The Birdie is fit to be tied as he makes his Week 9 picks in the A-K Valley

By: The Birdie
Wednesday, October 23, 2024 | 6:26 PM

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Last week: 10-1

Season: 71-21 (77.2%)

As the WPIAL football season reaches its conclusion, there’s only one thing on The Birdie’s mind: tiebreakers.

There’s nothing that makes his beady Birdie eyes light up like arcane discussions of the procedures for breaking ties in the standings.

He’s a little concerned about the change in the WPIAL this season where at-large wild-card teams in every class but 6A will be determined not by math but by a playoff selection committee.

“You should read some of the emails I get when I pick against a team,” The Birdie said. “I can only imagine the new swear words the WPIAL committee will learn when it chooses one comparable team over another to actually make the playoffs.

“That said, it could be worse. Let me tell you about some other tiebreakers that have actually been used in the wild world of sports that are way worse,” the feathered know-it-all continued.

“Did you know that in the NFL from 1967-69, the third tiebreaker for division championships, after head-to-head and head-to-head point differential, was whichever team had gone the longest without winning the division? If they still had that today, the Browns would be unbeatable.

“Did you know that when there aren’t enough six-win teams to fill all the college football bowl games, the tie among five-win teams is broken by Academic Progress Rate? Your team could miss out on a bowl trip because the left guard flunked Algebra.

“Finally, did you hear about what happened when Iona Prep and Cardinal Hayes tied for the regular-season championship in the Catholic High School Athletic Association’s New York division in 2018? The tie was broken by total points in a college game between St. John’s and DePaul. If the total was even, Iona Prep was the No. 1 seed for the playoffs. If it was odd, Cardinal Hayes was the No. 1 seed.

“I don’t have a punchline for that one. I just thought you should know that really happened. Cross my heart.”

Luckily, there won’t be any ties for A-K Valley football teams in Week 9 of the season. Check out The Birdie’s picks.

Greensburg Central Catholic at Leechburg: This game looks like a WPIAL quarterfinal two weeks early. Leechburg, 35-21

Kiski Area at Woodland Hills: The Cavaliers could make a strong case for a wild card with a win. Woodland Hills, 26-20

Plum at Penn Hills: The Mustangs have to shake off a tough loss to Kiski Area quick. Penn Hills, 33-21

McKeesport at Knoch: The Knights were rolling until injuries struck. The Tigers are a tough opponent even when 100% healthy. McKeesport, 26-21

Burrell at Deer Lakes: The Birdie can look ahead to the playoffs all he wants. The Lancers better not. Deer Lakes, 22-7

Highlands at Valley: The Birdie thinks the Golden Rams have a good wild-card case with an impressive win. Highlands, 34-13

Imani Christian at Freeport: No pressure on the Yellowjackets. They’ve already clinched a playoff spot. Just let it fly and try to pull off the upset for a conference title. Imani Christian, 39-22

Apollo-Ridge at Ligonier Valley: The Birdie says it every week. This team is too good to be winless. The Vikings had a lead on WPIAL contender South Park for a while last week. They’ve gotta get into the win column now. Got to. Apollo-Ridge, 21-20

Springdale at Frazier: A matchup of perhaps the smallest rosters in the WPIAL. Anybody’s ballgame. Frazier, 14-13

East Allegheny at Fox Chapel: How about the Foxes go into the offseason with some momentum? Fox Chapel, 27-13

Jeannette at Riverview: Jayhawks really need this one to clinch fourth place. Jeannette, 26-20

Tags: Apollo-Ridge, Burrell, Deer Lakes, East Allegheny, Fox Chapel, Frazier, Freeport, Greensburg C.C., Highlands, Imani Christian, Jeannette, Kiski Area, Knoch, Leechburg, Ligonier Valley, McKeesport, Penn Hills, Plum, Riverview, Springdale, Valley, Woodland Hills