The first major blog posting of the summer is here and it is an important piece to help describe the upcoming Lone Star Conference Playoff and things associated with the series.


The Bracket of the LSC Playoff Series:

The bracket has been established by the LSC to consist of everything referenced below and in the image.

The sequence of play for all LSC teams at the end of the 2014 season will consist of two brackets. The 8 LSC teams will play over a two week period with a total. A total of 11 weeks exist in the regular season for Division 2 football; therefore, the teams will have their typical 7 conference games and 2 non-conference games or one non-conference game with a bye week. Then, in week 10 and 11 the teams will play in the LSC Conference Playoff.

The ranking of teams for the Playoff are determined by their LSC results. The LSC will not consider non-conference games or SOS regarding the seeding for the conference playoffs. In the case of a two-way tie, the single head-to-head meeting during conference play would be the tie breaker determinant. If multiple teams are tied, the LSC will use their existing tiebreaker formula as seen in the other sports. The LSC will compare the record against teams involved in the tie; then, compare the record against other teams in the conference by starting at the top of the standings and working the way down.

Just to be clear, there will still be a Lone Star Conference Champion for the team(s) that wins the regular season. Think of this like the other sports, there is a conference champion and then there is a LSC Conference Championship tournament winner. Everyone knows a team can win the conference and still lose the conference championship tournament. There will only be a trophy presented for the regular season champion and the playoff champion.


Week 10:

Bracket 1: #1 will host #4

Bracket 1: #2 will host #3

Bracket 2: #5 will host #8

Bracket 2: #6 will host #7


Week 11:

Bracket 1: Winner of #1/4 vs. Winner of #2/3: Game Winner is declared Playoff Champion. Game Loser is runner-up. Higher Seed will host.
Bracket 1: Loser of #1/4 vs. Loser of #2/3: Game Winner determines 3rd place and loser is 4th place. Higher Seed will host.
Bracket 2: Winner of #5/8 vs. Winner of #6/7: Game Winner will be declared 5th place and loser is 6th place. Higher Seed will host.
Bracket 2: Loser of #5/8 vs. Loser of #6/7: Game Winner will be declared 7th place and loser is 8th place (had difficulty uploading this bracket image). Higher Seed will host.

The LSC Playoff Will Help LSC Teams With Scheduling Division 2 Opponents:

A key point is that the LSC teams have struggled the last several seasons with trying to get a season scheduled with Division 2 teams. The LSC teams are having a difficult time finding non-conference opponents each year, especially anything geographically close to home. Looking at the surrounding conferences, the GAC teams only have 1 team available each week and that is until they find a 12thth


The LSC Playoff and Division 2 Playoff Selection:

One of the big questions that I asked Stan Wagnon was in regards to if the LSC Playoff is going to hurt teams trying to get into the Division 2 Playoffs?


Question: Do you think the LSC Championship will help LSC teams getting to the Division 2 playoffs or hurt teams trying to get to the playoffs?

Stan Wagnon Answer:

The LSC Championship Benefits:

Commissioner Wagnon noted that there are other several benefits to the conference playoffs that the LSC is excited about. The conference members agreed to revenue sharing for these games. The LSC is forecasting that revenues will help all 8 teams cover expenses (if not generate revenue) for this entire 2-week period. Specifically comparing that to all 8 of the schools paying out financial guarantees and/or making long, expensive road trips for non-conference games during those two weeks. Also, the conference in the past few years has begun to generate outside revenue through corporate partnerships and media rights. The LSC annually ranks among Division II attendance leaders in football, and the sponsorship and media dollars depend on those numbers. The playoff should help to bolster these numbers. The creation of conference playoffs bring about new inventory for the LSC and teams to sell, it also creates a reason for fans to attend games in November, which is typically when attendance sometimes falls off.

McMurry Departure and the LSC Playoff Update:

The LSC is committed to the LSC Playoffs concept for at least two (2) seasons, so everyone will see the LSC Playoffs again in 2015.

The future of this concept beyond that will depend primarily on these things:
a) conference membership totals, particularly the number of LSC football teams;
b) availability of outside scheduling opportunities; and
c) impact/success of the LSC Playoffs in its first two years.



Other Notes regarding the LSC from Stan Wagnon:

The LSC non-conference scheduling challenges have become a bit more definitive. Specifically, the MIAA and NSIC are certain to have 11-game conference schedules in 2014 and 2015, meaning none of their teams will play a single non-conference game. The GAC will have 12 teams in 2015 with the addition of Oklahoma Baptist.