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Playoff Bracket · Football Division 2 OFFICIAL

WIAA official bracket, released October 17, 2026Next: Level 1, Fri, Oct 23 · 7 PMEwert’s picks: week 9 ratings, 10/20/26, 11:54 PM CentralField table · How it works

Bracket and table computed Wed, Oct 21 · 3:34 PM 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.

ES pick: New Richmond, 98.1% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 New RichmondES 98%8 DeForestES pick: La Crosse Central, 81.8% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.4 La Crosse Ce…ES 82%5 Waukesha WestES pick: Holmen, 72.7% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.3 HolmenES 73%6 River Falls2 Beaver DamES pick: Brookfield Central, 55.5% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.7 Brookfield C…ES 55%ES pick: New Richmond, 85.5% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 New RichmondES 85%4 La Crosse Central3 Holmen7 Brookfield Central1 New RichmondTBDES pick: Monona Grove, 97.7% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 Monona GroveES 98%8 Milton4 Wausau EastES pick: Marshfield, 88.5% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.5 MarshfieldES 89%3 GreenfieldES pick: Grafton, 69.3% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.6 GraftonES 69%ES pick: Elkhorn, 92.8% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.2 ElkhornES 93%7 Westosha CentralES pick: Monona Grove, 90.6% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 Monona GroveES 91%5 Marshfield6 GraftonES pick: Elkhorn, 70.8% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.2 ElkhornES 71%ES pick: Monona Grove, 86.7% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 Monona GroveES 87%2 ElkhornES pick: Notre Dame, 89.5% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 Notre DameES 89%8 GermantownES pick: Menasha, 81.9% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.4 MenashaES 82%5 Menomonee FallsES pick: Pulaski, 87.5% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.3 PulaskiES 87%6 AshwaubenonES pick: Kaukauna, 91.1% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.2 KaukaunaES 91%7 Oshkosh NorthES pick: Notre Dame, 88.7% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 Notre DameES 89%4 MenashaES pick: Pulaski, 54.5% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.3 PulaskiES 54%2 KaukaunaES pick: Notre Dame, 76.0% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 Notre DameES 76%3 PulaskiES pick: Union Grove, 98.4% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 Union GroveES 98%8 Milwaukee KingES pick: Waukesha South, 76.1% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.4 Waukesha Sou…ES 76%5 Wauwatosa EastES pick: West Bend West, 71.0% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.3 West Bend We…ES 71%6 SlingerES pick: Homestead, 95.2% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.2 HomesteadES 95%7 BurlingtonES pick: Union Grove, 91.2% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.1 Union GroveES 91%4 Waukesha South3 West Bend WestES pick: Homestead, 82.0% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.2 HomesteadES 82%1 Union GroveES pick: Homestead, 50.2% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: higher-seed home.2 HomesteadES 50%TBD1 Monona GroveState semifinalES pick: Notre Dame, 52.5% win chance. Ratings calculated 2026-10-21T04:54:06.012Z; assumed venue: neutral.1 Notre DameES 53%2 HomesteadState semifinalTBD1 Notre DameState finalLevel 1Fri, Oct 23 · 7 PMLevel 1Fri, Oct 23 · 7 PMLevel 2Fri, Oct 30 · 7 PMLevel 2Fri, Oct 30 · 7 PMLevel 3Fri, Nov 6 · 7 PMLevel 3Fri, Nov 6 · 7 PMLevel 4Fri, Nov 13 · 7 PMLevel 4Fri, Nov 13 · 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: Friday, October 23, 7:00 PM · Level 2: Friday, October 30, 7:00 PM · Level 3: Friday, November 6, 7:00 PM · Level 4: Friday, November 13, 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 17 (Central time); WIAA’s bracket page has any change.

Level 1 games: day, time and site

This is WIAA’s bracket, released October 17, 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 9 →

Division 2 · Week 9 field and cut line

Table-only view →

Since week 8: the same teams are in the field. Biggest climbs: Waukesha South ▲7, Wausau East ▲6, Waukesha West ▲4. Biggest drops: Ashwaubenon ▼5, Slinger ▼4, Holmen ▼3.

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▲1New Richmond checkNew Richmond33.171-A
2▼1Notre Dame checkGreen Bay32.001-C
3–Union Grove checkUnion Grove29.281-D
4▲1Monona Grove checkMonona24.111-B
5▼1Elkhorn checkElkhorn23.892-B
6▲2Homestead checkMequon23.832-D
7–Beaver Dam checkBeaver Dam21.562-A
8▲1Kaukauna checkKaukauna21.392-C
9▼3Holmen checkHolmen21.223-A
10–Pulaski checkPulaski20.893-C
11–West Bend West checkWest Bend20.283-D
12–Greenfield checkGreenfield18.723-B
13▲7Waukesha South checkWaukesha17.674-D
14▲1La Crosse Central checkLa Crosse17.174-A
15▼2Menasha checkMenasha17.174-C
16▲6Wausau East checkWausau16.334-B
17▼3Wauwatosa East checkWauwatosa15.895-D
18▼2Marshfield checkMarshfield15.225-B
19▲4Waukesha West checkWaukesha14.065-A
20▼2Menomonee Falls checkMenomonee Falls13.945-C
21▲3River Falls checkRiver Falls13.836-A
22▼5Ashwaubenon checkAshwaubenon13.676-C
23▼4Slinger checkSlinger13.336-D
24▼3Grafton checkGrafton12.336-B
25▲1Oshkosh North checkOshkosh11.947-C
26▲1Brookfield Central checkBrookfield10.947-A
27▼2Westosha Central checkSalem10.007-B
28–Burlington checkBurlington9.947-D
29▲2Germantown checkGermantown9.678-C
30–Milwaukee King checkMilwaukee9.508-D
31▼2Milton checkMilton8.788-B
32–DeForest checkDeForest6.068-A
Our unofficial cut line · top 32 by our numbers
33▲2Oregon checkBelow cut lineOregon5.83Not in WIAA field
34▼1Menomonie checkBelow cut lineMenomonie5.50Not in WIAA field
35▼1Racine Horlick checkBelow cut lineRacine5.33Not in WIAA field
36–Nicolet checkBelow cut lineGlendale5.28Not in WIAA field
37▲2Superior checkBelow cut lineSuperior3.56Not in WIAA field
38▼1Hartford Union checkBelow cut lineHartford3.28Not in WIAA field
39▼1Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln checkBelow cut lineWisconsin Rapids2.83Not in WIAA field
40–Sheboygan South checkBelow cut lineSheboygan2.78Not in WIAA field
41–Green Bay Southwest checkBelow cut lineGreen Bay2.72Not in WIAA field
42–West Allis Central checkBelow cut lineWest Allis2.67Not in WIAA field
43▲2Watertown checkBelow cut lineWatertown2.17Not in WIAA field
44▲2Rice Lake checkBelow cut lineRice Lake2.11Not in WIAA field
45▼2Cedarburg checkBelow cut lineCedarburg2.00Not in WIAA field
46▼2West Allis Hale checkBelow cut lineWest Allis1.83Not in WIAA field
47T▼1Beloit Memorial checkBelow cut lineBeloit0.00Not in WIAA field
47T▼1Green Bay East checkBelow cut lineGreen Bay0.00Not in WIAA field
47T▼1Kettle Moraine checkBelow cut lineWales0.00Not in WIAA field
47T▼1Racine Park checkBelow cut lineRacine0.00Not in WIAA field
—Milwaukee South checkMilwaukee1.00Excluded
—Milwaukee Marshall checkMilwaukee0.00Excluded
—Northwood/Solon Springs checkProgram eligibility not verified0-0————Unverified
—Winter/Birchwood checkProgram eligibility not verified0-0————Unverified

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, 10/20/26, 11:54 PM 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 17, 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 9 (games dated Friday 2026-10-16 or earlier; WIAA deadline: completion before 11:59 p.m. Central; stored dates do not establish finish times). 32 of 50 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: 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: Union Grove (rank 3, seed 1)

DateOpponentResultOpponent’s valueTier 1 earnedOpp. Tier 1 pointsOpp. gamesCounts?
2026-08-21Kettle MoraineW6 (D2)6.000.009yes
2026-08-28Whitefish BayW5.5 (D3)5.5041.009yes
2026-09-04ElkhornW6 (D2)6.0046.509yes
2026-09-11BurlingtonW6 (D2)6.0024.509yes
2026-09-18Wilmot UnionW5.5 (D3)5.5027.009yes
2026-09-25Westosha CentralW6 (D2)6.0024.009yes
2026-10-02WaterfordW5.5 (D3)5.5035.509yes
2026-10-09Beloit MemorialW6 (D2)6.000.009yes
2026-10-16BadgerW6.5 (D1)6.5012.009yes

Tier 1 AVG = 53.00 ÷ 9 = 5.889. Tier 2 points = 0.00 + 41.00 + 46.50 + 24.50 + 27.00 + 24.00 + 35.50 + 0.00 + 12.00 = 210.50; opponents’ games = 9 + 9 + 9 + 9 + 9 + 9 + 9 + 9 + 9 = 81; Tier 2 AVG = 210.50 ÷ 81 = 2.599. Total = 5.889 + 9 × 2.599 = 29.28 (Tier 3 tie-break pending verification).

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