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Playoff Matrix · Football UNOFFICIAL

Last calculated Thu, Oct 22 · 1:40 PM CDT

Division 1 · 32 in the field · 54 Wisconsin programs

The table uses reported Week 5 results. Projected Final is today’s forecast based on reported Week 9 results and the remaining ES picks, not a saved forecast from Week 5. See the projected final order →

Since week 4: in Milwaukee Bradley Tech/Milwaukee Arts (35 → 27), Kimberly (36 → 30), Fond du Lac (34 → 32) · out Kenosha Tremper (30 → 37), Brookfield East (31 → 40), Milwaukee Reagan (32 → 33). Biggest climbs: Stevens Point Area Senior High ▲8, Milwaukee Bradley Tech/Milwaukee Arts ▲8, Verona ▲6. Biggest drops: Madison Memorial ▼7, De Pere ▼6, Hortonville ▼6.

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–West De Pere checkDe Pere42.581-D1 – · 1-D
2–Bay Port checkGreen Bay38.521-A3 ▼1 · 1-A
3▲2Hamilton checkSussex33.481-B2 ▲1 · 1-B
4▲2Oconomowoc checkOconomowoc32.181-C11 ▼7 · 3-B
5▼2Muskego checkMuskego27.402-B4 ▲1 · 1-C
6▼2Arrowhead checkHartland26.542-C5 ▲1 · 2-B
7–Appleton North checkAppleton25.622-A22 ▼15 · 6-A
8▲1Waunakee checkWaunakee23.002-D6 ▲2 · 2-A
9▲8Stevens Point Area Senior High checkStevens Point22.723-A9 – · 3-A
10▲6Verona checkVerona21.043-D8 ▲2 · 2-D
11▲1Racine Case checkRacine20.843-C7 ▲4 · 2-C
12▼4Kenosha Bradford checkKenosha20.763-B14 ▼2 · 4-C
13▼3Indian Trail High School & Academy checkKenosha20.664-C12 ▲1 · 3-C
14–Franklin checkFranklin19.464-B20 ▼6 · 5-C
15▲3Marquette checkMilwaukee17.464-D16 ▼1 · 4-D
16▲3Middleton checkMiddleton17.404-A21 ▼5 · 6-B
17▼6De Pere checkDe Pere17.225-B18 ▼1 · 5-A
18▲3D.C. Everest checkSchofield17.025-D28 ▼10 · 7-A
19▼4Wausau West checkWausau15.885-A30 ▼11 · 8-A
20▼7Madison Memorial checkMadison13.645-C19 ▲1 · 5-D
21▲4Chippewa Falls checkChippewa Falls12.626-A23 ▼2 · 6-D
22▲5Milwaukee Hamilton/Audubon Technology check12.546-B32 ▼10 · 8-C
23▼3Sun Prairie East checkSun Prairie12.526-D26 ▼3 · 7-D
24–Milwaukee Pulaski/Carmen Southgate check12.506-C17 ▲7 · 5-B
25▲4Green Bay Preble checkGreen Bay12.127-C35 ▼10 · Out projected out
26▼4Hudson checkHudson11.567-D10 ▲16 · 3-D
27▲8Milwaukee Bradley Tech/Milwaukee Arts check10.667-B in24 ▲3 · 6-C
28▼2Appleton West checkAppleton10.267-A41 ▼13 · Out projected out
29▼6Hortonville checkHortonville10.248-A33 ▼4 · Out projected out
30▲6Kimberly checkKimberly9.448-D in29 ▲1 · 8-D
31▼3Janesville Parker checkJanesville9.448-C31 – · 8-B
32▲2Fond du Lac checkFond du Lac8.308-B in36 ▼4 · Out projected out
Cut line · the top 32 qualify
33▼1Milwaukee Reagan checkBelow cut lineMilwaukee7.20Below cut line dropped15 ▲18 · 4-B projected in
34▲2Neenah checkBelow cut lineNeenah7.10Below cut line13 ▲21 · 4-A projected in
35▼2Janesville Craig checkBelow cut lineJanesville7.00Below cut line34 ▲1 · Out
36▲8Sheboygan North checkBelow cut lineSheboygan5.84Below cut line45 ▼9 · Out
37▼7Kenosha Tremper checkBelow cut lineKenosha5.70Below cut line dropped47 ▼10 · Out
38▲1Appleton East checkBelow cut lineAppleton5.62Below cut line46 ▼8 · Out
39▲4Oshkosh West checkBelow cut lineOshkosh5.52Below cut line27 ▲12 · 7-B projected in
40▼9Brookfield East checkBelow cut lineBrookfield5.29Below cut line dropped40 – · Out
41▲1Madison West checkBelow cut lineMadison5.08Below cut line43 ▼2 · Out
42▲4Madison La Follette checkBelow cut lineMadison4.84Below cut line38 ▲4 · Out
43▼2Milwaukee Riverside/Golda Meir checkBelow cut line4.75Below cut line25 ▲18 · 7-C projected in
44▲2Oak Creek checkBelow cut lineOak Creek4.74Below cut line37 ▲7 · Out
45▼7Sun Prairie West checkBelow cut lineSun Prairie3.54Below cut line49 ▼4 · Out
46▼6Mukwonago checkBelow cut lineMukwonago3.46Below cut line48 ▼2 · Out
47▼2Eau Claire North checkBelow cut lineEau Claire1.30Below cut line39 ▲8 · Out
48▼2Badger checkBelow cut lineLake Geneva1.20Below cut line42 ▲6 · Out
49T–Eau Claire Memorial checkBelow cut lineEau Claire0.00Below cut line50T ▼1 · Out
49T–Madison East checkBelow cut lineMadison0.00Below cut line50T ▼1 · Out
49T–Manitowoc Lincoln checkBelow cut lineManitowoc0.00Below cut line44 ▲5 · Out
—Shorewood checkShorewood0.00ExcludedExcluded
—Northwood/Solon Springs checkProgram eligibility not verified0-0————UnverifiedUnverified
—Winter/Birchwood checkProgram eligibility not verified0-0————UnverifiedUnverified

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) · 893 results counted, 23 forfeits · top 32 qualify in Division 1 · 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: Division 1 = 6.5, D2 = 6.0, D3 = 5.5, D4 = 5.0, D5 = 4.5, D6 = 4.0, D7 = 3.5. 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 9).
  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 9). Tier 2 AVG = Tier 2 points ÷ opponents’ games, and the Tier 2 score is 9 × Tier 2 AVG. WIAA’s rule: “Divide Tier 2 points by opponents’ games played and multiply by 9 (this is a 100% bonus to the Strength of Victory) to get the Tier 2 score.”
  3. Total (PQS) = Tier 1 AVG + 9 × 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 9. 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: West De Pere (rank 1, seed 1)

DateOpponentResultOpponent’s valueTier 1 earnedOpp. Tier 1 pointsOpp. gamesCounts?
2026-08-20Sun Prairie EastW6.5 (D1)6.5018.505yes
2026-08-27Appleton NorthW6.5 (D1)6.5025.505yes
2026-09-04De PereW6.5 (D1)6.5019.505yes
2026-09-11AshwaubenonW6 (D2)6.0019.005yes
2026-09-17Appleton WestW6.5 (D1)6.5018.005yes

Tier 1 AVG = 32.00 ÷ 5 = 6.400. Tier 2 points = 18.50 + 25.50 + 19.50 + 19.00 + 18.00 = 100.50; opponents’ games = 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 25; Tier 2 AVG = 100.50 ÷ 25 = 4.020. Total = 6.400 + 9 × 4.020 = 42.58 (Tier 3 tie-break 11.59).

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

Unofficial WIAA Football Playoff Matrix | Ewert Sports | Ewert Sports