The CHSAA football committee released its proposed alignments for the next two-year cycle at its meeting Thursday in Aurora, with the most marked change being that conferences are going back to a more traditional format.
That means the abolishment of the waterfall system in 5A, where the football committee recommends the classification be split up into five conferences of six based off rivalries and geography, with an addition of a sixth conference consisting of 10 programs needing to rebuild.
For the 5A playoffs, the committee proposed expanding the field to 24 teams, with the top eight seeds getting a bye. Automatic playoff qualification is granted to the six league champions, with the next 17 slots determined by the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) and one slot left open for an at-large selection.
The proposals are now set to be officially voted on at the CHSAA Legislative Council meeting Jan. 25.
The alignments were “developed through a collaborative effort based on feedback from coaches, administrators, conference czars and football committee members over the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years,” per CHSAANow.com.
Below is the committee’s recommended alignment for 5A, 4A and 3A. Some of these conference names are placeholders:
CLASS 5A
North
Fairview
Horizon
Legacy
Fossil Ridge
Poudre
Rocky Mountain
Metro West
Arvada West
Columbine
Lakewood
Pomona
Ralston Valley
Mullen
South
Regis Jesuit
Chaparral
Douglas County
Legend
Fountain-Fort Carson
Doherty
Metro South
Valor Christian
Highlands Ranch
Mountain Vista
ThunderRidge
Rock Canyon
Castle View
Metro East
Cherokee Trail
Cherry Creek
Eaglecrest
Grandview
Overland
Arapahoe
10
Denver East
Smoky Hill
Rangeview
Adams City
Far Northeast
Westminster
Boulder
Mountain Range
Prairie View
Northglenn
CLASS 4A
Northern 1
Windsor
Broomfield
Greeley West
Longmont
Mountain View
Brighton
Northern 2
Monarch
Loveland
Silver Creek
Skyline
Fort Collins
Greeley Central
Metro 1
Dakota Ridge
Wheat Ridge
Golden
Chatfield
Bear Creek
Grand Junction
Metro 2
Ponderosa
Denver South
Aurora Central
Heritage
Gateway
Montrose
Metro 3
Centaurus
Vista PEAK
Hinkley
Thornton
Standley Lake
Fruita Monument
Southern 1
Pine Creek
Vista Ridge
Mesa Ridge
Cheyenne Mountain
Palmer
Grand Junction Central
Southern 2
Pueblo West
Air Academy
Liberty
Coronado
Rampart
Widefield
CLASS 3A
North Central 1
George Washington
Evergreen
Conifer
John F. Kennedy
Abraham Lincoln
Green Mountain
North Central 2
Mead
Holy Family
Frederick
Denver North
Skyview
Northfield
North Central 3
Roosevelt
Erie
Fort Morgan
Northridge
Thompson Valley
Niwot
Southern
Discovery Canyon
Palmer Ridge
Lewis-Palmer
Lutheran
Littleton
Thomas Jefferson
Southern 2
Mitchell
Sand Creek
Falcon
Harrison
Sierra
Canon City
Southern 3
Pueblo Centennial
Pueblo East
Pueblo South
Pueblo County
Pueblo Central
Durango
Central West
Palisade
Summit
Battle Mountain
Glenwood Springs
Eagle Valley
Steamboat Springs
