| Find in this manual | ||
| Replace with | ||
Association Playoffs
Playoffs for league associations are similar to standard league playoffs, but with a few additional twists. Association playoffs have three different "qualifying modes," as follows:
| Mode | Description |
| Champions of each league qualify | In this mode, each member league has a single champion, and those advance the teams to association playoffs. |
| The two playoff finalists of each league qualify | In this mode, each league sends the two teams that make their league championship game to the association playoffs. |
| Select qualifying teams individually by position | In this mode, you can pick and choose which teams make the league playoffs. This is handy if, for some reason, you want six teams from one league, and only two from another. |
Based on the qualifying mode you select, OOTP presents you with appropriate options for further configuring the league association playoffs.
First Round Matchup Determination
Once you have a pool of teams for the playoffs, OOTP needs to know how to determine the first-round matchups:
| Mode | Description |
| Seeding (by Winning%) | This option seeds all teams in the playoffs according to their winning percentage, regardless of where they finished in the standings. That is, even if a team wins their division, they could end up seeded lower than a wildcard if that team has a higher winning percentage. |
| Position | First-round matchups are determined strictly according to their positions in the standings. |
| Wild Cards seeded lowest | If this checkbox is enabled, wild card teams will always be seeded below division winners, regardless of record. |
Later Round Matchup Determination
OOTP also needs to know how to determine the later round matchups:
| Mode | Description |
| Fixed | In fixed mode, once first-round matchups are determined, the rest of the playoffs proceed in a fixed bracket, similar to the NCAA tournament. |
| Re-order by seed prior to each round | With this option, once all teams have finished the first round, OOTP will re-order the playoffs according to seed again, with the highest playing the lowest, etc. This mode gives the greatest advantage to teams with high seeds. |
The rest of the options on this screen work identically to those defined in the customizable playoffs setup.
