Old Playoff Format Question

For those a little long in the tooth on here I have a question about the playoff process say Pre 1995. How the hell did they seed or set up the playoffs. I ask because I see that in 1993 i believe the last year of the Wed/Sat playoff days that our 9-0 squad Went on the road in the 1st round to a 6-3 Mahomet Team. I know the Setup has changed over the years but I didnt pay attention or start playing until 1994.

I seem to remember that a count was kept of the number of home and away games each school had played since the playoffs started and if you were plus five home games and Mahomet was -2 road games, they got the home game.

I may be misremembering. Now that I'm 65 that happens more frequently.

This doesn't answer the question but I thought it was interesting:

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1993-01-12-9303161222-story.html

Here is the 1993 championship between Loyola and DGS (6A)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdw2pviibPU

Clifton Central beat Mahomet-Seymour  14-8 in the 1993 first round. Pontiac won 3A

1993-94 (3A)
First Round
Mt. Carmel 41, @Herrin (H.S.) 12
Harrisburg 60, @Christopher 7
DuQuoin (H.S.) 30, @Freeburg 12
@Waterloo (H.S.) 26, Nashville 0
@Breese (Central) 33, Greenville 12
@Breese (Mater Dei) 22, Flora 18
@Sullivan 15, Newton 8
Robinson 34, @Clinton 29
Addison (Driscoll) 12, @Harvard 7
@Lombard (Montini) 35, Evergreen Park 21
@Princeton 23, Aurora (Marmion Academy) 6
Spring Valley (Hall) 28, @Aurora (Central Catholic) 21
Kewanee (H.S.) 41, @Dwight 8
@Pontiac 34, Dunlap 14
Clifton (Central) 14, @Mahomet (M.-Seymour) 8
@Normal (University) 29, Hoopeston (H. Area) 14
Second Round
@Harrisburg 16, Mt. Carmel 13
Waterloo (H.S.) 7, @DuQuoin (H.S.) 6
@Breese (Mater Dei) 26, Breese (Central) 20
@Robinson 12, Sullivan 7
Lombard (Montini) 21, @Addison (Driscoll) 0
@Spring Valley (Hall) 21, Princeton 13
Pontiac 21, @Kewanee (H.S.) 14
Normal (University) 15, @Clifton (Central) 6
Quarterfinals
@Waterloo (H.S.) 28, Harrisburg 14
Breese (Mater Dei) 22, @Robinson 19
Lombard (Montini) 48, @Spring Valley (Hall) 34
Pontiac 21, @Normal (University) 20 (OT)

Semifinals

Waterloo (H.S.) 7, @Breese (Mater Dei) 6
@Pontiac 34, Lombard (Montini) 28

Championship

Pontiac 48, Waterloo (H.S.) 18

It looks to me like there were five private schools in 3A that year. Two made it to the semis.

Here is the 3A championship game:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNIQIBg_l0M

Don't remember exactly how....do remember Morris at 9-0 playing at Joliet against Joliet Catholic team with Mike Alstott at 9-0 in a 1st round Wednesday afternoon game.

I’ll bet that Alstott kid was a wimp back in those days.

Bighitter11 wrote:For those a little long in the tooth on here I have a question about the playoff process say Pre 1995.  How the hell did they seed or set up the playoffs.  I ask because I see that in 1993  i believe the last year of the Wed/Sat playoff days that our 9-0 squad Went on the road in the 1st round to a 6-3 Mahomet Team.  I know the Setup has changed over the years but I didnt pay attention or start playing until 1994.

I always thought the IHSA just assigned the games and set up a bracket with a “regional” format.  
I have no idea how they did home/away.

They started the “playoff points” and seeding in 96 I believe.  

They may have had this formula the whole time, but the website started I think back in 96.  The website explained the process.  

I remember checking it on dial up connection from the west coast when I was stationed out there in the late 90s/ early 2000s.

Edit: just read and recalled the post about 9-0 JCA v Morris. Obviously there wasn’t a seedling system.

Teetime wrote:I’ll bet that Alstott kid was a wimp back in those days.

He was fun to watch. Very few could break tackles like he could.

4a(6afornet)north wrote:Don't remember exactly how....do remember Morris at 9-0 playing at Joliet against Joliet Catholic team with Mike Alstott at 9-0 in a 1st round Wednesday afternoon game.

I believe that was 1990, I was in second grade and my dad took my out of garfield school to go to the game. I wasnt the only one as a whole slew of kids were waiting for their parents to pick them up like me. IIRC morris had some key starters out but lost 36-10 behind a dominate alstott performance.

Bighitter, I asked this question on Edgy Tim's football board. I suspect someone there will remember.

Also three or four guys will misremember, three or for others will opine speculatively and an internet fight will break out.

Doctor D wrote:

Bighitter11 wrote:For those a little long in the tooth on here I have a question about the playoff process say Pre 1995.  How the hell did they seed or set up the playoffs.  I ask because I see that in 1993  i believe the last year of the Wed/Sat playoff days that our 9-0 squad Went on the road in the 1st round to a 6-3 Mahomet Team.  I know the Setup has changed over the years but I didnt pay attention or start playing until 1994.

I always thought the IHSA just assigned the games and set up a bracket with a “regional” format.  
I have no idea how they did home/away.

i believe you are correct that it was regional.  in 1983, sterling went 9-0 and had to travel to jca (also 9-0) to play a 1st round game.  i looked back at the pairings for that year and it looks like they were done regionally and with no regard to W/L record. and even though sterling is 95+ miles from joliet, they were the closest 5a opponent.

I'm fairly certain ging is right as to the geographical bracketing. I can't imagine trying to prep for 3 games in a week today, from a coaches and players standpoint. I will say though, I was fortunate to have played in that format 3 times advancing twice to Saturday, and it was a crap ton of fun...the school was just electric when you were able to win that first game on Wednesday.

i think conference champions were automatic qualifiers. There were also some 'at large bids' based on record. I 'think' only 7-2 or better qualified. 6 classes - 16 teams. I don't recall any seeding. There were some round 1 matchups of 9-0 vs 9-0 based on geography (several have already alluded to this). i have a poor memory but this is what i recall.
one thing for sure. sterling was LOADED in 1983. seems like they were 'ranked' 4a all year then bumped to 5a?

So I looked up all the record for the teams that year in our "Quad" We only had 4 Home games in Regular Season still scratching my head how we went on the road as a 9-0 vs a 6-3.

9-0 Central
6-3 Mahomet (Home)

8-1 U-High (Home)
6-3 Hoopeston

8-1 Pontiac (Home)
7-2 Dunlap

8-1 Dwight (Home)
8-1 Kewannee

tps wrote:
one thing for sure. sterling was LOADED in 1983. seems like they were 'ranked' 4a all year then bumped to 5a?

shs was ranked #1 in 4a but ended up in 5a for the playoffs and played #1 ranked jca.

Bighitter11 wrote:So I looked up all the record for the teams that year in our "Quad" We only had 4 Home games in Regular Season still scratching my head how we went on the road as a 9-0 vs a 6-3.

9-0 Central
6-3 Mahomet (Home)

8-1 U-High (Home)
6-3 Hoopeston

8-1 Pontiac (Home)
7-2 Dunlap

8-1 Dwight (Home)
8-1 Kewannee

That was back when they had the rule if anyone on your team ran they ball and also gay, you had to play on the road despite your record.. they changed it in 1998

This guy on Edgy Tim's HS football board remembered it like I did. They used to keep track of the games your team had played at home and away over the years....

Teetime said:
I was in a discussion with some old time football fans and none of us could remember how the IHSA would determine the home team in the round one playoff games before "Playoff points".

A Clifton Central guy pointed out in 1993 the 9-0 Clifton team had to travel to a 6-3 Mahamot-Seymor and it looks like that used to happen all of the time.

Anyone remember that playoff format well enough to explain how that happened?

Quags57 responded:
Back then it was based upon which team played last at home. It could even go back a number of years. It never made any sense.

Now if they would just let the top seeds play at home....

i remember it being like this too, tee. ^

Teetime wrote:This guy on Edgy Tim's HS football board remembered it like I did. They used to keep track of the games your team had played at home and away over the years....

Teetime said:
I was in a discussion with some old time football fans and none of us could remember how the IHSA would determine the home team in the round one playoff games before "Playoff points".

A Clifton Central guy pointed out in 1993 the 9-0 Clifton team had to travel to a 6-3 Mahamot-Seymor and it looks like that used to happen all of the time.

Anyone remember that playoff format well enough to explain how that happened?

Quags57 responded:
Back then it was based upon which team played last at home. It could even go back a number of years. It never made any sense.

Now if they would just let the top seeds play at home....

I could understand them using that reasoning but still made No Sense. Prior to 1993 our last playoff appearance was in 1988 we were on road vs Georgetown then hosted Monticello. Mahomet hosted 1st and 2nd Round games in 1991 and one round in 1992. I think they just threw shit on the walls and saw what stuck