Columbus North’s Asher Ratliff scrambles out of the pocket during a football game against Terre Haute South at Columbus North High School in Columbus, Ind., Friday, Oct. 13, 2023.
The Republic file photo
Has the time come for football seeding?
It could become a closer reality now that it has gained traction among football coaches over the past few years, but there are still plenty of bridges to cross along the way in order for it to happen. After three previous pursuits failed, a fourth attempt will be proposed this spring in hopes of coming into effect as early as the 2024 fall season, but only for Class 6A.
The Indiana Football Coaches Association board is proposing to seed the 6A tournament as part of a two-year pilot program, basically a two-year trial run.
IFCA executive director Bob Gaddis, the former Columbus East coach, said the coaches association asked the 315 schools with a football program two questions. The first question was, “Are you in favor of some kind of seeding?” After more than 70% of the coaches approved, the second question was asked, “Would you support a two-year pilot program for 6A only?” That also got more than a 70% approval rating.
Gaddis said that IFCA board invited the head coaches in the state to an informative meeting on Friday to discuss the findings of the polls.
“We’re just listening to our coaches and trying to come up with a system that could perhaps be better, and that’s to be determined,” Gaddis said. “If you pilot something, then you can look at it after you do it, and say this worked or this didn’t work. Let’s try this, and we can sort through it.”
Following Friday’s meeting, the IFCA will be pursuing a seeding proposal and compiling final details to submit.
It will go to the athletics director’s association for a vote in a couple weeks. If that gets approved through the athletics directors, it will then go to the IHSAA for approval on the two-year pilot program for 6A.
“There’s still a bunch of hoops to jump through, but there is an interest,” Gaddis said. “There’s a lot of people that talk about it, so we’re going to see if it’s something that sticks, and if it doesn’t, then it doesn’t. If it does, then we want to be in position to give it a try and see.”
In the proposal, Gaddis explained the seeding will be 1-through-16 in the northern half of the state and 1-through-16 in the southern half of the state. That way, it would avoid a scenario where Jeffersonville would have to travel to Crown Point to play a postseason game or vice versa. Which schools will represent the northern and southern halves of the draw will be determined when the new sectional alignments for the fall and winter sports come out later this spring.
If the proposal does pass, it would avoid the scenario of having two of the top three teams in the state play against each other in the opening round of the sectional. It happened last season when Brownsburg lost to eventual state champion Ben Davis in the opening round of the sectional.
Historically in Indiana, the football postseason has gone through changes over the last several decades from a points system, a cluster system and to the current all-in blind draw format.
Again, it is only a proposal that still has many obstacles to go through. Getting it passed through the IFCA members is only one small step at reaching the summit.
“The bottom line is, if we don’t get the pilot part approved this coming two-year cycle, then our plan would be to ask our coaches association and that committee that’s been working on it if they would like to it again two years from now and try it again if they think it’s something that the coaches want.” Gaddis said. “It’s not going to be dead one way or the other, I don’t think, as long as our coaches association is thinking about it.”
