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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, 10/23/26, 5:39 AM CentralField table · How it works

Bracket and table computed Fri, Oct 23 · 12:17 PM CDT

  • Final Finished, with the score
  • Upcoming Both teams set; day and site on the card
  • Ewert’s pick A guess, not a set matchup
  • To be decided Waiting on earlier games
Belmont vs Wild Rose · Saturday, October 17, 1:00 PM · at BelmontReported winner: Belmont advances. Played score: Belmont 74, Wild Rose 12.1 Belmont748 Wild Rose12FINAL · Sat 10/17FINAL · Sat 10/17Palmyra-Eagle vs Almond-Bancroft · Saturday, October 17, 1:00 PM · at Palmyra-EagleReported winner: Palmyra-Eagle advances. Played score: Palmyra-Eagle 42, Almond-Bancroft 0.4 Palmyra-E…425 Almond-Ban…0FINAL · Sat 10/17FINAL · Sat 10/17North Crawford vs Oakfield · Saturday, October 17, 1:00 PM · at North Crawford3 North Cra…24Reported winner: Oakfield advances. Played score: North Crawford 24, Oakfield 34.6 Oakfield34FINAL · Sat 10/17FINAL · Sat 10/17De Soto vs Lake Holcombe · Saturday, October 17, 1:00 PM · at De SotoReported winner: De Soto advances. Played score: De Soto 20, Lake Holcombe 18.2 De Soto207 Lake Holc…18FINAL · Sat 10/17FINAL · Sat 10/17Awaiting confirmed playoff result1 BelmontAwaiting confirmed playoff result4 Palmyra-EagleFri 7 PMFri 7 PMAwaiting confirmed playoff result6 OakfieldAwaiting confirmed playoff result2 De SotoFri 7 PMFri 7 PMTBDTBDTBD · Fri 10/30TBD · Fri 10/30Wabeno/Laona vs Three Lakes/Phelps · Saturday, October 17, 1:00 PM · at Wabeno/LaonaReported winner: Wabeno/Laona advances. Played score: Wabeno/Laona 44, Three Lakes/Phelps 6.1 Wabeno/La…448 Three Lake…6FINAL · Sat 10/17FINAL · Sat 10/17Northwood/Solon Springs vs Rib Lake · Saturday, October 17, 1:00 PM · at Northwood/Solon SpringsReported winner: Northwood/Solon Springs advances. Played score: Northwood/Solon Springs 48, Rib Lake 8.4 Northwood…485 Rib Lake8FINAL · Sat 10/17FINAL · Sat 10/17Sevastopol vs Niagara · Saturday, October 17, 1:00 PM · at SevastopolReported winner: Sevastopol advances. Played score: Sevastopol 32, Niagara 6.3 Sevastopol326 Niagara6FINAL · Sat 10/17FINAL · Sat 10/17Suring vs Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah · Saturday, October 17, 1:00 PM · at SuringReported winner: Suring advances. Played score: Suring 46, Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah 19.2 Suring467 Elkhart L…19FINAL · Sat 10/17FINAL · Sat 10/17Wabeno/Laona vs Northwood/Solon Springs · Saturday, October 24 · at Wabeno/LaonaES pick: Wabeno/Laona, 83.8% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-23T10:39:39.323Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 Wabeno…ES 84%4 Northwood/So…Sat 10/24 · @ Wabeno/LaonaSat 10/24 · @ Wabeno/Lao…Awaiting confirmed playoff result3 SevastopolAwaiting confirmed playoff result2 SuringFri 7 PMFri 7 PM1 Wabeno/LaonaTBDEWERT’S PICK · Fri 10/30EWERT’S PICK · Fri 10/30Gilman vs Frederic · Saturday, October 17, 1:00 PM · at GilmanReported winner: Gilman advances. Played score: Gilman 54, Frederic 6.1 Gilman548 Frederic6FINAL · Sat 10/17FINAL · Sat 10/17Clear Lake vs Tri-County · Saturday, October 17, 1:00 PM · at Clear LakeReported winner: Clear Lake advances. Played score: Clear Lake 56, Tri-County 0.4 Clear Lake565 Tri-County0FINAL · Sat 10/17FINAL · Sat 10/17Turtle Lake vs Athens · Saturday, October 17, 4:00 PM · at Turtle Lake3 Turtle La…20Reported winner: Athens advances. Played score: Turtle Lake 20, Athens 44.6 Athens44FINAL · Sat 10/17FINAL · Sat 10/17Hurley vs Bruce · Saturday, October 17, 1:00 PM · at HurleyReported winner: Hurley advances. Played score: Hurley 62, Bruce 16.2 Hurley627 Bruce16FINAL · Sat 10/17FINAL · Sat 10/17Awaiting confirmed playoff result1 GilmanAwaiting confirmed playoff result4 Clear LakeFri 7 PMFri 7 PMAwaiting confirmed playoff result6 AthensAwaiting confirmed playoff result2 HurleyFri 7 PMFri 7 PMTBDTBDTBD · Fri 10/30TBD · Fri 10/30Valley Christian (Oshkosh) vs Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran/Providence Academy (Green Bay) · Saturday, October 17, 5:00 PM · at Valley Christian (Oshkosh)Reported winner: Valley Christian (Oshkosh) advances. Played score: Valley Christian (Oshkosh) 48, Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran/Providence Academy (Green Bay) 8.1 Valley Ch…488 Green Bay…8FINAL · Sat 10/17FINAL · Sat 10/17Flambeau vs Lena/Saint Thomas Aquinas · Saturday, October 17, 1:00 PM · at Flambeau4 Flambeau18Reported winner: Lena/Saint Thomas Aquinas advances. Played score: Flambeau 18, Lena/Saint Thomas Aquinas 31.5 Lena/Sain…31FINAL · Sat 10/17FINAL · Sat 10/17Owen-Withee vs Port Edwards · Saturday, October 17, 1:00 PM · at Owen-WitheeReported winner: Owen-Withee advances. Played score: Owen-Withee 72, Port Edwards 20.3 Owen-With…726 Port Edwa…20FINAL · Sat 10/17FINAL · Sat 10/17Assumption vs Thorp · Saturday, October 17, 1:00 PM · at AssumptionReported winner: Assumption advances. Played score: Assumption 23, Thorp 16.2 Assumption237 Thorp16FINAL · Sat 10/17FINAL · Sat 10/17Awaiting confirmed playoff result1 Valley Chris…Awaiting confirmed playoff result5 Lena/Saint T…Fri 7 PMFri 7 PMOwen-Withee vs Assumption · Saturday, October 24 · at Assumption3 Owen-WitheeES pick: Assumption, 51.8% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-23T10:39:39.323Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.2 Assump…ES 52%Sat 10/24 · @ AssumptionSat 10/24 · @ AssumptionTBD2 AssumptionEWERT’S PICK · Fri 10/30EWERT’S PICK · Fri 10/30TBDTBDTBD · Fri 11/6TBD · Fri 11/6State semifinalTBDTBDTBD · Fri 11/6TBD · Fri 11/6State semifinalTBDTBDTBDTBDState finalLevel 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

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

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

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. Days and times are WIAA’s as of October 10 (Central time); WIAA’s bracket page has any change.

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 →

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, 10/23/26, 5:39 AM Central. Missing or near-even inputs remain TBD.

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: Monticello (not in the field)

DateOpponentResultOpponent’s valueTier 1 earnedOpp. Tier 1 pointsOpp. gamesCounts?
2026-08-20Wonewoc-CenterL (forfeit)30.00—8yes. Forfeit loss.
2026-09-04North CrawfordL (forfeit)30.00—7yes. Forfeit loss.
2026-09-11HighlandL (forfeit)30.00—8yes. Forfeit loss.
2026-09-11North CrawfordL (Seeding Only)3———Not counted: the other side kept its forfeit win that week instead of this replacement, so WIAA carries the game for neither side (Seeding Only).
2026-09-18BelmontL (forfeit)30.00—8yes. Forfeit loss.
2026-09-25De SotoL (forfeit)30.00—8yes. Forfeit loss.
2026-10-02Wisconsin HeightsL (forfeit)3.30.00—8yes. Forfeit loss.
2026-10-09Kickapoo/La FargeL (forfeit)3.30.00—8yes. Forfeit loss.

Tier 1 AVG = 0.00 ÷ 7 = 0.000. Tier 2 points = 0 = 0.00; opponents’ games = 8 + 7 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 55; Tier 2 AVG = 0.00 ÷ 55 = 0.000. Total = 0.000 + 8 × 0.000 = 0.00.

To check another team’s numbers, open its row’s “check” link in the tables above. Confirmed matchups in the bracket open game pages; team pages are linked in the field table and on each game page.

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