On Thursday, faculty soccer followers rejoiced when the School Soccer Playoff introduced that its groups can be seeded otherwise.
As an alternative of giving assured berths to the highest 4 ranked convention champions, the School Soccer Playoff will seed groups 1-12. The bracket will replicate that, and there will not be any assured seeds transferring ahead.
Nonetheless, simply because one common sense resolution was made, it does not imply that widespread sense is coming to varsity soccer.
Among the concepts being floated for the 16-team School Soccer Playoff proposal are a reminder of that.
In keeping with Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports activities, the Huge Ten and SEC are contemplating implementing play-in video games for the School Soccer Playoff on championship weekend.
Beneath the brand new proposal, each leagues can be assured 4 berths, so there’s discuss of the highest two groups enjoying for the convention championship, with playoff berths already assured. The third-place workforce would play No. 6 for a spot, along with No. 4 vs. No. 5.
That will give the Huge Ten and SEC three video games to promote to TV companions on convention championship Saturday.
With unbalanced convention schedules, deciding the highest 4 groups from the Huge Ten and SEC is just not the worst thought.
What’s nonsensical, although, is the 16-team bracket, as a result of it would not be a straight 16-team bracket, at the very least in line with Dellenger:
“Beneath one thought, two CFP video games can be performed the second weekend of December, when Military-Navy historically meet and when no NFL video games are scheduled. Winners of these two first-round video games — No. 13 seed internet hosting the No. 16 seed and the No. 14 internet hosting the No. 15 — would advance to a bracket of 10 awaiting groups.”
Primarily, the highest 4 groups would get a double bye. The underside 4 groups would play within the first spherical, then 4 video games within the second spherical earlier than the quarterfinals round New 12 months’s Eve/Day.
A workforce seeded sixteenth would want to win 5 video games to win the School Soccer Playoff, whereas a workforce seeded fourth would want to win simply three.
That locations extra significance on the common season, however a clear, 16-team bracket makes extra sense, identical to the straight-seeded bracket adopted on Thursday.
School soccer wants extra widespread sense. It lastly had some on Thursday, however sadly, it was short-lived.
