Every Monday, 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.....
I made sure to keep conference leaders Hyde Park (3-2/17), Clemente (2-3/18), and Wood River-East Alton (2-3/20) in the field of 256. The Outlook is horrible again. Somebody is asleep at the wheel down there. I started with a field comprised of every team with a 3-2 record or better AND in which every 6-member conference was represented at least once. This gave us 264 teams.
I need to eliminate 8 teams. Starting at the bottom, we boot 3A Westmont (3-2/8), 4A Marine (3-2/14), 2A West Hancock (3-2/15), 5A De La Salle (3-2/15), and 1A Walther Christian (3-2/16).
(Yes, 9 opponents and just 8 playoff points! Wow, Sentinels)
We have 259 teams left, and teams 256, 257, 258, and 259 are tied at 3-2/17. Those teams are 2A Clifton Central, 2A Colfax-Ridgeview Coop, 2A Rockford Christian, and 5A Rich East. The next tie-breaker is wins by defeated opponents... Clifton Central and Rich East have 4, while Colfax-Ridgeview Coop and Rockford Christian are eliminated with 3.
We have 257 teams left, and teams 256 and 257 are tied at 3-2/17/4. Those teams are 2A Clifton Central and 5A Rich East. The FOURTH tie-breaker is head-to-head competition, and these teams have not met.
The FIFTH tie-breaker is number of opponents on the schedule that qualified for the playoffs... They each have 3.
The SIXTH tie-breaker is number of wins by opponents on the schedule that qualified for the playoffs... They each have 10, and I QUIT!!!!
Okay, I'm back.
The SEVENTH tie-breaker is points allowed in games against teams that qualified for the playoffs... Clifton Central has only played one of their three playoff-quality opponents thus far, and gave up 17 points. Rich East has played two of their three playoff-quality opponents thus far, and gave up 21 and 35 points, for an average of 28 points allowed.
THAT'S IT! The Clifton Central Comets, at 3-2/17/4/-/3/10/17 ARE IN, the RE Rockets are out, and we have our 256.
Remember when Matt Damon, as Dr. Mark Watney in the Martian, has to drink something awful and quietly says, "Eff you Mars" as he finishes? That was me, just now, as I finished this absurb 7 tie-breaker scenario... "Eff you Outlook"
* is the smallest team in the class
^ is the biggest team in the class
~~~ 8A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#32 Huntley at #1 Homewood-Flossmoor
#17 South Elgin at #16 Plainfield South
#25 Neuqua Valley at #8 Oswego
#24 Benet Academy at #9 Marist
#29 Conant at #4 Simeon
#20 New Trier at #13 St. Charles East
#28 Bartlett at #5 Glenbard East
#21 Warren at #12 Hinsdale Central
Lower Bracket
#31 Jacobs* (2169) at #2 Brother Rice
#18 Stevenson at #15 West Aurora
#26 Naperville Central at #7 Oswego East
#23 Barrington at #10 Maine South
#30 Oak Park at #3 Lincoln-Way East
#19 Glenbard West at #14 Evanston
#27 Minooka at #6 Waubonsie Valley
#22 Loyola at #11 Bolingbrook
~~~ 7A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#32 Glenbrook North at #1 Nazareth
#17 Yorkville* (1781) at #16 Harlem
#25 Propsect^ (2150) at #8 TF South
#24 Wheaton North at #9 Belleville West
#29 Lincoln-Way Central at #4 Rolling Meadows
#20 Moline at #13 DeKalb
#28 Lake Zurich at #5 Batavia
#21 Wheaton-Warrenville South at #12 Reavis
Lower Bracket
#31 Larkin at #2 Hersey
#18 Maine West at #15 Andrew
#26 Buffalo Grove at #7 Hoffman Estates
#23 Schaumburg at #10 Mount Carmel
#30 Rockford East at #3 Hononegah
#19 Normal at #14 St. Charles North
#27 Lincoln-Way West at #6 Willowbrook
#22 Highland Park at #11 East St. Louis
~~~ 6A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 St. Ignatius at #1 Cary-Grove
#9 Hubbard^ (1778) #8 Phillips
#13 Hinsdale South at #4 Kaneland
#12 Belvidere North at #5 Prairie Ridge
#15 Perspectives/Leadership at #2 Kenwood
#10 Wheeling at #7 Notre Dame
#14 St. Patrick at #3 Antioch
#11 Crystal Lake South at #6 Lakes
Lower Bracket
#16 Peoria Notre Dame* (1280) at #1 Richards
#9 Shepard at #8 Quincy
#13 Thornton at #4 Providence
#12 Springfield at #5 Sacred-Heart-Griffin
#15 Dunlap at #2 Washington
#10 Rock Island at #7 Normal West
#14 Danville at #3 Glenwood
#11 Peoria at #6 Bloomington
~~~ 5A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Hyde Park* (850) at #1 Sterling
#9 Glenbard South #8 Back of the Yards
#13 Westinghouse at #4 Sycamore
#12 Amundson at #5 St. Francis
#15 Freeport at #2 Payton
#10 Elmwood Park at #7 Boylan Catholic
#14 Marian Central Catholic at #3 Montini
#11 Rochelle at #6 Ridgewood
Lower Bracket
#16 Rich Central at #1 Metamora
#9 Carbondale #8 Mascoutah
#13 LaSalle-Peru at #4 Morton
#12 Marion at #5 Mattoon
#15 Champaign Central^ (1277) at #2 Hillcrest
#10 Morris at #7 MacArthur
#14 CVS at #3 Highland
#11 Joliet Catholic at #6 Cahokia
~~~ 4A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Clemente at #1 Immaculate Conception
#9 Richmond-Burton #8 Stillman Valley
#13 Wheaton Academy at #4 Evergreen Park^ (824)
#12 Marengo at #5 Coal City
#15 Sandwich at #2 Genoa-Kingston
#10 Ag Science at #7 Johnsburg
#14 Dixon at #3 Bishop Mac* (572.55)
#11 Urban Prep/Bronzeville at #6 Raby
Lower Bracket
#16 Salem at #1 Pontiac
#9 Herrin #8 Freeburg
#13 Effingham at #4 Taylorville
#12 Civic Memorial at #5 Columbia
#15 Murphysboro at #2 Mater Dei
#10 Mount Zion at #7 Rochester
#14 Richland County at #3 Paris
#11 Breese Central at #6 Clinton
~~~ 3A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Peotone at #1 Elmwood-Brimfield
#9 Prairie Central^ (563) #8 Eureka
#13 Winnebago at #4 Farmington
#12 North Boone at #5 Clark
#15 Urban Prep/Englewood at #2 Byron
#10 Monmouth-Roseville at #7 Hall
#14 St. Bede at #3 Lisle
#11 Herscher at #6 Dunbar
Lower Bracket
#16 Wood River-East Alton at #1 Beardstown
#9 St. Joseph-Ogden at #8 Williamsville
#13 St. Thomas More at #4 Vandalia* (429)
#12 Greenville at #5 Monticello
#15 Newton at #2 DuQuoin
#10 Mount Carmel at #7 Paxton-Buckley-Loda
#14 Pinckneyville at #3 Carlinville
#11 Anna-Jonesboro at #6 Frankfort
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.....
I made sure to keep conference leaders Hyde Park (3-2/17), Clemente (2-3/18), and Wood River-East Alton (2-3/20) in the field of 256. The Outlook is horrible again. Somebody is asleep at the wheel down there. I started with a field comprised of every team with a 3-2 record or better AND in which every 6-member conference was represented at least once. This gave us 264 teams.
I need to eliminate 8 teams. Starting at the bottom, we boot 3A Westmont (3-2/8), 4A Marine (3-2/14), 2A West Hancock (3-2/15), 5A De La Salle (3-2/15), and 1A Walther Christian (3-2/16).
(Yes, 9 opponents and just 8 playoff points! Wow, Sentinels)
We have 259 teams left, and teams 256, 257, 258, and 259 are tied at 3-2/17. Those teams are 2A Clifton Central, 2A Colfax-Ridgeview Coop, 2A Rockford Christian, and 5A Rich East. The next tie-breaker is wins by defeated opponents... Clifton Central and Rich East have 4, while Colfax-Ridgeview Coop and Rockford Christian are eliminated with 3.
We have 257 teams left, and teams 256 and 257 are tied at 3-2/17/4. Those teams are 2A Clifton Central and 5A Rich East. The FOURTH tie-breaker is head-to-head competition, and these teams have not met.
The FIFTH tie-breaker is number of opponents on the schedule that qualified for the playoffs... They each have 3.
The SIXTH tie-breaker is number of wins by opponents on the schedule that qualified for the playoffs... They each have 10, and I QUIT!!!!
Okay, I'm back.
The SEVENTH tie-breaker is points allowed in games against teams that qualified for the playoffs... Clifton Central has only played one of their three playoff-quality opponents thus far, and gave up 17 points. Rich East has played two of their three playoff-quality opponents thus far, and gave up 21 and 35 points, for an average of 28 points allowed.
THAT'S IT! The Clifton Central Comets, at 3-2/17/4/-/3/10/17 ARE IN, the RE Rockets are out, and we have our 256.
Remember when Matt Damon, as Dr. Mark Watney in the Martian, has to drink something awful and quietly says, "Eff you Mars" as he finishes? That was me, just now, as I finished this absurb 7 tie-breaker scenario... "Eff you Outlook"
* is the smallest team in the class
^ is the biggest team in the class
~~~ 8A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#32 Huntley at #1 Homewood-Flossmoor
#17 South Elgin at #16 Plainfield South
#25 Neuqua Valley at #8 Oswego
#24 Benet Academy at #9 Marist
#29 Conant at #4 Simeon
#20 New Trier at #13 St. Charles East
#28 Bartlett at #5 Glenbard East
#21 Warren at #12 Hinsdale Central
Lower Bracket
#31 Jacobs* (2169) at #2 Brother Rice
#18 Stevenson at #15 West Aurora
#26 Naperville Central at #7 Oswego East
#23 Barrington at #10 Maine South
#30 Oak Park at #3 Lincoln-Way East
#19 Glenbard West at #14 Evanston
#27 Minooka at #6 Waubonsie Valley
#22 Loyola at #11 Bolingbrook
~~~ 7A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#32 Glenbrook North at #1 Nazareth
#17 Yorkville* (1781) at #16 Harlem
#25 Propsect^ (2150) at #8 TF South
#24 Wheaton North at #9 Belleville West
#29 Lincoln-Way Central at #4 Rolling Meadows
#20 Moline at #13 DeKalb
#28 Lake Zurich at #5 Batavia
#21 Wheaton-Warrenville South at #12 Reavis
Lower Bracket
#31 Larkin at #2 Hersey
#18 Maine West at #15 Andrew
#26 Buffalo Grove at #7 Hoffman Estates
#23 Schaumburg at #10 Mount Carmel
#30 Rockford East at #3 Hononegah
#19 Normal at #14 St. Charles North
#27 Lincoln-Way West at #6 Willowbrook
#22 Highland Park at #11 East St. Louis
~~~ 6A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 St. Ignatius at #1 Cary-Grove
#9 Hubbard^ (1778) #8 Phillips
#13 Hinsdale South at #4 Kaneland
#12 Belvidere North at #5 Prairie Ridge
#15 Perspectives/Leadership at #2 Kenwood
#10 Wheeling at #7 Notre Dame
#14 St. Patrick at #3 Antioch
#11 Crystal Lake South at #6 Lakes
Lower Bracket
#16 Peoria Notre Dame* (1280) at #1 Richards
#9 Shepard at #8 Quincy
#13 Thornton at #4 Providence
#12 Springfield at #5 Sacred-Heart-Griffin
#15 Dunlap at #2 Washington
#10 Rock Island at #7 Normal West
#14 Danville at #3 Glenwood
#11 Peoria at #6 Bloomington
~~~ 5A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Hyde Park* (850) at #1 Sterling
#9 Glenbard South #8 Back of the Yards
#13 Westinghouse at #4 Sycamore
#12 Amundson at #5 St. Francis
#15 Freeport at #2 Payton
#10 Elmwood Park at #7 Boylan Catholic
#14 Marian Central Catholic at #3 Montini
#11 Rochelle at #6 Ridgewood
Lower Bracket
#16 Rich Central at #1 Metamora
#9 Carbondale #8 Mascoutah
#13 LaSalle-Peru at #4 Morton
#12 Marion at #5 Mattoon
#15 Champaign Central^ (1277) at #2 Hillcrest
#10 Morris at #7 MacArthur
#14 CVS at #3 Highland
#11 Joliet Catholic at #6 Cahokia
~~~ 4A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Clemente at #1 Immaculate Conception
#9 Richmond-Burton #8 Stillman Valley
#13 Wheaton Academy at #4 Evergreen Park^ (824)
#12 Marengo at #5 Coal City
#15 Sandwich at #2 Genoa-Kingston
#10 Ag Science at #7 Johnsburg
#14 Dixon at #3 Bishop Mac* (572.55)
#11 Urban Prep/Bronzeville at #6 Raby
Lower Bracket
#16 Salem at #1 Pontiac
#9 Herrin #8 Freeburg
#13 Effingham at #4 Taylorville
#12 Civic Memorial at #5 Columbia
#15 Murphysboro at #2 Mater Dei
#10 Mount Zion at #7 Rochester
#14 Richland County at #3 Paris
#11 Breese Central at #6 Clinton
~~~ 3A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Peotone at #1 Elmwood-Brimfield
#9 Prairie Central^ (563) #8 Eureka
#13 Winnebago at #4 Farmington
#12 North Boone at #5 Clark
#15 Urban Prep/Englewood at #2 Byron
#10 Monmouth-Roseville at #7 Hall
#14 St. Bede at #3 Lisle
#11 Herscher at #6 Dunbar
Lower Bracket
#16 Wood River-East Alton at #1 Beardstown
#9 St. Joseph-Ogden at #8 Williamsville
#13 St. Thomas More at #4 Vandalia* (429)
#12 Greenville at #5 Monticello
#15 Newton at #2 DuQuoin
#10 Mount Carmel at #7 Paxton-Buckley-Loda
#14 Pinckneyville at #3 Carlinville
#11 Anna-Jonesboro at #6 Frankfort
