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Playoff Matrix · 8-Man Football UNOFFICIAL

Last calculated Thu, Oct 22 · 2:58 PM CDT

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

The table uses reported Week 5 results. Projected Final is today’s forecast based on reported Week 8 results and the remaining ES picks, not a saved forecast from Week 5. See the projected final order →

Since week 4: in Bruce (34 → 28) · out Mellen (29 → 34). Biggest climbs: Athens ▲6, Flambeau ▲6, Bruce ▲6. Biggest drops: Niagara ▼8, Almond-Bancroft ▼5, Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran/Providence Academy (Green Bay) ▼5.

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▲1Assumption checkWisconsin Rapids17.591-A7 ▼6 · 2-A
2▲1Suring checkSuring15.771-D6 ▼4 · 2-D
3▲5Belmont checkBelmont14.931-C1 ▲2 · 1-C
4▼3Hurley checkHurley14.771-B5 ▼1 · 2-B
5▼1Wabeno/Laona check13.982-B4 ▲1 · 1-D
6–Sevastopol checkSturgeon Bay13.312-D9 ▼3 · 3-D
7–Valley Christian (Oshkosh) checkOshkosh12.222-A3 ▲4 · 1-A
8▲1North Crawford checkSoldiers Grove12.172-C11 ▼3 · 3-C
9▼4Gilman checkGilman11.803-D2 ▲7 · 1-B
10–Clear Lake checkClear Lake10.683-A13 ▼3 · 4-C
11▲2De Soto checkDe Soto10.623-C8 ▲3 · 2-C
12▼1Northwood/Solon Springs check10.083-B15 ▼3 · 4-D
13▲3Tri-County checkPlainfield9.874-A17 ▼4 · 5-C
14▲1Palmyra-Eagle checkPalmyra9.054-C14 – · 4-A
15▲3Turtle Lake checkTurtle Lake8.164-B12 ▲3 · 3-B
16▲6Athens checkAthens7.664-D21 ▼5 · 6-B
17▼5Almond-Bancroft checkAlmond7.125-A18 ▼1 · 5-A
18▼4Owen-Withee checkOwen6.665-B10 ▲8 · 3-A
19▲1Rib Lake checkRib Lake6.245-D19 – · 5-D
20▲1Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah checkElkhart Lake6.065-C28 ▼8 · 7-D
21▲3Frederic checkFrederic6.006-B30 ▼9 · 8-B
22▼5Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran/Providence Academy (Green Bay) check5.906-C29 ▼7 · 8-A
23▼4Thorp checkThorp5.646-A26 ▼3 · 7-C
24▲2Lena/Saint Thomas Aquinas check5.646-D20 ▲4 · 5-B
25–Alma Center Lincoln checkAlma Center5.047-C33 ▼8 · Out projected out
26▲6Flambeau checkTony5.047-A16 ▲10 · 4-B
27▲4Port Edwards checkPort Edwards4.937-D22 ▲5 · 6-A
28▲6Bruce checkBruce4.807-B in25 ▲3 · 7-B
29–Three Lakes/Phelps check4.688-B31 ▼2 · 8-D
30▼3Oakfield checkOakfield4.308-C23 ▲7 · 6-C
31▼8Niagara checkNiagara4.148-D24 ▲7 · 6-D
32▼4Lake Holcombe checkHolcombe4.088-A27 ▲5 · 7-A
Cut line · the top 32 qualify
33▲12Wild Rose checkBelow cut lineWild Rose3.12Below cut line32 ▲1 · 8-C projected in
34▼5Mellen checkBelow cut lineMellen3.12Below cut line dropped39 ▼5 · Out
35▲1Cornell checkBelow cut lineCornell2.52Below cut line45 ▼10 · Out
36▼3Siren checkBelow cut lineSiren2.52Below cut line41 ▼5 · Out
37▲2Elcho/White Lake checkBelow cut line2.52Below cut line43 ▼6 · Out
38▲5Highland checkBelow cut lineHighland2.26Below cut line38 – · Out
39▼4Washburn checkBelow cut lineWashburn2.20Below cut line35 ▲4 · Out
40▲2Pembine/Goodman checkBelow cut line2.16Below cut line40 – · Out
41T▼2Chequamegon checkBelow cut linePark Falls1.56Below cut line42 ▼1 · Out
41T▼4Luck checkBelow cut lineLuck1.56Below cut line46T ▼5 · Out
41T▼4New Auburn checkBelow cut lineNew Auburn1.56Below cut line34 ▲7 · Out
41T▼2Prentice checkBelow cut linePrentice1.56Below cut line46T ▼5 · Out
45▲6Wausaukee checkBelow cut lineWausaukee1.56Below cut line36 ▲9 · Out
46▼2Williams Bay checkBelow cut lineWilliams Bay1.26Below cut line37 ▲9 · Out
47T▼2Florence checkBelow cut lineFlorence0.60Below cut line50T ▼3 · Out
47T▼2Gibraltar checkBelow cut lineFish Creek0.60Below cut line50T ▼3 · Out
47T▼2Princeton/Green Lake checkBelow cut line0.60Below cut line44 ▲3 · Out
47T▼2Winter/Birchwood checkBelow cut line0.60Below cut line50T ▼3 · Out
47T▼2Wonewoc-Center checkBelow cut lineWonewoc0.60Below cut line50T ▼3 · Out
52T▼1Newman Catholic checkBelow cut lineWausau0.00Below cut line48 ▲4 · Out
52T▼1Oneida Nation checkBelow cut lineOneida0.00Below cut line54 ▼2 · Out
52T▼1Wayland Academy checkBelow cut lineBeaver Dam0.00Below cut line49 ▲3 · Out
—Shell Lake check3-year enrollment average 204Shell Lake14.62ExcludedExcluded
—Iola-Scandinavia checkIola12.86ExcludedExcluded
—Rosholt checkRosholt9.97ExcludedExcluded
—Clayton/Prairie Farm check3-year enrollment average 2117.20ExcludedExcluded
—Algoma check3-year enrollment average 220Algoma7.20ExcludedExcluded
—Abundant Life Christian/Saint Ambrose check3-year enrollment average 2897.15ExcludedExcluded
—Phillips check3-year enrollment average 201Phillips5.04ExcludedExcluded
—St. John's Northwestern check3-year enrollment average 350Delafield4.84ExcludedExcluded
—Kickapoo/La Farge check3-year enrollment average 2293.30ExcludedExcluded
—Marion/Tigerton check3-year enrollment average 2111.86ExcludedExcluded
—Wisconsin Heights check3-year enrollment average 229Mazomanie1.56ExcludedExcluded
—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 5 (games through Saturday 2026-09-19; the week’s cutoff is Wednesday 2026-09-23) · 178 results counted, 29 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: Tri-County (rank 13, seed 4)

DateOpponentResultOpponent’s valueTier 1 earnedOpp. Tier 1 pointsOpp. gamesCounts?
2026-08-20HurleyL30.00—5yes
2026-08-28Port EdwardsW33.009.005yes
2026-09-04BelmontL (Seeding Only)3———Not counted: a replacement game that was not won, so the forfeit win that week stands.
2026-09-04Menominee NationW (forfeit)3.33.300.003yes. Forfeit win: the loser's full value.
2026-09-11Wild RoseW33.006.005yes
2026-09-18Almond-BancroftW33.006.305yes

Tier 1 AVG = 12.30 ÷ 5 = 2.460. Tier 2 points = 9.00 + 0.00 + 6.00 + 6.30 = 21.30; opponents’ games = 5 + 5 + 3 + 5 + 5 = 23; Tier 2 AVG = 21.30 ÷ 23 = 0.926. Total = 2.460 + 8 × 0.926 = 9.87 (Tier 3 tie-break 2.73).

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

Unofficial WIAA Football Playoff Matrix | Ewert Sports | Ewert Sports