With the playoffs just around the corner, one begins to hear the term "playoff points" thrown around by local media when discussing local football playoff possibilities and divisional seeding. We went to the Central Coast Section's web site  (www.cifcs.org) to check the rules and attempt to de-mystify this seemingly complex  process. Here are the rules, verbatim, from the CCS:

Section 5. AT-LARGE AND SEEDING PROCEDURES
The following objective criteria will be used for purposes of At-Large selection and Seeding:
A.   Point System:  Add the following results:

Multiply the number of wins by 2. Multiply the number of ties by 1. Multiply the number of games against 'A' League teams by 1. Multiply the number of games against 'B' League teams by 0.5. Multiply the number of games against a League Champion by 1*. Award 2.5* points for being an 'A' League Champion. Award 2.0* points for being a 'B' League Champion. Award 1.5* points for being a 'C' League Champion. * These bonus points are pro-rated in the case of shared-Championships.

B.    League Classification 
        1.    "A" Leagues (those with a "League Classification Index" of 1.800 & above):
                    DAL; MBL; MHAL; PAL (Bay); WCAL.
        2.    "B" Leagues (those with a "League Classification Index" below 1.800):
                    ECAL; MTAL; PAL (Ocean); SCCAL; STAL; WVAL.
        3.    "C" Leagues - vacant
        4.    "Independent" schools within the Central Coast Section will be classified as "B's."
        5.     Opponents from outside the Central Coast Section will be classified as follows:
                     "A" if they have 8 or more wins;
                     "B" if they have 4 through 7 wins; and
                     "C" if they have less than 4 wins.
        6.    For purposes of calculating the "League Classification Index" for the following year,
                League Representatives are responsible for bringing the Season Summary Sheets for
                all teams in their respective Leagues.
C.   Teams playing a less-than-10-game schedule will adjust their point total as follows:
        1.     Determine the team's winning percentage for the season;
        2.     Add the classification game points for a win; divide by the # of games; then subtract 0.5;
        3.    Multiply the winning percentage by the multiplier determined in C.-2. above;
        4.    Add that figure to the game point total.
                EXAMPLE:
                Team X has 7 wins and 2 losses for the season, thus winning percentage is 7/9 = .778;
                Team X plays:  2 "A"-League teams (2 x 3 = 6); 6 "B"-League teams (6 x 2.5 = 15); and
                    1 "C"-League team (1 x 2 = 2);
                Add 6 + 15 + 2 = 23; divide by 9 = 2.556; subtract 0.5 = 2.056; multiply by .778 = 1.60;
                Add 1.60 to the game-point total.
                The resultant figure will be used for At-Large selection and Seeding.
D.    FOR PURPOSES OF AT-LARGE SELECTION ONLY:
        1.     If no selection(s) results from the above point-system, head-to-head competition, if any, will
                determine selection.
        2.     In the absence of head-to-head competition, a coin flip for two [2], or a blind draw for more
                than two [2], will determine selection.

Let's first use Palma as a test case, since the Chieftains are one of the few local teams to play an out-of-section game this year. Palma's first opponent, Alhambra, is currently 6-3, so as an out of section (NCS) team they would count as a "B" opponent because they fall into the 4-7 win range. 

Note that if Palma loses to Hollister Friday night, their total points would drop to 30, since the 2 win/tie points would be eliminated from their point total for a loss to the Balers. Palma is already guaranteed a postseason berth as the MBL champion, but their points will determine where they are seeded in the playoffs. Higher points mean easier 1st round opponents and a 1st round home game (if ranked among the top 4 in each playoff division). Next lets calculate bubble team Soledad's point total.

The Aztecs point total must be greater than the other Division 4 at-large team's point totals in order to qualify for postseason play.