The 2021-22 football season gets started later this month and the new campaign brings with it some changes to the playoff picture and class and conference membership.  Colorado Preps helps you get set for what hopes to be a return to normal with football by going through several of the changes on tap.

First up is practice time.  Formal practice can begin on Monday August 9th but many clubs across the state will get a jump start this week by conducting their summer camps.  Games can officially start on Thursday August 26th with Class 3A playing a ten-game schedule stretched over 11 weeks.  Their regular season ends on Saturday November 6th.  The remaining six divisions (6man, 8man, 1A, 2A, 4A, 5A) have ten weeks to play nine regular season games.

All state championship games will again be played a neutral site this year.  Classes 4A-5A will return to Empower Field at Mile High for title games on December 4th.  Class 3A will determine their champion the same day in Pueblo.  6man, 8man, 1A and 2A will conduct their championships in Pueblo, likely spread over two days on November 26-27th.

Class 4A will join Class 5A this year in expanding their playoff field to 24 teams.  The remaining five divisions will remain at 16 qualifiers.  Conference champions earn automatic bids to the playoffs with wildcard teams selected through RPI standings at the end of the regular season.  A conference champion will earn a post-season invitation even if they finish outside the top 16 teams in 6man through 3A or the top 24 in Classes 4A and 5A.

A few classifications have some other notes concerning playoff qualifiers:

  • Class 1A: The conference champion and runner-up team from the Western Slope automatically make the playoffs.  The Western Slope has eight members and is the largest conference in Class 1A.
  • Class 4A: Pine Creek will compete in a 5A conference during the regular season but returns to the 4A division for the postseason (if they qualify).
  • Class 4A: Only the league champion from the I-25 conference will earn a playoff bid.  No other teams can earn a wildcard selection
  • Class 5A: Only the league champion from the Metro 1 and Metro 2 conference will earn a playoff bid.  No other members can earn a wildcard spot.

PLAYOFFS

Once playoff qualifiers are determined by conference champions and RPI standings, those teams will be seeded in the bracket.  Placement will be determined by four data points including RPI, MaxPreps, Packard and the CHSAA Coaches Poll.  All four data points are equally weighted.

Teams can be moved up or down one spot in the bracket based on head-to-head results if the two teams are touching each other on the seed line.  For example, #15 could be moved ahead of #14 if 15 topped 14.  But seed #16 cannot be moved ahead of #14 if they won the head-to-head since they are not next to one another in the seed order.

Clubs may also be moved to avoid conference matchups and geography could be a consideration for movement in the opening round.

COLORADO PREPS COVERAGE

Colorado Preps will take a different angle in previewing the 2021-22 season as much of our preseason content will be in audio form through interviews with coaches in each of the seven classifications.  Those interviews will be made available in their entirety on Coloradopreps.com and we’ll also preview the season with regular podcasts on football and other sports.

Once the season gets underway, Colorado Preps will continue their near 20-year tradition of providing a written look at the top games coming up for the week.  And as we’ve always done, Colorado Preps will again air the Scoreboard Show each Friday night of the regular season from 9:30-11:00pm across our statewide radio network.  Each week, we’ll roll through the scores, tell you what they mean to conference and playoff races and visit with several coaches who post important victories.