Complex sentence: The latter development diminished the importance of the regional rankings, as the national rankings were used to determine nationals bids-although regional champions were still awarded an autobid even if ranked outside of the top 12 nationally.
Split into simpler sentences: The latter development diminished the importance of the regional rankings, as the national rankings were used to determine nationals bids. Regional champions were still awarded an autobid, however, even if ranked outside of the top 12 nationally.