Here is your solution.

-Put the independents into a conference. This creates 10 total 1A conferences.
-Every team plays a 10 game schedule. No exceptions.
-Every team is required to play at least 6 games within your conference/conference division. Even in the biggest conferences you still have 3-4 games to still retain old rivalries out of conference. Or "warm up games" for the bigger schools. Or just schedule every game within the conference. Do whatever, lol.
- Have the 2 best W/L of each conference/division play each other. The winning team represents that conference in the playoff. We are at 11 total games for the top 10 teams.
- You then have 10 conference champion teams, your "top 6" get a week off. The 7-10 ranked teams will play into an 8 team playoff. The lowest ranked team plays #1, highest #2. The 7-10 teams are at 12 games. Top 6 at 11 still.
-From here, you have an 8 team, 4 game bracket. 2 teams may play at most 15 games if you get in as a 7-10 ranked team and somehow win the title.Everyone else will play 14 games.

This would significantly reduce any ranking system or committee needed to choose who makes the playoffs, they would only determine seeding...The only problem is, it will extend the season by 2-3 games for the winning teams, and shorten the schedule for teams not in the playoff. I ultimately think it would be the most fair way to do it though, to actually earn the championship in the best way possible.

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