TAPPS Point System

Heb 12:29

Six-man fan
Can someone explain to me the TAPPS "Point System?"
I have been turned down with teams numerous times for a mutual open date, because of it and I would like to understand the reasoning behind it.
 
Ok, now I see. It is a political point system. Or maybe a "we are better than thee" point system.
To lump all teams of any league together is as bogus as saying all dogs are equally likely to bite. I would say the top 10% of the teams in any league can beat the bottom 50%(or better) in any other league. Saying that beating ANY UIL team is harder than beating the best homeschool team shows the bias or laziness of TAPPS. It would not be that hard to figure a strength of schedule even if it was as simple as the wins and losses of the teams that the tie break teams played. Team A beat 7-3, 5-5, and 6-4 teams, Team B beat 3-7, 5-5, and 4-6 teams. Team A wins the tie breaker.

With the current system in place a coin flip would be just as reliable of a determiner since what really matters is which team can schedule the weakest UIL teams as their pre-district games. Or which team has enough travel money to drive the distances needed to reach the weaker UIL teams. Of course based on the current pointing system, TAPPS does not believe there are any weak UIL teams compared to those ultra weak home school teams.

How do they point a win against a team that is a home school team in TCAL? Or a TCAF team that allows home schoolers to play on it? What about a TAPPS team that has 4 players on its team that were home schooled last year? Or what about a UIL kid whose parents taught him something at home after he came home from practice? Or if a UIL coach has a son on his team that practically lives at the school therefore making him "school homed?" I could go on, but I think you get the absurdity.
 
Here's the problem,
Can you imagine the confusion that would be caused if some absurd type of diligence was used? We have to generally assume that every homeschooled team is weak especially compared to the powerhouse conferences of TCAL, TCAF, and TAPPS.

It is ridiculous how little respect homeschool teams get in general from the six man community.
 
I like the point system just fine, and it has been a minimal decider in who makes playoffs. I believe lifegatesports did a study a year or so comparing the bracket with and without the point system, and it only changed one teams destiny.

Granted the system does not change how I schedule games as I prefer playing only TAPPS and UIL. No disrespect to other leagues, and has nothing to do with caliber of teams. Just, in my opinion, TAPPS and UIL are playing basically under same set of rules. Other leagues have a lot less guidelines and allow different things with eligibilty. I also believe that if TAPPS did allow home school kids to play at TAPPS school the other leagues would barely exist. Again, just my opinion.

So if anyone is really worried that point system can really change your season, I think you got bigger things to worry about. Play teams that make you better and everything else works itself out.
 
Depending on the team the points maybe of value. I remember when the point system came about I had a team drop my schedule. We were an independent at the time. Previous years had been very strong, but our point value was like 2. So, I understood the team's decision to try to play a game that would be of more value. However, we were placed in a TAPPS district last year I was conscious of who I scheduled regarding a team's point value. But this year I just wanted to make sure I put together a balanced non-district schedule that would prepare my team for district play. If I have a couple higher point games I don't mind scheduling a tougher point total team for the competition. Travel is also a consideration. I just think each situation is different team to team and year to year.
 
yung'en":3rncy8ll said:
I like the point system just fine, and it has been a minimal decider in who makes playoffs. I believe lifegatesports did a study a year or so comparing the bracket with and without the point system, and it only changed one teams destiny.

Granted the system does not change how I schedule games as I prefer playing only TAPPS and UIL. No disrespect to other leagues, and has nothing to do with caliber of teams. Just, in my opinion, TAPPS and UIL are playing basically under same set of rules. Other leagues have a lot less guidelines and allow different things with eligibilty. I also believe that if TAPPS did allow home school kids to play at TAPPS school the other leagues would barely exist. Again, just my opinion.

So if anyone is really worried that point system can really change your season, I think you got bigger things to worry about. Play teams that make you better and everything else works itself out.

Yeah, there was only one change (a team that decided not to participate in the playoffs anyway was out). But there was one major caveat ... the point scale didn't exist when teams set up their schedule and the question was would your schedule have been different if you knew the point schedule existed.

With the change to 3 divisions, 3-4 districts and 12 team playoff fields, the point schedule is a little bit less of a factor (at least in division 2 and 3).

But one c0mment is totally true -- the explosion of competing leagues was partially due from TAPPS' decision to discontinue the home school participation rule about 10 years ago. Another was the growth of charter schools.

Well, really two comments are true -- the point system really only affects you if you feel your team isn't going to compete for #1 and #2 in your district. Basically, if you can win, you're in.
 
It was mentioned that the point system did not affect the outcome of the playoffs much at all. Then why have it? What is does affect is the teams that the TAPPS team did NOT play because of the point system. And you might say, "Who Cares?" and that is the exact attitude that this rule exudes.

I hold nothing against any team for the league they choose to be in. Making the best decision for your students/athletes should be the top priority. What bothers be is that a league will not let you join because of a personal education choice you have made, and then looks down its nose at you because you are not a part of it. TAPPS is a great league and benefits many athletes, but why does it have to have such an uppity attitude?

Let me illustrate from personal experience how this affects the non-select teams. I live in an area with very few 6 man football teams, you guessed it, North East Texas. We have a TAPPS team about 30 miles to the East and about 30 miles to the West. We have played both competitively in the past. Now neither one will play us even though it is closer to us than it is to almost any other team they play, most certainly any other district team. But, "just in case" they might need the point spread, they opt to play other teams much farther away and we also have to then go to about 100 miles distance each to fill those other 2 slots in our schedule. I am not saying this to knock either of those teams, but to show that this system does create significant travel costs for TAPPS and non-TAPPS teams all the while not really making much impact on the playoff picture. It is probably not this drastic in other areas of the state, but the moral question remains. Should you "do unto others as you would have them do unto you?" I think one of the P's stands for Parochial so they should be familiar with where this quote comes from.
 
The purpose of the point system is to prevent weak districts from getting 4 teams in the playoffs when they should really get is 3. The point system allows for say a 4th or 5th team in a stronger district get in over a terrible team in a terrible district that would get in simply because the district takes 4.

Make sense?
 
TAPPS vs UIL is usually advantage UIL. UIL has more mandatory rules for their weight room program and normally has an "athletic" period at the end of the school day lead by the head football coach or other. BCA has none of these. I have begged for an athletic period for our high school but our admin cannot get it done.
We have a handful of players that lift on their own but not near the number that UIL teams have.

I am a weight room guy and I realize the importance of strength for football. It is a very high priority on my list during the season but it's one of the things some of my boys fight during the offseason.

The way I see it, huge advantage for UIL and why they are worth 5 WC pts when beating them.
 
From the outside looking in. (I am a public school guy, went to Gordon as a kid, my kids went to Gordon as an adult).

The point system is laughable from the UIL guys. It makes no sense.

1. Private school guys complain that the UIL guys give them no respect...... That the privates are "just as good" as the publics. But then you come out with a point system that ranks them below the publics.
2. The range of teams in ANY league, classification, division, whatever you want to call it is vast. The best schools in any division is head and shoulders above the worst school in the same division. Yet, the points gained is the same for playing and beating either.
3. Not all schools have the same number of teams in their district. So the points available for a team who has less district games is higher. So you punish the teams with more teams in their district.
4. A team in the Northwest part of the state has a HUGE advantage over a team in the Northeast part of the state. There are more UIL teams, and some that are not so good, therefore, easy wildcard points.
5. Not scheduling a team because they aren't worth as many wildcard points is ridiculous, and unethical in my opinion.

There are so many ways that the wildcard spot could be picked from that would be better than this "point" system. It's not good for football.
 
The point system is ridiculous. Any coach worth his salt ought to be crafting a schedule that challenges his team and prepares them for district and the playoffs. A coach that builds a schedule based on who his team can beat and get points for sounds like a coach that is not confident in his team. In the end, it is the team that continues to win regardless of who they play that hoists the Golden Ball in December (oh wait, no more Golden Ball in TAPPS!)

Let's look at TAPPS DIII, in 2014 there were only 18 teams. By the end of the season two schools were not eligible for the playoffs, leaving 16 teams. TAPPS rules say no last place team can be in the playoffs, down to 14! Yep, 14 schools for a 12 team bracket!!! To me, this is the travesty of TAPPS. I don't give a rip about point systems because when ALL but TWO teams don't make the playoffs something is wrong. The point system wouldn't be needed if we had two divisions where there were legitimate 7-8 team districts. Teams would only have to schedule 2 or maybe 3 non-district games and the smart coaches would schedule challenging opponents. Let the playoff positions be determined by head-to-head competition not some lame point system.

Sorry to hijack the post.......

TAPPS playoff point system- Bad
Three divisions- WORSE!!!
 
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