Prepping for the Prep Playoffs—Power Rankings Edition
The author pops off about playoff possibilities for Special District One
This week wraps up regular season play for high school football here in Oregon. The seeding for the post-season, with its new twist at the 6A level—two tiered playoffs featuring the state championship bracket and Columbia Cup or consolation trophy. Who plays in which bracket and who hosts who can be summed up in two words: power rankings.
Power rankings—the computerized approach to the gridiron that makes the post season “fair” and more “equitable.” Rankings that are based on still other rankings of the opposition each school faces during the course of the season. How those school rankings are determined is anybody’s guess. Now that I am done cerebrally cursing the rating system, let’s visit where Special District One sits with one game to go:
Sheldon is the top district representative, and is ranked third overall. The Irish have beaten their opposition (not counting West Linn) by at least 36 points a game. They only topped the Lions by five points.
Up next is South Salem. The Saxons under coach Scott Dufault are 7-1, losing only to South Medford. Sheldon was not on the South Salem schedule. The Saxons are among the most prolific scoring teams in Oregon as well.
They are followed by South Medford (10), Grants Pass (12), and North Medford (13)—all of which played and lost to Sheldon. And lost badly. All five teams are among the 16 statewide scheduled to play for the OSAA state championship.
Two other District teams are in the consolation bracket, also known as the contenders for the newly established Columbia Cup. They are ranked 17-32.
The two teams are from Salem-Keizer: Sprague (22), and North Salem (28).
If these rankings were to remain unchanged, here is how the games would be matched up next week:
In the CHAMPIONSHIP BRACKET, the list is as follows:
#3 SHELDON would host #14 Sherwood
#9 SOUTH SALEM would travel to #8 Tigard
#10 SOUTH MEDFORD would travel to #7 Tualatin
#12 GRANTS PASS would travel to #6 Mountainside
#13 NORTH MEDFORD would travel to #5 Lake Oswego
In the battle for the Columbia Cup:
#22 SPRAGUE would host #27 Roosevelt
#28 NORTH SALEM would travel to #21 McMinnville
The reality is that some of these rankings will change, based on little more than the last regular season opponent they face. Examples include:
If…
#8 Tigard loses at #7 Tualatin—it would likely move South Salem to a #8 seed, giving the Saxons a highly desired first round home game. Also note that this could also alter the fortunes of the other Special District teams ranked below South.
That is the most likely adjustment to be made in the upper bracket. As for the Columbia Cup teams, things are a little less clear. Examples:
If…
#21 McMinnville loses at #35 Century (already winners over 4-4 Newberg) --OR—
#20 Sunset loses vs. Westview (3-5) –OR--
#19 Oregon City loses to #1 West Linn—those teams could drop, moving Sprague up.
For North Salem, the change most likely to occur is:
If…
#27 Roosevelt loses at #17 Grant—then North is likely to move up. Ironically, Roosevelt is ranked higher than North, despite the Vikings win over the Roughriders in week two, 35-3.
Is your brain is already aching and are your eyes blurring as you ponder the combinations? Good. Just wait until next weekend, when the calculations will be completed, and final match-ups posted for the new look post-season for Oregon prep football.
Thanks for pondering with me.