I heard talk of Providence & Bishop Mac snubbing their noses at the Prep Bowl.I want to thank Scott Johnson a GREAT guy as well as the IHSA for clarification on the matter.
I can answer your question about the Prep Bowl. When the IHSA instituted the football playoffs in 1974, one of the deals made was that the Prep Bowl series could continue alongside the playoffs, an unusual setup. At the time, almost all the Catholic League teams were in Chicago or the collar suburbs. But in the 90s, the League expanded well out into the suburbs and allowing those schools to participate in what was supposed to be a Chicago championship violated the terms of the original agreement, so those “new” schools were removed from eligibility.
As far as the CPL, I’m sure you know that the conferences are divided up by the strength of the program. So those teams in the Chicago conferences are, for lack of a better term, second-tier teams, while the Inter-City teams are third-tier teams. Since 2009, when the Chicago division teams became eligible (top two only), they have a 2-51 record in the playoffs, with the only two wins coming over other CPL teams. This year their eight scores were 14-39, 6-51, 18-20 (to a CPL team), 6-62, 0-42 (loss by #1 seed Westinghouse), 0-30, 6-49, and 6-42. The point being that the records of these teams are artificially inflated by playing poorer competition throughout the year. Inter-City division teams, if they were eligible, would fare much worse in our playoffs, if that is imaginable. And of course, they would not do well in the Prep Bowl playoffs either.
I can answer your question about the Prep Bowl. When the IHSA instituted the football playoffs in 1974, one of the deals made was that the Prep Bowl series could continue alongside the playoffs, an unusual setup. At the time, almost all the Catholic League teams were in Chicago or the collar suburbs. But in the 90s, the League expanded well out into the suburbs and allowing those schools to participate in what was supposed to be a Chicago championship violated the terms of the original agreement, so those “new” schools were removed from eligibility.
As far as the CPL, I’m sure you know that the conferences are divided up by the strength of the program. So those teams in the Chicago conferences are, for lack of a better term, second-tier teams, while the Inter-City teams are third-tier teams. Since 2009, when the Chicago division teams became eligible (top two only), they have a 2-51 record in the playoffs, with the only two wins coming over other CPL teams. This year their eight scores were 14-39, 6-51, 18-20 (to a CPL team), 6-62, 0-42 (loss by #1 seed Westinghouse), 0-30, 6-49, and 6-42. The point being that the records of these teams are artificially inflated by playing poorer competition throughout the year. Inter-City division teams, if they were eligible, would fare much worse in our playoffs, if that is imaginable. And of course, they would not do well in the Prep Bowl playoffs either.