Region 8 Football Playoff Scenarios-2012

Joshua Ellis Editor-in-Chief The Tiger Times The last week of the high school football regular season is upon us. Yes, we’ll pause for a moment of silence. After you wipe the tears away, I’ll break down the possible playoff scenarios for Region 8. At the top of Region 8 sits the Timpview Thunderbirds, 6-0 in region play. They’ve already claimed the number 1 seed from the region, and at least a share of the Region 8 Title. Even if they get upset by Provo (0-6 in region play) they own the tiebreaker over Orem, which is the only school that could catch Timpview. Behind Timpview, things get a little hectic. The next three teams (Orem, Timpanogos and Maple Mountain) are guaranteed a spot in the state playoffs. But who and where they’ll play is still a toss-up. This first scenario is the easiest. Orem controls their fate and can keep everything simple with a win vs. Timpanogos. If Orem WINS: • Orem takes second place outright, gets a home playoff game. • Maple Mountain takes third place over Timpanogos based on head-to-head record (Maple Mountain beat Timpanogos 14-13). • Timpanogos takes fourth place. If the Tigers can’t beat the Timberwolves, things get a little tricky. Then how Maple Mountain does against Salem Hills comes into play. If Timpanogos WINS and Maple Mountain LOSES: • Timpanogos takes second place outright based on head-to-head record vs. Orem, gets a home playoff game. • Orem falls to third place. • Maple Mountain takes fourth place. If Timpanogos WINS and Maple Mountain WINS: • A three-way tie for second place occurs, with Timpanogos beating Orem, Orem beating Maple Mountain and Maple Mountain beating Timpanogos. • A coin toss determines seeding as described below (taken from the Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) Region Handbook Template, Article VI, section J, subsection 3.): 3. Coin Flip--Once a team has been awarded a seed they are no longer part of the tie- breaking scenario. After this process, if only two teams remain the remaining two teams will be seeded based on head to head competition. If a tie still exists, a coin flip will be conducted under the direction of the Region Activity Chairperson. In the event of multiple teams tied that cannot be resolved as described above, all teams will flip coins with the team flipping the “odd coin” receiving the higher seed. The coin flip procedure will only be used as a last resort. Further down, things are even tighter with 3 teams fighting for the fifth and final playoff spot from the region. The only guarantee right now is that Provo, which hasn’t won a single game all season, is eliminated from postseason play. This leaves Springville, Salem Hills and Mountain View to contend for that final playoff spot. Mountain View plays at Springville, while Salem Hills plays at Maple Mountain. If Springville WINS: • Springville takes the final playoff spot regardless of the Salem Hills vs. Maple Mountain game, since Springville owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over Salem Hills. • Mountain View and Salem Hills are eliminated. If Springville LOSES and Salem Hills WINS: • Salem Hills takes the final playoff spot with a 3-4 record in Region 8 play. • Springville and Mountain View are eliminated. Both finish 2-5 in Region 8 play. • Mountain View takes sixth over Springville since they would own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Springville. If Mountain View WINS and Salem Hills LOSES: • We get yet another three-way tie. Mountain View will have beaten Springville on the final day of region play, Springville beat Salem Hills on September 28, and Salem Hills beat Mountain View last week. Now a coin toss in this situation seems unfair, right? A coin can’t eliminate a team from the playoffs. They need to fight it out on the field; and that’s what they do. According to the Region Handbook Template from the UHSAA, the tiebreaking procedure takes place as follows (Article VI, Section J, Subsection 5): 5. If multiple teams tie for one playoff spot, all teams will play in a format that best suits the specific sport. Then we look at the specifics for football and we see (taken from the Region 6 Handbook): If there are three teams tied for one available tournament entry slot a three way coin flip will be held. The winner of the [coin] flip earns a bye; the other two teams play off in a 24-minute game, consisting of two (2) 12-minute quarters. Following a 15 minute halftime intermission, the winner of the first 24-minute game will then play the bye team. The game will consist of two (2) 12-minute quarters. The winner of that game will advance to the play-offs. *All playoff games will be held at a neutral site. Confused yet? Thank goodness Orem’s tied at the top, and a win keeps life simple and easy. Final Day Region 8 Schedule: Orem @ Timpanogos Timpview @ Provo Mountain View @ Springville Salem Hills @ Maple Mountain