AUSTIN, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – Rep. Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) filed House Bill 3349 aimed at making University Interscholastic League (UIL) 6A playoffs fairer. Currently, UIL classifications are based on school enrollment. Landgraf’s bill proposes classifying 6A schools by county population instead of school enrollment.

Under Landgraf’s proposal, 6A teams from counties with a population exceeding 500,000 would be in one division, and 6A teams from counties with a population under 500,000 would be in a separate division.

“This proposal is designed to level the playing field in high school football,” Landgraf said. “It’s not a coincidence that 6A schools all across Texas have been shut out of late-round playoff competition under the current, broken system. Community size is a bigger factor than enrollment within the 6A classification, and I believe UIL’s system should reflect that reality.”

Currently, 6A schools in the Permian Basin (Odessa, Permian, Midland High and Midland Legacy) compete in the playoffs against schools from large Texas metropolitan areas like Dallas, Austin and Houston.

In a press release, Landgraf’s office noted that since the inception of the UIL 6A classification in 2014, every state champion in 6A came from a county with more than 1.1 million people. Longview High School is the only team from rural Texas to win a 6A state championship in football.

The current legislative session for the Texas House of Representatives ends May 29.