CIF Southern Section Council meeting will discuss new football playoff proposal

The CIF Southern Section Council will hold a quarterly meeting Tuesday in Long Beach, and league officials will have the opportunity to ask questions and make comments regarding a proposal to revise football playoff divisions for the 2020 season.

The proposal is to place schools in divisions when the regular season is completed and base the divisions on what teams accomplish during the season. In the past, schools knew what divisions they would play in before the season, based on recent performance.

Commissioner Rob Wigod has said it will require a culture change for everybody, since teams won’t know the potential division makeup until after the regular season.

The Executive Committee has already endorsed the proposal. This is a first reading and a final vote won’t take place until March 31.

Also on the agenda is for Southern Section schools to decide whether to support the creation of CIF regional softball and baseball championships that would begin in 2021 for the first week of June.

It’s a sensitive vote in that top players for both sports might not be available. Softball players are getting ready for the start of club season. Elite baseball players could be focused on the amateur draft.

During soccer regionals, several teams have been forced to play without their top players, who left to play for their club teams.

There’s also potential conflicts with graduation and final exams.