Lopez supportive of possible football playoff realignment

There could be changes coming for the high school football playoffs in the 2027 season and beyond.

At its Jan. 15 meeting, the KHSAA Board of Control had an in-depth back-and-forth dialogue on football realignment considerations for 2027.

According to a press release from the KHSAA, the Board of Control will review playoff bracketing.

One concept to consider is using RPI-based pairings starting in the second round. The first round could then either involve adjacent district or be within a district. The board will survey membership on those options.

The intent is to avoid repeated playoff matchups.

New Christian County High School Tigers’ Head Coach Dustin Lopez said he would be in favor of the change.

The board will consider the survey results, and if any change is approved, it could be in place for the 2027 season.

Currently, the RPI-based pairings start in the third round of the playoffs with teams playing adjacent districts in the first round and possible district foes in the second round depending on the outcome of the first week.

Lopez said he hopes the board also can look into a way to calculate RPI differently for playing out-of-state teams.

Lopez also said he hoped the board could find a system that would cut the number of teams that make the playoffs and increase the number of teams in districts.

The board also asked for additional data on the potential for adoption of multipliers, including their enrollments prior to classification, and for consideration of a “success factor” to be included in the realignment considerations.

Lopez said there are still a lot of questions to be answered before that could be implemented.

The board will continue to study this information and consider options, with the implementation no earlier than the 2029 season, using date from the 2027 and 2028 seasons.

In other action at the meeting, the board began a review of soccer, potentially adopting a three-year pilot program moving into classes.

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