Beginning with the 2016 high school football season, there will be 50% less teams that will qualify for the postseason.
The Iowa High School Athletic Association has voted to reduce the number of teams in each classification from 32 to 16. The state will continue to play a nine-game regular season.
Player safety is one of the reasons given for the change.
“Today’s actions put in place a scenario for the football postseason which allows for one week between games,” IHSAA Executive Director Alen Best said in a news release. “The driving force behind this decision is player safety and keeping the best interest of our students at the forefront.”
