Division 3-5A Playoff Scenarios

A lot of people have been asking MaroonTide.com about the scenarios for the Division 3-5A playoff seedings.

Through a collaborative effort with Bill Hillery, here is what we have come up:

• Oak Grove or Picayune will either be # 1 or # 2 depending on the outcome of their game.
• Meridian is in no matter the outcome against NW Rankin. If Meridian wins, they go as # 3 seed.

• If NW Rankin wins, they go as # 3 and Meridian is # 4 due to head to head tiebreaker.

• If NW Rankin loses to Meridian and Hattiesburg beats Hancock and Brandon beats Natchez, you have a 3-way tie. (see below)
  • The first tiebreaker is head to head. Here you get the "Bermuda Triangle" in that Hattiesburg beat NW Rankin 15-7, Brandon beat Hattiesburg 42-12, and NW Rankin beat Brandon 17-7.
•   Second doesn't apply since Oak Grove or Picayune beat all three.
• From here, you go to step 3:
  • Brandon gets +12 vs H'burg and -10 vs NW Rankin for total of +2
  • NW Rankin gets +10 vs Brandon and -8 vs H'burg for total of +2
  • • H'burg gets +8 vs NW Rankin and -12 against Brandon for a total of -4.
  • NW Rankin goes as the 4th seed due to head to head win over Brandon.
•  If Meridian beats NW Rankin and H'burg loses to Hancock and Brandon Beats Natchez
  •  Meridian goes as #3 and NW Rankin goes as #4 because they hold the head to head tie breaker over Brandon
• If Meridian beats NW Rankin, H'burg beats Hancock and Brandon loses to Natchez
  • Meridian goes as #3 and H'burg at #4 by virtue of head to head victory over NW Rankin.

Here is what we used for the basis:

•  From the MSHAA handbook:

  The Executive Committee has developed the following tie breaker for all sports:
  Step 1: Head to head competition in the designated division games
  Step 2: How the tied teams did against the highest ranked or seeded teams in the designated division games.
  Example:
  RECORDS
  Kentucky 9 – 3                                           Kentucky 9 - 3
  Arkansas 9 – 3                                           Arkansas 9 - 3
                                                                     MS State 8 - 4
                                                                     Florida 7 - 5
                                                                     Alabama 6 - 6
  The tie would be broken by how Kentucky and Arkansas came out against MS State, then Florida, and then
  Alabama, and so on down the ladder.
  Step 3: Points differential allowed in ONLY the designated division games involving the tied teams.
  MAXIMUM POINTS
  Baseball 10 Example:                                                 Kentucky –  85                  Kentucky     Arkansas
  Soccer 3                                                                    Arkansas – 65                       +12             -12
  Others 12                                                                                                                 - 4             + 4
                                                                                                                                    8               –8
  Arkansas - 94
  Kentucky - 90
  Kentucky would win the tie breaker

Step 4: Point differential allowed in the division games involving the highest ranked or seeded teams.
Step 5: Fewest points allowed in all division games. (No Maximum points)
Step 6: Flip a coin.