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Playoff Matrix · 8-Man Football UNOFFICIAL

Last calculated Thu, Oct 22 · 2:59 PM CDT

8-man football · 32 in the field · 71 Wisconsin programs

The table uses reported Week 7 results. Projected Final is today’s forecast based on reported Week 8 results and the remaining ES picks, not a saved forecast from Week 7. See the projected final order →

Since week 6: in Wild Rose (34 → 32) · out Three Lakes/Phelps (32 → 33). Biggest climbs: Niagara ▲6, Lake Holcombe ▲5, Hurley ▲4. Biggest drops: Thorp ▼6, Assumption ▼4, Bruce ▼3.

No future qualifying games remain. This is a comparison of the current qualifying results, not a new forecast; unresolved results or opponent data still affect the comparison.

Rank+/−TeamCityW-LTotalTier 1 AVGTier 2 AVGTier 2 WinsProjected SeedProjected Final Seed
Rank · Seed · Partial
1–Belmont checkBelmont18.441-C1 – · 1-C
2–Gilman checkGilman15.341-B2 – · 1-B
3▲4Hurley checkHurley14.411-A5 ▼2 · 2-B
4▲1Valley Christian (Oshkosh) checkOshkosh14.191-D3 ▲1 · 1-A
5▲1Suring checkSuring14.032-B6 ▼1 · 2-D
6▼2Wabeno/Laona check13.882-A4 ▲2 · 1-D
7▼4Assumption checkWisconsin Rapids13.492-C7 – · 2-A
8▲1Sevastopol checkSturgeon Bay12.812-D9 ▼1 · 3-D
9▼1De Soto checkDe Soto11.383-C8 ▲1 · 2-C
10▲1North Crawford checkSoldiers Grove10.393-B11 ▼1 · 3-C
11▼1Clear Lake checkClear Lake9.923-A13 ▼2 · 4-C
12▲3Palmyra-Eagle checkPalmyra9.703-D14 ▼2 · 4-A
13▲1Owen-Withee checkOwen9.094-C10 ▲3 · 3-A
14▼2Tri-County checkPlainfield8.274-D17 ▼3 · 5-C
15▼2Northwood/Solon Springs check8.144-A15 – · 4-D
16▲4Flambeau checkTony8.134-B16 – · 4-B
17▼1Athens checkAthens7.585-C21 ▼4 · 6-B
18▼1Almond-Bancroft checkAlmond7.575-D18 – · 5-A
19▼1Turtle Lake checkTurtle Lake7.535-A12 ▲7 · 3-B
20▲6Niagara checkNiagara6.175-B24 ▼4 · 6-D
21▼2Rib Lake checkRib Lake6.066-A19 ▲2 · 5-D
22▼1Port Edwards checkPort Edwards5.946-C22 – · 6-A
23–Lena/Saint Thomas Aquinas check5.576-B20 ▲3 · 5-B
24▲1Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah checkElkhart Lake5.366-D28 ▼4 · 7-D
25▲5Lake Holcombe checkHolcombe5.147-A27 ▼2 · 7-A
26▼2Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran/Providence Academy (Green Bay) check4.767-D29 ▼3 · 8-A
27▲1Frederic checkFrederic4.717-C30 ▼3 · 8-B
28▼6Thorp checkThorp4.717-B26 ▲2 · 7-C
29▲2Oakfield checkOakfield4.358-D23 ▲6 · 6-C
30▼3Bruce checkBruce4.218-A25 ▲5 · 7-B
31▼2Alma Center Lincoln checkAlma Center3.808-B33 ▼2 · Out projected out
32▲2Wild Rose checkWild Rose3.788-C in32 – · 8-C
Cut line · the top 32 qualify
33▼1Three Lakes/Phelps checkBelow cut line3.67Below cut line dropped31 ▲2 · 8-D projected in
34▲7Washburn checkBelow cut lineWashburn3.29Below cut line35 ▼1 · Out
35–Highland checkBelow cut lineHighland2.86Below cut line38 ▼3 · Out
36▼3New Auburn checkBelow cut lineNew Auburn2.82Below cut line34 ▲2 · Out
37–Williams Bay checkBelow cut lineWilliams Bay2.36Below cut line37 – · Out
38▼2Mellen checkBelow cut lineMellen2.29Below cut line39 ▼1 · Out
39–Siren checkBelow cut lineSiren1.90Below cut line41 ▼2 · Out
40–Elcho/White Lake checkBelow cut line1.90Below cut line43 ▼3 · Out
41▲1Pembine/Goodman checkBelow cut line1.79Below cut line40 ▲1 · Out
42▼4Cornell checkBelow cut lineCornell1.41Below cut line45 ▼3 · Out
43▼1Wausaukee checkBelow cut lineWausaukee1.35Below cut line36 ▲7 · Out
44▲4Princeton/Green Lake checkBelow cut line0.97Below cut line44 – · Out
45T▼1Chequamegon checkBelow cut linePark Falls0.92Below cut line42 ▲3 · Out
45T▼1Luck checkBelow cut lineLuck0.92Below cut line46T ▼1 · Out
45T▼1Prentice checkBelow cut linePrentice0.92Below cut line46T ▼1 · Out
48▼4Newman Catholic checkBelow cut lineWausau0.92Below cut line48 – · Out
49▲4Wayland Academy checkBelow cut lineBeaver Dam0.47Below cut line49 – · Out
50T▼2Florence checkBelow cut lineFlorence0.43Below cut line50T – · Out
50T▼2Gibraltar checkBelow cut lineFish Creek0.43Below cut line50T – · Out
50T▼2Winter/Birchwood checkBelow cut line0.43Below cut line50T – · Out
50T▼2Wonewoc-Center checkBelow cut lineWonewoc0.43Below cut line50T – · Out
54▼1Oneida Nation checkBelow cut lineOneida0.00Below cut line54 – · Out
—Shell Lake check3-year enrollment average 204Shell Lake14.80ExcludedExcluded
—Iola-Scandinavia checkIola14.41ExcludedExcluded
—Clayton/Prairie Farm check3-year enrollment average 21111.88ExcludedExcluded
—Rosholt checkRosholt10.92ExcludedExcluded
—Abundant Life Christian/Saint Ambrose check3-year enrollment average 28910.23ExcludedExcluded
—Algoma check3-year enrollment average 220Algoma8.07ExcludedExcluded
—Phillips check3-year enrollment average 201Phillips7.10ExcludedExcluded
—Kickapoo/La Farge check3-year enrollment average 2295.36ExcludedExcluded
—Marion/Tigerton check3-year enrollment average 2114.48ExcludedExcluded
—St. John's Northwestern check3-year enrollment average 350Delafield3.34ExcludedExcluded
—Wisconsin Heights check3-year enrollment average 229Mazomanie1.36ExcludedExcluded
—Bowler/Gresham check0.00ExcludedExcluded
—Gillett checkGillett0.00ExcludedExcluded
—Menominee Nation check3-year enrollment average 368Keshena0.00ExcludedExcluded
—Montello check3-year enrollment average 216Montello0.00ExcludedExcluded
—Monticello checkMonticello0.00ExcludedExcluded
—South Shore checkPort Wing0.00ExcludedExcluded

Wisconsin programs continue below the cut line in the same table. Eligibility notes use the published WIAA record; where it does not identify the reason, we say so. A three-year enrollment average above 200 can have a second-year commitment exception.

About these numbers

Unofficial. These are WIAA’s playoff qualifying scores (PQS) recomputed by Ewert Sports from the results we hold, using the formula in the 2026 football tournament regulations. WIAA’s weekly standings are the official ones; where ours differ, a missing or disputed result is the reason, and the row says so. How it is computed, with a worked example ↓

Through week 7 (games through Saturday 2026-10-03; the week’s cutoff is Wednesday 2026-10-07) · 250 results counted, 43 forfeits · top 32 qualify · seeds: ranks 1–4 are the #1 seeds, 5–8 the #2 seeds, … 29–32 the #8 seeds.

How WIAA builds the bracket, and how to check a team

  1. Tier 1 points. Every win earns points set by the team you beat: 3.0 for an 8-player school, 3.3 for one whose three-year enrollment average is over 200. A tie earns half. A loss earns nothing. A forfeit win earns the full value. Tier 1 AVG = Tier 1 points ÷ games played (at most 8).
  2. Tier 2 points. Add up their Tier 1 points for every team you beat (a team you tied is not beaten and adds no points). Opponents’ games = the games played by every team you played, won, lost or tied, added together (each counted up to 8). Tier 2 AVG = Tier 2 points ÷ opponents’ games, and the Tier 2 score is 8 × Tier 2 AVG. WIAA’s rule: “Divide Tier 2 points by opponents’ games played and multiply by 8 (this is a 100% bonus to the Strength of Victory) to get the Tier 2 score.”
  3. Total (PQS) = Tier 1 AVG + 8 × Tier 2 AVG. WIAA’s own example: Franklin 2024, 56.0 ÷ 9 + 228.5 ÷ 81 × 9 = 31.61. Ties in Total are broken by Tier 3, the average of the Tier 2 scores of the teams you beat.
  4. Replacement games. If a team replaced a forfeit win with a new game that week, the forfeit counts when the replacement was lost; when it was won, whichever is worth more counts (regulations 3h). WIAA prints such games as “Seeding Only”. When you beat a team in its replacement game, your Tier 2 points count that team’s Tier 1 points without the forfeit win it kept that week.
  5. Field and seeds. Teams are ranked inside their division by Total. The top 32 qualify after Week 8. Ranks 1–4 are the #1 seeds, 5–8 the #2 seeds, and so on to #8. The four #1 seeds anchor four regions: the #1- and #4-ranked go to one half of the state bracket, #2 and #3 to the other. #2 seeds join the nearest #1 seed, #3 and #4 seeds their likely second-round opponents, and #5–#8 are placed by the shortest total travel. Level 1 is #8 at #1, #5 at #4, #7 at #2 and #6 at #3 in each region.

Worked example: Rib Lake (rank 21, seed 6)

DateOpponentResultOpponent’s valueTier 1 earnedOpp. Tier 1 pointsOpp. gamesCounts?
2026-08-20CornellW33.003.007yes
2026-08-28De SotoL (Seeding Only)3———Not counted: a replacement game that was not won, so the forfeit win that week stands.
2026-08-28PrenticeW (forfeit)33.003.007yes. Forfeit win: the loser's full value.
2026-09-03Wabeno/LaonaL30.00—7yes
2026-09-11Elcho/White LakeW (forfeit)33.003.007yes. Forfeit win: the loser's full value.
2026-09-11ThorpL (Seeding Only)3———Not counted: a replacement game that was not won, so the forfeit win that week stands.
2026-09-18ChequamegonW33.003.007yes
2026-09-25Three Lakes/PhelpsW33.0012.007yes
2026-10-02HurleyL30.00—7yes

Tier 1 AVG = 15.00 ÷ 7 = 2.143. Tier 2 points = 3.00 + 3.00 + 3.00 + 3.00 + 12.00 = 24.00; opponents’ games = 7 + 7 + 7 + 7 + 7 + 7 + 7 = 49; Tier 2 AVG = 24.00 ÷ 49 = 0.490. Total = 2.143 + 8 × 0.490 = 6.06 (Tier 3 tie-break pending verification).

To check another team, open its row’s “check” link in the tables above.

Unofficial WIAA Football Playoff Matrix | Ewert Sports | Ewert Sports