Region play-in format sets up for excitement; Picks
New format should make for exciting final week of regular season
With GHSA reclassification comes change, and that’s nowhere as evident as how the four playoff spots in Region 6-AAA football will be decided this season.
As you probably know by now, the region’s 10 teams were divided into two subregions, North and South, and each team in the subregion will play each other once. Based on the final subregion standings, the teams will be matched up in the final week of the regular season in a region play-in game. This was the same case as several years ago for local teams when their regions were subdivided, however, the format this year is a little different.
Instead of the top teams from each subregion squaring off for the region title and the No. 2s playing the No. 3s for the other two playoff spots, which was the scenario several years ago, the teams will enter the final week of the regular season with nobody being completely assured of a spot in the postseason.
The No. 1 seed from the South will host the No. 4 seed from the North and vice versa. The same is the case for the No. 2 seeds hosting the No. 3 seeds from the opposite subregion. (The No. 5 teams from each subregion will square off against each other with no playoff implications.) The winners of all four games featuring top four teams will clinch playoff spots. That means that if one subregion wins all four games, they will have all four playoff spots.
Now, if only one No. 1 seed wins their matchup, they will be the region champion. If both No. 1 seeds win (or both No. 2s, No. 3s or No. 4s win), tiebreakers will come into play as far as seeding for the state playoffs.
The first tiebreaker will be head-to-head results if the teams played each other earlier in the season in region crossover matchups. The next one goes to record against all Region 6-AAA teams this season.
The third tiebreaker is where it gets a little more complicated so bear with me. If the first two do not break the tie, point differential among common opponents will be brought into play. However, the most a team can gain or lose per a single game is 12 points. That should cut down on coaches running the core up somewhat to increase point differential.
If all of those fail to break the tie, the final tiebreaker becomes the dreaded coin flip.
Whichever way things go down, the final week of the regular season just got a lot more interesting as teams play for the highest stakes -- a chance to continue playing into the postseason. I can’t wait.
Weekend football picks
After a week off last week due to space restrictions in the sports section, I’m back for another round of football picks for this weekend.
Below, you’ll find my picks for the Tech and Georgia games as well as an Alabama-Tennessee and Falcons at Seattle Seahawks picks. Here they are:
Vanderbilt at Georgia
The Bulldogs are coming off a shorter week than normal after playing a rare Sunday game at South Carolina due to Hurricane Matthew. But that shouldn’t affect them too much as they prepare for a Vanderbilt team that has sunk back to the bottom of the SEC.
The Commodores are coming off a loss to Kentucky, a game they needed to win to have a shot at bowl contention, while the Bulldogs rebounded nicely from the Hail Mary loss to Tennessee with a business- like victory in Columbia.
Georgia’s rushing game has looked better the past few weeks after early-season struggles, and that has allowed Jacob Eason’s growing pains to not look so bad. Vanderbilt’s defense isn’t a pushover and could limit the Bulldogs’ offense a bit, but the Commodores offense on the other hand isn’t very good at all.
It will be close early, but Georgia shouldn’t have a problem pulling away in the second half.
Score: Georgia wins, 34-14.
Georgia Southern at Georgia Tech
Several weeks ago when Tech was 3-0, many looked at this home date with the Eagles as a sure win. But the Jackets have come back down to Earth in the past few weeks in a very reminiscent stretch of last year’s slide that led them to a 3-9 season.
What you have to worry about here is Tech players A. taking this win for granted or B. not really caring about it that much at all. Either scenario could result in a program-changing loss. Plus, Georgia Southern is still a solid team out of the Sun Belt, and beating the big boy up the road in Atlanta would be a season-maker for them. Heck, they almost did it two years ago during the Jackets’ Orange Bowl season.
I think this one will be very competitive, but Georgia Tech’s depth will be the difference in the second half.
Score: Georgia Tech wins, 35-28.
Alabama at Tennessee
Folks have had this one circled on their calendars in SEC country since before the season. Even though Tennessee’s loss at Texas A&M last week killed the chance for an undefeated West vs. East matchup, it still is plenty big for the two fan bases and for the SEC landscape as a whole.
The Volunteers have lost nine straight to Alabama, but this is the team that is supposed to restore Tennessee back to national relevance. Here’s the problem, Alabama’s a darn good team. They might be better than they were last season when they won Nick Saban’s fourth national title in the past seven years.
The Volunteers are battling some injury problems as well, which doesn’t bode well against a physical Alabama team that simply leans on people until they can’t take it anymore. I think the Crimson Tide once again show the difference between themselves and the Volunteers on Saturday.
Score: Alabama wins, 38-20.
Atlanta Falcons at Seattle Seahawks
Well, who would’ve seen this coming. The Falcons are 4-1 and have a two-game lead atop the NFC South. They quieted a lot of doubters last Sunday when they went to Denver and beat the defending Super Bowl champs pretty handily. (The final score wasn’t indicative of the rest of the game.)
But the Falcons are back on the West Coast this weekend, facing another incredibly stout defense in Seattle, who are coming off an idle week. Atlanta’s offense was effective against Denver last week, and I think they’ll be able to do it again against the Legion of Boom.
Atlanta’s improved pass rush should help as well against a banged up Russell Wilson. Maybe I’m drinking the koolaid again, but I think the Falcons win this game.
Score: Falcons win, 26-23.