I would just like to suggestion an idea that would potentially make elimination matches more fair to lower seeded teams.
I've been to many FRC competitions and I seem to see a trend: the 1st seeded alliance almost always picks from the top 8. This should come as a surprise because to be in the top 8 means that your team is very good and should be in higher demand as a first pick. But this also means that the first seeded alliance will almost always ended up with the best alliance and the lower seeded alliances end up with not so good teams. Time after time, I've seen 1st seed alliance just roll through the elimination with ease.
In professional sport drafting, it's usually the teams with the worst records that get the first pick, which makes perfect sense, if your team is already very good, why does it need 2 more great teams to help them through eliminations.
Here are my proposals
this is an either or, can't have both at the same time)
1. After the top 8 seeded teams are established, reverse the order so that 8th seed gets to draft first and 1st seed drafts last. This is more like professional sports, to help even the playing field, so that one team doesn't always dominate.
2. Make a new rule where no one from the top 8 can choose another team from the top 8. This helps to keep the alliances more balanced, so that 1st seed pick 2nd seed never happens.
I'm open to all forms of criticism, so don't hold anything back.