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Suggestions for Modifying CCS Play-off rules

With 34 of 36 favorites winning as projected in Thursday and Friday's action, the 40 team field for the CCS play-offs is set and won't change based on the outcomes of the 10 games to be played today. Today's results will impact some seeding positions.

The only upset that impacted the field was Kings Academy beating Capuchino 42-6. This made Capuchino and Kings Academy Co-champions of the PAL- DeAnza League. Burlingame will get the league's 3rd automatic spot. Hillsdale can only tie for third with Burlingame by beating Aragon today and will lose the tie breaker with Burlingame.

Sacred Heart Prep has widened their lead over Carlmont and Sobrato for the last at-large spot and I don't think Carlmont or Sobrato can move up far enough (or SHP will fall far enough) in the CalPrep rankings to catch them.

Open/D1

Still have the Riordan vs St. Francis game today with seeds 3-6 being very close. The results of the game could move the CalPreps rankings and shift some of the seeding as Riordan is only slightly ahead of Los Gatos and Soquel in the CalPrep rankings. If a Riordan loss pushes them below Los Gatos and Soquel they would lose two points (Los Gatos and Soquel would each gain a point) and you can see below how that might impact seedings.

I did find an error in my prior calculations. I had awarded St. Francis and Serra a Championship point for playing De La Salle, but further investigation shows De La Salle is not eligible for the EBAL- Mountain championship. As a result San Ramon Valley is the league champion and that awards another point to St. Ignatius and Soquel. So far no change from last week's projections.

8. Salinas 8-2 66 (8) at 1. St. Francis 9-1 80 (1)

7. Valley Christian 5-5 68 (7) at 2. St. Ignatius 8-2 77 (2)

Winners of Round 1 play for open championship – loser of open championship plays winner of round two game below for D1 championship.

6. Riordan 5-5 70 (6) at 3. Serra 5-5 72 (3)

5. Soquel 8-2 71 (5) at 4. Los Gatos 8-2 71.5 (4)

D2

With Capuchino being upset they moved back to D3 and Santa Teresa returns to D2. Only team playing today is Monterey vs Seaside which is projected to be a Monterey rout.

8. Santa Teresa 9-1 49.5* (2 in D3) at 1. Wilcox 8-2 65 (1)

5. Monterey 6-4 53 (5) at 4. Menlo-Atherton 6-4 55.5 (3)

6. Menlo School 7-3 52.5 (6) at 3. Christopher 9-1 57 (3)

7. Palma 5-5 50.5 (8) at 2. Sacred Heart Cathedral 4-6 59 (2)

* Elevated to D2 as no B league team can play in D1 or D2

D3

Aptos moves from D4 to D3 and Piedmont Hills dropped from D3 to D4. Burlingame plays San Mateo in a rivalry game (Little Big Game) with two reasonably matched teams. Burlingame is favored, but if they lose they will likely drop to D4 with Piedmont Hills returning to D3.

8. Aptos 5-5 41 (1 in D4) at 1. Carmel 10-0 58* (1)

5. Capuchino 9-1 44.75 (7 in D2) at 4. Hollister 4-6 47 (6)

6. Half Moon Bay 8-2 43.5 (4) at 3. Palo Alto 5-5 47.5 (5)

7. Burlingame 7-3 41.5 (7) at 2. Willow Glen 10-0 49.5 (3)

Dropped to D3 as no B league team can play in DI or D2

D4

Three changes here. Piedmont Hills drops from D3 to D4 with Aptos moving up. Kings Academy replaces Hillsdale in the field based on their upset win over Capuchino. Finally South San Francisco drops to D5 and North Monterey Academy moves up to D4. See above, San Mateo plays today , if they win they will likely be a 4 seed.

8. Live Oak 3-7 28** (8) at 1. Piedmont Hills 8-2 39.5 (8 in D3)

5. Kings Academy 5-5 33.75 (NR)at 4. North Salinas 7-3 35 (4)

6. San Mateo 7-3 33 (5) at 3. Sacred Heart Prep 4-6 38 (2)

7. North Monterey County 7-3 31.5 (1 in D5) at 2. Branham 7-3 39 (3)

**Elevated to D4 as no A league team can be in D5 and all C league teams must be in D5.

D5

Three new teams here as Overfelt replaced Pioneer, Stevenson replaced San Lorenzo Valley, and Sequoia has guaranteed a spot in the field and replaced Woodside as three spots were allocated to the Ocean Division. Stevenson and South San Francisco play today and are heavy favorites.

8. Gunderson 7-3 19 (8) at 1. South San Francisco 8-2 29 (7 in D4)

5. Gunn 10-0 23.5 (4)at 4. Sequoia 5-5 24.5 (2)

6. Stevenson 7-2 21.7 (6) at 3. Leland 6-3 25.5 (3)

7. Overfelt 5-5 20.5 (7) at 2. Alisal 5-5 25.5 (5)
 
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Everyone in D-I/Open has beaten someone else in D-I/Open.

Los Gatos beat Soquel. Soquel beat Valley Christian and Salinas. Salinas beat VC. VC beat Riordan. Riordan beat St. Francis and Serra. SF beat St. Ignatius, Serra, and VC. SI beat Serra, Riordan, and VC. Serra beat VC.
 
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Awesome work! We appreciate you for keeping us informed! I'm looking at your last top 15 at large post and wondering how SHP widened their at-large bid with them losing, Carlmont winning and Sobrato Winning.



Looks like you had:

SHP at 20.5

Sobrato at 22 (my math shows 22.5, but you are the mastermind doing all of the hard work, so i trust you!)

And

Carlmont at 20



All before calpreps rankings. How are these points or maybe your top 15, looking post week 10?

Thank you again!
 
Awesome work! We appreciate you for keeping us informed! I'm looking at your last top 15 at large post and wondering how SHP widened their at-large bid with them losing, Carlmont winning and Sobrato Winning.



Looks like you had:

SHP at 20.5

Sobrato at 22 (my math shows 22.5, but you are the mastermind doing all of the hard work, so i trust you!)

And

Carlmont at 20



All before calpreps rankings. How are these points or maybe your top 15, looking post week 10?

Thank you again!
I also have Sobrato at 22.5 - if I put down 22 in my post I transcribed it incorrectly. I have SHP at 21 (they picked up another 0.5 points with Kings Academy being a co-champion) and Carlmont at 20. When you do the Cal Preps points SHP gets 11 for a total of 32; Carlmont gets 10 for 30 and Sobrato gets 8 for 30.5. For Week 10 the points I put out already projected an SHP loss and a Sobrato and Carlmont win.

I put the Calprep rankings of the relevant teams below - you just don't see that big a movement in week 10 unless there is a dramatic upset. Hillsdale only beating Aragon 14-9 will likely keep them where they are or actually reduce their absolute Calprep ranking. Sobrato beating Gilroy won't move them very much either as Gilroy is such a low ranked opponent.

Teams in the At-Large pool as ranked by Calpreps

Valley Christian - 15. cal prep rating 31
Sacred Heart Cathedral - 14. CP Rating 20..3
Palma - 13. 11.9
Hollister - 12. 5.5
Sacred Heart Prep -11. 2.6
Carlmont - 10. -0.3
Hillsdale - 9. -0.4. (Week 10 result not yet in system)
Sobrato - 8. -4.5. (week 10 result not yet in system)
Woodside -7 -6.2.
 
CCS play-off projections after Saturday’s results

There are a few scores that are still not in the CalPreps system but I don’t think they will influence the seeding at this point. If they do I will come back and edit this post.

One assumption I made about the 40 teams that make up the play-off field is that the PAL will put Half Moon Bay in as a third automatic qualifier from the Ocean Division and limit the El Camino Division to one automatic berth which will keep Woodside out of the play-offs. If this is the case, Sacred Heart Prep will get the final at-large berth. If the PAL decides to have two automatic qualifiers from each of their two B Leagues then Woodside would go in. Half Moon Bay would still qualify as they would get the last at-large berth and Sacred Heart Prep would not make the field.

Open/D1

Riordan's win over St. Francis changed the top six seeds. One assumption I made that influences the seedings greatly is that St. Francis and Serra will not get a championship point for playing De La Salle as De La Salle is not eligible for the EBAL Mountain League championship. I also assumed that St. Ignatius and Soquel will receive a championship point for playing San Ramon Valley (even though De la Salle beat SRV) who is recognized as the league champion of the EBAL Mountain League. Obviously if this is managed differently in the section seeding meeting the seedings would change for the top four seeds as St. Francis and Serra would gain a point and St. Ignatius and Soquel would lose a point.

8. Salinas 8-2 66 (8) at 1. St. Ignatius 8-2 77.75 (2)

7. Valley Christian 5-5 68 (7) at 2. St. Francis 8-2 77.25 (1)

Winners of Round 1 play for open championship – loser of open championship plays winner of round two game below for D1 championship.

6. Soquel 8-2 71 (5) at 3. Riordan 6-4 72 (6)

5. Los Gatos 8-2 71.5 (4) at 4. Serra 5-5 72 (3)

D2

8. Santa Teresa 9-1 49.5* (2 in D3) at 1. Wilcox 8-2 65 (1)

5. Monterey 6-4 53 (5) at 4. Menlo-Atherton 6-4 55.5 (3)

6. Menlo School 7-3 52.5 (6) at 3. Christopher 9-1 57 (3)

7. Palma 5-5 50.5 (8) at 2. Sacred Heart Cathedral 4-6 59 (2)

* Elevated to D2 as no B league team can play in D1 or D2

D3

San Mateo’s rout over favored Burlingame pushed San Mateo up from D4 to D3 and moved Burlingame down to D4.

8. San Mateo 8-2 40 (6 in D4) at 1. Carmel 10-0 58* (1)

5. Capuchino 9-1 43.75 (7 in D2) at 4. Hollister 4-6 47 (6)

6. Half Moon Bay 8-2 43.5 (4) at 3. Palo Alto 5-5 47.5 (5)

7. Aptos 5-5 42 (1 in D4) at 2. Willow Glen 10-0 49.5 (3)

Dropped to D3 as no B league team can play in DI or D2

D4

I assumed Kings Academy gets a point for Rio Honda Prep being a league champion in a three team league (something that CCS may want to address in the off-season). Even if KA losses this point it won't impact their seeding.

8. Live Oak 3-7 27** (8) at 1. Piedmont Hills 8-2 39.5 (8 in D3)

5. North Salinas 7-3 35 (4) at 4. Burlingame 6-4 35.5 (7 in D3)

6. Kings Academy 5-5 32.75 (NR) at 3. Sacred Heart Prep 4-6 38 (2)

7. North Monterey County 7-3 31.5 (1 in D5) at 2. Branham 7-3 39 (3)

**Elevated to D4 as no A league team can be in D5 and all C league teams must be in D5.

D5

8. Gunderson 7-3 19 (8) at 1. South San Francisco 8-2 28 (7 in D4)

5. Gunn 10-0 23.5 (4) at 4. Sequoia 5-5 24.5 (2)

6. Stevenson 7-2 21.7 (6) at 3. Leland 6-3 26.5 (3)

7. Overfelt 5-5 20.5 (7) at 2. Alisal 5-5 26.5 (5)
 
Correction- CCS will recognize Mack as a co champ so Riordan and Saint Francis will get the half point... Never question PAL booster!

OAL and AAA teams are not awarded their league title until after their section championship game. No half point for Riordan or Saint Francis for playing Mack
 
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OAL and AAA teams are not awarded their league title until after their section championship game. No half point for Riordan or Saint Francis for playing Mack
Is that how it has been interpreted in CCS for their powerpoints for the last 20+ years?
 
OAL and AAA teams are not awarded their league title until after their section championship game. No half point for Riordan or Saint Francis for playing Mack
Thanks for sharing that. I know that is true for the AAA as their regular season is not over until next weekend. The OAL regular season is over. I thought historically CCS team that have played McLymonds in the past were awarded a point when McLymonds was regular season OAL champ (or Co-champ as is the case this season). I did a Quick Look up of OAL rules. It suggests there is a regular league champion based on won loss record and then the sectional champion (who can move onto regionals) is the winner of the four team play-off.

OAL 600.
OAL 602.
OAL 603.
ARTICLE VI: CHAMPIONSHIPS
LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
  1. League (OAL) Championships in badminton, basketball, football, golf, tennis, and wrestling, shall be determined by the league win/loss record.
  2. In sports where leagues are combined with BACSAC, section championship playoffs will determine a champion.
OAKLAND SECTION CHAMPIONSHIP
  1. The Oakland Section champion in football shall be the winner of the football playoffs between the top four teams in the league standings. See Special Regulations, Football, for the playoff format.
  2. The Oakland Section champion shall be the winner of the Final Championship event

If you are correct it won't impact St. Francis' seeding they will still be the #2 but Riordan and Serra would swap the 3 and 4 seeds With Serra being #3 and Riordan being #4.
 
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Is that how it has been interpreted in CCS for their powerpoints for the last 20+ years?
My memory may get fuzzy but I know that has been the case for the AAA but I am pretty sure CCS teams took points in the past from their OAL game against the regular season champion (for the past decade+ that has been McLymonds). Bellarmine used to play them frequently in preseason and they have played various other CCS teams over the years and my recollection is that they presented it as playing a league champion and were never challenged.
 
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CCS play-off projections after Saturday’s results

There are a few scores that are still not in the CalPreps system but I don’t think they will influence the seeding at this point. If they do I will come back and edit this post.

One assumption I made about the 40 teams that make up the play-off field is that the PAL will put Half Moon Bay in as a third automatic qualifier from the Ocean Division and limit the El Camino Division to one automatic berth which will keep Woodside out of the play-offs. If this is the case, Sacred Heart Prep will get the final at-large berth. If the PAL decides to have two automatic qualifiers from each of their two B Leagues then Woodside would go in. Half Moon Bay would still qualify as they would get the last at-large berth and Sacred Heart Prep would not make the field.

Open/D1

Riordan's win over St. Francis changed the top six seeds. One assumption I made that influences the seedings greatly is that St. Francis and Serra will not get a championship point for playing De La Salle as De La Salle is not eligible for the EBAL Mountain League championship. I also assumed that St. Ignatius and Soquel will receive a championship point for playing San Ramon Valley (even though De la Salle beat SRV) who is recognized as the league champion of the EBAL Mountain League. Obviously if this is managed differently in the section seeding meeting the seedings would change for the top four seeds as St. Francis and Serra would gain a point and St. Ignatius and Soquel would lose a point.

8. Salinas 8-2 66 (8) at 1. St. Ignatius 8-2 77.75 (2)

7. Valley Christian 5-5 68 (7) at 2. St. Francis 8-2 77.25 (1)

Winners of Round 1 play for open championship – loser of open championship plays winner of round two game below for D1 championship.

6. Soquel 8-2 71 (5) at 3. Riordan 6-4 72 (6)

5. Los Gatos 8-2 71.5 (4) at 4. Serra 5-5 72 (3)

D2

8. Santa Teresa 9-1 49.5* (2 in D3) at 1. Wilcox 8-2 65 (1)

5. Monterey 6-4 53 (5) at 4. Menlo-Atherton 6-4 55.5 (3)

6. Menlo School 7-3 52.5 (6) at 3. Christopher 9-1 57 (3)

7. Palma 5-5 50.5 (8) at 2. Sacred Heart Cathedral 4-6 59 (2)

* Elevated to D2 as no B league team can play in D1 or D2

D3

San Mateo’s rout over favored Burlingame pushed San Mateo up from D4 to D3 and moved Burlingame down to D4.

8. San Mateo 8-2 40 (6 in D4) at 1. Carmel 10-0 58* (1)

5. Capuchino 9-1 43.75 (7 in D2) at 4. Hollister 4-6 47 (6)

6. Half Moon Bay 8-2 43.5 (4) at 3. Palo Alto 5-5 47.5 (5)

7. Aptos 5-5 42 (1 in D4) at 2. Willow Glen 10-0 49.5 (3)

Dropped to D3 as no B league team can play in DI or D2

D4

I assumed Kings Academy gets a point for Rio Honda Prep being a league champion in a three team league (something that CCS may want to address in the off-season). Even if KA losses this point it won't impact their seeding.

8. Live Oak 3-7 27** (8) at 1. Piedmont Hills 8-2 39.5 (8 in D3)

5. North Salinas 7-3 35 (4) at 4. Burlingame 6-4 35.5 (7 in D3)

6. Kings Academy 5-5 32.75 (NR) at 3. Sacred Heart Prep 4-6 38 (2)

7. North Monterey County 7-3 31.5 (1 in D5) at 2. Branham 7-3 39 (3)

**Elevated to D4 as no A league team can be in D5 and all C league teams must be in D5.

D5

8. Gunderson 7-3 19 (8) at 1. South San Francisco 8-2 28 (7 in D4)

5. Gunn 10-0 23.5 (4) at 4. Sequoia 5-5 24.5 (2)

6. Stevenson 7-2 21.7 (6) at 3. Leland 6-3 26.5 (3)

7. Overfelt 5-5 20.5 (7) at 2. Alisal 5-5 26.5 (5)
Why did San Mateo get such a huge jump and receive 7 more points. Jumping from #5 in D 4 to #8 in D3 seems crazy.
 
Everyone in D-I/Open has beaten someone else in D-I/Open.

Los Gatos beat Soquel. Soquel beat Valley Christian and Salinas. Salinas beat VC. VC beat Riordan. Riordan beat St. Francis and Serra. SF beat St. Ignatius, Serra, and VC. SI beat Serra, Riordan, and VC. Serra beat VC.
Di/Open should be very competitive. In addition to everyone playing one or more games against other CCS open teams (Valley Christian played 6 of the 7 other teams in the bracket in the regular season) everyone except VC played at least one non-CCS opponent that is ranked higher than any CCS team so they will not see an opponent of higher caliber than they have faced already.

Much more interesting where all the teams in a bracket are fully capable and have a realistic opportunity to beat the other team.
 
CCS play-off projections after Saturday’s results

There are a few scores that are still not in the CalPreps system but I don’t think they will influence the seeding at this point. If they do I will come back and edit this post.

One assumption I made about the 40 teams that make up the play-off field is that the PAL will put Half Moon Bay in as a third automatic qualifier from the Ocean Division and limit the El Camino Division to one automatic berth which will keep Woodside out of the play-offs. If this is the case, Sacred Heart Prep will get the final at-large berth. If the PAL decides to have two automatic qualifiers from each of their two B Leagues then Woodside would go in. Half Moon Bay would still qualify as they would get the last at-large berth and Sacred Heart Prep would not make the field.

Open/D1

Riordan's win over St. Francis changed the top six seeds. One assumption I made that influences the seedings greatly is that St. Francis and Serra will not get a championship point for playing De La Salle as De La Salle is not eligible for the EBAL Mountain League championship. I also assumed that St. Ignatius and Soquel will receive a championship point for playing San Ramon Valley (even though De la Salle beat SRV) who is recognized as the league champion of the EBAL Mountain League. Obviously if this is managed differently in the section seeding meeting the seedings would change for the top four seeds as St. Francis and Serra would gain a point and St. Ignatius and Soquel would lose a point.

8. Salinas 8-2 66 (8) at 1. St. Ignatius 8-2 77.75 (2)

7. Valley Christian 5-5 68 (7) at 2. St. Francis 8-2 77.25 (1)

Winners of Round 1 play for open championship – loser of open championship plays winner of round two game below for D1 championship.

6. Soquel 8-2 71 (5) at 3. Riordan 6-4 72 (6)

5. Los Gatos 8-2 71.5 (4) at 4. Serra 5-5 72 (3)

D2

8. Santa Teresa 9-1 49.5* (2 in D3) at 1. Wilcox 8-2 65 (1)

5. Monterey 6-4 53 (5) at 4. Menlo-Atherton 6-4 55.5 (3)

6. Menlo School 7-3 52.5 (6) at 3. Christopher 9-1 57 (3)

7. Palma 5-5 50.5 (8) at 2. Sacred Heart Cathedral 4-6 59 (2)

* Elevated to D2 as no B league team can play in D1 or D2

D3

San Mateo’s rout over favored Burlingame pushed San Mateo up from D4 to D3 and moved Burlingame down to D4.

8. San Mateo 8-2 40 (6 in D4) at 1. Carmel 10-0 58* (1)

5. Capuchino 9-1 43.75 (7 in D2) at 4. Hollister 4-6 47 (6)

6. Half Moon Bay 8-2 43.5 (4) at 3. Palo Alto 5-5 47.5 (5)

7. Aptos 5-5 42 (1 in D4) at 2. Willow Glen 10-0 49.5 (3)

Dropped to D3 as no B league team can play in DI or D2

D4

I assumed Kings Academy gets a point for Rio Honda Prep being a league champion in a three team league (something that CCS may want to address in the off-season). Even if KA losses this point it won't impact their seeding.

8. Live Oak 3-7 27** (8) at 1. Piedmont Hills 8-2 39.5 (8 in D3)

5. North Salinas 7-3 35 (4) at 4. Burlingame 6-4 35.5 (7 in D3)

6. Kings Academy 5-5 32.75 (NR) at 3. Sacred Heart Prep 4-6 38 (2)

7. North Monterey County 7-3 31.5 (1 in D5) at 2. Branham 7-3 39 (3)

**Elevated to D4 as no A league team can be in D5 and all C league teams must be in D5.

D5

8. Gunderson 7-3 19 (8) at 1. South San Francisco 8-2 28 (7 in D4)

5. Gunn 10-0 23.5 (4) at 4. Sequoia 5-5 24.5 (2)

6. Stevenson 7-2 21.7 (6) at 3. Leland 6-3 26.5 (3)

7. Overfelt 5-5 20.5 (7) at 2. Alisal 5-5 26.5 (5)
Outstanding Job!!!…. Thank you for all you put into this!…,

The one thing I will never understand about these formulas, etc is how Common sense is throwen out the window….

How is SF not the #1 seed?…. They finished with the same record as SI and They Beat SI on the field head to head…. Does this not count for anything?…..

SI lost to SRV who got boat raced by DLS worse then the beating DLS put on SF, so how in the heck is SI the #1 seed?…..

Doesn’t make any sense…. 🤣🤷‍♂️
 
Outstanding Job!!!…. Thank you for all you put into this!…,

The one thing I will never understand about these formulas, etc is how Common sense is throwen out the window….

How is SF not the #1 seed?…. They finished with the same record as SI and They Beat SI on the field head to head…. Does this not count for anything?…..

SI lost to SRV who got boat raced by DLS worse then the beating DLS put on SF, so how in the heck is SI the #1 seed?…..

Doesn’t make any sense…. 🤣🤷‍♂️
There was a time where playing DLS added one point for seeding consideration. I don't know why they took that away.

Being a #1 or #2 seed in the CCS doesn't really make much difference in D-Open. With a win in the first round, you end up at the same spot. Championship games are at neutral sites. The only difference would be who you might consider to be a more dangerous opponent, Salinas or Valley Christian.

I did a check on the #1 seed in the SS on the national board. I found that hardly any top seed actually won their bracket and a lot of them didn't even advance past round 2.

If you're the top team, show it by winning the bracket.
 
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Probably should wait for the play-offs to play out, but in advance of the sections December 4th meeting I think there are a few modifications the CCS should consider to their play-off point system. I do appreciate that the CCS has been willing to continuously look and review their processes to make them more equitable for all participants. But here are a few changes I would like to see.

1. The current CCS league classification system is antiquated. For scheduling points I would propose that teams get one point for all teams they play that have a positive CalPrep ranking at the end of the year. 0.5 points for playing a team with a ranking between 0 to -20 ranking and 0 points for playing teams with a ranking worse than -20 regardless of what league the opponent plays in. Teams already getting rewarded for playing top ranked teams (1 point extra for teams ranked between 101-150 this year between 21.3-29.7) and (1.5 points from top 100 ranked teams) this year about 29.7.

If they don't do this they have to do something else. Can't get the same points for playing a Mt. Hamilton team as a WCAL or Bay or Gabilan team. The PAL explicitly puts their 7-12 ranked teams in the DeAnza and 1-6 ranked teams in the Bay put teams get the same points for scheduling teams in either league.

2. Not a big fan of getting one point for playing a league champion. Pretty arbitrary. Don't get a league championship point for playing St. John Bosch #3 ranked team in the Country but you do get one for playing Gunderson ranked #11,730 in the country. If they are going to keep this then for non-CCS teams they should require the league have at least 6 teams (requirement of the CCS). Kings Academy got a championship point for playing Rio Honda Prep that plays in a three team league.

3. While I appreciate the spirit of last year's rule change to not put B teams in Division 1 and 2 and putting all C league teams in Division 5, I do think the spirit of this rule is predicated on leagues doing a reasonable job of placing teams correctly in their equity divisions and not gaming the system. While no judgement is perfect, especially in retrospect, I think the PAL and BVAL have put forward a pretty honest effort over the years.

In my opinion there is still a lot of politics and non-sensical placements in PCAL across their divisions leading to a lot of inequity. Exhibit A this year is Carmel who was pretty widely predicted to be the third best team ranked in the whole PCAL during pre-season. Putting them in a B league and keeping them out of D1 and D2 in my opinion is gaming the system. They have already beaten the 3 and 5 seeds in D2 (Christopher and Monterey) and would have been slotted as the 3 seed in D2. I think the CCS should be able to exempt a team from this rule at the beginning of the season if they feel the local league has not played fair in creating their equity leagues or if a team finishes in the top 15 of the Final CalPrep rankings for the section. Likewise a C Team that finishes in the top 40 ranked teams should be exempt from the rule. Exempt teams would just play where their points have them land.

Curious to hear changes others might suggest for next year.
 
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Probably should wait for the play-offs to play out, but in advance of the sections December 4th meeting I think there are a few modifications the CCS should consider to their play-off point system. I do appreciate that the CCS has been willing to continuously look and review their processes to make them more equitable for all participants. But here are a few changes I would like to see.

1. The current CCS league classification system is antiquated. For scheduling points I would propose that teams get one point for all teams they play that have a positive CalPrep ranking at the end of the year. 0.5 points for playing a team with a ranking between 0 to -20 ranking and 0 points for playing teams with a ranking worse than -20 regardless of what league the opponent plays in. Teams already getting rewarded for playing top ranked teams (1 point extra for teams ranked between 101-150 this year between 21.3-29.7) and (1.5 points from top 100 ranked teams) this year about 29.7.

If they don't do this they have to do something else. Can't get the same points for playing a Mt. Hamilton team as a WCAL or Bay or Gabilan team. The PAL explicitly puts their 7-12 ranked teams in the DeAnza and 1-6 ranked teams in the Bay put teams get the same points for scheduling teams in either league.

2. Not a big fan of getting one point for playing a league champion. Pretty arbitrary. Don't get a league championship point for playing St. John Bosch #3 ranked team in the Country but you do get one for playing Gunderson ranked #11,730 in the country. If they are going to keep this then for non-CCS teams they should require the league have at least 6 teams (requirement of the CCS). Kings Academy got a championship point for playing Rio Honda Prep that plays in a three team league.

3. While I appreciate the spirit of last year's rule change to not put B teams in Division 1 and 2 and putting all C league teams in Division 5, I do think the spirit of this rule is predicated on leagues doing a reasonable job of placing teams correctly in their equity divisions and not gaming the system. While no judgement is perfect, especially in retrospect, I think the PAL and BVAL have put forward a pretty honest effort over the years.

In my opinion there is still a lot of politics and non-sensical placements in PCAL across their divisions leading to a lot of inequity. Exhibit A this year is Carmel who was pretty widely predicted to be the third best team ranked in the whole PCAL during pre-season. Putting them in a B league and keeping them out of D1 and D2 in my opinion is gaming the system. They have already beaten the 3 and 5 seeds in D2 (Christopher and Monterey) and would have been slotted as the 3 seed in D2. I think the CCS should be able to exempt a team from this rule at the beginning of the season if they feel the local league has not played fair in creating their equity leagues or if a team finishes in the top 15 of the Final CalPrep rankings for the section. Likewise a C Team that finishes in the top 40 ranked teams should be exempt from the rule. Exempt teams would just play where their points have them land.

Curious to hear changes others might suggest for next year.
One of the things that caused outrage and forced some changes was Half Moon Bay being put in D-I. They ended the year rated #7 in the CCS, coming out of a B league.

So, no, your last suggestion would not fly.

The league classification is a self-fulfilling prophesy. The number of playoff teams positively impacts your classification, so the MHAL puts 4 teams in the playoffs (largely in lower divisions than the other A leagues), so that they remain an A league. For out-of-section teams, they can't be considered an A team unless their rating is 8 or above. How 'bout a league can't be considered A unless the teams' average is 8 or above. If the average is -20 to 8, it's B league. Below that are C leagues. Or just eliminate the league designations and go straight with the 8+ = A, -20 to 7.9 = B, lower than -20.1 is C for all teams.
 
I'm ready for change. How about this one? Start with this. WCAL gets maximum 6 teams...A leagues get maximum of 4 ...B leagues get 2...and C leagues get one. That's 37 teams. We will make the 38 through 40 teams adjustment at the end. Next we will place teams in the play-off ONLY based on their CalPreps rating. No points calculations based on wins/losses, playing league champions or the rest of the calculations. Just the CalPreps algorithm. So Division 1 is St Francis, St Ignatius, Serra, Riordan, Los Gatos, Soquel, Valley Christian and Wilcox. Division 2 is Salinas, SHC, MA, Carmel, Monterey, Menlo, Christopher, and Palma. Division 3 is Santa Teresa, Willow Glen, Half Moon Bay, Capuchino, San Mateo, Piedmont Hills, North Salinas and Hillsdale. Division 4 is Burlingame, Kings Academy, Sobrato, Woodside, NMC, Alisal, Live Oak, and South San Francisco. Division 5 is Leigh, Pioneeer, Stevenson, Gunn, Gunderson. Now we have to come up with 3 more to fill out the 40 team field. Do we take 3 "lower ranked" teams to fill out D5. Or the 3 "best teams" and place them in D1, 2, or 3 even though some leagues would get more than their allowed? Three "lower ranked" are Jefferson, Pajaro Valley and Gilroy. Doesn't seem fair to put them in the play-offs...slighting any of those teams higher ranked than Gunderson. So seems like the best solution is to take the 3 best teams that did not make the play-offs because of the maximum number of teams for each league requirement. Which puts Mitty, Hollister and Palo Alto in the play-offs with Mitty in D2 ahead of Carmel, with Hollister and Palo Alto falling just after Palma. Then teams being re-seeded because these three teams have been inserted in the play-off line-up. Bottom line...use CalPreps ONLY to identify the play-off teams and their seeding. With an initial maximum number of teams per league requirement that is "over-looked" in filling out the play-off brackets. No more playing a league champion points. In fact no more points. Just the CalPreps rating. (Of course you could go further and simply put the top 40 teams ranked by CalPreps rating into the play-offs but then leagues are very unlikely to be fairly represented...in fact C leagues would virtually never get teams into the play-offs.)
 
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