Playoff brackets in any sport are exciting. The idea of “win or go home” creates constant pressure to succeed. Still, regardless of how even this method of determining a champion may seem, it is fundamentally flawed. Here’s why.
Ideally, playoffs are intended to match the two best teams in the finals, such as a state championship. Most times, however, this never happens. Take March Madness, for example. This past season’s edition of college basketball’s postseason tournament pitted eventual runner-up North Carolina against UCLA in just the third round. This matchup truly held the weight of a quarterfinals or semifinals game, yet it knocked out a title contender (UCLA) very early in the tournament.
Situations like these are amplified at the high school level, where all regions are not created equal and great teams often are clustered around large population centers.
In Georgia, the 2021 Region 5A playoffs featured a matchup between Warner Robins and Cartersville, the two best teams in that classification, in just the second round. It took a Demons goal-line stand to determine the winner of that game, and Warner Robins went on to win its second consecutive state championship with ease.
A similar situation occurred in Class 2A as well, with the top left quadrant of the bracket proving to be the easiest. All other sections of the bracket featured at least one top-5 team, but the top left included none. This helped Swainsboro, which entered the playoffs ranked 10th, to reach the semifinals, where they lost by three touchdowns.
The bottom right quadrant of that same bracket featured a #1 vs. #2 quarterfinal matchup between Rabun County and Thomasville. Another potential state championship-caliber game was decided much earlier than it should have.
So, is there a better way to design playoff brackets?
Statistically speaking, yes. After each round, all teams would be reseeded based on ranking. This would ensure the most “ideal” matchups throughout the playoffs.
An example of this would be the current structure of the NFL playoffs, where the Divisional Round matchups are decided by the combination of winners in the Wild Card. This reseeding continues to match the best remaining team against the worst remaining team in the bracket after each round, as the initial bracket layout is intended to work.
But do we really want that?
Sure, the most even playoff brackets sound the best in theory. However, it’s upsets and big-time matchups in the early playoff rounds that keeps the postseason interesting. It also gives underdogs a chance to shine, such as Swainsboro in 2A last season, along with Dacula in 6A and Walton in 7A.
The excitement and uncertainty that the playoffs bring keeps everyone entertained and inherently gives the most determined sleepers a chance at redemption. Every season, some 3-seeds have an easier path to the semifinals than 1-seeds.
While that is unnatural and somewhat unfair, it just makes the state’s most-followed playoffs more intriguing. All postseason playoff brackets, especially for Georgia high school football, are fundamentally imperfect, but perfect for fan entertainment and engagement. There’s just nothing like it.
These bracket oddities are not going to disappear this season. Several key matchups will take place early in the playoffs and there are many opportunities for underdogs to etch their name in the history books.
In 3A, the third-ranked team in a loaded Region 8 will have a clearer path to the semifinals than any other seed. The 1- and 2-seeds will likely run into Cedar Grove and Sandy Creek in the second round. The third seed has the ideal route, as it is projected to play Lumpkin County, Adairsville, and Dougherty in the three pre-semifinal games as of now.
In 7A, there is a high probability that North Cobb will face Mill Creek and Buford will take on Walton in just the second round. Region 8’s champion could astonishingly avoid playing any top ten teams in 5A on its way to a semifinals berth.
And in Class A-D2, a quarterfinals matchup between #1 Early County and #3 Bowdon seems all but certain. This would pit two potential state champions against each other with two rounds to spare.
The current Georgia high school football playoff bracket layout is far from the ideal method of determining a state champion. However, it has given everyone moments they will never forget.
It thrust Roswell quarterback Robbie Roper into a miraculous spotlight last season with a stunning comeback over North Cobb. It gave Bainbridge an improbable second chance at Warner Robins in 2018. It allowed Cook to pull off the greatest upset in Georgia history back in 2005.
No matter how many flaws the playoffs have, it always provides the perfect experiences and memories for fans across the state.
