Conferences to adjust formats
The CHSAA football committee released its proposed alignments for the next two-year cycle at its meeting Thursday in Aurora, with the most marked change being that conferences are going back to a more traditional format.
That means the abolishment of the “waterfall” system in Class 5A, where the football committee recommends the classification be split up into five conferences of six schools based off rivalries and geography, with an addition of a sixth conference consisting of 10 programs needing to rebuild.
For the 5A playoffs, the
New-look lineup
committee proposed expanding the field to 24 teams, with the top eight seeds getting a bye. Automatic playoff qualification is granted to the six league champions, with the next 17 slots determined by the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) and one slot left open for an at-large selection.
The proposals are now set to be officially voted on at the CHSAA Legislative Council meeting Jan. 25.
The alignments were “developed through a collaborative effort based on feedback from coaches, administrators, conference czars and football committee members over the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years,” according to CHSAANow.com. Here is the CHSAA committee’s recommended alignments for 5A, 4A and 3A. Some of these conference names are placeholders: North: Fairview, Horizon, Legacy, Fossil Ridge, Poudre, Rocky Mountain
Metro West: Arvada West, Columbine, Lakewood, Pomona, Ralston Valley, Mullen
South: Regis Jesuit, Chaparral, Douglas County, Legend, Fountain-Fort Carson, Doherty
Metro South: Valor Christian, Highlands Ranch, Mountain Vista, ThunderRidge, Rock Canyon, Castle View
Metro East: Cherokee Trail, Cherry Creek, Eaglecrest, Grandview, Overland, Arapahoe
10: Denver East, Smoky Hill, Rangeview, Adams City, Far Northeast, Westminster, Boulder, Mountain Range, Prairie View, Northglenn
CLASS 4A
Northern 1: Windsor, Broomfield, Greeley West, Longmont, Mountain View, Brighton
Northern 2: Monarch, Loveland, Silver Creek, Skyline, Fort Collins, Greeley Central
Metro 1: Dakota Ridge, Wheat Ridge, Golden, Chatfield, Bear Creek, Grand Junction
Metro 2: Ponderosa, Denver South, Aurora Central, Heritage, Gateway, Montrose
Metro 3: Centaurus, Vista PEAK, Hinkley, Thornton, Standley Lake, Fruita Monument
Southern 1: Pine Creek, Vista Ridge, Mesa Ridge, Cheyenne Mountain, Palmer, Grand Junction Central
Southern 2: Pueblo West, Air Academy, Liberty, Coronado, Rampart, Widefield North Central 1: George Washington, Evergreen, Conifer, John F. Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln, Green Mountain
North Central 2: Mead, Holy Family, Frederick, Denver North, Skyview, Northfield
North Central 3: Roosevelt, Erie, Fort Morgan, Northridge, Thompson Valley, Niwot
Southern: Discovery Canyon, Palmer Ridge, Lewis-Palmer, Lutheran, Littleton, Thomas Jefferson
Southern 2: Mitchell, Sand Creek, Falcon, Harrison, Sierra, Cañon City
Southern 3: Pueblo Centennial, Pueblo East, Pueblo South, Pueblo County, Pueblo Central, Durango
Central West: Palisade, Summit, Battle Mountain, Glenwood Springs, Eagle Valley, Steamboat Springs