs!!!!" Then after that we can have another random drawing to see who gets a home game..... "You get a home game!!!! You get a home game!!!!! You get a home game!!!!" It will be great....we could call it the Bernie Sanders playoff model!

LOL

 

[highschoolfootballnut]

You guys have great belief in the top seeds being the best teams absolutely. Weird that they lose enough going on the road to make us talk about this. A #1 ought to go on the road and beat a #9, 95% of the time if the formula is good enough to use it for home field. #1's have not won 95% time. Why? Because the formula doesn't really give us a good look at who should be nine and who should be one. That's why the random nature of home team selection is fine. In fact, if we are going to keep the simplistic formula I'd be more in favor of all home teams decided by coin flip that relying more on the formula.

Well now they do work out since at about 90% of the time or more the Top 4 seeds win the title in Class C1 or C2

 

[ClkTwr2011]

I personally believe it is as much about revenue sharing as anything. As someone said a couple years ago, these games are profitable. There are a lot of fans that don't come out all year long, but they will go to a playoff game. If we allow the higher seed team to host all the way through, the amount of revenue that team generates is simply not in the best interest of all involved. Just my opinion.

 

[TC53]

No, I'm just saying a #1 seed could easily be a real #4 seed, and a #9 seed under a more sophisticated formula might be a #5, and who knows maybe those two numbers might be switched. The current formula is not sophisticated enough to take all the weight we put on it. The original designers of it knew that. That's why they used it to pick teams and set a bracket and figured that was enough. They came up with a goofy format to move home games around ON PURPOSE. They knew the home field was huge, and they did not want to give that big of advantage based on what they knew was a weak formula. The current movement in many sports of putting more and more weight on this flawed formula is bad practice.

Should we have a more sophisticated formula that goes at least opponents of opponents deep? Heck, this formula doesn't even take into consideration HOME FIELD, which is obviously so important that this thread is totally focused on it. But, in this formula, you get the same points for home and away wins and loses.

Do I think we need a new formula? No, I don't. It is fine for what it does, just stop putting more weight on it. Let it do what it does, seed teams and pick the 16 or 32 or whatever makes the bracket. I like that coaches and kids can work the math even a couple of weeks in advance! Heck, it's educational. It's just not sophisticated enough to carry any more weight. Let it be.