You think you know high school football in the Midwest? Most people look at the bracket and see a simple tournament. They see names like Mount Carmel or East St. Louis and assume the path to a trophy is just a straight line. It's not. The Illinois state football playoffs are basically a month-long fever dream where weather, math, and sheer grit collide in ways that defy logic.
Honestly, if you aren't obsessing over "playoff points" by Week 6, you aren't really watching. It’s a system where a 5-4 team can be more dangerous than an undefeated one, and where the geography of the state dictates your destiny as much as your quarterback's arm does.
The Chaos of the 2025 Season
We just wrapped up one of the most lopsided yet fascinating state championship weekends in recent memory. If you were at Hancock Stadium or Huskie Stadium this past November, you saw history. But you also saw some absolute blowouts that had people questioning if the gap between the "haves" and "have-nots" is widening.
Take Class 1A. Lena-Winslow is a machine. They didn't just win; they dismantled Mt. Sterling (Brown County) 58-13. That's not a football game; it's a statement. Then you look at Class 8A, where Chicago Mount Carmel secured their IHSA-record 17th state title by suffocating Oswego 20-3. Gavin Conjar’s blocked punt return for a TD basically ended that game before it really breathed.
But the real story of the Illinois state football playoffs in 2025 was the drought-breakers.
Brother Rice finally climbed the mountain in 7A. They shut out St. Rita 16-0. For a program with that much history, waiting since 1981 for a title felt like an eternity. Kameron McGee and Brayden Parks were living in the St. Rita backfield all night. It was ugly, defensive, and beautiful.
The Scoreboard That Mattered
- 8A: Mt. Carmel 20, Oswego 3
- 7A: Brother Rice 16, St. Rita 0
- 6A: Fenwick 38, East St. Louis 28 (Yes, the Friars actually pulled it off)
- 5A: St. Francis 39, Providence Catholic 35
- 4A: Montini 47, Rochester 33
- 3A: Byron 56, Tolono Unity 50 (A total track meet)
- 2A: Wilmington 42, Maroa-Forsyth 6
- 1A: Lena-Winslow 58, Brown County 13
Why the "Playoff Points" System Is Secretly Genius
Most casual fans hate the math. I get it. Who wants to carry a calculator to a Friday night game? But the IHSA uses a "playoff points" system—the total number of victories earned by a team's opponents—to break ties and seed the field.
It’s why a 5-4 team in the Southwest Suburban Conference or the Chicago Catholic League (CCL) is often terrified of. They've spent nine weeks getting punched in the mouth by state title contenders. When they hit the 1A-6A brackets, they are battle-hardened.
The seeding isn't just about your record. It’s about who you survived.
In the lower classes (1A to 6A), the IHSA splits the 32-team brackets into North and South clusters. This is supposed to save on travel, but it often creates these "brackets of death." You might have the four best teams in the state all shoved into the top half of the 3A North bracket. It’s unfair. It’s brutal. It’s Illinois.
The 2026 Expansion: Everything Is About to Change
If you thought the current format was wild, buckle up. The IHSA just voted to change the game. Starting in the 2026 season—the one we are heading into—the Illinois state football playoffs are expanding from 256 teams to 384.
That is a 50% increase.
Instead of 32 teams per class, we’re moving to 48. The top 16 seeds in 7A and 8A will get a first-round bye. In 1A through 6A, the top eight seeds in each of the North/South halves will get that same week off.
Sorta changes the "survive and advance" mentality, doesn't it?
Critics are already loud about this. They say it rewards mediocrity. They worry about 2-7 teams making the field. And yeah, that’s a valid fear. But the IHSA’s logic is that it stabilizes conferences. Teams won't be as desperate to jump ship to a "weaker" conference just to hunt for that fifth win.
Plus, the season is starting a week earlier now. Practice kicks off August 10, 2026. The "Week Zero" scrimmages are dead. Every game counts from the jump.
Realities of the Multiplier and the "Boundaried" Debate
You can't talk about Illinois playoffs without mentioning the private school multiplier. It’s the elephant in the room at every IHSA meeting. Non-boundaried schools (mostly privates) have their enrollment multiplied by 1.65 to determine their class.
Why? To level the playing field. Does it work? Ask the public school coaches in 4A who have to deal with Montini or IC Catholic every year.
Some schools, like East St. Louis, play up in class by choice or due to "success adjustment" rules. Fenwick’s 6A win over East Side this year was a massive upset because East St. Louis is a powerhouse that usually treats the playoffs like a victory lap. Seeing the Friars take them down 38-28 behind Jake Thies’ 74-yard TD run was a reminder that on any given Saturday in November, the script can be flipped.
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What You Should Actually Look For Next Year
If you're planning your 2026 calendar, keep an eye on these specific shifts:
- The Bye Week Strategy: How will coaches handle a week of rest? Some teams get "rusty" with a bye. Others need it to heal their star running back's ankle.
- The New 5A/6A Border: With expansion, the enrollment cutoffs for each class will shift. You might see perennial 5A powers suddenly finding themselves as the "big fish" in 4A or the "small fish" in 6A.
- The July 4th "No Contact" Rule: The IHSA moved the mandatory no-contact week to the Fourth of July. This sounds minor, but it completely changes the rhythm of summer camps and 7-on-7 passing leagues.
The Illinois state football playoffs are moving into an era of "more is more." More teams, more games, and more chances for a Cinderella story to actually happen. Whether that dilutes the product or makes it more inclusive is something we’ll find out when the first whistle blows in August.
Get your tickets early for the 2026 finals. With 48 teams per class, the path to DeKalb and Normal just got a lot more crowded.
Check the IHSA website regularly for the latest enrollment updates and class cutoffs, as these will fluctuate based on the final 384-team count. If you are a coach or a parent, start adjusting your summer travel now to account for the August 10 practice start date. The transition to the 48-team bracket means the "bubble" for 5-4 teams has effectively disappeared, so focus your scouting on depth—you’ll likely need a deeper roster to survive an extra week of postseason play.