I have been on the fence about 16 teams in the playoffs vice 32 in C1 & C2 all year. I read the last post about volleyball so took a look at the C2 football playoffs and who got in and who didn't and if there was anything that stood out. I chose C2 since I've seen more C2 games than any other class this year.
First looking at the finals on Tuesday with Aquinas and HCC playing - Aquinas one loss comes from a top 8 C1 school, HCC 2 losses come from two teams that made the semi-finals of C2, Aquinas and Battle Creek - A two loss team with quality losses (if there is such a thing) and get to the finals.
Two 6-3 teams got in:
Lutheran High Northeast - losses to 3 C2 semi-final teams, Aquinas, HCC, & Battle Creek - These three teams have 8 playoff wins.
Southern Valley - losses to 2 C3 playoff teams - unbeaten regular season Sutton, top 8 and unbeaten NP St. Pats, and 5-3 chase county. One playoff win to the teams they lost to.
Four 6-3 teams did not get in:
Arcadia Loop City - Losses to 5-4 Hershey, 6-3 West Holt, 8-1 Gibbon - only one playoff qualifier who did not win a playoff game.
Kimball - 5-4 Hershey, 6-3 West Holt, 8-1 Gibbon - again one playoff qualifier who did not win a playoff game.
West Holt - Losses to 3 playoff teams - LHNE, HCC, Battle Creek - 5 playoff wins to for the teams that beat them. But they lost head to head to LHNE.
Yutan Losses to 3 playoff teams - 8-1 Freeman, 8-1 Aquinas, 7-2 Bergan - with five playoff wins
Looking at the teams that got in and the 6-3 teams that didn't it is obvious to me that Yutan has an argument about why they should have gotten in and to a lesser extent West Holt. But overall the power points seemed to work pretty well.
I don't believe there is any system that is perfect unless everyone can play everyone which is not possible. You could do some tweaking with the second place team in each district playing the third place team in another district but even something like would leave a 6-3 team like West Holt out though Yutan would have gotten a chance.