Tennessee to have 9 football champions in 2017
The TSSAA postseason football landscape is changing — again.
The state athletic association's board of control on Wednesday voted to add a classification to Division II football, meaning there will be nine championships awarded beginning with the 2017-18 school year. And in Division I, there will be six evenly divided classes instead of grouping the biggest 32 schools in their own class.
"We always feel like we have to keep our football numbers as far as (enrollment) figures in schools going against each other close together," TSSAA Executive Director Bernard Childress said. "There is a very real possibility that we are going to have a lot of movement from Division I to Division II."
Schools have until Oct. 14 to choose between Division I and Division II. The TSSAA's Legislative Council last year redefined Division II as set up for any school that offers a financial assistance program. That includes schools giving financial aid to family members or offering work study. Previously private schools that did not provide aid to athletes could choose to be in Division I.
Under the plan passed Wednesday, Division II football enrollment cutoffs will be 1-265 for Class A, 266-530 for Division II and 531 and more for Class AAA. There will be two Division II classes in all other sports except wrestling and bowling, which will be one class. The enrollment cutoff for two Division II classes is 450.
Wednesday's vote marks the third significant change to football classification since the TSSAA adopted the "Z-plan" in 2009. Under the "Z-plan," Division I schools were in three classes in the regular season but six in the postseason. In 2015, the TSSAA ditched that plan and made Class 6A for only the 32 largest schools; in the remaining five classes, the top four teams in each region made the playoffs.
Now, starting in 2017, all Division I classes will be divided evenly.
Among other Division I decisions Wednesday, the board of control also:
- Kept in place the three-class system in basketball, baseball and softball;
- Kept volleyball at three classes, though they will be split evenly by the number of participating schools;
- Kept in place two classes for cross country, track and field, golf, tennis and wrestling;
- Kept in place one class for bowling;
- Added a third class for soccer, which will be split evenly by the number of participating schools.
The Board of Control also approved a change to its 1.8 multiplier for private schools that choose to remain in Division I. The change allows private schools to move up more than one class if the multiplier moves them. In the past, private schools could move up only one class.
Also, starting in 2017, a rotation will be created for what day each class plays its state title games. Division II has been held on Thursday with Division I Class 1A, 3A and 5A on Friday and Class 2A, 4A and 6A on Saturday.
Reach Tom Kreager on Twitter @Kreager.