[Lil' Lavery]

If there is a back-up alliance selection again next year, make sure that all members have to play in at least one match. Otherwise don't include it.
While many alliances did utilize all four members to a certain extent, as one of the teams that was selected but never took the field, I can tell you it wasn't much fun. Our experience may vary from the reactions of other teams in the same scenario (494 probably has less of a problem with it than we did), but it really sucks to be sitting there helplessly while watching your alliance on the field. FIRST required it when they had more members than were on the field (and still does in FTC). It allows for 32 teams to still see action in the eliminations, and still keeps the strategic element of when youre going t play each team. You don't even have to say one play per "series" (round, whatever), all you're basically saying is that they have to play once during the entire elimination rounds.