Major playoff changes ahead

According to a new change in the Chicago Public League for this season, the four Chicago division conferences will be allowed to have it's top two teams eligible for the IHSA state playoffs if those teams also meet the IHSA state playoff requirements like every other team in the state is required.

On the surface, I know your thinking. "You go CPL Chicago teams" and "it's about time" and "why weren't these teams always eligible for the state playoffs anyways?"

Now, the reality of this all and the potential ramifications come state playoff night?

The CPL football folks have done a very good job of managing it's teams and putting the CPL programs in the right direction. Yet this could be a decision that the CPL folks could very well regret as soon as the opening round of the state playoffs begin in late October this year.

Under this new scenario using last year's CPL Chicago conference results, six teams that stayed home from the state playoffs would now be eligible.

Amundsen, Senn, Hope, Ag Science, Orr and Farragut would all get slotted into the state playoff field this year using last season's records.

While these teams would look equal on paper and more importantly they would remain equal  to it's opposing playoff opponents when it comes to the state playoff seeding system, the Chicago conference schools would have a very difficult road facing some potential CPL Illini conference teams along with facing several suburban teams in the opening round of the state playoffs.

Again, I'm not doing this to bag on the Chicago Public League teams at all. The Illini conference teams are heads and shoulders better than the Chicago conferences and it's proven already that the top Illini conference teams can and will compete with the better city and suburban programs.

Yet allowing the Chicago conference schools into the state playoffs might seem like a good idea and the fair thing to do, but when those same teams get hammered on the field to me it's more than winning and losing. It becomes a safety issue. Do any kids really benefit from say a 50-0 opening round playoff loss on either side of the field?

So far this season, the handful of CPL Chicago conference teams who have dared to play outside of the city haven't fared too well. 

Dyett lost to Rolling Meadows 48-0. Schurz lost to Maine East 19-9, as East was able to end it's 39 game losing streak. DuSable lost to Aurora Christian 47-0. Corliss lost to Rochelle 38-6 and to Edwardsville last Saturday 46-0.

I could keep going but I think you get the picture.

You'll always have a few exceptions. Bogan is off to a 2-0 start and the Bengals beat suburban Tinley Park 22-15. I saw the Bengals at a 7 on 7 this summer and they have some very solid looking kids, but Bogan might be the rare exception here.

Under this new playoff scenario, your also keeping 6 teams home with 5-4 records who might otherwise could be a very capable state playoff team. We've seen several 5-4 state playoff teams make a big time playoff push. Yet now under this system, those potential sleeper teams with a chance could be at home.

Seeding effect? A 7-2 or 8-1 CPL Chicago conference team will get seeded the same way a 7-2 or 8-1 DuPage Valley or Chicago Catholic Blue team will get seeded. That's the state's playoff system.

The effect of this change on the overall playoff system?

Most of the CPL Chicago Conference teams by glance would fall in the 6A/7A field, thus "pushing down" several potential enrollment bubble teams in classification. So teams like defending Class 6A state champion Springfield Sacred Heart Griffin or Joliet Catholic, both of whom have the same enrollment for football purposes and who are literally on the 6A/5A fence would get "pushed down" into 5A and then everyone else would feel that same "push down" effect from say 6A on down.

It might not seem like much to do about nothing, but explain that to the fans of 5A football and below and see the response you'll get.

In short, while I understand the need for the CPL to add teams to the state playoff mix, it this really the best move for the overall CPL conference and the state playoff system?

I have my doubts. Then again if it was up to me we'd still have just 6 classes of state playoffs, so what do I know anyways.