By Jon Fass
Posted: Sept. 28, 2021 9:00 pm
Teams in the Super Football Conference’s Ivy Red and Ivy White divisions, as well as the Union division teams in the NJIC, are ineligible for the playoffs. They know that going in, and because of various factors (low roster numbers, inability to compete at a higher level, etc.), they agree to that stipulation so they can play a more balanced schedule against like-minded teams.
And because of that, they are now being removed from the UPR standings, which affects all five North supersections, as well as Non-Public B.
Why not just leave them in, remove them when it comes time to seed the playoff brackets, and move everyone up a notch? Because their absence from the rankings impacts the calculations.
Take North 2, for example.
Dumont was 13th in UPR while Elmwood Park was 15th, but both schools were much higher up the charts when it comes to power points, and that’s where the biggest impact is felt by their absence.
Ramsey and Rutherford were tied for second place in UPR, but now that the Ivy and Union schools have been removed, Rutherford is in sole possession of second place, while Ramsey sits at third.
Here’s why.
With Dumont and Elmwood Park still in the picture, here are the calculations:
Rutherford ranks fifth in power points and first in OSI: 5(.4) + 1 (.6) = 2.6
But without them (and this obviously applies to all Ivy and Union schools), things change.
Ramsey remains second in power points and third in OSI, keeping them 2.6. However, Rutherford moves up to third in power points, and with the best OSI in the section, the Bulldogs are now at 1.8 [3(.4) + 1(.6)], moving ahead of Ramsey in the rankings.
In North 3, Sparta was 11th in UPR, but with Fort Lee and Snyder now removed, the Spartans jump up to No. 9, while Pascack Valley remains 10th and Lincoln drops to No. 11.
Mount Olive benefits from Cliffside Park’s absence in the North 4 rankings. The Marauders are now No. 10, while Colonia falls to 11th.
And with Memorial and Dickinson now out of the picture, Columbia moves ahead of Union City for 12th spot in North 5.
Jon Fass is the owner/operator of Gridiron New Jersey and can be reached by emailing jon@gridironnewjersey.com.