The Weekend Kickoff: New football playoff format changes meaning of big games

Every game is big in high school football, but maybe not as much this season as it has been the last few years.

When a season is only eight or nine games long, the importance of each contest gets raised the closer it gets to the postseason, or the further away a team falls in the standings.

The schedule this weekend has three games on it that carry a lot of weight toward determining the playoff field, and all three have taken on a different meaning this season, thanks to the changes made to the NHIAA playoff format.

Let's start with the game on just about everyone's radar: Bedford at Goffstown. The game has gotten so big, one media member has been counting down the days and weeks until it gets here.

At 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, in Goffstown, the Bulldogs (5-0) and Grizzlies (5-0) will compete not just to remain perfect in Division I, but to determine who will have the inside track at first place in the North Conference.

In the two seasons prior, that would have meant the winner would be in control of its own destiny for hosting the conference championship, while the loser would have to bounce back fast to hang on to that second spot in the conference game.

It also would mean that those two teams, which potentially could be a combined 17-1 at the end of the regular season, would play head-to-head and one of them would be eliminated in what are essentially the quarterfinals.

In the world of high school football, it would be a travesty.

But alas, that isn't likely to be the case this year. Thanks to the new playoff format, it's possible for Bedford and Goffstown - assuming both got quarterfinal wins - to meet in the semifinals, a much more ideal scenario.

There's another game Saturday that has some added importance to it than it would have a year ago. Concord (3-2) will play at Nashua North (3-2) at 2 p.m. in a game that will also likely end up determining who gets into the postseason.

While North and Concord are in different divisions, they're in the same cluster (North/West) and they're battling for the same playoff spot. The Titans still have a shot at winning the West Conference - they'll have to go through Bishop Guertin to do so - but they'd also put themselves in the driver's seat for the postseason with a win over Concord.

That would give North the tiebreaker over the Crimson Tide and Manchester Central (3-2), but the door would also still be open for those other two teams. Under the old format, North - and Bishop Guertin, for that matter - could both lose a bunch of games and still be in that conference championship, which happened last season.

This weekend also gives us a pretty good Division II game between Milford (4-1) and Trinity (3-1). The South Conference foes will kickoff Friday at 7 p.m. in Milford.

A year, the Spartans lost to the Pioneers during the regular season, and the teams finished tied for second at 5-3. But because of its higher football rating, Milford received the second spot in the conference championship game against Windham.

Meanwhile, three teams with a lower rating than Trinity participated in the postseason. This year, that won't be the case, meaning the loser of this game will still have a decent shot of getting into the playoffs.

Does it mean the game loses a bit of its luster? Maybe, but it sure beats knowing that your season is all but done after the second Friday of October.

Right now, there are 14 teams (out of 20) in Division I, and 13 teams (out of 21) in Division II, who likely feel like they've still got a shot at making the postseason.

That's all anyone really wants is a chance. To have so many teams that will take the field this weekend knowing that they're still alive is a great thing.