Could CIF adopt a competitive equity playoff system for more sports in the future?

Players from Cypress and Crean Lutheran shake hands after an Empire League game. Both teams are headed to the CIF playoffs. (Photo: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).

A competitive equity playoff system for baseball, softball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, volleyball, water polo and tennis could be on the way in a couple years for CIF Southern Section teams.

CIF Commissioner Rob Wigod, who is retiring at the end of the school year, recommended this week that a plan similar to the one being used for football, be proposed and voted upon as early as January 2024.

“Two years ago, football became the first team sport to form divisions at the end of the current regular season, using the data from that season, and only that season, to do so,” Wigod said in a statement. “We have now seen what that looks like and have been very pleased with the results.

“There is nothing left for us to do to help us prepare for this better and more accurate system. It is time to take that leap forward.”

Under the current playoffs structure for sports other than football. teams are grouped in playoff divisions based on their performance the previous two years. Coaches have known what playoff divisions their teams are in going into the season.

Wigod adds there are many advantages to a competitive equity playoff system.,

“What we have seen since we started is what we expected: closer games, especially in the earlier rounds, and schools who have never had the opportunity, or have not had the opportunity in a very long time to compete for championships and get those chances,” he said.

Three local Orange County baseball coaches told OC Sports Zone Friday they would like to see such a plan implemented.

“I’m on the CIF advisory committe and this is something we brought up earlier this year as a way for us to all move forward,” said Cypress baseball coach John Weber, who has led the Centurions to three CIF titles. “When we brought it up at the meeting, Rob thought it was a great idea as well.”

Weber said the CIF would have to come up with a plan similar to the one that Cal Preps has developed for football, ranking teams weekly.

Estancia Coach Nate Goellrich, who led the Eagles to the Division 6 title last season, likes the plan as well.

“I am in favor of the proposal from CIF Commissioner Wigod,” he said. “We have the ability to create balanced and competitive playoffs by using the most recent data. By using 2-year-old data currently, you could easily be in a division too high or too low for your current team. I would welcome this change to the playoff division format.”

Crean Lutheran baseball coach Jake Haney is also in support of the plan.

“This is the best thing possible for everyone,” he said. “It’s the most fair, especially in the transfer world we live in. Teams change drastically from year to year now. To place teams in divisions based on previous years is less than ideal. It’s better than the old system, but still not great. For example, we have 16 seniors this year. We might make a deep playoff run and get bumped up to Division 2 next year with a team with two returning starters. Not ideal for next year’s team.

“I’m on the CIF Advisory Committee for baseball and there has been some talk inside the room about people reaching out to people that they know to get something going like a Cal Preps (rating system for football). The hard part is football is only 10 games and many sports, like baseball at 28 games. That’s a lot of data to collect.”

Wigod said the first step toward establishing the plan is for representatives from a league or leagues to propose a revision to the CIF by-laws regarding playoffs. The proposal can come forward as early as Sept. 28, 2023 for a first reading at the Southern Section Council meeting for a vote on Jan. 23, 2024, he said. A final vote could be held on March 21, 2024 with implementation of the plan in the 2024-25 school year, Wigod added.

“It is time to get this discussion started, prepare for the responsibilities our member schools must fulfill in entering scores from every game in a timely manner and continue to move our organization forward in service to our member schools and the young people we are so fortunate to serve,” he added.

—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com