With the postseason here, nearly 800 teams across Ohio will begin a journey toward being crowned one of only seven state champions. Some divisions have a crystal-clear favorite. Others are an absolute crapshoot.

So, without further ado, let’s see who the favorites are to claim a state title at the Nutter Center next month.

DIVISION I

This is one of the divisions with a crystal-clear favorite. Seton has gone a perfect 22-0 against the eighth-toughest schedule in the state. Looking for an upset? Look at the two teams that took a set off the Saints.

In September, St. Ursula became the first team to take a set off Seton in a 3-1 loss at home. Five days later, Ursuline Academy became the second team to take a set off the Saints. However, only one of those two teams could reach the state semifinals, as their paths could collide in the Springfield regional final.

For a long shot, keep an eye on Olentangy Berlin. The Bears are riding an 18-match winning streak with their lone loss coming at Big Walnut at the end of August.

DIVISION II

Kings and Magnificat traded places one last time in the power rankings before the postseason began. Thankfully, they are on opposite sides of the Division II bracket, which means we could get a wonderfully competitive state championship.

Magnificat enters as the favorite with a 39% title chance. The Blue Streaks’ advantage is a favorable path to the regional final, where they could run into a battle-tested Riverside squad.

For Kings, next in line at 29%, the road is much tougher. Their regional final could come against Mount Notre Dame, a team that is significantly better than its 11-10 record suggests.

In fact, MND is fourth in state championship odds at 6%, trailing Magnificat, Kings and undefeated Big Walnut at 9%.

DIVISION III

Sticking with Cincinnati, Archbishop McNicholas is the odds-on favorite to win Division III at 55%.

What makes the division fascinating is that if McNicholas doesn’t win it, the field behind the Rockets is wide open.

Padua Franciscan is on the opposite side of the bracket and could not see McNicholas until the state championship. Despite a 14-8 record, the Bruins are battle-tested with the eighth-toughest schedule in the state.

NDCL has the second-best power rating in Division III, but a possible state semifinal date with McNicholas caps its title odds.

After those three, there is a crowded list of contenders including Bellbrook, Gilmour Academy, Tippecanoe, Bloom-Carroll, Cincinnati Hills Christian and Hamilton Ross, all with better than a 1% chance to take home the hardware.

DIVISION IV

Bishop Fenwick has camped out at the top of Division IV all season long. Despite a strong résumé and spending most of the season atop the division, the Falcons are not as invincible as they may seem.

The Falcons dropped a home match to Cincinnati Hills Christian to end September. In their final five matches in October, the Falcons managed only one sweep.

Sitting behind Fenwick are Lake Catholic and Gallia Academy, both with favorable paths to the state semifinals.

However, there is a long list of contenders with a better than 4% chance of winning it all: Elyria Catholic, Taylor, Millbury Lake, Ottawa-Glandorf, Warsaw River View and Jonathan Alder.

DIVISION V

Meadowbrook came so close to a perfect regular season.

The Colts took River View to five sets after falling behind 2-0, but they came up just short in the fifth set, 15-13, finishing the regular season 21-1.

Meadowbrook enters as the favorite thanks to being the top team in Division V and having a favorable path to the state semifinals out of eastern and southeastern Ohio.

The challengers are largely coming from the other half of the state. MAC foes Versailles and Coldwater are next on the board at 16% and 11%, respectively.

Huron and Marion Pleasant both sit around 8%, while South Range checks in at 6%.

DIVISION VI

For once, the most balanced and deepest division is not one of the biggest.

St. Henry, which finished in a three-way tie for second in the MAC, is the slightest of favorites despite a brutal path that could include No. 9 Tinora, No. 10 Marion Local and No. 3 Patrick Henry before the Redskins even reach the state semifinals.

Speaking of Patrick Henry, the undefeated Patriots just edge out the next tier of contenders, including New Bremen, Dalton and Parkway.

All of those teams have a better than 15% chance of winning the state title.

Then comes a list of dark horses including Lucasville Valley, Hiland and Garaway.

DIVISION VII

My attitude at the beginning of the year was that Calvert was so much better than the rest of Division VII that it was almost embarrassing.

With the postseason here, nothing has really changed.

The Senecas enter with an 89% chance of winning the state championship.

After Calvert, Russia and Fort Loramie are clearly second and third at 4% each.

That leaves the rest of Division VII combined with roughly a 3% chance of winning the title.

Sorry for omitting the spoiler warning.