Roundtable: Divisions/System

Cole Jacobson: Without a doubt, the old system of the CSFL had some advantages. The biggest one was the way it maximized the importance of the regular season. There were no formal “playoffs”, but what had made the league so special prior to the 2017 season was that the entire regular season was essentially the playoffs. In other words, a loss at any point in the season to any given team could ruin a team’s championship hopes, which led to unparalleled intensity during regular season games that was reminiscent of Division I-A college football during the BCS era. It’s a cliché quote used by players and coaches that we “prepare for every week like it’s a championship game,” but in the old CSFL structure, that’s literally how the title system worked. It didn’t matter if it was Week 1 or Week 7, and it didn’t matter if you were playing a service academy or a team new to the league: in any given setting, a single loss could, and probably would, eliminate your team from winning it all. 

Ultimately, that isn’t the case anymore. Of course, contests within the division are still de facto elimination games, and those account for more than half of every team’s schedule, but the games against the opposing division don’t carry the same weight they used to. From a Penn standpoint, I think back to our loss to Army early in the 2017 season, a pretty competitive 24-14 defeat at our home field. In past years, an outcome like that would’ve meant, “holy sh*t, we just blew our title chance.” But because Army was a North division team, our mentality was instead more along the lines of, “this one stings now, but let’s figure out what we can do better to make sure we get a second shot at them.” Even though that specific case benefitted us because we were on the losing side, it still personified the flaw of the two-division structure. There was no such thing as a “second shot” in the old days; every single game was your only chance to take that team down for the next 12 months, and that made every game feel like the most important one of the season.

But just like I believe the big boys made the smarter decision to move to a four-team playoff, I feel the CSFL’s two-division structure is the overall better system for one core reason: it leads to an undisputed champion. Though most years in the old system still had a solo champion, there were occasional years that had splits, which should never be the case in any sport. For example, in 2010, Penn and Army each finished with one loss, leading to both teams being co-champions. A few of the players from that Penn team ended up being my assistant coaches years later, and I know that those guys would’ve been all-in for a rematch with Army to settle the debate of who was really the best. Even though they got their championship rings regardless, any competitive athlete wants the shot to show that s/he is the best, and it’s unfortunate that those two teams, along with the other co-champions in the league’s past, never got that opportunity.

In contrast, the new system is going to lead to a clear champion, almost without fail. No one is questioning Army’s merit as the 2017 winner, or Navy’s the following year. Technically, some controversy is still possible; for example, had we beaten Navy in 2018, we would’ve been in a three-way tie at 3-1 in South division play with Navy and Chestnut Hill, and we would’ve reached the championship via non-division record over Chestnut Hill and head-to-head over Navy. In a case like that, Navy and CHC would’ve understandably felt cheated, and if/when that type of situation actually happens, some team is going to feel like it got the short end of the stick. But more often than not, a scenario like that won’t be in play.

If I were to pick an ideal system, I would actually combine the two that the league has used: play the regular season in the old-school, round robin format, and institute a playoff only if there remains a tie atop the standings after that. (If there happened to be a three-way tie, expecting each team to play two more full games wouldn’t be fair, so something like a college football overtime-style contest would probably have to come into play). But out of the two systems the league has used, I’m taking the new one, because it’s based on the premise of settling things on the field, rather than allowing two- or three-way ties to stand.

Kyle Johnson-Hackett: Right from the get-go I’ll say I enjoy the new system. The old formula worked for a long time and offered some benefits. In the old system every game was a must win meaning any slip ups or mistakes made could seriously hurt a team. In the old system however the biggest displeasure that I had was that the champion was determined by the regular season and nothing more. With the old formula the CSFL may have been the only collegiate entity that had its champion crowned from just playing the regular season.

Starting in 2017 the league switched to a 2-division system. A north division and a south division. Army, Cornell, Mansfield, Post, and St. Thomas Aquinas are in the north while Alderson Broddus, Caldwell, Chestnut Hill, Navy, and Penn are in the south. Every team schedule is composed of their division games and a few meetings with teams in the opposite division. The biggest improvement of this system is that there is now a title game that is played. This gives the teams who make it a chance to prove without a doubt who the best team is. No 2-way tie, no what if this or that, we beat you in the biggest game of the year point blank period. Having the title game now gives the competitive teams a goal to reach for as well as some extra distance for each athletes’ journey meaning that the title game is held on a natural field which in almost all cases will require both teams to travel. The majesty of getting off that bus knowing this is it! One last game, one last shot, one last chance to go out here and impose my will on the other team. There is nothing more powerful in sport.

One flaw I do see with this system is that it allows teams to “run” from each other. No, you can’t run from teams in your division but teams in the other division can be intently avoided. That’s cowardice in its truest form. Yes, sometimes schedules don’t line up so you may not play a certain team any given year. But to deliberately say “oh no we don’t want to play them” is straight soft. There are teams and coaches who do this they know who they are. You will only have a mediocre program if you run from challenges. I won’t mention one program in particular but it is laughable and embarrassing how they dip and dodge teams. Running away like a coward will only hurt your players and your program.

Overall, I enjoy the new system. It still makes for competitive games, even though one division is tougher than the other ill let you decide which one that is. The inclusion of a title game is something that as a player you dream of. Its your shot to fight for history and as a player that’s all you can ask for. It will be interesting to see how the 2 divisions continue to grow as more teams enter the league. If a team on the west coast were it enter the CSFL then things could be interesting. I’m excited for this season to start, it’ll be interesting to watch all these teams compete as they each vie for a championship game berth.