Super division is coming to football playoffs

Eight teams from high schools in Divisions 1 and 2 will be picked at end of regular season.

Facing a growing gap among top teams, the CIF Southern Section announced Friday that it will create an eight-team super division for its football playoffs this fall from select teams in Divisions 1 and 2.

The eight teams will be chosen at the end of the regular season, then compete for the Division 1 title. Teams will have a firstround bye.

The remaining teams will be placed in a 16-team Division 2. The Southern Section is adding a 14th division to its championships but there’s no guarantee the Southern Section will get 14 teams into state bowl games under the current format, according to Ron Nocetti of the CIF office. That could force the Southern Section to send just 13 of its 14 champions.

This past year, there were 18 teams in Division 1 eligible for the 16-team playoffs and 18 in Division 2. In 2019, there will be 24 teams combined for Divisions 1 and 2, meaning every team probably will make the playoffs with 24 spots available.

Since 2016-17, the Southern Section has been using competitive equity to place its teams in playoffs, rather than deciding based on what leagues they play in. Firstround games in Division 1 have become increasingly noncompetitive with a 16team bracket. Division 1 has been dominated by Santa Ana Mater Dei, Bellflower St. John Bosco and Corona Centennial.

By creating a super division similar to ones in basketball, volleyball, water polo and tennis playoffs, it also might place a majority of the private schools in Division 1, which probably will go over well with public schools complaining about private schools holding unfair advantages.

The Southern Section also hopes by 2020 to use the results of the regular season to help with playoff grouping. Currently teams are placed in divisions entering the summer based on two years of performance data.