If the PLAYOFFS started today..... (Week 7)

[Catch--22]

Every Monday(-ish), I bracket the 256 playoff teams using the IHSA Playoff Outlook. This is NOT a prediction. These are NOT my opinions. It is simply the most logical way the playoffs would be bracketed, using the IHSA's specific system, if today's standings were the final standings.

Each week I usually have to add/subtract teams to get a true 256. The Outlook doesn't adjust for a conference champion falling below the cutoff. I take care of that before proceeding.

My adjustments.....

The Southwest Suburban Red leader (champ) was not in the playoff field. I inserted their conference leader, Andrew (3-3/21) into 7A. This gave us 257 teams.

I need to eliminate one team. Princeville, Pittsfield, and Dunlap are tied at 3-3/26 at the bottom of the playoff field. Next tie-breaker is wins by defeated opponents. Princeville is safe with 7, while Pittsfield and Dunlap each have 6. Princeville becomes team 255. The next tie-breaker is opponents faced in the playoff field. Dunlap has 4, while Pittsfield only has 2. Dunlap is team 256 in the playoff field, and Pittsfield is removed from 1A

Now I just need to adjust the classes to balance them at 32 teams each. Loyola petitioned up to 8A, so we move them up. Conant was the smallest 8A team, so they slide down to 7A. Geneva slides down to 6A. East St. Louis petitioned up to 6A, so we move them up. 6A has 34 teams at the moment. Prairie Ridge and Grayslake Central were the smallest 6A teams, so they slide down to 5A. Providence slides down to 4A. Wheaton Academy slides down to 3A. Elmwood-Brimfield slides down to 2A. Shelbyville slides down to 1A.

I still don't know what to do with Immaculate Conception. Does anyone have any insight?

THAT'S IT!

MY NOTES:
- North shore quad in 8A.
- MSL East quad in 7A
- The St. Rita and Brother Rice draws are nice.
- Battle of Wheaton in 7A
- ND versus ND

* is the smallest team in the class
^ is the biggest team in the class

~~~ 8A ~~~

Upper Bracket
#32 Elgin at #1 Loyola
#17 Evanston at #16 New Trier
#25 Minooka at #8 Maine South
#24 Palatine at #9 Bolingbrook

#29 Lyons at #4 Lockport
#20 Bartlett at #13 Oswego
#28 Barrington at #5 Neuqua Valley
#21 Rich at #12 Oswego East

Lower Bracket
#31 East Aurora at #2 South Elgin
#18 Homewood-Flossmoor at #15 Marist
#26 Naperville Central at #7 Warren
#23 West Aurora at #10 Hinsdale Central

#30 Metea Valley at #3 York
#19 O'Fallon at #14 Lincoln-Way East
#27 Naperville North at #6 Glenbrook South
#22 Taft at #11 Glenbard West*


~~~ 7A ~~~

Upper Bracket
#32 Andrew at #1 Batavia
#17 Plainfield North at #16 Downers North
#25 Rolling Meadows at #8 Buffalo Grove
#24 Willowbrook at #9 Prospect

#29 Conant^ at #4 Normal
#20 St. Rita at #13 Whitney Young
#28 Reavis* at #5 Collinsville
#21 Phillips at #12 Hoffman Estates

Lower Bracket
#31 Larkin at #2 Hononegah
#18 Yorkville at #15 Mount Carmel
#26 Wheaton-Warrenville South at #7 Wheaton North
#23 Edwardsville at #10 Moline

#30 Mundelein at #3 Hersey
#19 Glenbard North at #14 Plainfield Central
#27 St. Charles North at #6 Brother Rice
#22 Jacobs at #11 Glenbard East


~~~ 6A ~~~

Upper Bracket
#16 Rockford East at #1 St. Ignatius
#9 Deerfield #8 Mather
#13 Crystal Central at #4 Riverside-Brookfield
#12 Hampshire at #5 Lake Forest

#15 Crystal Lake South at #2 Cary-Grove
#10 Geneva^ at #7 Belvidere North
#14 Vernon Hills at #3 Wauconda
#11 Libertyville at #6 Harlem

Lower Bracket
#16 Bremen at #1 Lemont
#9 Rock Island at #8 Washington
#13 Thornwood at #4 Richards
#12 Pekin at #5 TF South

#15 Centennial* at #2 Kenwood
#10 Normal West at #7 Crete-Monee
#14 Eisenhower at #3 East St. Louis
#11 Springfield at #6 Glenwood


~~~ 5A ~~~

Upper Bracket
#16 Boylan at #1 Amundsen
#9 Lakes #8 Prairie Ridge
#13 Kaneland at #4 Grayslake Central^
#12 St. Viator at #5 St. Patrick

#15 Freeport at #2 Sterling
#10 Payton at #7 Sycamore
#14 Benet at #3 Glenbard South
#11 Antioch at #6 Fenwick

Lower Bracket
#16 Dunlap at #1 Kankakee
#9 LaSalle-Peru #8 Triad
#13 Brooks at #4 Mahomet-Seymour
#12 Peoria at #5 Metamora

#15 Simeon at #2 Morris*
#10 Carbondale at #7 Marion
#14 Centralia at #3 Mascoutah
#11 Morton at #6 Goode


~~~ 4A ~~~

Upper Bracket
#16 Marengo at #1 Joliet Catholic
#9 Plano #8 Noble/Comer
#13 Rochelle at #4 St. Francis
#12 Evergreen Park at #5 Stillman Valley

#15 St. Laurence at #2 Immaculate Conception
#10 Sullivan at #7 Hyde Park
#14 Providence^ at #3 Richmond-Burton
#11 Coal City at #6 Dixon

Lower Bracket
#16 Streator at #1 Murphysboro
#9 Harrisburg* #8 Freeburg
#13 Civic Memorial at #4 Sacred Heart-Griffin
#12 Salem at #5 Mount Zion

#15 Effingham at #2 Rochester
#10 Peoria Notre Dame at #7 Quincy Notre Dame
#14 Waterloo at #3 Breese Central
#11 Paris at #6 Carterville


~~~ 3A ~~~

Upper Bracket
#16 Winnebago at #1 Kewanee
#9 Genoa Kingston #8 Prairie Central
#13 Lisle at #4 Princeton
#12 Wheaton Academy^ at #5 Reed-Custer

#15 Montini at #2 Byron
#10 Monmouth-Roseville at #7 Mendota
#14 Carver at #3 Clark
#11 Peotone at #6 Du-Pec Coop

Lower Bracket
#16 Anna-Jonesboro at #1 Tolono Unity
#9 Paxton-Buckley-Loda at #8 Eureka
#13 Beardstown at #4 Benton
#12 DuQuoin at #5 Williamsville

#15 St. Joseph-Ogden at #2 Monticello
#10 Southwestern at #7 Greenville
#14 Hoopeston Area at #3 Mt. Carmel
#11 Newton* at #6 Carlinville

 

[MS4EVER]

No bueno!!!

 

[Wittymoniker1]

Catch--as always, I appreciate this thread!

It's funny how last week it was Rita at MC in Round 1 to loving Rita's draw (up to Batavia) this week. Next week will be maybe, just maybe, something in between.

 

[Blue Ruin]

Good job.

 

[big daddy looch]

Always look forward to the possibilities!! Keep up the good work!

 

[Formicidae13]

I know we are still awhile away, but are there any teams out there that look like they could play each other for a fourth times this year? I know of a couple conference teams that played twice in the spring and once during the regular season, so that makes three and I have to think there are enough of those that there will be at least one matchup that gets a part four. Figure that would be some sort of record

And thanks again for taking the time to do this, love to see it!

 

[LakeCtyNewt]

I feel somewhat responsible for asking Catch 22 to bring these threads back up. I apologize to absolutely no one!
Well done Catch!

 

[missingwalter]

I’ll take that matchup. Surprised by WA in the field, but I get why.

 

[FballDaddy]

First of all, these are great, even if they won't hold up after 3 more weeks. But...it looks like alot of teams got pushed down. I'm focused on 6A personally, so, I'm assuming alot of new teams qualify for 8/7/6A to cause that?

4 teams went down (Antioch, Asumdsen, GL Central, and Prairie Ridge) and 4 dropped out.

 

[doctor_d]

First of all, these are great, even if they won't hold up after 3 more weeks. But...it looks like alot of teams got pushed down. I'm focused on 6A personally, so, I'm assuming alot of new teams qualify for 8/7/6A to cause that?

You have to not think about it as “team qualifies for 7A”.
Every team, all 256, gets sorted by wins and playoff points. After that, the teams get classified by their enrollment number. 32 at a time.

 

[FballDaddy]

You have to not think about it as “team qualifies for 7A”.
Every team, all 256, gets sorted by wins and playoff points. After that, the teams get classified by their enrollment number. 32 at a time.

I understand the math. Just thought it was notable that 4 larger schools (at least greater ~1300) replaced 4 smaller schools that were in 6A last week to make that happen.

 

[johnndoe]

LW West may ultimately have something to say about Andrew being slid into your 7A as the SWSC Red champ, especially after coming within 8 points of undefeated 8A Lockport this past Friday.

 

[WBWarriorWatcher]

If only it could fall this way…Thanks for the work Catch!

 

[ramblinman]

THAT'S IT!

 

[ramblinman]

Love the possibility of a H-F vs Marist first round game.

 

[GhostOfTheGhhost]

Huge fan of all the CPL teams included at this point in the game. Give me some IHSA playoff football on a Thursday afternoon!!!!

Also, when is the "If the CPL Playoffs Started Today" thread coming out?

 

[4hhsbulldogs]

What is the likelihood a 4-5 team will actually qualify for the playoffs this year as an at large team. I saw something on Twitter from an Ihsa guy saying it’s a possibility

 

[Formicidae13]

What is the likelihood a 4-5 team will actually qualify for the playoffs this year as an at large team. I saw something on Twitter from an Ihsa guy saying it’s a possibility

From what I gather, the question isn't if there will be 4 win teams, but how many. If I'm right about who your username is for(Highland), they are looking pretty good to get in as they should have over 50 opponent wins(that's the first tie breaker)

 

[4hhsbulldogs]

Yes. I don’t follow like I used to. Was curious if mascoutah next week was a must win or if they still had a chance if they were to lose. Playoff points should be strong like you said.

 

[Catch--22]

A couple 4-5 teams getting in seems to be the opinion of several posters who also follow this very closely. I don’t grasp the big picture enough to really know. For whatever it’s worth, I checked my post from exactly 2 years ago. The cutoff that day was 3-3/27. This year it’s 3-3/26. As of now, teams with a “worse” record are getting in, although the margin is razor thin. Also, I think there are a couple dozen fewer teams playing football now, And don’t forget about the teams who forgo a forfeit victory and end up losing the game the play in its place.

I’ll continue to check the difference between 2019 and 2021 in the rest of the installments.