Despite the spark, 49ers wise to hold off on Jimmy G contract

One of Elvis Presley’s many legendary songs contains words within the lyrics that
say “only fools rush in.”

Though newly acquired Jimmy Garoppolo has looked outstanding in his first two
starts at quarterback with the San Francisco 49ers, first-year head coach Kyle Shanahan
told Bay Area media that the franchise would not begin discussions for a new contract for
Garoppolo until after the 2017 season. San Francisco general manager John Lynch also
confirmed that the franchise has not yet begun talks of contract extensions.

The 49ers acquired Garoppolo from the New England Patriots for a second round pick
earlier this season. Garoppolo spent much of his first four seasons as the understudy to
future Hall-of-Famer Tom Brady. Despite the advancing age of 40, Brady is still playing
at a high level and has the Patriots as the favorite to win their sixth Super Bowl, which
would tie the Pittsburgh Steelers for most in NFL history.

Garoppolo is set to be a free agent after the season but given what San Francisco gave
up to get him, the 27-year old likely will be the 49ers quarterback for the immediate
foreseeable future.

After spending four weeks getting acclimated to his new teammates and Shanahan’s
system that contains more verbiage than the Gettysburg Address, Garoppolo has infused
life into the team by leading the 49ers to road wins the last two weeks: 15-14 over Chicago
and 26-16 over Houston. In those two starts, Garoppolo has completed 46 of 70 passes
for 627 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. One of those interceptions was closer
to being a fumble because Bears safety Kyle Fuller yanked the ball out of 49er receiver
Louis Murphy’s hands.

Garoppolo’s performance coupled with two 49er wins that improved the team to 3-10 had
fans and even talk show hosts suggesting San Francisco should sign him to a long term
contract now. The question is, will they sign him to say a five-year deal or will they use the
franchise tag? The designated franchise player will have his one-year salary guaranteed if
he elects to play for the team that designated him with the franchise tag and if he does not
negotiate a contract with another team.

Looking beyond his statistics, Garoppolo passes the eyeball test. It is readily apparent he
has been coached up by the likes of Bill Belichick (Patriots head coach) and Josh McDaniels
(Patriots offensive coordinator). It is equally apparent that he has learned both fundamentally
and preparation habits from Brady.

The moment does not seem to big for Garoppolo in that he appears poised, can process
information quickly, read defenses and has enough functional athleticism to extend plays.
The only question one should have is durability.

Since the 49ers were very unwatchable in 2015 and 2016, going 5-11 under Jim Tomsula
and 2-14 under Chip Kelly respectively, it’s understandable why fans are excited about
Garoppolo. In Shanahan’s first season, the 49ers have lost five games by three points or fewer.

The 49ers are smart to wait until after the season to negotiate a new contract. For openers,
you want to see if he doesn’t get hurt because if he can’t go five games without getting hurt
than going 16 will be exceedingly difficult.

Garoppolo’s two starts have featured two different types of defenses. With Chicago, the Bears
mostly rely on their front four to get pressure whereas the Texans are more likely to blitz and
have one of the best defensive players in the NFL in linebacker Jadevon Clowney.

Both teams are out of playoff contention whereas the next three foes Tennessee (8-5),
Jacksonville (9-4) and the Los Angeles Rams (9-4). The Titans and Rams have two of the
best defensive coordinators in NFL history (Dick Lebeau and Wade Phillips). Both are likely
to throw plenty of wrinkles to try to confuse Garoppolo. Lebeau’s defense will feature the
zone blitz, which drops linemen into coverage while blitzing linebackers and defensive backs.
The Jaguars have allowed the fewest points in the NFL (202) and feature a Defensive Player
of the Year candidate in lineback Calais Campbell.

The cynics would say that the 49ers are screwing up their draft position by winning the last
two games. At present, San Francisco would be picking fourth overall. At which point I ask,
“would you rather be 4-12 knowing you have a quarterback or 2-14 knowing you do not?” I’ll
take the former.  

St. Helena High wrestling has died a slow death

Some stories fall into the “sad but not surprising” category.

The likely plug pulling of St. Helena High wrestling would be one of them. I hesitate

to use the word “death” because you never knew when or if someone can revive the

program. Saints wrestling was once a dynasty. Now, it’s more like “die nasty.” St. Helena

is likely not going to have a wrestling season in 2017-2018 or for the foreseeable future.

The first question you ask is what in the name of Herschel Sandler, Joe Luna, Geoff Harner,

Tim Nuss and Gian Traverso is happening? For openers, there is no coach and maybe three

kids interested in the sport. While you hate to penalize the few kids that are interested, I don’t

blame the powers that be (specifically athletic director Tom Hoppe) for opting not to have a

season. Considering the distance St. Helena High travels to sports events, sometimes 150

miles round-trip, transportation can be costly.

St. Helena High wrestling’s last high point as a team came in February of 2007 at Clear Lake

High, winning their ninth league title in ten seasons under Sandler’s watch as head coach.

Though basketball is a more spectator friendly sport, for 13 years it was cool to be a wrestler

at St. Helena.

Days before the 2007-2008 season, Sandler informed the team and Hoppe that he was resigning

after 13 seasons. Luna, who helped starred as a wrestler under Sandler and later became an

assistant coach, replaced Sandler as head coach. At the time, Sandler sited personal and family

reasons for his resignation since they had recently become parents.

From that point forward, Saints wrestling faded in more ways than one. Sandler, who has since

moved to the Central Valley, was sentenced to 270 days in Napa County jail and five years on

probation.

The Napa County Probation Department recommended that Sandler be allowed to leave the

courthouse a free man because he had served time after his arrest. However, Napa County

Superior Court Judge Rodney Stone ordered Sandler to serve the nine months in jail while

having to register as a sex offender.

Stone said the two teen female victims were especially vulnerable, and Sandler had used his

position of trust to take advantage of them.

When Sandler was arrested in April 2008, he was charged with two counts of oral copulation

with a minor under 16, one count of oral copulation with a minor under 18, and one count of a

lewd act with minor under 16.

Although the incidents happened almost a decade earlier, the victims did not come forward

until earlier that year.

In May 2008, Sandler pleaded no contest to two counts of oral copulation. Part of the plea bargain

was he would not serve prison time, according to the Napa County District Attorney’s Office.

The victims were 15 and 16 when the assaults happened at his office, on the school grounds and

inside his car between 1996 and 1999. Sandler was 33.

Both victims told investigators the sex was consensual, adding he never forced himself on them.

However, the girls told authorities that Sandler initiated the sexual encounters. Though I enjoyed

a great working relationship with Sandler, I have no problem saying he was in the wrong. When

you are in a position of authority and influence, you don’t put yourself in any position that can

cause even the faintest of trouble. You can make a case and ask, “why did the victims not come

forward sooner?” Fair question but also weak logic. Unless you have been in their situation, you

don’t know how difficult it is to come forward after such a traumatic experience.

Anyhow, I won’t revisit anymore. I hope the victims have received the help they need and I hope

Sandler has learned from his mis-steps.

Sandler came to St. Helena from St. Patrick-St. Vincent (Vallejo). Sandler’s Bruins won seven

straight league titles. That success continued with the Saints, who won a CIF North Coast Section

Class A title under Sandler’s watch. Sandler also coached Saints volleyball to four postseason

appearances from 1996-1999.

Luna helped the Saints wrestling program in 1999 by becoming the first St. Helena High wrestler

since Dan Bohan in 1972 to reach the CIF State Meet. Luna was the good soldier by agreeing to

follow the man that coached him to greatness as an athlete.

The choice of Luna made sense at the time. He was the first of four wrestlers that reached the

State meet under Sandler followed by Harner, Nuss and Traverso. Luna was also an assistant for

Sandler at Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School.

The Saints stranglehold on the CMC faded. They finished fourth at the league meet the next two

seasons (2008 and 2009) and second in 2010 but interest continued to wane. Luna resigned after

2013. Former Middletown High wrestler Matt Coit and former Justin-Siena wrestling head coach

Roger Bubel tried to keep the program afloat but to no avail.

Though Sandler’s reputation took a major hit because of his legal problems, and rightfully so, the

sense of pride he built beginning in 1994 will be hard to duplicate. Unless someone else rides into

town on a white horse.

One common adage in sports is that teams take on the personality of their head coach. The Saints

were an extension of Sandler — always well-prepared, and when they wrestled, they had that “we’re

small but bring it on” approach.

There’s a segment of this community that constantly whimpered about a percentage of St. Helena

kids opting to go to Justin-Siena. Sandler showed that there’s a way around that — have a superior

program and they’ll stay. Period. End of sentence. End of discussion.

OK, so I sound a little snarky, but how many really good wrestlers did the Saints lose to Justin under

Sandler? None. Why? Success. And commitment to success.

Look no further than the fact that the Saints won the first two King of the Valley tournaments

that featured Napa, Vintage and Justin-Siena in 2006 and 2007. You see, in most sports, those schools

have the mentality that the Saints don’t belong on the same field as them. Granted, in some sports

that result proves that mentality right.

But not in wrestling.

In 2006, the Saints took Vintage, Napa and Justin. They chewed them up and spit them out. In

2007, the Saints hammered Justin and Vintage before winning a close one against Napa.

Granted, dealing with weight classes in wrestling can be an equalizer. After all, Gian Traverso is

the same size (154 pounds) as Napa or Vintage’s 154-pounder. However, those bigger schools still

have that advantage because there are so many more bodies from which to pull to fill that weight class.

One thing, however, that stood out most about Sandler was the life lessons that he taught his athletes.

Those lessons were taken to heart so often that former wrestlers like Nate Engel and Harner would

stop by practice and help their old coach when they were back in town.

Barring anything unforeseen, wrestling seems so far out of town in St. Helena that it can’t be

found on a GPS.

Starting a Justin-Siena High Athletic Hall of Fame would be a very good idea

People are just as likely to say “living in the past” as they are to say, “hello how are you?”

We think TV was better when we were kids as opposed to the drivel that’s on TV now. We think music was better when we were kids than the nonsense that’s played today. Our parents think music and TV was better in their time.

And, for the sake of balance, today’s kids will probably see their kids’ music and TV shows as a bunch of tomfoolery. At age 45, I am still young relatively speaking but with three youngsters between the ages of 9-11, I find myself having “old man yells at cloud” moments.

Heck, we think sports was better back in the day.

Without further adieu, how about starting a Justin-Siena High Athletic Hall of Fame?

Here in the Napa Valley, Napa High established one in 1998. Vintage and St. Helena joined the fray in 2013. I believe Justin should start one in the not too distant future. Granted, the school has been dealing with much bigger issues such as the dismissal of former principal John Bordelon which days later led to the resignation of president Robert Jordan amid the uproar of Bordelon’s ousting. Br. Chris Brady has since become Justin’s new principal. He previously served as Dean of Students along with teaching history and religion at Justin from 1979-1983. He also held leadership roles at Sacred Heart Cathedral (san Francisco), De La Salle (Concord and La Salle High (Pasadena).

Between, Justin and Napa, it’s a photo finish on which school is a bigger hot mess in terms of administrative turmoil but I digress.

As for the possibility of a Justin-Siena High Athletic Hall of Fame, I was lucky enough to be a sports reporter on the Upvalley beat. I watched first-hand how the late Jim Hunt spearheaded efforts to establish the St. Helena High athletic Hall of Fame. Hunt graduated from St. Helena in 1962, where he starred in three sports before playing college football at California-Berkeley. He also coached Calistoga High from 1978-1985. Watching Hunt lead the charge to form the SHHS Athletic Hall of Fame was a thing of beauty.

I graduated from Justin in 1991, competing in both football and track & field. Though I have little connection to the school now, I have thought about how there would be many deserving names.

The task would be a large undertaking, but it’s fun to think about even if it never comes to fruition. But goodness sakes alive, wouldn’t it be great if it did? Picture Frank Defilippis, Nyrene Clark or Marcus Armstrong-Brown just to name a few on a plaque. We could think of several others but in the interest of time, I’ll allow you to think of others.

In my limited discussions with people, the biggest question of getting the ball rolling is how does one establish a Hall of Fame?

For starters, you’d have to find someone to spearhead the project who has time to do it, especially because there’s really no strategy to follow in the beginning. Not that I can think of anyone specific, but someone who is self-employed or retired would be ideal because they would have a flexible enough schedule to devote the time and interest to the project.

The sticking point, however, is that the person should not be a spotlight hound because the focus is about the inductees — not the inductors.

Then, once that person is appointed, he or she must find a committee. Then just like appointing a jury in court (even though there’s no legal ramifications here), the purpose is to get a good cross section of people.

Former athletes certainly have the in-depth knowledge of sports, but if you make the board purely ex-jocks you’ll get a combination of compelling stories but arguments with a high noise level. That’s fine within reason but not so much so to where very little gets done.

The ages of the selected committee should have variety as well and should ideally consist of those residing in Napa County or any surrounding county.

Since Justin is a private school that draws from three counties (Napa, Solano and Sonoma), finding someone that lives in Napa would be preferable because chances are they would be in tune with recent times. Living in Napa, however, should not be a prequisite.

Most importantly, there should be a sound standard with little variation. Do you want to factor in academic achievements? Some athletes might have been high achievers in that arena but were not long on academics.

What about criminal records of any kind (felonies or misdemeanors)? What was the athlete’s character like during and after their career?

How many years would one need to be out of school to be eligible for induction? Three years? Five years? Ten years? I’d say no more than 10.

The other question is, do you limit induction to just athletes and coaches? After all, there’s plenty of behind-the-scenes people that don’t get recognition but deserve such. How about boosters? How about administrators? How about teachers?

The next task would be raising funds for plaques, places for the induction dinner, selling tickets and covering various costs. One would think finding sponsors wouldn’t be difficult since small town businesses tend to be responsive. Then, there’s the whole matter of finding a place big enough to accommodate those attending the ceremony.

And we haven’t mentioned trying to find the inductees themselves. Well, those still in town are easy, but outside the area is another matter. Keep in mind, the inductee usually has a presenter. Then there’s the whole matter of how many inductees per year? Five would seem fair because any more than that would make the ceremony too long for people to stomach. After all, you don’t want a five-hour ceremony.

The voting part might seem easy but there’s several generations to take into account.

The important thing is to make the first one a smashing success to ensure future success. Let’s face it, if the first one stinks, you’re in trouble.

The question is, who would be willing to step forward with this undertaking?

It’s a huge job, but one worth entertaining.

Losing for a high draft pick is bad Kool Aid

When a team’s season goes sideways, you hear the age old question, “Do you continue to try winning games or do you continue to lose games to attain a higher draft pick?”

In the NFL, you heard slogans like “Suck for Luck” in reference to the Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, who wound up getting drafted No. 1 overall by the Indianapolis Colts in 2012. The other popular slogan was “Blow It Off For Goff” in reference to California quarterback Jared Goff, who was drafted No. 1 overall by the Los Angeles Rams in 2016.

Most NFL mock drafts believe that USC’s Sam Darnold and UCLA’s Josh Rosen, both of whom are quarterbacks. After Sunday’s NFL action, the winless Cleveland Browns and 2-10 New York Giants are slated for the top two picks. The San Francisco 49ers are also 2-10 but the Giants would get the higher pick based on a head-to-head loss to the 49ers. San Francisco, however, may not be in the market for a quarterback in the first round based on its recent trade for New England backup Jimmy Garoppolo.

Teams that try to lose employ a strategy known as “tanking.” I have been on my soapbox for years against that approach. While I understand the fans’ excitement for potentially drafting a great player, it is also Fool’s Gold. You are pinning your hopes on a player that has yet to play nary a down in the NFL. Translation, the player is just as likely to become a bust as well as an All-Pro. Granted, the term “bust” is a subjective definition but you get the idea.

The “lose for a higher draft choice” approach is also flawed because no self-respecting professional (front office, coach, player) is going to purposely attempt to lose games because they have livelihoods to keep afloat, just like any working class professional in society. It’s pretty simple, you fail at your job, you won’t have one.

Also, if a team has a bad win-loss record, they don’t need to “try” to lose games, they have proven they are bad enough to lose games on their own merit. If your team is, say 3-13, chances are you do not have just one area of weakness on your roster, you likely have several.

The constant narrative one hears is that teams that are consistently bad a) should eventually get their pick right and b) as how could a team be so bad for so long that they are picking that high?

Therein also lies the answer. For openers, I don’t give a damn if a team is picking first or 21st, they’d better get it right because first round draft picks command a lot of money, some more so than others. Secondly, any competent front office and scouting staff will generally get more picks right than not regardless of draft position.

Time machine 2009: 10 hours of a day you won't get back

Do you ever feel like a day was totally wasted?

I experienced such a day with several people one Saturday in late September 2009. Well, not just me, but anyone associated with the Calistoga and Round Valley High football teams.

That includes everyone — as in players, coaches, volunteers, parents, etc.

I was in the midst of covering two high school football games in a matter of 16 hours. Lower Lake at St. Helena on Friday night and Calistoga at Round Valley (Covelo) on Saturday afternoon. I arrived home about 11:30 p.m. on Friday night from watching St. Helena beat Lower Lake 27-12.

My weekend of covering high school football was far from over — or so I thought. I met Calistoga High’s football team at the school in order to ride the team bus on the ensuing Saturday morning at 8 a.m.

I had no desire to drive three-and-half hours to Covelo. The drive itself is scenic but with the windiness of Highway 162, it feels more like five hours.

I rode to Covelo as a passenger of Calistoga High athletic director Jake Blakeley, who was driving a school district van. Along the way, we stopped to eat at Burger King in Willits, which is about an hour and a half South of Covelo. Except, only Jake ordered food. Remembering the delicious tri-tip sandwiches from the concession stands from my trip three years ago when I witnessed Calistoga’s 36-0 win over the Mustangs, I opted to save my appetite. That was a colossal mistake.

We arrive at Covelo, where the heat is downright oppressive (temperatures climbed above 110 degrees), about 45 minutes before the noon kickoff of the JV game. The varsity contest was slated for 2 p.m., or 30 minutes after the JV game — whatever comes first.

To add to this misery, I discovered that the concession stand had been burned down because of arson. The only concession stand at the field had snack foods (i.e. potato chips, candy, etc.) along with drinks such as sodapop and water, not exactly a nutritious lunch. The good news was that about a quarter mile from the high school was a softball field where a tournament was taking place. They had a concession stand.

So I and Scott LeStrange, who was one of Calistoga head coach Mike Ervin’s assistant coaches, walk over to see what they have for food. We were the only ones in line. The posted menu included items like hamburgers, hot dogs, drinks, etc. We’re thinking, “this is a little more like it.”

There were two people working the concession stand. They tell us, “the Indian tacos won’t be ready for another ten minutes.” According to the 2010 United States Census Bureau, Covelo’s population was 37% Native American, hence the likelihood of Indian tacos. I replied with, “That’s fine. Are your hamburgers ready?” They said, “yes.”

So I ordered two of them, knowing I would be there for a while. The burgers were so dry beef jerky would have been an upgrade. I showered them with Ketchup.

About 20 minutes before the JV kickoff, the officiating crew remained MIA. They would remain MIA the remainder of the day due to a scheduling miscommunication.

The JV teams scrimmaged with coaches officiating, including but not limited to Ervin. The day was miserable so I had to bring levity by heckling Ervin, whom I consider a friend.

I even used a Hank Stram soundbite — “How could one of you miss a call like that!” Ervin got a good chuckle.

The good news, I figured out an early escape out of Covelo. I discovered in passing that Calistoga JV head coach Joe Russo needed to get back to Calistoga after the JV game, so from there I decided that if there were no referees I was not going to waste any more of the day in Covelo.

I don’t mind making the trip if it’s going to be a regularly sanctioned game, but why waste my time if it’s a scrimmage?

I approached Russo at halftime of the JV scrimmage. He agreed to do it but replied with, “Just so you know I have to get back to Calistoga quick.” My response, “Drive like Bo Duke if you have to, the sooner we get out of this town, the better.”

We returned to Calistoga about 5:30 p.m., as opposed to about 9 p.m. had the game been played. In case you are wondering, Russo kept his vehicle between the ditches.

The entire weekend, I kept asking myself and others, “How could this get so damn fouled up?” The real F-word I used, however, rhythms with tuck. Perhaps, the home team coaching staff and athletic director.

After all, in the North Central League II, you have teams coming from two to three hours away. It damn well behooves you to have officials lined up.

Perhaps, it’s the Coastal Mountain Conference powers-that-be or the referees association. Something got lost in translation and a number of people suffered as a result. The day was 10 to 12 hours most of us will never get back.

For my sake, it was 10 hours away from my wife and three kids — all ages 2 ½ years and under at the time. I made arrangements earlier in the week to free up Saturday by taking other days off work.

For the players’ sake, it’s a waste of time. They spend all week practicing with the idea of playing a game Friday night or Saturday afternoon.

For the volunteers, I refer to the Calistoga stat girls, which have included Nicole Taylor the last two years. Taylor was a three-sport athlete who graduated in 2011 and also volunteered time as a stat keeper.  I also refer to the Round Valley volunteers. Granted, most of them might live a hop, skip and a jump away from the high school but they are still sacrificing time out of their weekend.

For Calistoga High’s budget, the district set aside two vans and a school bus for a 12-hour day that amounted to two scrimmages.

Then again, maybe I should have known something all along from Lake County Record Bee sports editor Brian Sumpter. You see, Sump has been in the business for 35 years, but the man can only wish he lived the lifestyle I lived — fast money, fast women, etc.

Anyhow, Brian and I talk frequently about the teams in our area and exchange levity as we did on Monday. Brian talked about a game he covered in Covelo in 1995 involving Upper Lake and Round Valley High. He quickly reminded me how there was a reason he never went back.

Well, I went to Covelo in 2006 to witness Calistoga’s 36-0 win over the Mustangs. So what drew me to a return trip? The chance to see the 0-2 Wildcats get their first win of the season.

Just a shame the day had to be such a waste.

Suffice it say, two trips to Covelo in my life are more than ample. If there is a next one, it will be much too soon.

Watering down playoff formats are an outrage

Do you ever find yourself going on the same rant just about every year? You know nothing is likely to get changed but you feel better about getting on your soapbox.

The advancing age of 45 has me experiencing more “cranky old bastard” rants that resemble “old man yells at cloud.”

At most every level of sports, from high school to college to professional, damn near every postseason format is watered down worse than a flat Budweiser. Goodness knows, I love my cheap beer but at least give me some barley and hops with it. In the NFL, you have 32 teams with 12 going to the postseason. That format is not perfect but it’s acceptable. Don’t even get me started on too many NBA and NHL teams going to the postseason. In Major League Baseball, you have purists that do not like the addition of the wild card. I have no problem with it.

In college football, however, I think too many teams are allowed bowl eligibilty. In college basketball, count me in the minority but 64 teams in the NCAA tournament -- too damn many. What can I say, I am bat you know what (the word starts with “s” and ends in shinola) crazy sometimes. In high school, I can only speak for Northern California because that is the region I follow. I mainly follow the CIF Sac Joaquin and North Coast Sections but with four Napa Valley schools vacating the former for the latter, I probably will not follow the SJS as ardently in the future.

It never ceases to amaze me at how many times I see a postseason bracket and see the number of teams with sub-.500 win/loss records. The NCS has six divisions (Open, I-V). The Open division of the NCS football consists of four teams -- De La Salle, San Ramon Valley, Pittsburg and Clayton Valley. De La Salle and Pittsburg meet for the title on Dec. 2 at Dublin High. I have no complaint with the Open division because those teams are the crem de la crem. By design, Div. I-V are constructed for 16-team brackets.

Divisions are broken down based on enrollment. Teams that win their league title get an automatic berth into the playoffs while non champions can apply for an at-large bid. Two things stand out to me. For openers, only Div. II and III had enough teams for a 16 team bracket while Div. I had 14 teams, Div. IV had 15 while Div. V had 12. In the meantime, the NCS has 21 teams in Div. I, 20 in Div. II, 23 in Div. III, 22 in Div. IV and 16 in Div. V. Of the 73 teams playing in the playoffs, 31 had losing records entering the postseason.

I have one word to describe that -- ludicrous. Good Lord, that stat reeks of participation trophy.

So why are those teams making the postseason might you ask? Fair question. In the NCS, if you are a .500 team against opponents within your division or league, that gets you into the postseason. If a team wins its league and has a losing overall record, I'm open to making an exception for them because it's not their fault that the league is terrible.

During a casual conversation I once had with a Lake County coach during my tenure on the Upvalley beat, we had the same discussion of why the playoffs are watered down worse than a flat beer. This coach replied, “I’ll give you one word — money.”

I’m all for capitalism. It’s the American way but not at the expense of compromising the integrity of achievement.

I thought a team reaching the playoffs was meant to be a reward for having a successful season. I guess that got lost in translation at some point in my life.

And please don’t come at me with the strength of schedule argument either. If you want to puff out your chest because of your schedule strength, fine. Beat those teams.

That is where the power ratings enter the equation, where strength of schedule, league strength and margin of victory are a factor. and/or at-large system is better because every game is factored.

The good thing about power ratings is that it eliminates emotion when ranking teams and the computer can calculate numbers in 10 minutes that might take the human mind weeks to do. Plus, strength of schedule should be a factor and so should margin of victory. Well, not beyond 35 points. I’m of the mind that a 56-14 win is no more impressive than say, a 55-20 win. If you saw the game, you know who the better team is.

The downside is that so many teams make the playoffs that the field looks more watered down.

The NCS at large system used to involve coaches attending a meeting to state their case, which means you, in effect, bargain your way into the playoffs.

Just don’t reward teams for having losing seasons.