OldNavy
12-01-2010, 10:51 PM
I put the UIL enrollment figures into a spreadsheet to look at the numbers. While I know that you can only put 11 on he field at any one time, and that a small school could and does beat larger schools, the numbers indicate that the larger schools actually do have better results. Perhaps I am stating the obvious.
The average size of a school in 3A is 680. Wimberly at 681 is the closest to an average school with all others being larger or smaller. Size matters when it comes to making the playoffs. The average size of a school making the playoffs was 715. Schools remaining in the playoffs through round 4 average 738 enrollment indicating more large schools have won than small schools thus far.
The median enrollment, which is the number for which half the schools are larger and half are smaller, is 645. There are 92 schools larger and 92 schools smaller than 645. Of the 92 schools that are larger, 56 made the playoffs, or 60.8% of the upper half schools. Of the lower half or smaller schools, only 40 made the playoffs or 43.7% of those schools made the playoffs. I am not a statistician, but if size did not matter, you would expect 48 of the lower 92 teams to make the playoffs and 48 of the upper half teams.
It could be that larger schools have more talent to put on the filed, and perhaps more depth. It could be that they have more coaches and can afford better salaries and can hire better coaches than the smaller schools. It could be larger schools have better facilities and equipment with which to train or some combination of the above. But statistically, the numbers seem significant.
The largest 3A school, Lindale, has 555 more students than the smallest, Kirbyville. Both made the playoffs by the way, and both are now out. In round four, the largest division 1 school is Alvarado with 974, and the smallest is Chapel Hill with 870, a difference of 104. In division 2 the largest school is Brownwood with 877 and the smallest is Navarro with 461, a difference of 416.
From these numbers it looks like the UIL might be on to something by organizing large and small school districts, then the distribution of small schools making the playoffs to large school making them might be 48 and 48. However, under the current system, the larger schools have a statistical edge.
The average size of a school in 3A is 680. Wimberly at 681 is the closest to an average school with all others being larger or smaller. Size matters when it comes to making the playoffs. The average size of a school making the playoffs was 715. Schools remaining in the playoffs through round 4 average 738 enrollment indicating more large schools have won than small schools thus far.
The median enrollment, which is the number for which half the schools are larger and half are smaller, is 645. There are 92 schools larger and 92 schools smaller than 645. Of the 92 schools that are larger, 56 made the playoffs, or 60.8% of the upper half schools. Of the lower half or smaller schools, only 40 made the playoffs or 43.7% of those schools made the playoffs. I am not a statistician, but if size did not matter, you would expect 48 of the lower 92 teams to make the playoffs and 48 of the upper half teams.
It could be that larger schools have more talent to put on the filed, and perhaps more depth. It could be that they have more coaches and can afford better salaries and can hire better coaches than the smaller schools. It could be larger schools have better facilities and equipment with which to train or some combination of the above. But statistically, the numbers seem significant.
The largest 3A school, Lindale, has 555 more students than the smallest, Kirbyville. Both made the playoffs by the way, and both are now out. In round four, the largest division 1 school is Alvarado with 974, and the smallest is Chapel Hill with 870, a difference of 104. In division 2 the largest school is Brownwood with 877 and the smallest is Navarro with 461, a difference of 416.
From these numbers it looks like the UIL might be on to something by organizing large and small school districts, then the distribution of small schools making the playoffs to large school making them might be 48 and 48. However, under the current system, the larger schools have a statistical edge.