Menu

Playoff Bracket · 8-Man Football OFFICIAL

WIAA official bracket, released October 10, 2026Next: Level 2, Fri, Oct 23 · 7 PMEwert’s picks: week 9 ratings, 10/22/26, 5:39 AM CentralField table · How it works

Bracket and table computed Thu, Oct 22 · 10:20 AM CDT

Full boardRegion ARegion BRegion CRegion DFinal fourEwert’s picks: dashed, italic slots are our prediction model’s guess at who advances. ES percentages label our picked winners. These are guesses; confirmed results take precedence.

Green scores or Final/Award labels mark confirmed advancement. Dashed slots are imagined participants. Held, conflicting or incomplete results remain unresolved.

Reported winner: Belmont advances. Played score: Belmont 74, Wild Rose 12.1 Belmont748 Wild Rose12Reported winner: Palmyra-Eagle advances. Played score: Palmyra-Eagle 42, Almond-Bancroft 0.4 Palmyra-Eagle425 Almond-Bancroft03 North Crawford24Reported winner: Oakfield advances. Played score: North Crawford 24, Oakfield 34.6 Oakfield34Reported winner: De Soto advances. Played score: De Soto 20, Lake Holcombe 18.2 De Soto207 Lake Holcombe18ES pick: Belmont, 95.5% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:08.719Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 BelmontES 95%4 Palmyra-Eagle6 OakfieldES pick: De Soto, 64.8% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:08.719Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.2 De SotoES 65%ES pick: Belmont, 93.8% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:08.719Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 BelmontES 94%2 De SotoReported winner: Wabeno/Laona advances. Played score: Wabeno/Laona 44, Three Lakes/Phelps 6.1 Wabeno/Laona448 Three Lakes/Phelps6Reported winner: Northwood/Solon Springs advances. Played score: Northwood/Solon Springs 48, Rib Lake 8.4 Northwood/Solon S…485 Rib Lake8Reported winner: Sevastopol advances. Played score: Sevastopol 32, Niagara 6.3 Sevastopol326 Niagara6Reported winner: Suring advances. Played score: Suring 46, Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah 19.2 Suring467 Elkhart Lake-Glen…19ES pick: Wabeno/Laona, 83.8% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:08.719Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 Wabeno/LaonaES 84%4 Northwood/Solon Sprin…3 SevastopolES pick: Suring, 54.7% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:08.719Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.2 SuringES 55%ES pick: Wabeno/Laona, 62.7% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:08.719Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 Wabeno/LaonaES 63%2 SuringReported winner: Gilman advances. Played score: Gilman 54, Frederic 6.1 Gilman548 Frederic6Reported winner: Clear Lake advances. Played score: Clear Lake 56, Tri-County 0.4 Clear Lake565 Tri-County03 Turtle Lake20Reported winner: Athens advances. Played score: Turtle Lake 20, Athens 44.6 Athens44Reported winner: Hurley advances. Played score: Hurley 62, Bruce 16.2 Hurley627 Bruce16ES pick: Gilman, 96.8% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:08.719Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 GilmanES 97%4 Clear Lake6 AthensES pick: Hurley, 53.7% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:08.719Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.2 HurleyES 54%ES pick: Gilman, 98.0% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:08.719Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 GilmanES 98%2 HurleyReported winner: Valley Christian (Oshkosh) advances. Played score: Valley Christian (Oshkosh) 48, Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran/Providence Academy (Green Bay) 8.1 Valley Christian488 Green Bay N.E.W.…84 Flambeau18Reported winner: Lena/Saint Thomas Aquinas advances. Played score: Flambeau 18, Lena/Saint Thomas Aquinas 31.5 Lena/Saint Thomas…31Reported winner: Owen-Withee advances. Played score: Owen-Withee 72, Port Edwards 20.3 Owen-Withee726 Port Edwards20Reported winner: Assumption advances. Played score: Assumption 23, Thorp 16.2 Assumption237 Thorp16ES pick: Valley Christian (Oshkosh), 82.3% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:08.719Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 Valley Chris…ES 82%5 Lena/Saint Thomas Aqu…3 Owen-WitheeES pick: Assumption, 51.8% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:08.719Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.2 AssumptionES 52%ES pick: Valley Christian (Oshkosh), 52.0% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:08.719Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 Valley Chris…ES 52%2 AssumptionES pick: Belmont, 79.9% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:08.719Z; assumed venue: neutral.1 BelmontES 80%1 Wabeno/LaonaState semifinalES pick: Gilman, 91.2% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:08.719Z; assumed venue: neutral.1 GilmanES 91%1 Valley ChristianState semifinal1 BelmontES pick: Gilman, 80.9% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-22T10:39:08.719Z; assumed venue: neutral.1 GilmanES 81%State final · ES pick: GilmanLevel 1Sat, Oct 17 · 1 PMLevel 1Sat, Oct 17 · 1 PMLevel 2Fri, Oct 23 · 7 PMLevel 2Fri, Oct 23 · 7 PMLevel 3Fri, Oct 30 · 7 PMLevel 3Fri, Oct 30 · 7 PMLevel 4Fri, Nov 6 · 7 PMLevel 4Fri, Nov 6 · 7 PMRegion ARegion BRegion CRegion D

Team labels open team pages. Hover or focus a team to trace its path. Confirmed game pages are linked below the drawing.

When the games are played. Level 1: Saturday, October 17, 1:00 PM · Level 2: Friday, October 23, 7:00 PM · Level 3: Friday, October 30, 7:00 PM · Level 4: Friday, November 6, 7:00 PM. Each Level 1 game is at the site WIAA lists for it, shown below. Days and times are WIAA’s as of October 10 (Central time); WIAA’s bracket page has any change.

Level 1 games: day, time and site

This is WIAA’s bracket, released October 10, 2026 (WIAA’s bracket page). The region letters A to D are ours, in the order of WIAA’s page; WIAA prints none. See our own projection through week 8 →

8-man football · Week 8 field and cut line

Table-only view →

Since week 7: in Three Lakes/Phelps (33 → 31) · out Alma Center Lincoln (31 → 33). Biggest climbs: Turtle Lake ▲7, Oakfield ▲6, Bruce ▲5. Biggest drops: Athens ▼4, Niagara ▼4, Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah ▼4.

The seed column is WIAA’s. Rank, totals and the cut line are still our unofficial numbers, so a team can sit on the other side of our line from WIAA’s field.

Rank+/−TeamCityW-LTotalTier 1 AVGTier 2 AVGTier 2 WinsWIAA Seed
1–Belmont checkBelmont17.891-A
2–Gilman checkGilman16.241-C
3▲1Valley Christian (Oshkosh) checkOshkosh14.621-D
4▲2Wabeno/Laona check14.511-B
5▼2Hurley checkHurley14.402-C
6▼1Suring checkSuring12.532-B
7–Assumption checkWisconsin Rapids12.492-D
8▲1De Soto checkDe Soto12.082-A
9▼1Sevastopol checkSturgeon Bay11.963-B
10▲3Owen-Withee checkOwen10.573-D
11▼1North Crawford checkSoldiers Grove10.253-A
12▲7Turtle Lake checkTurtle Lake9.383-C
13▼2Clear Lake checkClear Lake9.004-C
14▼2Palmyra-Eagle checkPalmyra8.934-A
15–Northwood/Solon Springs check8.734-B
16–Flambeau checkTony7.954-D
17▼3Tri-County checkPlainfield7.315-C
18–Almond-Bancroft checkAlmond7.315-A
19▲2Rib Lake checkRib Lake7.165-B
20▲3Lena/Saint Thomas Aquinas check6.795-D
21▼4Athens checkAthens6.416-C
22–Port Edwards checkPort Edwards6.076-D
23▲6Oakfield checkOakfield5.856-A
24▼4Niagara checkNiagara5.666-B
25▲5Bruce checkBruce5.307-C
26▲2Thorp checkThorp5.297-D
27▼2Lake Holcombe checkHolcombe5.257-A
28▼4Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah checkElkhart Lake4.667-B
29▼3Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran/Providence Academy (Green Bay) check4.588-D
30▼3Frederic checkFrederic4.138-C
31▲2Three Lakes/Phelps check3.758-B in
32–Wild Rose checkWild Rose3.418-A
Our unofficial cut line · top 32 by our numbers
33▼2Alma Center Lincoln checkBelow cut lineAlma Center3.38Not in WIAA field dropped
34▲2New Auburn checkBelow cut lineNew Auburn3.00Not in WIAA field
35▼1Washburn checkBelow cut lineWashburn2.65Not in WIAA field
36▲7Wausaukee checkBelow cut lineWausaukee2.63Not in WIAA field
37–Williams Bay checkBelow cut lineWilliams Bay2.36Not in WIAA field
38▼3Highland checkBelow cut lineHighland2.32Not in WIAA field
39▼1Mellen checkBelow cut lineMellen1.89Not in WIAA field
40▲1Pembine/Goodman checkBelow cut line1.51Not in WIAA field
41▼2Siren checkBelow cut lineSiren1.50Not in WIAA field
42▲3Chequamegon checkBelow cut linePark Falls1.50Not in WIAA field
43▼3Elcho/White Lake checkBelow cut line1.50Not in WIAA field
44–Princeton/Green Lake checkBelow cut line1.20Not in WIAA field
45▼3Cornell checkBelow cut lineCornell1.13Not in WIAA field
46T▼1Luck checkBelow cut lineLuck0.75Not in WIAA field
46T▼1Prentice checkBelow cut linePrentice0.75Not in WIAA field
48–Newman Catholic checkBelow cut lineWausau0.75Not in WIAA field
49–Wayland Academy checkBelow cut lineBeaver Dam0.41Not in WIAA field
50T–Florence checkBelow cut lineFlorence0.38Not in WIAA field
50T–Gibraltar checkBelow cut lineFish Creek0.38Not in WIAA field
50T–Winter/Birchwood checkBelow cut line0.38Not in WIAA field
50T–Wonewoc-Center checkBelow cut lineWonewoc0.38Not in WIAA field
54–Oneida Nation checkBelow cut lineOneida0.00Not in WIAA field
—Iola-Scandinavia checkIola15.50Excluded
—Shell Lake check3-year enrollment average 204Shell Lake13.70Excluded
—Abundant Life Christian/Saint Ambrose check3-year enrollment average 28912.41Excluded
—Rosholt checkRosholt12.18Excluded
—Clayton/Prairie Farm check3-year enrollment average 21112.00Excluded
—Algoma check3-year enrollment average 220Algoma7.62Excluded
—Phillips check3-year enrollment average 201Phillips6.38Excluded
—Marion/Tigerton check3-year enrollment average 2115.19Excluded
—Kickapoo/La Farge check3-year enrollment average 2294.70Excluded
—St. John's Northwestern check3-year enrollment average 350Delafield3.90Excluded
—Wisconsin Heights check3-year enrollment average 229Mazomanie1.14Excluded
—Bowler/Gresham check0.00Excluded
—Gillett checkGillett0.00Excluded
—Menominee Nation check3-year enrollment average 368Keshena0.00Excluded
—Montello check3-year enrollment average 216Montello0.00Excluded
—Monticello checkMonticello0.00Excluded
—South Shore checkPort Wing0.00Excluded

Ewert’s picks are guesses. Hypothetical playoff winners use the current ES model and rated snapshots, not seeds. Early rounds assume the higher seed hosts; state semifinals and final assume a neutral site. No new games, results or forecasts are saved. ES basis: week 9, 10/22/26, 5:39 AM Central. Missing or near-even inputs remain TBD.

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 this projection

Official bracket, unofficial table. The bracket above and the seeds are WIAA’s, as published October 10, 2026. Everything else on this page (rank, totals, the cut line, the weekly movement and the worked example) is still our own calculation, described below.

How our projection was made. Seeds come from the unofficial playoff matrix above (WIAA’s formula on the results we hold, 2026 regulations). Regions and Level 1 pairings follow the regulations’ travel rules with an approximation: straight-line miles between school ZIP centroids instead of WIAA’s travel distances, so a region letter or a pairing near the margin can differ. Slots: WIAA's official bracket where stored, projected elsewhere. Through week 8 (games dated Friday 2026-10-09 or earlier; WIAA deadline: completion before 11:59 p.m. Central; stored dates do not establish finish times). 32 of 54 in the field.

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: Assumption (rank 7, seed 2)

DateOpponentResultOpponent’s valueTier 1 earnedOpp. Tier 1 pointsOpp. gamesCounts?
2026-08-21RosholtW33.0021.608yes
2026-08-28ThorpW33.0012.008yes
2026-09-04Alma Center LincolnW (forfeit)33.006.008yes. Forfeit win: the loser's full value.
2026-09-04WashburnW (Seeding Only)3———Not counted: a replacement win worth less than the forfeit win that week, so the forfeit stands (regulations 3h).
2026-09-11AthensW33.0015.008yes
2026-09-18Owen-WitheeW33.0018.308yes
2026-09-25GilmanL30.00—8yes
2026-10-02CornellW33.003.008yes
2026-10-09Newman CatholicW33.003.008yes

Tier 1 AVG = 21.00 ÷ 8 = 2.625. Tier 2 points = 21.60 + 12.00 + 6.00 + 15.00 + 18.30 + 3.00 + 3.00 = 78.90; opponents’ games = 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 64; Tier 2 AVG = 78.90 ÷ 64 = 1.233. Total = 2.625 + 8 × 1.233 = 12.49 (Tier 3 tie-break 4.26).

To check another team’s numbers, open its row’s “check” link in the tables above. Team labels in the bracket open team pages.

WIAA Football Playoff Brackets: Official and Projected | Ewert Sports | Ewert Sports