(10-21-17) With the 2017 regular season in the books, tonight is a big night in Illinois high school football. The pairings will be made tonight and the playoffs will off and running.
Take a look below at the Conference Champions, Clinchers and Still Eligible, with 203 already in, 53 will get the news tonight if they made it.
We breakdown each category below and show you some of the numbers.
COMPLETE LISTINGS
203 teams have clinched (Conference champion or 6 wins) a berth in this year’s playoffs. There are still 53 berths remaining to fill-out the playoff field.
Two Stateline area conference winners, Hononegah and Byron, will both be at home on week 1 after winning the NIC 10 and Big Northern Conference with a perfect 9-0 record. Home field on week 1 goes to the top seed.
24 conference winners are 9-0 on the season.
One conference champion, Highland Park, with a 5-4 record has qualified, the only school with just 5 wins.
Conference Champions (9-0)
| School | W-L | Opponents’ Wins |
Defeated Opponents’ Wins |
Classification Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frankfort (Lincoln-Way East) | 9-0 | 50 | 50 | 2916.00 |
| Chicago (Phillips) | 9-0 | 47 | 47 | 528.00 |
| Sterling (Newman Central Catholic) | 9-0 | 47 | 47 | 381.15 |
| Tuscola | 9-0 | 43 | 43 | 313.00 |
| Farmington | 9-0 | 38 | 38 | 413.00 |
| Dunlap | 9-0 | 37 | 37 | 1273.00 |
| Lena (L.-Winslow) | 9-0 | 37 | 37 | 226.00 |
| Barrington | 9-0 | 37 | 37 | 3004.00 |
| Trenton (Wesclin) | 9-0 | 36 | 36 | 396.00 |
| Rockton (Hononegah) | 9-0 | 36 | 36 | 2074.00 |
| Crystal Lake (Prairie Ridge) | 9-0 | 36 | 36 | 1457.00 |
| Williamsville | 9-0 | 36 | 36 | 467.00 |
| Rochester | 9-0 | 36 | 36 | 774.00 |
| Fairfield | 9-0 | 35 | 35 | 423.00 |
| Normal (Community) | 9-0 | 35 | 35 | 2123.00 |
| Johnsburg | 9-0 | 35 | 35 | 654.00 |
| Bridgeport (Red Hill) | 9-0 | 35 | 35 | 269.00 |
| Antioch | 9-0 | 34 | 34 | 1308.00 |
| Lake Zurich | 9-0 | 34 | 34 | 1921.00 |
| Highland | 9-0 | 33 | 33 | 901.00 |
| Byron | 9-0 | 33 | 33 | 472.00 |
| Chicago (Marist) | 9-0 | 32 | 32 | 2717.55 |
| Westville | 9-0 | 32 | 32 | 388.00 |
| Anna (A.-Jonesboro) | 9-0 | 31 | 31 | 514.00 |
5-4 Conference Champions
| Highland Park | 5-4 | 44 | 16 | 2041.00 |
Sterling is the lone 9-0 clincher, the Golden Warriors play in the 2-division NIB 12 with 5-teams in each division.
The NIC 10 added two clinchers, Auburn at 8-1 and East at 6-3. The Big Northern Conference clinchers were Winnebago at 6-3 and North Boone with a 7-2 record.
Playoff Clinchers
| School | W-L | Opponents’ Wins |
Defeated Opponents’ Wins |
Classification Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sterling (H.S.) | 9-0 | 37 | 37 | 998.00 |
| Rockford (Auburn) | 8-1 | 37 | 28 | 1865.00 |
| Rockford (East) | 6-3 | 39 | 17 | 1994.00 |
| Poplar Grove (North Boone) | 7-2 | 36 | 23 | 524.00 |
| Winnebago | 6-3 | 33 | 12 | 455.00 |
Still Eligible
Teams in the four “Chicago” divisions of the Chicago Public League must finish in first or second place in the conference to be eligible for the IHSA Playoffs. Teams that have not yet clinched a first- or second-place finish appear in this list and could cut down the 78 that are eligible on the list to be in the playoffs.
With 203 teams already in and 53 open spots, it is very possible that the next 50 will be at 5-4. Only three schools in this list have better records, Chicago Sullivan at 7-1, while Chicago Phoenix and Chicago Orr are both 6-2.
| School | W-L | Opponents’ Wins |
Defeated Opponents’ Wins |
Classification Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago (Sullivan) | 7-1 | 30 | 18 | 611.00 |
| Chicago (Phoenix) [Coop] | 6-2 | 33 | 17 | 1262.00 |
| Chicago (Orr) | 6-2 | 29 | 16 | 382.00 |
The rest of the still eligible teams listed have 5-4 records and depending on the above criteria will decide on some spots in the ‘gray zone’ being selected.
The opponents’ win total combined with the defeated opponents’ win total will also decide many spots at the bottom of the list.
The three Stateline area teams, should they all get in, will all be on the road for the first playoff game, higher seed hosts the first week.
Stateline Area Teams On the BUBBLE
| Rockford (R. Christian) | 5-4 | 43 | 12 | 378.00 |
| Machesney Park (Harlem) | 5-4 | 40 | 14 | 2092.00 |
| Belvidere (North) | 5-4 | 40 | 14 | 1508.00 |
JUST IN (5pm) 17 teams who miss playoffs
Non-Qualifiers with 5 wins
| School | Won | Lost | Opponents’ Wins |
Defeated Opponents’ Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elgin (St. Edward) | 5 | 4 | 39 | 11 |
| Polo | 5 | 4 | 38 | 12 |
| Naperville (Neuqua Valley) | 5 | 4 | 37 | 13 |
| Kirkland (Hiawatha) | 5 | 4 | 37 | 13 |
| Kincaid (South Fork) | 5 | 4 | 37 | 11 |
| Burlington (Central) | 5 | 4 | 37 | 8 |
| Aurora (Central Catholic) | 5 | 4 | 36 | 12 |
| Franklin Park-Northlake (Leyden) | 5 | 4 | 36 | 12 |
| Benton | 5 | 4 | 36 | 10 |
| Mt. Zion | 5 | 4 | 36 | 6 |
| Fithian (Oakwood) | 5 | 4 | 35 | 9 |
| Mt. Carmel | 5 | 4 | 33 | 11 |
| Canton | 5 | 4 | 33 | 9 |
| North Chicago | 5 | 4 | 33 | 7 |
| West Frankfort (Frankfort) | 5 | 4 | 33 | 7 |
| Mooseheart | 5 | 4 | 31 | 5 |
| Northbrook (Glenbrook North) | 5 | 4 | 29 | 7 |
Stateline Sports Network 