[Andrew Schuetze]

What is going to make alliance pairings interesting today is the depth of veteran teams that are not in the top 8 - 12 spots. This is due to the greater number of quality robots/teams making match parity a reality. Some veterans are getting snake bit in a match or two due to rookie HP mistakes. 499 Toltechs have more working on their robot than a week ago in New Orleans when they went 7 and 4 in qualifiers and became the #3 alliance caption. They could have a record of 3 and 2 but even after coaching the rookies on their alliance they have lost matches twice to HP tossing super cells early for 40 penalty points and taking away wins.

So scouting and alliance pairing will really depend upon the alliance captian doing their homework and not just picking the next highest seeded team. Lots of quality teams to pick and one needs to look for creating balance and strength in the alliance. The only down side is that many quality robots and teams will be watching from the stands.

This will only become more of a competitive regional as the 20 plus rookie teams gain experience and the veterans have more time in the off season to work them. Best solution is to eventually have a super regional in Houston with 80 plus teams competing in two divisions so teams get more plays and more quality teams are in the elimination rounds.

APS