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 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.
My adjustments.....
I pulled Collins (2A), Orr (2A), North Lawndale (4A), and Julian (4A) out of the playoffs because of the CPS "Chicago" conference rule. I didn't have to insert anyone because every conference had at least one qualifier per the Outlook. Another easy tie-breaker this week, because only 4 teams missed the playoffs in the IHSA Outlook at 4-3/28. Those 4 teams slot in easily.
They are Peoria (6A), Hyde Park (4A), Carlyle (1A), and South Fork (1A).
14 teams at 4-3 didn't qualify today and could become teams that don't qualify at 5-4. They need help with points or 6 wins. Here they are, listed in order of playoff points.
4-3/27 --- Oak Lawn (6A), Ag Science (4A), Frankfort (3A), Red Bud (2A)
4-3/26 --- Hubbard (6A), Marine (4A), Canton (4A), Oakwood (1A)
4-3/25 --- Ridgewood (4A), Illini West (2A), Mooseheart (1A)
4-3/24 --- Kewanee (3A)
4-3/22 --- LaSalle-Peru (5A)
4-3/20 --- Glenbrook North (7A)
Moving on....
From there, I adjust teams up and down into the proper classes to create 8 classes of 32 teams. My classes were 32-32-33-32-31-32-30-34 respectively. So I moved Carlyle and Shelbyville up to 2A... Highland down to 4A, Glenwood down to 5A.
I don't see quads in the 2015 or 2016 playoffs, and they aren't mentioned in "How the matchups are determined", so I'm not using quads unless I get new information. I'm using the Playoff Outlook updated at 3:41 PM on 10/9. I'm not making further adjustments.
Next week, I give you the final projection with team nicknames. For week 10, we scramble the actual playoffs into 1999 mode and show what it would look like with just 6 classes.
^^^^ is the largest school in the class
^^^ is the second-largest school
* is the smallest school in the class
** is the second-smallest school
Possible 2nd Round in Upper 6A Quad
Hoffman Estates @ Prarie Ridge
Nazareth @ Montini
Marmion @ Willowbrook
DeKalb @ Cary-Grove
~~~ 8A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#32 Evanston at #1 Lincoln-Way East
#17 Warren at #16 Hinsdale Central
#25 St. Charles East** at #8 Lyons
#24 New Trier at #9 Loyola
#29 Lake Park at #4 Homewood-Flossmoor
#20 Bloom at #13 South Elgin
#28 Palatine at #5 Bolingbrook
#21 Naperville North at #12 Minooka
Lower Bracket
#31 Downers Grove South at #2 Barrington
#18 Stevenson at #15 Curie
#26 Neuqua Valley at #7 Huntley
#23 Glenbrook South at #10 Oswego
#30 Joliet West at #3 Marist
#19 Naperville Central at #14 Notre Dame
#27 West Aurora at #6 Maine South*
#22 Oak Park at #11 Oswego East
~~~ 7A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#32 Simeon at #1 Batavia
#17 Plainfield North at #16 Benet
#25 Geneva at #8 Glenbard West^^^
#24 Libertyville at #9 Lincoln-Way Central
#29 Schaumburg at #4 Normal
#20 Jacobs at #13 Maine West
#28 Edwardsville^^^^ at #5 St. Charles North
#21 Harlem at #12 Rolling Meadows**
Lower Bracket
#31 Stagg at #2 Hononegah
#18 Rockford East at #15 St. Rita
#26 Fenwick at #7 Lincoln Park
#23 Mount Carmel at #10 East St. Louis
#30 Alton at #3 Lake Zurich*
#19 Moline at #14 Buffalo Grove
#27 Highland Park at #6 Andrew
#22 Belleville West at #11 Wheaton North
~~~ 6A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Crystal Lake Central at #1 Prairie Ridge
#9 St. Ignatius** #8 Hoffman Estates
#13 De La Salle at #4 Nazareth
#12 Montini at #5 Riverside-Brookfield
#15 Marmion at #2 Mather
#10 Willowbrook at #7 Hersey^^^
#14 Grayslake North at #3 DeKalb
#11 Cary-Grove at #6 Auburn
Lower Bracket
#16 Peoria* at #1 Crete-Monee
#9 Lincoln-Way West^^^^ at #8 Richards
#13 Quincy at #4 Eisenhower
#12 Hinsdale South at #5 Danville
#15 Thornton at #2 Normal West
#10 Sacred Heart-Griffin at #7 St. Laurence
#14 TF South at #3 Shepard
#11 Springfield at #6 Providence
~~~ 5A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Woodstock at #1 Phillips
#9 Glenbard South #8 Back of the Yards
#13 Woodstock North at #4 Payton
#12 Phoenix at #5 Lakes
#15 Kaneland at #2 Sterling
#10 St. Viator^^^ at #7 Lindblom
#14 Rochelle* at #3 Antioch
#11 Westinghouse at #6 Solorio Academy
Lower Bracket
#16 Peo. Notre Dame at #1 Dunlap
#9 Centralia** #8 Glenwood^^^^
#13 Oak Forest at #4 MacArthur
#12 Marion at #5 Triad
#15 Richwoods at #2 Lemont
#10 Morgan Park at #7 Hillcrest
#14 Mahomet-Seymour at #3 Morton
#11 Rich Central at #6 Washington
~~~ 4A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Hyde Park at #1 Johnsburg
#9 Urban Prep/Bronzeville #8 Genoa-Kingston
#13 Geneseo at #4 Raby
#12 North Chicago at #5 Morris
#15 St. Edward at #2 Dixon
#10 Richmond-Burton at #7 Alleman
#14 Manteno at #3 Coal City
#11 Elmwood Park^^^ at #6 Sullivan
Lower Bracket
#16 Prairie Central at #1 Herscher
#9 Carterville #8 Columbia
#13 Qui Notre Dame at #4 Herrin
#12 Mount Zion at #5 Taylorville
#15 Pontiac at #2 Rochester
#10 Paris at #7 Althoff Catholic
#14 Breese Central** at #3 Highland^^^^
#11 Benton* at #6 Effingham
~~~ 3A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Spring Valley Hall* at #1 Unity^^^^
#9 Watseka^^^ #8 Bloomington Central Catholic
#13 Winnebago at #4 Immaculate Conception
#12 North Boone at #5 Elmwood-Brimfield
#15 ROWVA-Mid County at #2 Byron
#10 Eureka at #7 Monticello
#14 Paxton-Buckley-Loda at #3 Peotone
#11 Beardstown at #6 Wilmington
Lower Bracket
#16 Vienna-Goreville at #1 Carlinville
#9 Vandalia #8 Greenville
#13 Hillsboro at #4 Fairfield
#12 Marshall** at #5 Anna-Jonesboro
#15 Harrisburg at #2 Williamsville
#10 Wood River-East Alton at #7 Newton
#14 Pleasant Plains at #3 Sesser-Valier
#11 DuQuoin at #6 St. Theresa
~~~ 2A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Eastland-Pearl City at #1 Newman Central Catholic
#9 Deer Creek-Mackinaw #8 West Carroll
#13 Bureau Valley at #4 Orion
#12 Chi Marshall at #5 Fieldcrest
#15 Aurora Christian at #2 Farmington^^^
#10 Hope Academy at #7 Clifton Central
#14 Rockford Christian at #3 Rockridge
#11 Bushnell-West Prairie at #6 Knoxville
Lower Bracket
#16 Carlyle* at #1 West Hancock
#9 Shelbyville** #8 Eldorado
#13 Villa Grove-Heritage at #4 Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley
#12 Bunker Hill at #5 Tri-Valley
#15 Auburn at #2 Wesclin
#10 Alton Marquette^^^^ at #7 Maroa-Forsyth
#14 Carmi-White County at #3 Westville
#11 Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin at #6 Pana
~~~ 1A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Hiawatha at #1 Lena-Winslow
#9 Princeville #8 Abingdon-Avon
#13 Orangeville at #4 Annawan-Wethersfield
#12 Cuba-North Fulton at #5 Ottawa Marquette
#15 Stark County at #2 Aquin
#10 Stockton at #7 Milledgeville
#14 Polo at #3 Forreston
#11 Fulton^^^ at #6 Dakota
Lower Bracket
#16 South Fork at #1 Tuscola^^^^
#9 Central A & M #8 Cumberland
#13 Madison at #4 Argenta-Oreana
#12 Hardin-Calhoun at #5 Athens
#15 Fisher at #2 Red Hill
#10 Camp Point Central at #7 Brown County
#14 Warrensburg-Latham at #3 Carrollton
#11 Arcola at #6 Decatur Lutheran
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.
My adjustments.....
I pulled Collins (2A), Orr (2A), North Lawndale (4A), and Julian (4A) out of the playoffs because of the CPS "Chicago" conference rule. I didn't have to insert anyone because every conference had at least one qualifier per the Outlook. Another easy tie-breaker this week, because only 4 teams missed the playoffs in the IHSA Outlook at 4-3/28. Those 4 teams slot in easily.
They are Peoria (6A), Hyde Park (4A), Carlyle (1A), and South Fork (1A).
14 teams at 4-3 didn't qualify today and could become teams that don't qualify at 5-4. They need help with points or 6 wins. Here they are, listed in order of playoff points.
4-3/27 --- Oak Lawn (6A), Ag Science (4A), Frankfort (3A), Red Bud (2A)
4-3/26 --- Hubbard (6A), Marine (4A), Canton (4A), Oakwood (1A)
4-3/25 --- Ridgewood (4A), Illini West (2A), Mooseheart (1A)
4-3/24 --- Kewanee (3A)
4-3/22 --- LaSalle-Peru (5A)
4-3/20 --- Glenbrook North (7A)
Moving on....
From there, I adjust teams up and down into the proper classes to create 8 classes of 32 teams. My classes were 32-32-33-32-31-32-30-34 respectively. So I moved Carlyle and Shelbyville up to 2A... Highland down to 4A, Glenwood down to 5A.
I don't see quads in the 2015 or 2016 playoffs, and they aren't mentioned in "How the matchups are determined", so I'm not using quads unless I get new information. I'm using the Playoff Outlook updated at 3:41 PM on 10/9. I'm not making further adjustments.
Next week, I give you the final projection with team nicknames. For week 10, we scramble the actual playoffs into 1999 mode and show what it would look like with just 6 classes.
^^^^ is the largest school in the class
^^^ is the second-largest school
* is the smallest school in the class
** is the second-smallest school
Possible 2nd Round in Upper 6A Quad
Hoffman Estates @ Prarie Ridge
Nazareth @ Montini
Marmion @ Willowbrook
DeKalb @ Cary-Grove
~~~ 8A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#32 Evanston at #1 Lincoln-Way East
#17 Warren at #16 Hinsdale Central
#25 St. Charles East** at #8 Lyons
#24 New Trier at #9 Loyola
#29 Lake Park at #4 Homewood-Flossmoor
#20 Bloom at #13 South Elgin
#28 Palatine at #5 Bolingbrook
#21 Naperville North at #12 Minooka
Lower Bracket
#31 Downers Grove South at #2 Barrington
#18 Stevenson at #15 Curie
#26 Neuqua Valley at #7 Huntley
#23 Glenbrook South at #10 Oswego
#30 Joliet West at #3 Marist
#19 Naperville Central at #14 Notre Dame
#27 West Aurora at #6 Maine South*
#22 Oak Park at #11 Oswego East
~~~ 7A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#32 Simeon at #1 Batavia
#17 Plainfield North at #16 Benet
#25 Geneva at #8 Glenbard West^^^
#24 Libertyville at #9 Lincoln-Way Central
#29 Schaumburg at #4 Normal
#20 Jacobs at #13 Maine West
#28 Edwardsville^^^^ at #5 St. Charles North
#21 Harlem at #12 Rolling Meadows**
Lower Bracket
#31 Stagg at #2 Hononegah
#18 Rockford East at #15 St. Rita
#26 Fenwick at #7 Lincoln Park
#23 Mount Carmel at #10 East St. Louis
#30 Alton at #3 Lake Zurich*
#19 Moline at #14 Buffalo Grove
#27 Highland Park at #6 Andrew
#22 Belleville West at #11 Wheaton North
~~~ 6A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Crystal Lake Central at #1 Prairie Ridge
#9 St. Ignatius** #8 Hoffman Estates
#13 De La Salle at #4 Nazareth
#12 Montini at #5 Riverside-Brookfield
#15 Marmion at #2 Mather
#10 Willowbrook at #7 Hersey^^^
#14 Grayslake North at #3 DeKalb
#11 Cary-Grove at #6 Auburn
Lower Bracket
#16 Peoria* at #1 Crete-Monee
#9 Lincoln-Way West^^^^ at #8 Richards
#13 Quincy at #4 Eisenhower
#12 Hinsdale South at #5 Danville
#15 Thornton at #2 Normal West
#10 Sacred Heart-Griffin at #7 St. Laurence
#14 TF South at #3 Shepard
#11 Springfield at #6 Providence
~~~ 5A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Woodstock at #1 Phillips
#9 Glenbard South #8 Back of the Yards
#13 Woodstock North at #4 Payton
#12 Phoenix at #5 Lakes
#15 Kaneland at #2 Sterling
#10 St. Viator^^^ at #7 Lindblom
#14 Rochelle* at #3 Antioch
#11 Westinghouse at #6 Solorio Academy
Lower Bracket
#16 Peo. Notre Dame at #1 Dunlap
#9 Centralia** #8 Glenwood^^^^
#13 Oak Forest at #4 MacArthur
#12 Marion at #5 Triad
#15 Richwoods at #2 Lemont
#10 Morgan Park at #7 Hillcrest
#14 Mahomet-Seymour at #3 Morton
#11 Rich Central at #6 Washington
~~~ 4A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Hyde Park at #1 Johnsburg
#9 Urban Prep/Bronzeville #8 Genoa-Kingston
#13 Geneseo at #4 Raby
#12 North Chicago at #5 Morris
#15 St. Edward at #2 Dixon
#10 Richmond-Burton at #7 Alleman
#14 Manteno at #3 Coal City
#11 Elmwood Park^^^ at #6 Sullivan
Lower Bracket
#16 Prairie Central at #1 Herscher
#9 Carterville #8 Columbia
#13 Qui Notre Dame at #4 Herrin
#12 Mount Zion at #5 Taylorville
#15 Pontiac at #2 Rochester
#10 Paris at #7 Althoff Catholic
#14 Breese Central** at #3 Highland^^^^
#11 Benton* at #6 Effingham
~~~ 3A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Spring Valley Hall* at #1 Unity^^^^
#9 Watseka^^^ #8 Bloomington Central Catholic
#13 Winnebago at #4 Immaculate Conception
#12 North Boone at #5 Elmwood-Brimfield
#15 ROWVA-Mid County at #2 Byron
#10 Eureka at #7 Monticello
#14 Paxton-Buckley-Loda at #3 Peotone
#11 Beardstown at #6 Wilmington
Lower Bracket
#16 Vienna-Goreville at #1 Carlinville
#9 Vandalia #8 Greenville
#13 Hillsboro at #4 Fairfield
#12 Marshall** at #5 Anna-Jonesboro
#15 Harrisburg at #2 Williamsville
#10 Wood River-East Alton at #7 Newton
#14 Pleasant Plains at #3 Sesser-Valier
#11 DuQuoin at #6 St. Theresa
~~~ 2A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Eastland-Pearl City at #1 Newman Central Catholic
#9 Deer Creek-Mackinaw #8 West Carroll
#13 Bureau Valley at #4 Orion
#12 Chi Marshall at #5 Fieldcrest
#15 Aurora Christian at #2 Farmington^^^
#10 Hope Academy at #7 Clifton Central
#14 Rockford Christian at #3 Rockridge
#11 Bushnell-West Prairie at #6 Knoxville
Lower Bracket
#16 Carlyle* at #1 West Hancock
#9 Shelbyville** #8 Eldorado
#13 Villa Grove-Heritage at #4 Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley
#12 Bunker Hill at #5 Tri-Valley
#15 Auburn at #2 Wesclin
#10 Alton Marquette^^^^ at #7 Maroa-Forsyth
#14 Carmi-White County at #3 Westville
#11 Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin at #6 Pana
~~~ 1A ~~~
Upper Bracket
#16 Hiawatha at #1 Lena-Winslow
#9 Princeville #8 Abingdon-Avon
#13 Orangeville at #4 Annawan-Wethersfield
#12 Cuba-North Fulton at #5 Ottawa Marquette
#15 Stark County at #2 Aquin
#10 Stockton at #7 Milledgeville
#14 Polo at #3 Forreston
#11 Fulton^^^ at #6 Dakota
Lower Bracket
#16 South Fork at #1 Tuscola^^^^
#9 Central A & M #8 Cumberland
#13 Madison at #4 Argenta-Oreana
#12 Hardin-Calhoun at #5 Athens
#15 Fisher at #2 Red Hill
#10 Camp Point Central at #7 Brown County
#14 Warrensburg-Latham at #3 Carrollton
#11 Arcola at #6 Decatur Lutheran
Last edited:
