Let’s go back to 1948 — a watershed year in Wyoming high school football.
That year, the Wyoming High School Activities Association voted to implement a playoff for Wyoming’s Class A and B schools.
But what if the WHSAA had decided against playoffs and maintained a postseason invitational, much like what had existed in 1946 and 1947 in Wyoming and much like what the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision uses now?
Well, clearly, the bowl system — which was basically one championship game for Wyoming schools in 1946 and 1947 — would have had to expand. And the challenge system and the polls of the sportswriters that existed to set up previous championships would have been replaced, maybe by some sort of mathematical power ranking.
And if that system existed in 2013, it probably would have generated some interesting results.
The model shown below is based on a few assumptions: first, teams gain eligibility by finishing above .500, no matter their classification; second, a power rating weights schools by classification; third, matchups are set by projected power rating, plus, in the case of “lower tier” bowls, rematches from the regular season are avoided whenever possible. Records and matchups below represent regular-season results only, of course.
In 2013, the big controversy, of course, would have been Sheridan’s placement in the championship game over both Powell and Douglas. Commenters on this blog would have either derided a broken system or praised a system that allows for losses to teams with “tougher” strength of schedule ratings. It would have been messy, and imperfect, and unsatisfying — kind of like the NCAA’s bowl system.
Would you have liked the postseason to look like this?
State Farm WHSAA State Championship: Gillette (9-0) vs. Sheridan (7-2)
Rio Tinto Cloud Peak Energy Rose Bowl: Powell (9-0) vs. Cheyenne East (7-2)
Taco John’s Fiesta Bowl: Natrona (6-3) vs. Douglas (10-1)
First Interstate Bank Sugar Bowl: Star Valley (5-4) (5-3) vs. Kelly Walsh (5-4)
Wyoming Medical Center Orange Bowl: Lovell (8-0) vs. Cody (6-3)
Sierra Trading Post Cotton Bowl: Lander (4-4) vs. Jackson (5-4)
Key Energy Outback Bowl: Riverton (5-4) vs. Burns (8-0)
FMC Gator Bowl: Big Horn (7-1) vs. Mountain View (6-3)
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming Liberty Bowl: Newcastle (5-4) vs. Cokeville (7-1)
Peabody Energy Sun Bowl: Wheatland (5-3) vs. Lusk (7-0)
Loaf ‘n Jug Holiday Bowl: Glenrock (4-4) vs. Lyman (6-3)
Powder River Coal Co. Alamo Bowl: Thermopolis (5-3) vs. Upton-Sundance (4-4)
Encana Las Vegas Bowl: Lingle (4-4) vs. Rocky Mountain (6-2).
WHSAA FCS Championship Game: After a playoff bracket, Meeteetse (10-1) vs. Midwest (9-1)
–patrick
Thanks for the good laugh Patrick…..Nice job with this..haha
This was fun, the murmuring would have been swift with Powell being left out of the discussion for the State Championship bowl against Gillette.
Do you get a dollar out of every one of those sponsors you typed? I hope so. This was a fun read on the first day back to work.
Sorry Patrick, you have to line-up Powell and Gillette in the Championship game. Then change the name of the Rose Bowl to the “Cloud Peak Energy Rose Bowl” because Rio Tinto is no longer our owners. Then get those 5-4 teams out of the Sugar Bowl and move Big Horn and Lusk into the BCS bowl. Gotta give those smaller schools love too.
Glad you all enjoyed!
Alden: I figured Wyoming would develop a lot like the NCAA — no love for the smaller conferences. That said, I would have loved to see some of those top-tier 1A schools go up against some mid-range 3A schools. But I’d love to see that every year. 🙂
Power ratings are dead; long live power ratings….
–patrick
Oh, and I just realized that Southeast, at 4-4, would be left out of the bowls because of an odd number of teams at or above .500. Sorry, Cyclones…
–patrick
Since SV is in danger of being bumped from a bigger bowl, I will point out we were 5-3 in the regular season. Whew.
Ha you should’ve added a Toilet Bowl, there has been those in the past in Wyoming right?
qbgr, Ack! You’re right! Another opportunity lost. 🙂
–patrick
What would it look like if all the teams were seeded into a bracket for the championship? Of course this would exclude the 6-man teams. Something like this…after the first round, all games will be played at a halfway point between the two teams…
4a 1 East
2a 4 Thermopolis
1a 3 Southeast
3a 2 Douglas
4a 3 Campbell County
2a 2 Mountain View
3a 4 Cody
1a 1 Cokeville
2a 1 Big Horn
1a 4 Lingle
4a 2 NC
3a 3 Star Valley
2a 3 Lovell
1a 2 Lusk
4a 4 Sheridan
3a 1 Powell
Steve, not a bad plan. If Wyoming ever wanted to go the “true state champ” direction, that wouldn’t be a bad start.
–patrick