High School

New playoff format approved for Classes 3A-A in Georgia

During a GHSA Executive Committee meeting a new playoff format and rankings formula approved for Classes 3A to A Division I

Gary Adornato

New playoff format approved for Classes 3A-A in Georgia
New playoff format approved for Classes 3A-A in Georgia /

A new rankings formula that will seed teams with a model similar to the RPI rankings often used by the NCAA was adopted this week by the Georgia High School Association (GHSA).

According to report by Georgia High School Football Daily, the new plan would award preferred seeding to region champions and runners-up and award automatic playoff berths to the top four finishers in each region. In addition, some at-large berths would also be awarded.

The system was made necessary by an earlier decision by the GHSAA to separate the private schools in Classes 3A to A into one private schools state championship bracket. Those schools will still compete, during the regular season, with public schools in various regions throughout the lower classifications.

Classes 6A thru 4A, as well as Class A Division II, will use the traditional 32-team playoff format.

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Gary Adornato
GARY ADORNATO

Gary Adornato began covering high school sports with the Baltimore Sun in 1982, while still a mass communications major at Towson University, and in 2003 became one of the first journalists to cover high school sports online while operating MIAASports.com, the official website of the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association. Later, Adornato pioneered market-wide coverage of high school sports with DigitalSports.com, introducing video highlights and player interviews while assembling an award-winning editorial staff. In 2010, he launched VarsitySportsNetwork.com which became the premier source of high school media coverage in the state of Maryland. In 2022, he sold VSN to The Baltimore Banner and joined SBLive Sports as the company's East Coast Managing Editor.

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