Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site watcgl.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!watcgl!sahayman
From: sahayman@watcgl.UUCP (Steve Hayman)
Newsgroups: net.sport
Subject: Alternate playoff systems
Message-ID: <3032@watcgl.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 28-Aug-84 21:22:59 EDT
Article-I.D.: watcgl.3032
Posted: Tue Aug 28 21:22:59 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 29-Aug-84 01:29:29 EDT
Organization: U. of Waterloo Warriors Band
Lines: 50

The local college football league is undergoing a certain amount
of turmoil because four of the older schools want to break away from
the rest to form their own "Big Four" league.  Presumably there
will be more interest in these old, traditional rivalries.

The league is attempting to avert this problem by investigating
some alternate scheduling and playoff schemes that will simultaneously
keep the Big 4 happy and prevent blowouts of little schools by
big ones, while still giving everyone a reasonable shot at the
playoffs.  In the current football format there are 8 teams
in the league and you can probably tell right from the start of
the season which 4 are going to make the playoffs (although
surprises do happen; Waterloo made the playoffs in 1978!).  Everybody
plays everyone else once; then for the playoffs 1 plays 4, 2 plays 3,
etc etc.  Pretty standard stuff.

Here at Waterloo it's a big year if we win 2 of 7 games and due to the
old 'nothing succeeds like success' formula the team seems destined
to stay at this level.  So even if we have a REALLY big year and
win 3 games, and knock off the number 1 team in the country in
the process (as has actually happened), we're probably still out of
the playoffs.

One proposal the league is considering is a voting scheme for playoffs.
As I have heard it, the idea is that 1 and 2 would make the playoffs
and there would be some sort of a 'vote' to determine which other 2
teams would qualify - who would be the most deserving teams of the
remaining 6.  I find it hard to believe that this system would work, but
perhaps something like this needs to be tried to keep everyone interested
in football.

I'd like to hear of any actual working strange playoff systems, particularly
any at the college level.  If something isn't done around here than I
don't expect Waterloo Warrior football (or York Yeomen football, or
Windsor Lancer football etc etc) to last more than a few more years.
More generally, what can you do about the perennial-loser problem?
(Recall that as a rule Canadian schools don't offer athletic
scholarships.)

Much of this is compounded by differing academic standards as well
although it works both ways.  Waterloo has very high standards and
for some probably related reason relatively low success in football
but high success in basketball. 

Any ideas?

Steve Hayman
University of Waterloo 
watmath!watcgl!sahayman
"Warrior Football ... No Offense Intended!"