[Bull got out!]

Class 1A

1. Pikeville (2-5)
2. Raceland (3-3)
3. Campbellsville (7-0)
4. Sayre (6-0)
5. Hazard (4-3)
6. Bethlehem (5-2)
7. Kentucky Country Day (4-2)
8. Newport Central Catholic (3-3)
9. Paris (3-3)
10. Newport (4-1)

Caverna, Bishop Brossart, Ludlow, Frankfort 

RPI
1 Campbellsville 1A 2 7 - 0 7 1.20581 .55607 .57315 .78860
2 Bethlehem 1A 2 5 - 2 7 .98423 .62610 .58112 .73795
3 Sayre 1A 5 6 - 0 6 1.07861 .55137 .54747 .73473
4 Frankfort 1A 5 3 - 2 5 1.10144 .49986 .53671 .72147
5 Newport 1A 3 4 - 1 5 1.08360 .41306 .61094 .70711
6 Bishop Brossart 1A 4 5 - 1 6 .85828 .52490 .65001 .67911
7 Caverna 1A 1 5 - 2 7 .86395 .56387 .50899 .65243
8 Paris 1A 6 3 - 3 6 .62472 .74327 .52294 .63568
9 Ludlow 1A 4 4 - 2 6 .72033 .68251 .46682 .63104
10 Kentucky Country Day 1A 2 4 - 2 6 .85689 .40236 .63224 .63041
11 Hazard 1A 8 4 - 3 7 .77400 .50989 .56313 .61830
12 Newport Central Catholic 1A 3 3 - 3 6 .70333 .50104 .63213 .61117
13 Raceland 1A 6 3 - 3 6 .58667 .67509 .54879 .60625
14 Holy Cross (Louisville) 1A 2 3 - 3 6 .76002 .44938 .54513 .58683
15 Nicholas County 1A 6 4 - 3 7 .70943 .56087 .44811 .57904
16 Williamsburg 1A 7 3 - 1 4 .96051 .14891 .54555 .55196
17 Pikeville 1A 8 2 - 5 7 .43008 .65155 .52170 .53508
18 Bellevue 1A 3 3 - 2 5 .66440 .35004 .55543 .52168
19 Fairview 1A 6 3 - 3 6 .53187 .53633 .44098 .50617
20 Lynn Camp 1A 7 3 - 2 5 .57385 .48488 .43846 .50209
21 Eminence 1A 5 2 - 3 5 .40000 .65789 .43158 .49974
22 Ballard Memorial 1A 1 3 - 4 7 .47457 .46808 .47938 .47374
23 Middlesboro 1A 7 3 - 3 6 .50000 .42570 .47435 .46630
24 Russellville 1A 1 3 - 4 7 .49595 .43573 .46705 .46620
25 Holy Cross (Covington) 1A 4 2 - 4 6 .31154 .59357 .45019 .45184
26 Paintsville 1A 8 2 - 5 7 .32847 .50562 .49721 .44110
27 Fulton County 1A 1 1 - 4 5 .30401 .47461 .50810 .42495
28 Dayton 1A 3 1 - 5 6 .19161 .53886 .48869 .40227
29 Pineville 1A 7 0 - 6 6 .00000 .61906 .47698 .35976
30 Harlan 1A 7 1 - 5 6 .16667 .36346 .47192 .32712
31 Trimble County 1A 4 0 - 6 6 .00000 .48917 .42832 .29970
32 Berea 1A 5 0 - 6 6 .00000 .50071 .40198 .29584
https://khsaa.org/

[ArmChairHC]

For me I’d have to put a color at #2 at moment. I think Racelands defense can slow just about any offense down at this point but the offense is still finding its rhythm. And as it’s been said until a 1A school beats them…Pikeville is #1. Especially with how they played against Ironton Friday night. 4-10 I kind of think it’s a toss up with all of them really.

[RAMDAD50]

It would be fun if there were some Campbellsville people on here

[i82much]

This is right on. Until Campbellsville beats someone you can’t put them in front of Pikeville or Raceland.

[Orange Blaze]

Not that the bottom half matters too much in the grand scheme of things gs but how is Paris ranked ahead of Bishop Brossart after losing to them last week?

[Hoot Gibson]

Campbellsville beat Whitley County 35-0. Doesn't that count for something? :⁠-⁠)

Seriously, my pick to win 1A is Pikeville, but I would vote for Campbellsville as #1 in a poll, based on their strong showing in last year's playoffs and their unbeaten record this season. I believe that the Panther's strong schedule will pay dividends for then in the playoffs, but Campbellsville showed they are legit last season and an undefeated regular season record by a legit title contender should not be ignored.

[Bull got out!]

Not that the bottom half matters too much in the grand scheme of things gs but how is Paris ranked ahead of Bishop Brossart after losing to them last week?

 Im to blame. So I didn't get any feedback this week and I did 1A on my own. So I already had Paris in the top 10 and at the 10 spot. I didnt see the head to head matchup. If I would have saw it, I would have made the change. But since I already have posted it I will make that a note for next weeks 1A Top 10. Based on the metrics. All these teams are a play away from beating one another. Looks like Bishop Brossart, Paris, Newport Caverna are all interchangeable really. Im good to miss a few here and there. Thanks for pointing that out!

[2024] Bishop Brossart (Alexandria, KY) 22 (53%), [2024] Paris (KY) 21 (47%)

playoffs (neutral field)
[2024] Paris (KY) 22 (53%), [2024] Bishop Brossart (Alexandria, KY) 21 (47%)

regular season (neutral field)

[2024] Paris (KY) 28 (62%), [2024] Newport (KY) 22 (38%)

regular season (neutral field)

[2024] Paris (KY) 31 (53%), [2024] Caverna (Horse Cave, KY) 30 (47%)

https://www.calpreps.com/cgi-bin/2024/project_matchup

[jetpilot]

Campbellsville beat Whitley County 35-0. Doesn't that count for something? :⁠-⁠)

Seriously, my pick to win 1A is Pikeville, but I would vote for Campbellsville as #1 in a poll, based on their strong showing in last year's playoffs and their unbeaten record this season. I believe that the Panther's strong schedule will pay dividends for then in the playoffs, but Campbellsville showed they are legit last season and an undefeated regular season record by a legit title contender should not be ignored.

The average team Campbellsville has played so far is 42.5 points worse than the average team Pikeville has played per Calpreps, week in and week out all season. Very easy to go undefeated against their very weak schedule.

[Old School Hound]

Looks like Bull is a big Calpreps guy. So am I. As the season progresses, that model is very good. Damn shame that we don't use CalP instead of the silly RPI.

[Hoot Gibson]

Campbellsville beat Whitley County 35-0. Doesn't that count for something? :⁠-⁠)

Seriously, my pick to win 1A is Pikeville, but I would vote for Campbellsville as #1 in a poll, based on their strong showing in last year's playoffs and their unbeaten record this season. I believe that the Panther's strong schedule will pay dividends for then in the playoffs, but Campbellsville showed they are legit last season and an undefeated regular season record by a legit title contender should not be ignored.

The average team Campbellsville has played so far is 42.5 points worse than the average team Pikeville has played per Calpreps, week in and week out all season. Very easy to go undefeated against their very weak schedule.

How strong was Campbellsville's schedule last season, when they only lost by 7 to Pikeville? I'm not one who believes that a state champion team is number 1 until some team in their class beats them the following season. Calpreps has Campbellsville ranked #1, and that's where I have them. They have a much easier path to the championship game than Pikeville had.

[i82much]

Pikeville and Raceland both schedule games that in all probability they're going to lose. Campbellsville doesn't. If Campbellsville had done that last year they may have beat Pikeville in the finals?? I don't have a problem ranking them at the one. Most polls reward undefeated teams. But, whatever level they're playing at now would not be as high if they had played better teams, even if it means a loss and an RPI hit. In my opinion you shouldn't punish Pikeville and Raceland for losing the games they should lose. They did it to make themselves better. If Campbellsville wins 1A that's fine by me...but... they would be better equipped to do so if they played a tougher schedule.

[Bull got out!]

Looks like Bull is a big Calpreps guy. So am I. As the season progresses, that model is very good. Damn shame that we don't use CalP instead of the silly RPI.

I look at every ranking that's out. Some I have to put the eye test to and some I can't see I have to give the Cal Prep test to.   No way to know what every team in the state is or aint. But we have to take some wild guesses on some of them and live with the errors when they are made. Guys who follow 1A would be able to know without looking most the time who is who. I can't. I got to use all the phone a friend, Cal Preps, RPi, anything to get a gauge on a team and most the time can still get it wrong. But at least we got something for good food for thought.

[jetpilot]

Campbellsville beat Whitley County 35-0. Doesn't that count for something? :⁠-⁠)

Seriously, my pick to win 1A is Pikeville, but I would vote for Campbellsville as #1 in a poll, based on their strong showing in last year's playoffs and their unbeaten record this season. I believe that the Panther's strong schedule will pay dividends for then in the playoffs, but Campbellsville showed they are legit last season and an undefeated regular season record by a legit title contender should not be ignored.

The average team Campbellsville has played so far is 42.5 points worse than the average team Pikeville has played per Calpreps, week in and week out all season. Very easy to go undefeated against their very weak schedule.

How strong was Campbellsville's schedule last season, when they only lost by 7 to Pikeville? I'm not one who believes that a state champion team is number 1 until some team in their class beats them the following season. Calpreps has Campbellsville ranked #1, and that's where I have them. They have a much easier path to the championship game than Pikeville had.

CALPREPS.COM
Your source for high school football scores, standings & rankings



PROJECT A MATCHUP


regular season (neutral field)
[2024] Pikeville (KY) 21 (53%), [2024] Campbellsville (KY) 20 (47%)

playoffs (neutral field)
[2024] Pikeville (KY) 21 (60%), [2024] Campbellsville (KY) 17 (40%)


Betting on teams to do something they've never done is a surefire way to bankruptcy. Bring a huge sack of money to the game if Pikeville and Campbellsville play again. Pikeville led 20-0 in the game last year, then Campbellsville ran a kickoff back for a TD and got the momentum. Then Pikeville put the game away and took a knee down on the C'ville goal line to run the clock out...

35
Anthony, Brenden
26
248
3

6
Duty, Isaac
9
10
0
123
0


Pikeville will do the same thing to C'ville again if they are healthy. And they have time to get healthy...

[Hoot Gibson]

Pikeville and Raceland both schedule games that in all probability they're going to lose. Campbellsville doesn't. If Campbellsville had done that last year they may have beat Pikeville in the finals?? I don't have a problem ranking them at the one. Most polls reward undefeated teams. But, whatever level they're playing at now would not be as high if they had played better teams, even if it means a loss and an RPI hit. In my opinion you shouldn't punish Pikeville and Raceland for losing the games they should lose. They did it to make themselves better. If Campbellsville  wins 1A that's fine by me...but... they would be better equipped to do so if they played a tougher schedule.

Do you really think that Campbellsville expected that Whitley County and Somerset would be easy wins? I'm guessing that they expected those games to be competitive.

As I said in an earlier post, I expect Pikeville to win another state title in the playoffs. I don't see polls as rewarding or punishing schools over their schedules. The RPI does that. Campbellsville has played well enough that neither Pikeville nor Raceland are going into a game with them and assuming that they will walk out with a win.

I agree that it is better to take a hit to the RPI by playing and losing some games on a tough schedule, than it is to schedule to not lose a game. But a team can't have it both ways, schedule tough competition to prepare for the playoffs and stay atop meaningless polls after a string of regular season losses.

[jetpilot]

Pikeville and Raceland both schedule games that in all probability they're going to lose. Campbellsville doesn't. If Campbellsville had done that last year they may have beat Pikeville in the finals?? I don't have a problem ranking them at the one. Most polls reward undefeated teams. But, whatever level they're playing at now would not be as high if they had played better teams, even if it means a loss and an RPI hit. In my opinion you shouldn't punish Pikeville and Raceland for losing the games they should lose. They did it to make themselves better. If Campbellsville  wins 1A that's fine by me...but... they would be better equipped to do so if they played a tougher schedule.

Do you really think that Campbellsville expected that Whitley County and Somerset would be easy wins? I'm guessing that they expected those games to be competitive.

As I said in an earlier post, I expect Pikeville to win another state title in the playoffs. I don't see polls as rewarding or punishing schools over their schedules. The RPI does that. Campbellsville has played well enough that neither Pikeville nor Raceland are going into a game with them and assuming that they will walk out with a win.

I agree that it is better to take a hit to the RPI by playing and losing some games on a tough schedule, than it is to schedule to not lose a game. But a team can't have it both ways, schedule tough competition to prepare for the playoffs and stay atop meaningless polls after a string of regular season losses.

Pikeville always thinks they will win in the playoffs. If they lose to Raceland or C'ville this year in the playoffs it's a disastrous season.

[Hoot Gibson]

Pikeville and Raceland both schedule games that in all probability they're going to lose. Campbellsville doesn't. If Campbellsville had done that last year they may have beat Pikeville in the finals?? I don't have a problem ranking them at the one. Most polls reward undefeated teams. But, whatever level they're playing at now would not be as high if they had played better teams, even if it means a loss and an RPI hit. In my opinion you shouldn't punish Pikeville and Raceland for losing the games they should lose. They did it to make themselves better. If Campbellsville  wins 1A that's fine by me...but... they would be better equipped to do so if they played a tougher schedule.

Do you really think that Campbellsville expected that Whitley County and Somerset would be easy wins? I'm guessing that they expected those games to be competitive.

As I said in an earlier post, I expect Pikeville to win another state title in the playoffs. I don't see polls as rewarding or punishing schools over their schedules. The RPI does that. Campbellsville has played well enough that neither Pikeville nor Raceland are going into a game with them and assuming that they will walk out with a win.

I agree that it is better to take a hit to the RPI by playing and losing some games on a tough schedule, than it is to schedule to not lose a game. But a team can't have it both ways, schedule tough competition to prepare for the playoffs and stay atop meaningless polls after a string of regular season losses.

Pikeville always thinks they will win in the playoffs. If they lose to Raceland or C'ville this year in the playoffs it's a disastrous season.

That's an interesting twist on what I said. I thought my meaning was clear, but maybe it wasn't as clear as I thought. Campbellsville has played well enough this season that neither Pikeville nor Raceland will be overconfident if they meet them. Better?

[jetpilot]

^^^ I get it. C'ville lost some excellent players but they also got some transfers in from Taylor Co. Cross Watson is killing it albeit against weak competition. Going to get very interesting. They think they have the team to win it.

[Walt Longmire]

Pikeville and Raceland both schedule games that in all probability they're going to lose. Campbellsville doesn't. If Campbellsville had done that last year they may have beat Pikeville in the finals?? I don't have a problem ranking them at the one. Most polls reward undefeated teams. But, whatever level they're playing at now would not be as high if they had played better teams, even if it means a loss and an RPI hit. In my opinion you shouldn't punish Pikeville and Raceland for losing the games they should lose. They did it to make themselves better. If Campbellsville  wins 1A that's fine by me...but... they would be better equipped to do so if they played a tougher schedule.

Do you really think that Campbellsville expected that Whitley County and Somerset would be easy wins? I'm guessing that they expected those games to be competitive.

As I said in an earlier post, I expect Pikeville to win another state title in the playoffs. I don't see polls as rewarding or punishing schools over their schedules. The RPI does that. Campbellsville has played well enough that neither Pikeville nor Raceland are going into a game with them and assuming that they will walk out with a win.

I agree that it is better to take a hit to the RPI by playing and losing some games on a tough schedule, than it is to schedule to not lose a game. But a team can't have it both ways, schedule tough competition to prepare for the playoffs and stay atop meaningless polls after a string of regular season losses.

The Somerset game wasn't an easy win.  Somerset was up 14-0, then had the ball inside the Campbellsville 10 yard line, down by 6, with 5 minutes to go in the game.  Campbellsville stopped them, then scored inside the last 2 minutes to make it a 13 point final.  
They also have an undefeated Hart County, on the road, in the last game of the regular season.

[bac2369]

My opinion from watching Campbellsville last year and this is, I believe they are better than last year. Now they don’t have the bruising back like Forbis, but Watson is just a playmaker and very dangerous.

[Bluecat]

With the way the RPI is right now and we still have what 4 weeks left, can Raceland and Pikeville avoid each other from beig a 3rd round matchup? Can either catch up to Sayre?

[ArmChairHC]

I’ve said all year I expect it. But my question right now is, when do they reseed? Is it FOR the third round or AFTER the third round?

[Buffs19]

RPI takes over in the third round. The highest rated team plays the lowest, and second and third place play one another, in both the East and West.

[jetpilot]

Pikeville and Raceland both schedule games that in all probability they're going to lose. Campbellsville doesn't. If Campbellsville had done that last year they may have beat Pikeville in the finals?? I don't have a problem ranking them at the one. Most polls reward undefeated teams. But, whatever level they're playing at now would not be as high if they had played better teams, even if it means a loss and an RPI hit. In my opinion you shouldn't punish Pikeville and Raceland for losing the games they should lose. They did it to make themselves better. If Campbellsville  wins 1A that's fine by me...but... they would be better equipped to do so if they played a tougher schedule.

Do you really think that Campbellsville expected that Whitley County and Somerset would be easy wins? I'm guessing that they expected those games to be competitive.

As I said in an earlier post, I expect Pikeville to win another state title in the playoffs. I don't see polls as rewarding or punishing schools over their schedules. The RPI does that. Campbellsville has played well enough that neither Pikeville nor Raceland are going into a game with them and assuming that they will walk out with a win.

I agree that it is better to take a hit to the RPI by playing and losing some games on a tough schedule, than it is to schedule to not lose a game. But a team can't have it both ways, schedule tough competition to prepare for the playoffs and stay atop meaningless polls after a string of regular season losses.

The Somerset game wasn't an easy win.  Somerset was up 14-0, then had the ball inside the Campbellsville 10 yard line, down by 6, with 5 minutes to go in the game.  Campbellsville stopped them, then scored inside the last 2 minutes to make it a 13 point final.  
They also have an undefeated Hart County, on the road, in the last game of the regular season.

I know Somerset is pretty good even though they lost a couple games they shouldn't have.How did Campbellsville look to you Walt?

[jetpilot]

With the way the RPI is right now and we still have what 4 weeks left, can Raceland and Pikeville avoid each other from beig a 3rd round matchup? Can either catch up to Sayre?

Sayre will be top RPI in East but 2 3 4 are up in the air.

[Walt Longmire]

Pikeville and Raceland both schedule games that in all probability they're going to lose. Campbellsville doesn't. If Campbellsville had done that last year they may have beat Pikeville in the finals?? I don't have a problem ranking them at the one. Most polls reward undefeated teams. But, whatever level they're playing at now would not be as high if they had played better teams, even if it means a loss and an RPI hit. In my opinion you shouldn't punish Pikeville and Raceland for losing the games they should lose. They did it to make themselves better. If Campbellsville  wins 1A that's fine by me...but... they would be better equipped to do so if they played a tougher schedule.

Do you really think that Campbellsville expected that Whitley County and Somerset would be easy wins? I'm guessing that they expected those games to be competitive.

As I said in an earlier post, I expect Pikeville to win another state title in the playoffs. I don't see polls as rewarding or punishing schools over their schedules. The RPI does that. Campbellsville has played well enough that neither Pikeville nor Raceland are going into a game with them and assuming that they will walk out with a win.

I agree that it is better to take a hit to the RPI by playing and losing some games on a tough schedule, than it is to schedule to not lose a game. But a team can't have it both ways, schedule tough competition to prepare for the playoffs and stay atop meaningless polls after a string of regular season losses.

The Somerset game wasn't an easy win.  Somerset was up 14-0, then had the ball inside the Campbellsville 10 yard line, down by 6, with 5 minutes to go in the game.  Campbellsville stopped them, then scored inside the last 2 minutes to make it a 13 point final.  
They also have an undefeated Hart County, on the road, in the last game of the regular season.

I know Somerset is pretty good even though they lost a couple games they shouldn't have.How did Campbellsville look to you Walt?

I thought they looked a little bit better than last season.  But Somerset got them at full strength this season, while last season Forbis missed the game.  Last year in the Somerset game Eastridge ran the ball 25 times and only threw it 6.  This year Watson and Eastridge both ran it 12 times and both went over 100 yards, with Cross going for 190.  I'm not sure how Cross compares to Forbis, but Pikeville played the Eagles with Forbis in the lineup, so they were at full strength (as far as I know).  Eastridge did throw it 18 times this year, so they were a little bit more balanced.  
My gut feeling is that, if either Pikeville or Raceland have to go to Campbellsville in the playoffs, that they will be in for a fight until the end.  However, if they don't have to face Campbellsville until the finals, the Eagles won't have the home field advantage, and all the experience of playing in the finals will weigh heavily in favor of the Panthers or Rams.  I would probably pick the Panthers over the Eagles no matter where they play, but I might pick the Eagles over the Rams in a close one at Campbellsville.

[ArmChairHC]

^^^helluva a review Walt. Love the details and thought behind it. World would be a better place if more people broke down football analytics like this lol

[i82much]

Pikeville and Raceland both schedule games that in all probability they're going to lose. Campbellsville doesn't. If Campbellsville had done that last year they may have beat Pikeville in the finals?? I don't have a problem ranking them at the one. Most polls reward undefeated teams. But, whatever level they're playing at now would not be as high if they had played better teams, even if it means a loss and an RPI hit. In my opinion you shouldn't punish Pikeville and Raceland for losing the games they should lose. They did it to make themselves better. If Campbellsville  wins 1A that's fine by me...but... they would be better equipped to do so if they played a tougher schedule.

Do you really think that Campbellsville expected that Whitley County and Somerset would be easy wins? I'm guessing that they expected those games to be competitive.

As I said in an earlier post, I expect Pikeville to win another state title in the playoffs. I don't see polls as rewarding or punishing schools over their schedules. The RPI does that. Campbellsville has played well enough that neither Pikeville nor Raceland are going into a game with them and assuming that they will walk out with a win.

I agree that it is better to take a hit to the RPI by playing and losing some games on a tough schedule, than it is to schedule to not lose a game. But a team can't have it both ways, schedule tough competition to prepare for the playoffs and stay atop meaningless polls after a string of regular season losses.

I don't know much about Whitley or Somerset so I couldn't tell you what Campbellsville was thinking...but...they're not Ashland, Highlands, LCA, Johnson Central, Corbin, or Ironton, Ohio. Raceland and Pikeville both know that in a good season they may beat one or two of these type of teams but they also stand a good chance to lose all of them. I think we're pretty much on the same page and just splitting hairs here. Polls and RPI reward wins, polls do it unofficially and RPI does it mathematically. My subjective opinion is that Raceland and Pikeville are both better than Campbellsville, which again, and we agree, means zero. If Campbellsville wins it all then keep it rolling so guys like us can have fun "making much ado about nothing".

[Hoot Gibson]

Pikeville and Raceland both schedule games that in all probability they're going to lose. Campbellsville doesn't. If Campbellsville had done that last year they may have beat Pikeville in the finals?? I don't have a problem ranking them at the one. Most polls reward undefeated teams. But, whatever level they're playing at now would not be as high if they had played better teams, even if it means a loss and an RPI hit. In my opinion you shouldn't punish Pikeville and Raceland for losing the games they should lose. They did it to make themselves better. If Campbellsville  wins 1A that's fine by me...but... they would be better equipped to do so if they played a tougher schedule.

Do you really think that Campbellsville expected that Whitley County and Somerset would be easy wins? I'm guessing that they expected those games to be competitive.

As I said in an earlier post, I expect Pikeville to win another state title in the playoffs. I don't see polls as rewarding or punishing schools over their schedules. The RPI does that. Campbellsville has played well enough that neither Pikeville nor Raceland are going into a game with them and assuming that they will walk out with a win.

I agree that it is better to take a hit to the RPI by playing and losing some games on a tough schedule, than it is to schedule to not lose a game. But a team can't have it both ways, schedule tough competition to prepare for the playoffs and stay atop meaningless polls after a string of regular season losses.

I don't know much about Whitley or Somerset so I couldn't tell you what Campbellsville was thinking...but...they're not Ashland, Highlands, LCA, Johnson Central, Corbin, or Ironton, Ohio. Raceland and Pikeville both know that in a good season they may beat one or two of these type of teams but they also stand a good chance to lose all of them. I think we're pretty much on the same page and just splitting hairs here. Polls and RPI reward wins, polls do it unofficially and RPI does it mathematically. My subjective opinion is that Raceland and Pikeville are both better than Campbellsville, which again, and we agree, means nothing. If Campbellsville wins it all then keep it rolling so guys like us can have fun "making much ado about nothing".

At some point, when you play a tough schedule, you have to win a game in which you are an underdog because losing takes a toll on a team. I am sure that Pikeville did not expect to lose to every strong team on their schedule when that schedule was made. Pikeville will not have any real momentum until they have beaten a couple of good teams, and I am not sure that Raceland qualifies. They can win the 1A state title, but entering the playoffs with a couple of wins against good teams would have made it easier.

[Westside]

^^^helluva a review Walt. Love the details and thought behind it. World would be a better place if more people broke down football analytics like this lol

Walt is the man.  He is extremely knowledgeable.

[i82much]

Pikeville and Raceland both schedule games that in all probability they're going to lose. Campbellsville doesn't. If Campbellsville had done that last year they may have beat Pikeville in the finals?? I don't have a problem ranking them at the one. Most polls reward undefeated teams. But, whatever level they're playing at now would not be as high if they had played better teams, even if it means a loss and an RPI hit. In my opinion you shouldn't punish Pikeville and Raceland for losing the games they should lose. They did it to make themselves better. If Campbellsville  wins 1A that's fine by me...but... they would be better equipped to do so if they played a tougher schedule.

Do you really think that Campbellsville expected that Whitley County and Somerset would be easy wins? I'm guessing that they expected those games to be competitive.

As I said in an earlier post, I expect Pikeville to win another state title in the playoffs. I don't see polls as rewarding or punishing schools over their schedules. The RPI does that. Campbellsville has played well enough that neither Pikeville nor Raceland are going into a game with them and assuming that they will walk out with a win.

I agree that it is better to take a hit to the RPI by playing and losing some games on a tough schedule, than it is to schedule to not lose a game. But a team can't have it both ways, schedule tough competition to prepare for the playoffs and stay atop meaningless polls after a string of regular season losses.

I don't know much about Whitley or Somerset so I couldn't tell you what Campbellsville was thinking...but...they're not Ashland, Highlands, LCA, Johnson Central, Corbin, or Ironton, Ohio. Raceland and Pikeville both know that in a good season they may beat one or two of these type of teams but they also stand a good chance to lose all of them. I think we're pretty much on the same page and just splitting hairs here. Polls and RPI reward wins, polls do it unofficially and RPI does it mathematically. My subjective opinion is that Raceland and Pikeville are both better than Campbellsville, which again, and we agree, means nothing. If Campbellsville wins it all then keep it rolling so guys like us can have fun "making much ado about nothing".

At some point, when you play a tough schedule, you have to win a game in which you are an underdog because losing takes a toll on a team. I am sure that Pikeville did not expect to lose to every strong team on their schedule when that schedule was made. Pikeville will not have any real momentum until they have beaten a couple of good teams, and I am not sure that Raceland qualifies. They can win the 1A state title, but entering the playoffs with a couple of wins against good teams would have made it easier.

 
You're not wrong. Heck, going into the season I thought Raceland shouldn't even be in the conversation. Their young team has improved drastically which I believe is due in part to their schedule. And you may be right, they may not even "qualify". I wasn't sold on Pikeville either...until...the Ironton game. If there was ever a loss that spurred momentum it should be that one. Again though, we're splitting hairs. I'm done here.