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 the teams ineligible for the playoffs from the CPS "Chicago" conferences (teams who finish 3rd place and lower). The outlook doesn't adjust for a conference champion falling below the cutoff. I take care of all that before proceeding.
The cut-off this week was 3-2, 19 pp.... 14 teams had this record. Only one of the 14 made the playoffs on the IHSA Outlook.
I pulled Schurz (7A), Mather (6A), Steinmetz (6A), Washington (6A), Foreman (5A), and Orr (3A) out of the playoffs because of the CPS "Chicago" conference rule. I inserted Rolling Meadows (7A) and Morgan Park (6A) into the playoffs because their conferences had zero qualifiers in the outlook. They are currently the conference leaders. This leaves us with 252 teams.
To choose the final four teams, I need to break the tie between the 13 remaining teams at 3-2/19. They were Freeport Aquin, Pinckneyville, Fairfield, Freeburg, Mount Zion, Ridgewood, Hyde Park, Lakes, St. Charles North, Mundelein, Maine West, Morgan Park, and West Aurora. We skip Morgan Park because they already make it as a conference champ. The next tiebreaker is total victories by the teams you defeated. Four teams are tied with a total of 5.... Freeport Aquin (1A), Ridgewood (5A), Lakes (6A), and St. Charles North (7A). Freeburg was the next closest team with a 2nd tiebreak total of 4. They are considered the first team out of the entire field.
To balance the classes at 32 each, I had to move Orion up to 2A, Trenton (Wesclin) up to 3A, and Lincoln Way North down to 6A.
This week I will not use QUADS to reduce travel in 1A through 6A. I do not see any mention of quads in the section detailing how the playoff pairings are determined. If somebody can find out for certain, I'd appreciate it!
_________________________________________________________________________
So if Oswego beats Notre Dame, that guarantees Loyola hosts H-F should they meet up in week 12... Superb! That is, if H-F can squeak by battle-tested Maine South. It's a hard knock life as the 8 seed in 8A!!!
The HC quad in 8A could be a wild card with no power programs or clear favorite... Although, my boo Beth Long suddenly loves Huntley even more than LWE and MCC.
As much as Loyola bouncing H-F in the quarters would tickle me, it will really suck if Glenbard West plays Libertyville in the quarters.... Bracket shenanigans should be allowed to keep those two teams away from each other before Thanksgiving.
R-B is currently #1 is 6A. Did I wake up in 2001??? Although soft, some of the rivalry match-ups and potential match-ups in 6A could provide some spice before the big inevitable Montini/SH-G title game.
5A, lots of CPS... Too many. These are not the competitive CPS programs either.
I'll add 2A next week. ENJOY!!!!
~~~~~ 8A ~~~~~
Upper Bracket
#32 Simeon at #1 Loyola
#17 Oswego at #16 Notre Dame
#25 Maine South at #8 Homewood-Flossmoor
#24 Marist at #9 Edwardsville
#29 Evanston at #4 Hinsdale Central
#20 South Elgin at #13 Fremd
#28 Belleville East at #5 Huntley
#21 Minooka at #12 Lyons
Lower Bracket
#31 Waubonsie Valley at #2 Oak Park
#18 Sandburg at #15 Glenbard East
#26 Stevenson at #7 New Trier
#23 Warren at #10 Palatine
#30 Joliet West at #3 Barrington
#19 Neuqua Valley at #14 Naperville Central
#27 Glenbrook South at #6 Conant
#22 Curie at #11 Brother Rice
--- 2nd smallest school - Maine South 2338
--- Smallest school - Simeon 2311
~~~~~ 7A ~~~~~
--- Largest school - Schaumburg 2308
--- 2nd largest school - Glenbard West 2283
Upper Bracket
#32 Rolling Meadows at #1 Whitney Young
#17 Bradley-Bourbannais at #16 Eisenhower
#25 Plainfield North at #8 Mount Carmel
#24 Pekin at #9 Harlem
#29 East St. Louis at #4 Normal
#20 Reavis at #13 Crystal Lake South
#28 Glenbard North at #5 Thornton
#21 Glenbrook North at #12 Lincoln Park
Lower Bracket
#31 St. Charles North at #2 Glenbard West
#18 Hononegah at #15 Benet
#26 Addison Trail at #7 Libertyville
#23 Wheaton North at #10 Jacobs
#30 Quincy at #3 Batavia
#19 Auburn at #14 Lincoln-Way East
#27 Belleville West at #6 Geneva
#22 Schaumburg at #11 Cary-Grove
--- 2nd smallest school - Quincy 1785
--- Smallest school - Crystal Lake South 1759
~~~~~ 6A ~~~~~
--- Largest school - Lincoln-Way North 1718
--- 2nd largest school - Lake Forest 1674
Upper Bracket
#16 Lakes at #1 Riverside-Brookfield
#9 Belvidere North #8 Lake Forest
#13 Crystal Lake Central at #4 DeKalb
#12 Guilford at #5 Prairie Ridge
#15 Hampshire at #2 Montini
#10 Kenwood at #7 Kaneland
#14 Hinsdale South at #3 Vernon Hills
#11 Belvidere at #6 St. Francis
Lower Bracket
#16 Morgan Park at #1 Lincoln-Way North
#9 Crete-Monee at #8 Lincoln-Way West
#13 Galesburg at #4 Sacred Heart-Griffith
#12 Richards at #5 Peoria
#15 Glenwood at #2 Oak Forest
#10 Ottawa at #7 Lemont
#14 Normal West at #3 Peoria Notre Dame
#11 Yorkville at #6 Dunlap
--- 2nd smallest school - Belvidere 1263
--- Smallest school - Dunlap 1248
~~~~~ 5A ~~~~~
--- Largest school - Glenbard South 1228
--- 2nd largest school - King 1217
Upper Bracket
#16 Ridgewood at #1 Joliet Catholic
#9 DuSable #8 Lindblom
#13 Julian at #4 Solorio Academy
#12 S. Laurence at #5 Westinghouse
#15 Freeport at #2 King
#10 Payton at #7 Nazareth
#14 Woodstock North at #3 Marian Central
#11 Glenbard South at #6 Sterling
Lower Bracket
#16 Eisenhower at #1 Washington
#9 University at #8 Champaign Cetral
#13 Morris at #4 Metamora
#12 Limestone at #5 Hillcrest
#15 Jacksonville at #2 Triad
#10 Rich Central at #7 Tinley Park
#14 Mahomet-Seymour at #3 Highland
#11 Centralia at #6 Marion
--- 2nd smallest school - Julian 848
--- Smallest school - Ridgewood 822
~~~~~ 4A ~~~~~
--- Largest school - Geneseo 814
--- 2nd largest school - Taylorville 809
Upper Bracket
#16 Genoa-Kingston at #1 Geneseo
#9 Herscher #8 Richmond-Burton
#13 Pontiac at #4 Marengo
#12 Prairie Central at #5 Rockford Lutheran
#15 St. Edward at #2 Phillips
#10 Johnsburg at #7 Plano
#14 Coal City at #3 Manteno
#11 Dixon at #6 Wheaton Academy
Lower Bracket
#16 Clinton at #1 Civic Memorial
#9 Herrin at #8 Harrisburg
#13 Litchfield at #4 Columbia
#12 Richland County at #5 Murphysboro
#15 Alton Marquette at #2 Althoff Catholic
#10 Macomb at #7 Quincy Notre Dame
#14 Effingham at #3 Rochester
#11 Mater Dei at #6 Taylorville
--- 2nd smallest school - Phillips 559
--- Smallest school - Litchfield 555
~~~~~ 3A ~~~~~
--- Largest school - Princeton 547
--- 2nd largest school - Bloomington Central Catholic 546
Upper Bracket
#16 Farmington at #1 Wilmington
#9 Erie-Prophetstown #8 Gordon Tech
#13 North Boone at #4 Immaculate Conception
#12 ROWVA at #5 Byron
#15 Peoria Heights at #2 Princeton
#10 St. Bede at #7 Elmwood-Brimfield
#14 Clark at #3 Raby
#11 Lisle at #6 Bishop McNamara
Lower Bracket
#16 Pleasant Plains at #1 St. Joseph-Ogden
#9 Hillsboro at #8 Paxton-Buckley-Loda
#13 Wesclin at #4 Marshall
#12 Unity at #5 Bloomington Central catholic
#15 Carlinville at #2 North Mac
#10 Sullivan-Okaw Valley at #7 Monticello
#14 Roxana at #3 Newton
#11 DuQuoin at #6 Paxton-Buckley-Loda
--- 2nd smallest school - Farmington 411
--- Smallest school - Wesclin 409
~~~~~ 2A ~~~~~
--- Largest school - Newman Central Catholic 407.55
--- 2nd largest school - New Berlin 407
--- 2nd smallest school - Gibson County-Melvin-Sibley 312
--- Smallest school - Orion 305
~~~~~ 1A ~~~~~
--- Largest school - Tuscola 299
--- 2nd largest school - Hope Academy 297
Each week I usually have to add/subtract teams to get a true 256. The outlook doesn't adjust for the teams ineligible for the playoffs from the CPS "Chicago" conferences (teams who finish 3rd place and lower). The outlook doesn't adjust for a conference champion falling below the cutoff. I take care of all that before proceeding.
The cut-off this week was 3-2, 19 pp.... 14 teams had this record. Only one of the 14 made the playoffs on the IHSA Outlook.
I pulled Schurz (7A), Mather (6A), Steinmetz (6A), Washington (6A), Foreman (5A), and Orr (3A) out of the playoffs because of the CPS "Chicago" conference rule. I inserted Rolling Meadows (7A) and Morgan Park (6A) into the playoffs because their conferences had zero qualifiers in the outlook. They are currently the conference leaders. This leaves us with 252 teams.
To choose the final four teams, I need to break the tie between the 13 remaining teams at 3-2/19. They were Freeport Aquin, Pinckneyville, Fairfield, Freeburg, Mount Zion, Ridgewood, Hyde Park, Lakes, St. Charles North, Mundelein, Maine West, Morgan Park, and West Aurora. We skip Morgan Park because they already make it as a conference champ. The next tiebreaker is total victories by the teams you defeated. Four teams are tied with a total of 5.... Freeport Aquin (1A), Ridgewood (5A), Lakes (6A), and St. Charles North (7A). Freeburg was the next closest team with a 2nd tiebreak total of 4. They are considered the first team out of the entire field.
To balance the classes at 32 each, I had to move Orion up to 2A, Trenton (Wesclin) up to 3A, and Lincoln Way North down to 6A.
This week I will not use QUADS to reduce travel in 1A through 6A. I do not see any mention of quads in the section detailing how the playoff pairings are determined. If somebody can find out for certain, I'd appreciate it!
_________________________________________________________________________
So if Oswego beats Notre Dame, that guarantees Loyola hosts H-F should they meet up in week 12... Superb! That is, if H-F can squeak by battle-tested Maine South. It's a hard knock life as the 8 seed in 8A!!!
The HC quad in 8A could be a wild card with no power programs or clear favorite... Although, my boo Beth Long suddenly loves Huntley even more than LWE and MCC.
As much as Loyola bouncing H-F in the quarters would tickle me, it will really suck if Glenbard West plays Libertyville in the quarters.... Bracket shenanigans should be allowed to keep those two teams away from each other before Thanksgiving.
R-B is currently #1 is 6A. Did I wake up in 2001??? Although soft, some of the rivalry match-ups and potential match-ups in 6A could provide some spice before the big inevitable Montini/SH-G title game.
5A, lots of CPS... Too many. These are not the competitive CPS programs either.
I'll add 2A next week. ENJOY!!!!
~~~~~ 8A ~~~~~
Upper Bracket
#32 Simeon at #1 Loyola
#17 Oswego at #16 Notre Dame
#25 Maine South at #8 Homewood-Flossmoor
#24 Marist at #9 Edwardsville
#29 Evanston at #4 Hinsdale Central
#20 South Elgin at #13 Fremd
#28 Belleville East at #5 Huntley
#21 Minooka at #12 Lyons
Lower Bracket
#31 Waubonsie Valley at #2 Oak Park
#18 Sandburg at #15 Glenbard East
#26 Stevenson at #7 New Trier
#23 Warren at #10 Palatine
#30 Joliet West at #3 Barrington
#19 Neuqua Valley at #14 Naperville Central
#27 Glenbrook South at #6 Conant
#22 Curie at #11 Brother Rice
--- 2nd smallest school - Maine South 2338
--- Smallest school - Simeon 2311
~~~~~ 7A ~~~~~
--- Largest school - Schaumburg 2308
--- 2nd largest school - Glenbard West 2283
Upper Bracket
#32 Rolling Meadows at #1 Whitney Young
#17 Bradley-Bourbannais at #16 Eisenhower
#25 Plainfield North at #8 Mount Carmel
#24 Pekin at #9 Harlem
#29 East St. Louis at #4 Normal
#20 Reavis at #13 Crystal Lake South
#28 Glenbard North at #5 Thornton
#21 Glenbrook North at #12 Lincoln Park
Lower Bracket
#31 St. Charles North at #2 Glenbard West
#18 Hononegah at #15 Benet
#26 Addison Trail at #7 Libertyville
#23 Wheaton North at #10 Jacobs
#30 Quincy at #3 Batavia
#19 Auburn at #14 Lincoln-Way East
#27 Belleville West at #6 Geneva
#22 Schaumburg at #11 Cary-Grove
--- 2nd smallest school - Quincy 1785
--- Smallest school - Crystal Lake South 1759
~~~~~ 6A ~~~~~
--- Largest school - Lincoln-Way North 1718
--- 2nd largest school - Lake Forest 1674
Upper Bracket
#16 Lakes at #1 Riverside-Brookfield
#9 Belvidere North #8 Lake Forest
#13 Crystal Lake Central at #4 DeKalb
#12 Guilford at #5 Prairie Ridge
#15 Hampshire at #2 Montini
#10 Kenwood at #7 Kaneland
#14 Hinsdale South at #3 Vernon Hills
#11 Belvidere at #6 St. Francis
Lower Bracket
#16 Morgan Park at #1 Lincoln-Way North
#9 Crete-Monee at #8 Lincoln-Way West
#13 Galesburg at #4 Sacred Heart-Griffith
#12 Richards at #5 Peoria
#15 Glenwood at #2 Oak Forest
#10 Ottawa at #7 Lemont
#14 Normal West at #3 Peoria Notre Dame
#11 Yorkville at #6 Dunlap
--- 2nd smallest school - Belvidere 1263
--- Smallest school - Dunlap 1248
~~~~~ 5A ~~~~~
--- Largest school - Glenbard South 1228
--- 2nd largest school - King 1217
Upper Bracket
#16 Ridgewood at #1 Joliet Catholic
#9 DuSable #8 Lindblom
#13 Julian at #4 Solorio Academy
#12 S. Laurence at #5 Westinghouse
#15 Freeport at #2 King
#10 Payton at #7 Nazareth
#14 Woodstock North at #3 Marian Central
#11 Glenbard South at #6 Sterling
Lower Bracket
#16 Eisenhower at #1 Washington
#9 University at #8 Champaign Cetral
#13 Morris at #4 Metamora
#12 Limestone at #5 Hillcrest
#15 Jacksonville at #2 Triad
#10 Rich Central at #7 Tinley Park
#14 Mahomet-Seymour at #3 Highland
#11 Centralia at #6 Marion
--- 2nd smallest school - Julian 848
--- Smallest school - Ridgewood 822
~~~~~ 4A ~~~~~
--- Largest school - Geneseo 814
--- 2nd largest school - Taylorville 809
Upper Bracket
#16 Genoa-Kingston at #1 Geneseo
#9 Herscher #8 Richmond-Burton
#13 Pontiac at #4 Marengo
#12 Prairie Central at #5 Rockford Lutheran
#15 St. Edward at #2 Phillips
#10 Johnsburg at #7 Plano
#14 Coal City at #3 Manteno
#11 Dixon at #6 Wheaton Academy
Lower Bracket
#16 Clinton at #1 Civic Memorial
#9 Herrin at #8 Harrisburg
#13 Litchfield at #4 Columbia
#12 Richland County at #5 Murphysboro
#15 Alton Marquette at #2 Althoff Catholic
#10 Macomb at #7 Quincy Notre Dame
#14 Effingham at #3 Rochester
#11 Mater Dei at #6 Taylorville
--- 2nd smallest school - Phillips 559
--- Smallest school - Litchfield 555
~~~~~ 3A ~~~~~
--- Largest school - Princeton 547
--- 2nd largest school - Bloomington Central Catholic 546
Upper Bracket
#16 Farmington at #1 Wilmington
#9 Erie-Prophetstown #8 Gordon Tech
#13 North Boone at #4 Immaculate Conception
#12 ROWVA at #5 Byron
#15 Peoria Heights at #2 Princeton
#10 St. Bede at #7 Elmwood-Brimfield
#14 Clark at #3 Raby
#11 Lisle at #6 Bishop McNamara
Lower Bracket
#16 Pleasant Plains at #1 St. Joseph-Ogden
#9 Hillsboro at #8 Paxton-Buckley-Loda
#13 Wesclin at #4 Marshall
#12 Unity at #5 Bloomington Central catholic
#15 Carlinville at #2 North Mac
#10 Sullivan-Okaw Valley at #7 Monticello
#14 Roxana at #3 Newton
#11 DuQuoin at #6 Paxton-Buckley-Loda
--- 2nd smallest school - Farmington 411
--- Smallest school - Wesclin 409
~~~~~ 2A ~~~~~
--- Largest school - Newman Central Catholic 407.55
--- 2nd largest school - New Berlin 407
--- 2nd smallest school - Gibson County-Melvin-Sibley 312
--- Smallest school - Orion 305
~~~~~ 1A ~~~~~
--- Largest school - Tuscola 299
--- 2nd largest school - Hope Academy 297