The 1972 Newcomerstown High School football team posted an undefeated 10-0 record but was shut out of participating in the new computerized football playoffs. The following is a news article written by Attorney Vernon Lee concerning the team and the computerized rating system.

One of the peculiar aspects of the rating system is that only a handful of people know how it works and this applies particularly to coaches, sports writers, and Athletic Directors. The system was given birth secretly by unknown midwives. When the Ohio Athletic Association decided upon a computer rating system no known effort was made to contact the systems in use in many other states which have operated successfully for several years. What was placed in operation was the brainchild of an Ohio horse track predictor and his system of selecting horses in his business. Only a brief summary of the system has ever been submitted in writing to the member schools of Ohio. The system is so secret that to this day the Ohio Athletic system refuses to make public the point totals of any school. West Virginia publishes these matters weekly. The Ohio football fan who pays the bill is entitled to know some answers.

How does the system work? Example: A Class A team gets one point for defeating another Class A team. If the opponent defeated is Class AA, the win is worth two points and three points is given for a Class A win over a Class AAA team. Newcomerstown won seven Class A and three Class AA games for a total of thirteen points. Points are given for all wins by the opponents Newcomerstown defeated. Points are also given for wins by the opponents of the opponents of Newcomerstown. This method produces some amazing results. No team can win a division championship alone by what it does on the field. In fact, its final score is determined largely not on what it does on the field or even what its opponents do on the field, but what the opponents of its opponents do. Built into this system is another flaw which permits a team to receive more points by losing to weak opponents than by defeating them.

The system has other flaws and weaknesses. All Class A teams will want to play Class A teams, but Class AA teams will not want to play Class A but will want to play Class AAA. Of course, Class AAA will want to play Class AAA only. The effect of all of this is to break up conferences. In fact other and all except the top team in the conference are failing to pick up points. The value of conference which is local rivalries, short trips, excited fans, good gates, will be lost.

Another area of problems is for the teams near State borders who play out of state teams. The method of rating these teams will amaze you. The same can be said of teams who play only a nine game season.