GHSA to consider new playoff format, formula for 3A to A

The GHSA’s executive committee on Wednesday will consider a proposed playoff format and rankings formula that would help determine playoff teams and seeds in classes 3A to A Division I beginning in 2024-25.

The plan would give preferential seeding to region champions and runners-up and automatic playoff berths to the top four finishers in each region. Teams finishing third and fourth and at-large playoff qualifiers would be seeded using a proposed new power rating model.

The model would rank teams based on a combination of winning percentage, opponents’ winning percentage and opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage. The model is a more complicated version of the RPI rankings the NCAA has used in college sports.

Private schools in classes 3A to A need a seeding model because they will be competing in multiple classifications with public schools during the regular season, then separated into private-only state playoff brackets.

The 3A, 2A, A Division I playoffs also will use the ranking model because some of their regions contain private schools that won't make their playoffs That interferes with the traditional playoff selection of four seeded qualifiers per region.

Class A Division II will contain only public schools in 2024-25 and use the traditional playoff model that classes 6A to 4A will retain.

Also Wednesday, the GHSA will also hear appeals from Eastside, Effingham County and Holy Innocents’ to move down in class.

To see the meeting agenda and the proposal, click here.