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To see the 2A State Football Tournament bracket, click HERE.
The 2A state tournament is breaking ground this year in Idaho high school sports. For the first time ever the use of a Ratings Percentage Index, or RPI for short, will be implemented to help seed the state tournaments. The RPI is comprised of three factors: your own winning percentage, your opponents winning percentage, and your opponents' opponents winning percentage. There are 13 automatic berths and three At-Large berths available to the tournament and are broken down as follows:
District 1-2: two auto bids
District 3: four auto bids
District 4: one auto bid
District 5: three auto bids
District 6: three auto bids
At-Large bids: available to all conferences and will be awarded to schools that have the highest RPI among teams that did not qualify for an auto bid. Every school that did not qualify for an auto bid in 2A is eligible to receive one of the three At-Large berths.
The first round will now be known as the 'Regional Round' and will be seeded by a 2A football committee, which will try to match up schools according to their geography to help limit the amount of travel. Following the regional round, the remaining eight teams which advanced to the state quarterfinals will then be seeded onto the bracket according to their regular season RPI. There will be no re-seeding following the quarterfinal round.
Here is a look at all of the potential playoff and tiebreaker scenarios as we head into the final week of the regular season.
2A District 1-2 - Central Idaho League
Total guaranteed berths to the state tournament: two.
Clinched Automatic Playoff Berth
Grangeville Bulldogs - League Champion - first auto bid
Still In Contention For Auto Berth
St. Maries Lumberjacks
Orofino Maniacs
Eliminated From Auto Berth Contention
None
Only one auto bid remains up for grabs in the CIL. This week, St. Maries takes on Orofino. Here are the scenarios.
1. If St. Maries beats Orofino.
St. Maries earns the second automatic bid and Orofino is eligible to receive an At-Large berth.
2. If Orofino beats St. Maries.
Orofino earns the second automatic bid and St. Maries is eligible to receive an At-Large berth.
2A District 3 - Western Idaho Conference
Total guaranteed berths to the state tournament: four.
Clinched Automatic Playoff Berth
New Plymouth Pilgrims - Conference Champion - first auto bid
McCall-Donnelly Vandals - second auto bid
Still In Contention For Auto Berth
Melba Mustangs
Cole Valley Christian Chargers
Nampa Christian Trojans
Eliminated From Auto Berth Contention
Marsing Huskies
There are still many scenarios that are in play for the Western Idaho Conference to determine who will get the final two auto bids. Of course, every team in the conference is eligible for the At-Large berth should they not receive an auto bid.
This week's matchups include Nampa Christian vs. Cole Valley Christian, Marsing vs. McCall-Donnelly, and New Plymouth vs. Melba. Here are the scenarios:
1. If Nampa Christian wins, Marsing wins, and Melba loses.
There would be a 3-way tie for third place between Nampa Christian, Cole Valley Christian, and Melba, with Marsing being eligible for an At-Large berth.
The tie is broken using the Azzie point differential system. It takes the point-differential of a team's wins and losses against the teams it is in a tie with and combines them for a tiebreaking differential. There is also a cap of 14 points, meaning that a 50-point win is the same as a 14-point win - if you win by more than 14 points, it's counted in the tiebreaking procedure as a 14-point win. The margin of victory/defeat differential from each game between the tied teams is used to figure out which team comes out ahead.
This tiebreaker uses the point differentials taken from the games in which Nampa Christian, Cole Valley Christian, and Melba competed against each other.
Nampa Christian
Lost to Melba 48-16. Differential: -14 (capped)
Total differential: -14
(Nampa Christian plays Cole Valley Christian on Oct. 19)
Cole Valley Christian
Beat Melba 56-14. Differential: +14 (capped)
Total differential: +14
(Cole Valley Christian plays Nampa Christian on Oct. 19)
Melba
Beat Nampa Christian 48-16. Differential: +14 (capped)
Lost to Cole Valley Christian 56-14. Differential: -14 (capped)
Total differential: 0
This tiebreaker will come down to if Nampa Christian can beat Cole Valley Christian and by how many points.
If Nampa Christian wins by 1 to 13 points, Nampa Christian's point differential would sit between -13 and -1, Cole Valley Christian's point differential would site between +13 and +1, and Melba's point differential would remain at 0. In this scenario, Cole Valley Christian would take the third auto bid, Melba would take the fourth auto bid, and Nampa Christian would be eligible for an At-Large berth.
If Nampa Christian wins by 14 points or more, the point differentials for Nampa Christian, Melba, and Cole Valley Christian would all be at 0. This would mean that a second tiebreaker is needed.
The second tiebreaker is using the Azzie point differential system again, but this time including the results against all conference opponents. This is how it would play out:
Nampa Christian
Lost to Melba 48-16. Differential: -14 (capped)
Lost to New Plymouth 56-14. Differential: -14 (capped)
Lost to McCall-Donnelly 62-20. Differential: -14 (capped)
Beat Marsing 41-16. Differential: +14 (capped)
Beat Cole Valley Christian by 14 or more. Differential: +14 (capped)
Total differential: -14
Cole Valley Christian
Beat Melba 56-14. Differential: +14 (capped)
Lost to New Plymouth 22-10. Differential: -12
Lost to McCall-Donnelly 27-14. Differential: -13
Beat Marsing 33-0. Differential: +14 (capped)
Lose to Nampa Christian by 14 or more. Differential: -14 (capped)
Total differential: -11
Melba
Lost to McCall-Donnelly 20-19. Differential: -1
Beat Marsing 49-6. Differential: +14 (capped)
Beat Nampa Christian 48-16. Differential: +14 (capped)
Lost to Cole Valley Christian 56-14. Differential: -14 (capped)
(Melba plays New Plymouth on Oct. 19)
Total differential: +13
Even though Melba has not played New Plymouth yet (the two teams will meet on Oct. 19), a Melba win or loss by any amount of points will not affect the final outcome of the tiebreaker, since Nampa Christian cannot improve on their -14 total differential and the worst that Melba could be in their point differential is -1. As a result, Cole Valley Christian takes the third auto bid, Melba would take the fourth auto bid, and Nampa Christian would be eligible for an At-Large berth.
2. If Nampa Christian wins, Marsing wins, and Melba wins.
Melba takes the third auto bid, Nampa Christian takes the fourth auto bid, and Cole Valley Christian and Marsing would be eligible for an At-Large berth.
3. If Nampa Christian wins, Marsing loses, and Melba loses.
There would be a 3-way tie for third place between Nampa Christian, Cole Valley Christian, and Melba. Marsing would be eligible for the At-Large berth.
The tie is broken using the Azzie point differential system. It takes the point-differential of a team's wins and losses against the teams it is in a tie with and combines them for a tiebreaking differential. There is also a cap of 14 points, meaning that a 50-point win is the same as a 14-point win - if you win by more than 14 points, it's counted in the tiebreaking procedure as a 14-point win. The margin of victory/defeat differential from each game between the tied teams is used to figure out which team comes out ahead.
This tiebreaker uses the point differentials taken from the games in which Nampa Christian, Cole Valley Christian, and Melba competed against each other.
Nampa Christian
Lost to Melba 48-16. Differential: -14 (capped)
Total differential: -14
(Nampa Christian plays Cole Valley Christian on Oct. 19)
Cole Valley Christian
Beat Melba 56-14. Differential: +14 (capped)
Total differential: +14
(Cole Valley Christian plays Nampa Christian on Oct. 19)
Melba
Beat Nampa Christian 48-16. Differential: +14 (capped)
Lost to Cole Valley Christian 56-14. Differential: -14 (capped)
Total differential: 0
This tiebreaker will come down to if Nampa Christian can beat Cole Valley Christian and by how many points.
If Nampa Christian wins by 1 to 13 points, Nampa Christian's point differential would sit between -13 and -1, Cole Valley Christian's point differential would site between +13 and +1, and Melba's point differential would remain at 0. In this scenario, Cole Valley Christian would take the third auto bid, Melba would take the fourth auto bid, and Nampa Christian would be eligible for an At-Large berth.
If Nampa Christian wins by 14 points or more, the point differentials for Nampa Christian, Melba, and Cole Valley Christian would all be at 0. This would mean that a second tiebreaker is needed.
The second tiebreaker is using the Azzie point differential system again, but this time including the results against all conference opponents. This is how it would play out:
Nampa Christian
Lost to Melba 48-16. Differential: -14 (capped)
Lost to New Plymouth 56-14. Differential: -14 (capped)
Lost to McCall-Donnelly 62-20. Differential: -14 (capped)
Beat Marsing 41-16. Differential: +14 (capped)
Beat Cole Valley Christian by 14 or more. Differential: +14 (capped)
Total differential: -14
Cole Valley Christian
Beat Melba 56-14. Differential: +14 (capped)
Lost to New Plymouth 22-10. Differential: -12
Lost to McCall-Donnelly 27-14. Differential: -13
Beat Marsing 33-0. Differential: +14 (capped)
Lose to Nampa Christian by 14 or more. Differential: -14 (capped)
Total differential: -11
Melba
Lost to McCall-Donnelly 20-19. Differential: -1
Beat Marsing 49-6. Differential: +14 (capped)
Beat Nampa Christian 48-16. Differential: +14 (capped)
Lost to Cole Valley Christian 56-14. Differential: -14 (capped)
(Melba plays New Plymouth on Oct. 19)
Total differential: +13
Even though Melba has not played New Plymouth yet (the two teams will meet on Oct. 19), a Melba win or loss by any amount of points will not affect the final outcome of the tiebreaker, since Nampa Christian cannot improve on their -14 total differential and the worst that Melba could be in their point differential is -1. As a result, Cole Valley Christian takes the third auto bid, Melba takes the fourth auto bid, and Nampa Christian would be eligible for an At-Large berth.
4. If Nampa Christian wins, Marsing loses, and Melba wins.
Melba would take the third auto bid, Nampa Christian would take the fourth auto bid, and Cole Valley Christian and Marsing would be eligible for an At-Large berth.
5. If Nampa Christian loses, Marsing wins, and Melba loses.
Cole Valley Christian would take the third auto bid, Melba would take the fourth auto bid. and Nampa Christian and Marsing would be eligible for an At-Large berth.
6. If Nampa Christian loses, Marsing wins, and Melba wins.
Cole Valley Christian would take the third auto bid, Melba would take the fourth auto bid. and Nampa Christian and Marsing would be eligible for an At-Large berth.
7. If Nampa Christian loses, Marsing loses, and Melba loses.
Cole Valley Christian would take the third auto bid, Melba would take the fourth auto bid. and Nampa Christian and Marsing would be eligible for an At-Large berth.
8. If Nampa Christian loses, Marsing loses, and Melba wins.
Cole Valley Christian would take the third auto bid, Melba would take the fourth auto bid. and Nampa Christian and Marsing would be eligible for an At-Large berth.
2A District 4 - Canyon Conference
Total guaranteed berths to the state tournament: one.
Clinched Automatic Playoff Berth
None
Still In Contention For Auto Berth
Declo Hornets
Wendell Trojans
Eliminated From Auto Berth Contention
None
With only two teams in the conference, this basically become a one-game playoff for the right to the automatic bid from the district. Here are the scenarios:
1. If Declo beats Wendell.
Declo earns the auto bid and Wendell is eligible for an At-Large berth.
2. If Wendell beats Declo.
Wendell earns the auto bid and Declo is eligible for an At-Large berth.
2A District 5 - South East Idaho Conference
Total guaranteed berths to the state tournament: three.
Clinched Automatic Playoff Berth
West Side Pirates - Conference Champion - first auto bid
Still In Contention For Auto Berth
Aberdeen Tigers
Soda Springs Cardinals
Malad Dragons
Eliminated From Auto Berth Contention
Bear Lake Bears
Only one of the three automatic bids has been claimed in the South East Idaho Conference. There are three teams remaining that are vying for those auto bids. Bear Lake, while eliminated from contention for an auto bid, is eligible to for an At-Large berth.
This week's matchups include West Side vs. Soda Springs and Aberdeen vs. Malad. Here are the scenarios:
1. If West Side beats Soda Springs and Aberdeen beats Malad.
Aberdeen takes the second auto bid, Soda Springs takes the third auto bid, and Malad is eligible for an At-Large berth.
2. If West Side beats Soda Springs and Malad beats Aberdeen.
Soda Springs, Malad, and Aberdeen tie for second place. The tie is broken using a 3-way Kansas City Playoff, which would be held on Saturday Oct. 20 or Monday Oct. 22. The team that wins the Kansas City Playoff would take the second auto bid, the team that finishes in second place in the playoff would take the third auto bid, and the team that finishes in third place in the playoff would be eligible for an At-Large berth.
3. If Soda Springs beats West Side and Aberdeen beats Malad.
West Side, Soda Springs, and Aberdeen would tie for first place, while Malad is eligible for an At-Large berth. The tie is broken with a 3-way coin flip. The first school to be the odd-team out in the coin flip takes the first auto bid. The two remaining teams would then determine who takes the second auto bid based on the result of their head-to-head matchup in the regular season. The winner of that matchup takes the second auto bid and the loser of that matchup takes the third auto bid.
4. If Soda Springs beats West Side and Malad beats Aberdeen.
Soda Springs takes the second auto bid, Malad takes the third auto bid, and Aberdeen is eligible for an At-Large berth.
2A District 6 - Nuclear Conference
Total guaranteed berths to the state tournament: three.
Clinched Automatic Playoff Berth
North Fremont Huskies - Conference Champion - first auto bid
West Jefferson Panthers
Firth Cougars
Still In Contention For Auto Berth
None
Eliminated From Auto Berth Contention
Ririe Bulldogs
Salmon Savages
This is the only conference in the 2A classification where we know everyone who is in via the auto bids. Ririe (which is 1-2 in conference) plays North Fremont this week in Ashton and, even if they were to beat North Fremont, would still lose the 3-way tiebreaker to West Jefferson and Firth. Both West Jefferson and Firth have two conference wins apiece and both teams beaten Ririe. As a result, Ririe (along with Salmon) is eligible for an At-Large berth. The only matchup that matters this week is West Jefferson vs. Firth, which will determine the order of the auto bids.
1. If West Jefferson beats Firth.
West Jefferson takes the second auto bid and Firth takes the third auto bid.
2. If Firth beats West Jefferson.
Firth takes the second auto bid and West Jefferson takes the third auto bid.
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