Football ****OFFICIAL PLAYOFF BRACKETS****

[Alum-Ni]

The NSAA has released the 2026 Football Playoff Brackets. First round games are this Friday, October 30th.

CLASS A

#1 Omaha Westside (9-0)
#16 Columbus (5-4)

#8 Papillion-La Vista (7-2)
#9 Lincoln Northeast (8-1)

#4 Bennington (8-1)
#13 Lincoln Southwest (6-3)

#5 Elkhorn South (6-3)
#12 Elkhorn North (6-3)

-----------------------------------

#3 Millard North (8-1)
#14 Omaha Creighton Prep (5-4)

#6 Omaha North (8-1)
#11 Kearney (6-3)

#7 Papillion-La Vista South (6-3)
#10 Millard West (5-4)

#2 Millard South (8-1)
#15 Lincoln Standing Bear (5-4)

 

[Alum-Ni]

CLASS B

#1 Gretna (9-0)
#16 Lincoln Pius X (2-7)

#8 Grand Island Northwest (7-2)
#9 Norris (4-5)

#4 Aurora (8-1)
#13 York (4-5)

#5 Omaha Skutt (7-2)
#12 Ralston (4-5)

-----------------------------------

#3 Scottsbluff (8-1)
#14 Omaha Gross (2-7)

#6 Blair (8-1)
#11 McCook (4-5)

#7 Waverly (7-2)
#10 Elkhorn (4-5)

#2 Gretna East (8-1)
#15 Hastings (2-7)

 

[Alum-Ni]

CLASS C1

#1 Sidney (9-0)
#16 Central City (4-5)

#8 Wahoo (7-2)
#9 Adams Central (8-1)

#4 Pierce (9-0)
#13 Cozad (4-5)

#5 Syracuse (7-2)
#12 O'Neill (6-3)

-----------------------------------

#3 Chadron (8-1)
#14 Auburn (5-4)

#6 Ashland-Greenwood (7-2)
#11 Omaha Roncalli (7-2)

#7 Lincoln Christian (7-2)
#10 Minden (8-1)

#2 Boys Town (9-0)
#15 Alliance (5-4)

 

[Alum-Ni]

CLASS C2

#1 Grand Island Central Catholic (9-0)
#16 Hershey (5-4)

#8 Malcolm (7-2)
#9 Wahoo Neumann (7-2)

#4 Ord (7-2)
#13 Fillmore Central (6-3)

#5 Yutan (8-1)
#12 Wilber-Clatonia (6-3)

-----------------------------------

#3 Hartington Cedar Catholic (9-0)
#14 Lincoln Lutheran (5-4)

#6 Boone Central (9-0)
#11 Mitchell (6-3)

#7 Gothenburg (7-2)
#10 Columbus Scotus (6-3)

#2 Fremont Bergan (9-0)
#15 West Point-Beemer (5-4)

 

[Alum-Ni]

CLASS D1

#1 Johnson-Brock (9-0)
#16 Amherst (5-4)

#8 Exeter-Milligan-Friend (8-1)
#9 Elmwood-Murdock (6-3)

#4 Ravenna (8-1)
#13 Cross County (6-3)

#5 Crofton (8-1)
#12 Elkhorn Valley (6-3)

-----------------------------------

#3 Stanton (9-0)
#14 Alma (6-3)

#6 Hartington-Newcastle (8-1)
#11 Centura (7-2)

#7 Sutton (7-2)
#10 Wisner-Pilger (7-2)

#2 Sandy Creek (8-1)
#15 Ponca (5-4)

 

[Anon1695937414]

CLASS B

#1 Gretna (9-0)
#16 Lincoln Pius X (2-7)

#8 Grand Island Northwest (7-2)
#9 Norris (4-5)

#4 Aurora (8-1)
#13 York (4-5)

#5 Omaha Skutt (7-2)
#12 Ralston (4-5)

-----------------------------------

#3 Scottsbluff (8-1)
#14 Omaha Gross (2-7)

#6 Blair (8-1)
#11 McCook (4-5)

#7 Waverly (7-2)
#10 Elkhorn (4-5)

#2 Gretna East (8-1)
#15 Hastings (2-7)

3 teams wirh 2-7 records is crazy. I know that class B doesnt havr many teams but thats crazy.

 

[Alum-Ni]

CLASS D2

#1 Shelby-Rising City (9-0)
#16 Fullerton (5-4)

#8 Hemingford (7-2)
#9 David City Aquinas (6-3)

#4 Loomis (9-0)
#13 Neligh-Oakdale (7-2)

#5 Nebraska City Lourdes (7-2)
#12 Hitchcock County (6-3)

-----------------------------------

#3 Laurel-Concord-Coleridge (9-0)
#14 Bruning-Davenport/Shickley (6-3)

#6 Creighton (7-2)
#11 Wilcox-Hildreth (6-3)

#7 Howells-Dodge (7-2)
#10 East Butler (6-3)

#2 North Platte St. Patrick's (9-0)
#15 Bertrand (6-3)

 

[Alum-Ni]

CLASS D3

#1 Lawrence-Nelson (9-0)
#16 O'Neill St. Mary's (5-4)

#8 Burwell (7-2)
#9 Wynot (7-2)

#4 Pleasanton (8-1)
#13 Guardian Angels Central Catholic (7-2)

#5 Wausa (8-1)
#12 Anselmo-Merna (7-2)

-----------------------------------

#3 Archangels Catholic (8-1)
#14 Cambridge (7-2)

#6 Dundy County-Stratton (6-2)
#11 Brady (8-1)

#7 Twin Loup (8-1)
#10 Deshler (7-2)

#2 Central Valley (8-1)
#15 Falls City Sacred Heart (6-3)

 

[Alum-Ni]

CLASS D6

#1 Stuart (8-0)
#16 Crawford (5-3)

#8 Riverside (7-1)
#9 Leyton (7-1)

#4 Diller-Odell (7-1)
#13 Sterling (5-3)

#5 Red Cloud (7-1)
#12 Hay Springs (5-3)

-----------------------------------

#3 Garden County (7-1)
#14 Meridian (5-3)

#6 Medicine Valley (7-1)
#11 Lewiston (6-2)

#7 Arthur County (6-2)
#10 Southwest (5-3)

#2 Wallace (7-1)
#15 High Plains (5-3)

 

[Alum-Ni]

ALL NATIONS CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS

CLASS 9A

Semifinals
Lakota Tech (SD) at Todd County (SD)
Mahpiya Luta (SD) at Winnebago

--------------------------------------

CLASS 9B

Semifinals
Walthill at Dupree (SD)
Tiospa Zina (SD) at White River (SD)

 

[Alum-Ni]

3 teams wirh 2-7 records is crazy. I know that class B doesnt havr many teams but thats crazy.

Problem is a little two-fold. 1) The low number of teams in the class, and 2) only the district champion qualifies out of the "emerging district", which frees up wildcard berths in the other districts.

 

[highschoolfootballnut]

Problem is a little two-fold. 1) The low number of teams in the class, and 2) only the district champion qualifies out of the "emerging district", which frees up wildcard berths in the other districts.

but common sense would tell you if you only have 22 in a class then only 8 should be in the playoffs

 

[Coach Klein]

In class D1, D2,D3 is it better seed is home team all the way through?

 

[Alum-Ni]

In class D1, D2,D3 is it better seed is home team all the way through?

Correct.

6-Man still uses the old system where a lower-seeded team can potentially host a higher-seeded team.

 

[LooseCannon]

In class D1, D2,D3 is it better seed is home team all the way through?

Absolutely. High deserves to host. We saw it too many times when the 1 would have to go to the 9.

 

[Sean Callahan]

but common sense would tell you if you only have 22 in a class then only 8 should be in the playoffs

Maybe you play a 10-game regular season schedule and then just have eight make it?

 

[jb53]

3 teams with 2-7 records is crazy. I know that class B doesn't have many teams but thats crazy.

No 2-7 team has any business being in the playoffs. Either expand class B, reduce the field, or (stay with me now) reduce the 11 man classes to 3 (A, B, and C). The reality is more, even traditionally strong 11 man teams are dropping to 8 man (see O-C, Aquinas, NPSP, among others). The landscape of Nebraska HS football is rapidly moving to 8 man.

 

[Big bo fan]

No 2-7 team has any business being in the playoffs. Either expand class B, reduce the field, or (stay with me now) reduce the 11 man classes to 3 (A, B, and C). The reality is more, even traditionally strong 11 man teams are dropping to 8 man (see O-C, Aquinas, NPSP, among others). The landscape of Nebraska HS football is rapidly moving to 8 man.

Speaking of that . OC played Bergan in a 8 man JH game. Bergan must be dropping next cycle?

 

[Anon1751687433]

Speaking of that . OC played Bergan in a 8 man JH game. Bergan must be dropping next cycle?

Bergan also scheduled/played Mead in 8-man JV games 2021-2025.

Bergan has been creative in how they've gotten their younger guys opportunities to block and tackle in games when schools in C2 struggled to schedule and keep JV games.

Edit: not to say they're for sure not dropping...just saying playing an 8-man JV game is not an indication of it, given the recent history.

 

[Big bo fan]

Bergan also scheduled/played Mead in 8-man JV games 2021-2025.

Bergan has been creative in how they've gotten their younger guys opportunities to block and tackle in games when schools in C2 struggled to schedule and keep JV games.

Edit: not to say they're for sure not dropping...just saying playing an 8-man JV game is not an indication of it, given the recent history.

Ok , but this was a 7-8 game not a JV .

 

[Anon1751687433]

Ok , but this was a 7-8 game not a JV .

And I would say the point still stands, as long as the rest of the JH schedule wasn't full of 8-man games.

 

[hailvictors2]

We've gone circles with this for years. Class B is the black sheep of Nebraska HS football. It has the smallest quantity of teams (23) but the largest disparity from smallest school (Aurora/Platteview 161) to largest school (Scottsbluff 418). Alliance and Nebraska City both opted down, but even with them there are 25 total teams and a gap in enrollment where the smallest school is 38.5% the size of the largest school.

Possibilities to fix the playoffs.
1- Decrease the field to 8 teams. I think this is the answer. You could offer a 10th game the school schedule themselves to occupy the time frame the other classes are playing the round of 16.
2- Add to the bottom of class B by pulling up the top of C1. All this does is increase the enrollment gap that is already the biggest among all classes.
3- Add to the top of class B by pulling down the bottom of A. All this does is increase the enrollment gap that is already the biggest among all classes.
4- Take A-B-C1-C2 and make it into A-B-C. Again, all this does is create a classification that will have an enrollment gap that is bigger than what we already have.