Editor’s note: Follow along here for updates and highlights from Week 9 of Illinois high school football.
On Saturday night, the 256 high school football teams in the 2025 Illinois state playoffs will know who and where they play to open the postseason.
But you have questions. We have answers.
Here is a look at some of the frequently asked questions about the Illinois High School Association playoffs and how the eight-class field is set.
Behind the scenes: The not-so-secret formula behind the Illinois football playoff process
Who’s already in the IHSA football playoffs?
Heading into Week 9, there are 221 eligible teams with five or more wins and another 58 with four wins. Officially, as of Friday morning, a total of 156 teams have earned berths via conference championships or by winning six or more games.
The final 100 playoff teams will be those who win their sixth game this weekend, plus the remaining five-win teams with the highest playoff points. If there are still open spots after five-win teams fill the field, the four-win teams with the highest number of playoff points are selected.
IHSA football: What are playoff points?
Add the number of victories by the nine teams on your schedule: those are your playoff points. The higher the number, the tougher the schedule and the more likely a team with fewer than six wins makes the field. For playoff teams with the same number of victories, playoff points also help determine seeding within a class.
How many IHSA playoff points does a team need to qualify?
Playoff points are becoming less important for qualification, especially for five-win teams. The last three seasons, every eligible team with five wins made the playoffs. In 2022, one four-win team made the field; in 2023, six four-win teams made the playoffs; and in 2024, one four-team team made the field. Four-win teams need a very high playoff point total to qualify. The four-win teams to make the field in 2023 had between 49 and 56 playoff points, while the four-win team in 2024 had 51 playoff points.
How do teams with losing records get in IHSA football playoffs?
Last season, for just the third time since the IHSA expanded to eight classes in 2001, the field of 256 included an at-large teams with four wins. This is mainly because fewer schools are playing 11-man football — either because of schools combining to join co-ops or programs shifting to 8-player football.
Heading into Week 9, IHSA bracketologist Steve Soucie of Friday Night Drive projects that four teams with four wins will make the field of 256. There are 58 teams with four wins; if 35 or more of them win in Week 9, the field will have no four-win teams. If fewer than 35 win, the IHSA will need four-win teams to fill the field.
IHSA football playoffs: How do we know who is in each class?
First, forget everything about polls or weekly playoff outlooks. A school’s in-season classification is strictly a guideline and has no bearing on its class when the playoffs start. The IHSA will take the 256 teams that qualify and place them in order of football enrollment (including non-boundaried multipliers, teams playing up and success adjustments). The 32 qualifiers with the lowest enrollments will make up Class 1A, the 32 with the next highest will be 2A, and so on, through all eight classes.
What are ‘playing up’ and ‘success adjustment’ in IHSA football?
Programs have the option to “play up” into a larger class than their enrollment dictates or be bumped up a class by the “success adjustment.” Of the schools still listed in the IHSA playoff outlook, nine fall into one of those two categories (listed with expected class): LaGrange Park Nazareth (6A); Antioch (6A); East St. Louis (6A); Glen Ellyn Glenbard South (6A); Oak Lawn Richards (7A); Batavia (7A); Chicago St. Rita (7A); Chicago Mount Carmel (8A) and Wilmette Loyola Academy (8A).
How are the IHSA playoff matchups determined?
For the six smallest classes (1A through 6A), the IHSA will divide each 32-team field into 16-team halves based on geography. Seeds within each half are determined by: 1) wins, 2) wins by opponents, 3) wins of defeated opponents. After that, ties are broken based on: 1) head-to-head results and 2) random selection by computer. Teams will be then be paired 1 vs. 16, 2 vs. 15, and so on. The 32-team fields in Class 7A and 8A will be fully seeded (1 vs. 32, 2 vs. 31, etc.)
Who gets to host IHSA playoff games?
In the first round, the better seed is host. In subsequent rounds, the team that has hosted fewer times during the current playoffs series is host. If both opponents have hosted an equal number of times, host site defers back to the better seed. A game can be played at a neutral site, but that decision is subject to approval by the IHSA board and the host school.
What are the key dates for the 2025 IHSA football playoffs?
First-round games are the weekend of Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Playoff games must be played on Saturday unless both schools agree to play on Friday. Friday games must not be scheduled during school hours, and Saturday games must start between 1-7 p.m. The schools must agree on the starting time of the game; if not, the IHSA will set the kickoff time.
- IHSA first round: Oct. 31-Nov. 1
- IHSA second round: Nov. 7-8
- IHSA quarterfinals: Nov. 14-15
- IHSA semifinals: Nov. 21-22
- IHSA championships: Nov. 28-29
What TV stations will broadcast the IHSA playoff pairing show?
In most statewide markets, the IHSA football pairings show will air live from 8-9 p.m. Saturday through the IHSA TV Network, on the NFHS Network and live on ihsa.org. In Peoria, the show will air live on WEEK/WHOI 19.1. Marshall Harris, Timothy ‘EdgyTim’ O’Halloran and Steve Soucie will bring you the pairings. Pairings also will be available live at pjstar.com
Where are 2025 Illinois state title football games?
At Hancock Stadium in Normal. The 1A through 4A title games will be on Friday, Nov. 28. The four largest class title games will be on Saturday, Nov. 29.
Wes Huett is Journal Star sports and news editor. Email him at whuett@pjstar.com. Follow him on X @WesHuett.
