IHSAA revises 2020 football season; shorter regular season, longer playoffs

Lang
7/24/20

The Iowa High School Athletic Association has adjusted the 2020 football season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The IHSAA announced Friday that this year a seven-week regular season will be conducted. Teams will have the option of scheduling five, six, or seven games within those seven weeks.

All teams in all classes will qualify for the postseason. Brackets will consist of six rounds for each classification. The IHSAA will determine postseason pairings with geography, quality, and team availability as primary considerations. This is intended to be a one-time measure for postseason formatting.

Teams in Classes 3A, 2A, 1A, and A will play their scheduled district games in the previously established order.

In Class 4A, participating schools will schedule their own regular season games.

Eight-player teams will play Week 3 through Week 9 of their previously announced schedules in what is now Week 1 through Week 7.

Due to the potential of positive COVID-19 cases forcing players and teams to miss games in the 2020 regular season, the revised plan does not penalize teams with a loss or forfeit due to state, county, or local health department determinations. A missed game due to COVID-19 will be considered a “no contest” and will not be made up. Teams may work with the IHSAA and new possible opponents should they have open dates due to scheduled opponents missing games.

A full list of the rules can be found online at www.iahsaa.org.