Big changes are coming to the playoffs this year in several UIL sports

The University Interscholastic League’s legislative council voted last month to approve an amendment to the current playoff format across several classifications in volleyball, basketball, soccer, softball and baseball.

The change allows for split divisions in the postseason for Classes 1A-6A in basketball, Classes 4A-6A in soccer and Classes 2A-6A in volleyball, softball and baseball. This change would create two state championship brackets for teams to qualify for the postseason in each of the affected classifications. This will affect Sanger High School in all of the sports listed above in District 9-4A. 

The new format will double the number of state titles awarded in boys and girls basketball and soccer along with nearly doubling the number awarded in volleyball, softball and baseball.

Starting on Aug. 1, those classes will now mirror the playoff format already utilized by Class 6A football teams.

Classes 1A-5A in football are currently split into separate divisions from the start of the season, making for 10 distinct divisions and thus 10 different playoff brackets.

Class 6A operates differently in that all of its football teams are included in one division throughout the regular season. Once the four playoff qualifiers from each of the 32 districts are finalized, the two qualifiers from each district with larger enrollment figures go to the 6A Division I bracket, while the two smaller schools by enrollment go to the 6A Division II bracket.

For example, Denton Ryan, Colleyville Heritage, Argyle and Birdville finished as the top four in District 7-5A’s boys basketball standings this past season and thus each qualified for the 5A playoffs.

Under the new structure, Ryan (2,199) and Birdville (2,035) would have qualified for the 5A Division I bracket based on their enrollment numbers at the time of the 2022 realignment. Colleyville Heritage (1,886) and Argyle (1,342) would have made the 5A Division II bracket with their two lower figures.

Enrollment figures submitted in October 2023 for the UIL’s 2024-26 reclassification will be used to determine which playoff qualifiers go to the Division I and Division II brackets from their respective districts.

Seeding will still be determined by comparing records between the two teams heading to each bracket with tiebreakers used as needed.

The newly assigned districts in the latest 2024 realignment cycle will not need to be altered to accommodate this playoff format since the division split only occurs when forming playoff brackets.

There could be changes to the way brackets are structured, however.

Splitting into two playoff brackets will cut each bracket’s postseason field in half, going from the typical 128 qualifiers in one bracket to 64 in each of the two new brackets. This could mean eliminating one round of the playoffs, cutting down the current seven-round format for non-football sports to the six-round format currently used in all football playoff brackets.

The Dallas Morning News previously reported that the change could also mean state tournaments in those sports change to only include state finals, and thus state semifinals might move to the week before.

It’s a change that could be necessary given the number of state semifinal and state championship games will either double or nearly double, depending on the sport, under the new format. Alternatively, the UIL could keep state semifinals within the state tournament and find ways to accommodate the additional games.

Either way, significant change is coming for many sports’ playoff brackets in the 2024-25 school year.

Sanger is in Class 4A Division II (small school) in football.