COLUMBUS — A Sweet Sixteen as it currently stands?

Better by only the dozen?

Or is eight just flat out enough?

Those are three questions of which the Ohio High School High Athletic Association is tackling for this upcoming football season, pertaining to the number of playoff qualifiers per each of the 28 regions over seven divisions.

In other words, as the same question but worded differently, will the field of 16 teams per region really be contracted to 12?

Or, reducing further, is eight teams per region –like it was for two full decades until the COVID-impacted 2020 season came about –plenty?

The OHSAA’s football administrator, Beau Rugg, answered questions concerning that elephant in the room a week ago –part of last Thursday’s annual statewide meeting of the Ohio Prep Sports Media Association.

The idea of reducing the number of teams per region has been put forth to the OHSAA –based on an April survey sent to its member schools, athletic directors and head football coaches.

That survey, which ended on April 28, sought opinions about OHSAA football –from the 10-week regular season which begins in August, its six-week long postseason tournament from the final Friday night in October to the state championship games in early December, and just how many playoff qualifiers is preferred.

The most common contention and talking point involves reducing the number of teams from 16, as the OHSAA expanded –and doubled –the playoff field from eight teams in 2021.

That was the first season of course following COVID, as all teams in 2020 –regardless of record and number of games played –had the option of competing in the playoffs, which began in mid-October and ended before Thanksgiving.

Rugg said only three teams in four years have actually opted out that have qualified.

“We want to make a deeper dive into this. There are possible changes, but it’s much more than just what a coach thinks or an athletic director thinks. It’s the total package of what that means,” said Rugg, in his 14th year as the OHSAA football administrator. “If we make changes, what does that mean?”

Does it mean, in fact, reducing the field from 16 teams per region to 12 –starting with the 2025 campaign?

And, subsequently, potentially passing up an opportunity for additional revenue?

Rugg said the data provided from the survey was from over 1,000 participants, which completed the questionaire online.

“We’re going to make sure we have plenty of data and have had plenty of conversation before we take away opportunities for kids,” said Rugg. “That’s important to us. It’s kind of a big thing. We’ve had four years of a pretty smooth tournament. It’s been pretty seamless.”

Speaking of opportunities, and thanks to the 16-team-per-region expansion of the past four years, Scioto County and Lawrence County schools sure have benefited from the extra eight playoff spots.

In 2021, Portsmouth (9 seed), Minford (10), West (12), Northwest (15), Valley (14), Coal Grove (13) and East (13) all qualified in their respective regions–followed by Portsmouth (9), Northwest (12), Minford (16), Valley (15), Rock Hill (10), Notre Dame (9) and South Gallia (11) in 2022.

In 2023, South Point (14), Portsmouth (15), Valley (13), Rock Hill (16), Coal Grove (13) and South Gallia (9) got in –as did Chesapeake (13), Coal Grove (13) and Wheelersburg (14) last fall.

Portsmouth, as the lower seed in those years, pulled off the opening-round victory –including that memorable 50-38 win as the 15-seed two years back, stunning second-seeded and host Fairland in Division V Region 19.

Notre Dame defeated Green in the 9-at-8 Division VII Region 27 tilt in 2022, while Wheelersburg –as the 14 seed in Region 19 last year –won two road playoff games exactly three hours from home.

The Pirates won at third-seeded and undefeated Barnesville in the opening round, then returned to Belmont County a week later –and upstaged 11th-seeded Union Local in the quarterfinals.

Wheelersburg then topped West Muskingum in the Region 19 semifinals, setting up the regional championship game against Ironton at South Point.

As for the debate over 16 or 12 teams, and the pros and cons of each, Rugg discussed those –but did admit “there certainly is a push for 12”.

In fact, 12 teams per region was heavily-favored by the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association after COVID, but the OHSAA expanded straight to 16.

The primary argument against more teams per region is always the number of “non-competitive games”, and thus lopsided scores.

“I look at that argument, but that’s just something we live with from game one to game 16. We’re going to have non-competitive games if we go to 12,” said Rugg. “But I think it’s just worth the excitement of those ones that come through (win as lower-seeded teams). We’re going to have teams every year that get better as the year goes on, that get healthier as the year goes on, and they’ll have a chance.”

Rugg said OHSAA stakeholders may have a differing viewpoint, and it’s important that their goals are met as well.

“We just haven’t done that deep dive yet. We have to separate what the administrators think, what the coaches think, what the athletic directors think, what the nine-thru-16 seeds think. I think you have to look at what people are saying, and then do a deeper dive as to why they are saying it,” he said. “If we make a change, this is what it’s going to look like, and these are some the causes and effects. The schools need to know that, other than just do you want 12 or 16. And all we have right now is do you want 12 or 16. The causes and effects we haven’t even discussed yet with our schools or our Board (OHSAA Board of Directors).”

Rugg said there isn’t an established timeline when the OHSAA Board of Directors could potentially make any formal alterations to the playoff format.

Any such changes are usually made prior to the beginning of the season.

But will there be any changes on the horizon?

“When people say we’ll never change (from 16 teams), tell them that never is a long time. I will say that there is a possibility (of reducing from 16). Under this leadership, that includes our Board and our Executive Director (Doug Ute), we have listened and pivoted more in the last couple years than in the other 12 years combined. We don’t do cemented stuff anymore,” admitted Rugg. “We’re going to listen and pivot and things change. I think there is a real possibility of change.”

And, if there is change, to say reduction to 12 teams per region, Rugg said, “I don’t see any barriers to implementing it immediately.”

“I think we can wait pretty long to make that decision. Nothing will change for us. We’re still going to play regular-season games, we’re still going to have Harbin ratings, we’re going to end the regular season on the same day,” he said. ” There’s really not any planning that has to happen.”

The OHSAA football playoffs began in 1972, and only 12 schools qualified –as there were three classifications at that time, with four schools qualifying per class.

The OHSAA expanded football to five divisions in 1980 with 40 total qualifiers, and to six in 1994 with 96 total qualifiers.

The playoff field expanded from four to eight teams per region beginning in 1999 (192 total qualifiers), as a seventh division was added in 2013 (224 total qualifiers).

It was then originally announced an expansion of a dozen teams per region for the 2021 season, but the OHSAA went a step further in April of 2021 –announcing that 16 teams per region would be implemented for that upcoming year.

That has been the format for the past four years, as that expansion increased the number of playoff qualifiers from 224 to 448.

In addition, it’s expected that the OHSAA will keep ALL playoff games –from the opening round through the state semifinals –remaining on Friday nights.