COLUMBUS – Football playoffs are expanding again, the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) announced in a release on Thursday, April 22.
A year after expanding from eight teams to 12, the OHSAA said 16 teams per region will make the postseason next fall, raising the qualifying number from 224 teams in the state to 448.
The 12-team format was to begin in the 2021 season. Last season, all teams qualified because of a shortened regular season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Last fall, we received overwhelmingly positive feedback when we allowed every team to enter the football playoffs due to the shortened season because of COVID-19,” OHSAA Executive Director Doug Ute said. “We know there are some who want to keep the football postseason to a smaller number of schools, but the postseason tournament gives such a positive experience for our student-athletes, the schools and their communities that we felt strongly about giving that opportunity to more schools to make the playoffs. And football remains the only OHSAA sport in which not every team automatically qualifies for the postseason.”
The Ohio High School Football Coaches Association (OHSFCA) was not on board with the decision.
“The decision by the OHSAA to expand to a 16-team playoff format is met with complete dismay by the OHSFCA,” a statement by the Coaches Association board of directors said. “The OHSAA failed to work in good faith with our association. The OHSFCA worked for over two years to create a viable expansion of the playoff system. The OHSFCA proposed a playoff expansion of 12 teams in January of 2020. The OHSAA approved the expansion in the spring of 2020 for the 2021 season. We are extremely disappointed in yesterday’s vote by the OHSAA without consulting the OHSFCA. It is abundantly clear that this decision is financially motivated.
“The OHSFCA remains committed to working with the OHSAA and anyone else who is committed to maintaining the high standards of Ohio high school football.”
The OHSAA said expanding from 12 teams to 16 teams will eliminate a first-round bye for the top four teams in each division. It will be the first playoff expansion since 2013 when a seventh division was created.
The OHSAA is also adding a strength-of-schedule component to the Harbin computer ratings.
Another change to the format is that the higher seed will host the first two playoff weeks, with neutral sites beginning in the regional semifinal round.
During the first five rounds, Divisions I, II, III and IV will play on Friday nights; and Divisions V, VI and VII will play on Saturday nights.
The state championship site has not been determined, nor has the specific date for each division. What has been determined is that one game will be played on Thursday, Dec. 2, and two games each day will be played on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 3–5.
The regular season will begin on Friday, Aug. 20, and conclude on Saturday, Oct. 23.
