Division 6/6D Split: Reason, Rationale & Robert Campana

With winter season around the corner the Holiday season is in full swing.  Santa Claus adorns ads in, print, on screen and in shopping malls as they torture small children as parents place their offspring on a stranger’s velvety lap.  Sugar fills office desktop receptacles in the form of stripped canes and chocolate covered everything.  Common areas are plentiful with baked cookies and purchased seasonal cakes as it is defended by the otherwise perpetually dieting because “It’s the holidays!”

Still one time honored tradition stands shoulder to shoulder with the celebration of a baby’s birth in an unsanitary stable. That is the tradition of getting wasted at one’s office Christmas party.  I also insist that it stands shoulder to shoulder with the birth of Christ because when one is huddled over a toilet vomiting overcooked veal and far too much whisky and eggnog, they are at shoulder height of a baby in a manger that as oddly been angled for all to see.  Wise men were said to have questioned it upon arrival but were told to lay of the frankincense.

As one young man pours brandy in his flask while awaiting an Uber for fear of socializing with colleagues he normally scarcely communicates with.  A middle aged woman dresses far too elegant for the in house luncheon as she rationalizes “well it’s the only time I go out”.  Soon the evening will devolve as some will get to personal and some will pitch ideas to their superiors that will be forgotten in an alcohol enhanced coke haze.  For some the party will spill into after-parties and home invites.  Hookups will be blamed on lowered inhibition and festive spirit.  The Mistletoe will witness inappropriate affairs and hookups for proxies to the ideal partners who politely left earlier as they unwind to watch Christmas themed movies and smoke Christmas Themed weed (Nutcracker Sweet is essentially recreational sugar plumbs for grown-ups).

The morning after is usually quite somber.  Black outs will lead you to fearfully check your phone for inappropriate texts sent at far too early in the morning. Brown outs will bring into focus many momentary lapses of judgment that you can now scarcely recall.  Luckily, the FPF season is around the corner and with that comes the great distraction that is the hopes of championship glory.  For teams competing in division 6 and 6D, they can look forward to their season with this first bit of literature that describes how we divided the divisions and how they will be sorted once again come playoff time.  Merry Christmas everyone!

Division 6 Split

What we have here is a very particular set of issues…

I’ve been covering Division 6 for a very long time.  I don’t remember the exact amount and as our site is poorly set up for research, let’s say it’s somewhere between 3 and 72 years.  During much of that time, it is fairly well known that I have become one of the advisory council that helps president Robert Campana make a variety of decisions.

Division 6 has posed an issue to us for as long as we’ve had a ratings cap in FPF. Unlike every other division we have a series of unknown variables that make it impossible for us to accurately predict which teams will be successful and which will not.  Using the cap to divide the division becomes equally difficult as so many players are unknown to the league and are given introductory ratings.  As such we don’t know who’s a truly remarkable talent, who’s an absolute novice, who will adapt to this game and who will be and FPF bust.  Each season we work hard to consider the issues and develop solutions we feel best address these issues.

The Split

The criteria we use to split the division is as follows:

Division 6 is composed of:

• Teams that won at least 3 games in their most recent season when playing in division 6,6D,E,E-2. This is applicable where the core is relatively the same and the quarterback is unchanged.
• A new team composed of at least 3 players known to FPF with pre-existing FPF ratings or have played in at least one season where they would qualify to receive an FPF rating.

Division 6D is composed of:

• Teams that are entirely new to FPF or have less than 3 players known to FPF with pre-existing FPF ratings or have played in at least one season where they would qualify to receive an FPF rating.
• A returning team in FPF who won no more than 3 games in their most recent season when playing in division 6,6D,E,E-2. This is applicable where the core is relatively the same and the quarterback is unchanged.

The reasoning behind this division is so that teams that have a track record for having been more competitive will face each other more frequently.  New teams and teams who struggled will play in the development division.  This ensures that struggling teams can hone their skills against teams of equal caliber and will face some new teams that are undoubtedly weaker and some that will be stronger.

So without further ado, here is the division between Division 6 and Division 6D this winter season:

 

Div 6		Div 6D
Average Joe’s		Llamas Pyjamas
Channel 4 News Team		Brewers
D2: The Mighty Ducks		Bud Knights
Dawg Pound		Chocolate Barracudas
Dirty Landry		Gold Rush
Fat Diablos		Les Casses
Goon Squad		Los Siete Amigos
Green Monster		MACDO
Hot Sauce Sports		Past Our Primetime
Hurricane SZN		Real Bros of Simi Valley
7th Rounders		Rosedale Renovations
Fourth and 20		South Shore Seamen
NWO		The Dirty Birds
Pension Plan		The Lionhearts
Replacements		The Potatoes
Scranton Stranglers		Trailer Park Boys
Sharknado		Fighting Tigers
The Pack		BBallers
Unknown Talent		BDR
Warriors		DGC
Zone 6 Ballers
TBA
Vick in a Box
Vultures

 

The Playoffs

The playoff structure allows us to better ensure a competitive balance in the post season.  With a season’s worth of sample size, teams will be more appropriately placed into a playoff bracket that corresponds to their actual skill level. 

As there are more teams in Division 6 than 6D (24 as opposed to 20) this is reflected in how many teams make the playoffs from each division. This season 18 teams will qualify for the playoffs from Division 6 while 14 will qualify from Division 6D.  Moreover, the top four teams from Division 6D will be promoted to compete in the Division 6 bracket while the 13th-18th ranked teams in Division 6 will be relegated to compete in the Division 6D.  In addition, the teams promoted from division 6D will occupy the 9-12 seeds in the playoffs while the teams relegated from Division 6 will occupy the top 6 seed in the division 6D playoffs.

 

The Conclusion

While the division splits are final we look at FPF as an ever growing and maturing product.  If you have any input at all about how this can be improved for future seasons, let us know and we will gladly take all ideas under advisement.