I find it crazy that there is 8 classes. How many schools are in each class?

The simple version.

There are 523 schools playing football eligible for IHSA playoffs this season. The top 256 teams by record qualify for the playoffs. Then the top 32 enrollments are placed in 8A, next 32 in 7A etc.

The simple version.

There are 523 schools playing football eligible for IHSA playoffs this season. The top 256 teams by record qualify for the playoffs. Then the top 32 enrollments are placed in 8A, next 32 in 7A etc.

So a team does not know what class they are in until the playoffs start?

I've always thought it would be interesting if you get a NFL legend like Cowher to start a private school in Illinois somewhere. Enrollment is just say 60 kids, but 50 of them play football and he coaches. Then they end up going 9-0 in the regular season and get put in 1A. Championship year after year. Kids are graduating and go to Florida, Michigan, Stanford, etc. Other small schools are complaining that it isn't fair. What would the IHSA do?

You have a pretty good idea of where you will be but there are some bubble teams that don't know. My HS got bumped to 6A when they had been ranked in 5A all year.

Id say about 90% know. You can both go off historical data and projections that are done by people. We are a bubble team that floats between two classes depending on the year. Since are enrollment has dropped consistently the last 10 years, it has been more the lower of the two classes the last few seasons.

I've always thought it would be interesting if you get a NFL legend like Cowher to start a private school in Illinois somewhere. Enrollment is just say 60 kids, but 50 of them play football and he coaches. Then they end up going 9-0 in the regular season and get put in 1A. Championship year after year. Kids are graduating and go to Florida, Michigan, Stanford, etc. Other small schools are complaining that it isn't fair. What would the IHSA do?

I always thought that it was based enrollment and the avg enrollment of the opponents on your schedule and was pretty much set in stone in August?

I can't root for any 3 or 4 loss teams. Playoffs should start at 7-2 with some allowances for losing to a team with a deep playoff run the year before.

I guess I don't mind 6-3. I really don't like 5-4 getting in.

It's not as bad as basketball where everybody gets in. I think you should have to win at least a third of your games and half your conference games to be guaranteed into the basketball playoffs.

JCA went 5-4 because all the teams in their conference is 6A-8A. Then they play teams in their class and beat the shit out of them. That is until they play Montini. Montini is their Daddy.

There is still no reason they can't separate the private and public schools. Have 6 public classes and 2 private classes. The public schools get completely fucked in 4 and 5A

There is still no reason they can't separate the private and public schools. Have 6 public classes and 2 private classes. The public schools get completely fucked in 4 and 5A

This

look at a team like Loyola. They have made it to the finals four years in a row yet almost never send a kid on to play anything higher than Ivy League. They are at no talent advantage over the majority of public schools. It is entirely based on coaching. Public schools should have the advantage in that area because they can afford higher salaries and stick a coach in some no work job to even further supplement income.

Loyola has had 9 kids in the last 4 years go D1 or 1aa. That is more than all but a handful of schools in this state. .

look at a team like Loyola. They have made it to the finals four years in a row yet almost never send a kid on to play anything higher than Ivy League. They are at no talent advantage over the majority of public schools. It is entirely based on coaching. Public schools should have the advantage in that area because they can afford higher salaries and stick a coach in some no work job to even further supplement income.

look at a team like Loyola. They have made it to the finals four years in a row yet almost never send a kid on to play anything higher than Ivy League. They are at no talent advantage over the majority of public schools. It is entirely based on coaching. Public schools should have the advantage in that area because they can afford higher salaries and stick a coach in some no work job to even further supplement income.