The state football playoffs start next week. Here’s who’s in, who’s out and who needs help
The Treasure Valley’s 5A and 4A high school football teams have reached the final week of their regular season. And across the Southern Idaho Conference, coaches, players and fans are eyeing the state playoff brackets, their position and possible opponents.
We broke down both leagues and every team’s postseason possibilities heading into the final week so you can focus on what matters to your team.
5A SIC
Playoff berths: Five automatic, plus up to three at-large bids
Conference champ: Rocky Mountain
Clinched playoff spot: Rocky Mountain, Borah, Mountain View, Capital, Eagle and Timberline
Still alive: Meridian
Eliminated: Centennial, Skyview and Boise
The 5A at-large berths confuse a lot of fans. Here’s the simplest explanation:
Finish in the top half of your league, and you get an automatic playoff spot. The remaining teams fight for three at-large spots. The three teams with the best winning percentage against 5A teams — including out-of-state programs with 1,280 or more students — advance.
A 4-5 record in the SIC automatically gets you in this year. Even 3-6 may be enough for Meridian.
Rocky Mountain: The Grizzlies (8-0) already have a bye into the quarterfinals and home-field advantage through the semifinals. Their final game at Skyview (1-7) has no impact.
Borah: The Lions (7-2) clinched second place in the SIC and a bye into the quarterfinals with a win over Centennial on Thursday night.
Mountain View: The Mavericks (6-2) are locked into a third-place finish in the 5A SIC no matter what happens Friday against Meridian. Mountain View will host the final at-large team in the first round.
Capital: The Eagles (5-3) will play in the all-SIC first-round playoff game as the league’s fourth- or fifth-place finisher.
A win at Eagle (5-3) would lift Capital into fourth place, allowing it to host Timberline (assuming the Wolves beat Boise) next week. A loss would send Capital back to Eagle for the second week in a row.
Eagle: The Mustangs (5-3) can finish anywhere from fourth to sixth based on Friday’s results.
A win over Capital guarantees Eagle a fourth-place finish and a rematch back in Eagle in the first round of the playoffs. A loss and a Timberline loss to Boise allows the Mustangs to finish fifth, sending the rematch with Capital to Dona Larsen Park.
A loss and a Timberline win drops Eagle to sixth place, where its 5-4 record against 5A opponents guarantees it the top at-large berth in the playoffs. That spot comes with a trip to the North Idaho runner-up — the loser of Friday’s Post Falls at Coeur d’Alene game — in the first round.
Timberline: The Wolves (4-4) will finish either fifth or sixth in the SIC after Friday night, but they are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs through the at-large field with a minimum 4-5 record against 5As.
Timberline can finish fifth with a win over Boise and a Capital victory over Eagle, creating a first-round matchup vs. Capital. But if Eagle beats Capital, Timberline would finish sixth and fall into an at-large berth no matter how the Wolves fair against Boise.
Meridian: The Warriors (3-5) remain in strong position for their sixth straight playoff berth as an at-large team. An upset over Mountain View guarantees Meridian another game. But even with a loss, Meridian still holds a strong position for an at-large bid.
A lot of scenarios can play out that require a point differential (capped at nine points) to break the ties. Explaining them all would take all day. But Meridian fans should root for Lewiston to beat Lake City and Madison to top Thunder Ridge, guaranteeing the Warriors a playoff berth.
If just one of those two win, Meridian will have to sweat until Saturday morning when the tiebreakers are final.
4A SIC
Playoff berths: Five
Conference champ: Kuna
Clinched playoff spot: Kuna, Bishop Kelly, Middleton and Vallivue
Still alive: Nampa, Emmett
Eliminated: Columbia, Ridgevue and Caldwell
Playoff scenarios normally take a degree in rocket science to calculate for the 4A Southern Idaho Conference. But this year, it’s as simple as it can get.
Kuna: The Kavemen (8-0, 7-0 4A SIC) don’t have anything left to play for but an undefeated regular season on senior night against Caldwell (0-8, 0-7). Kuna will then host a first-round game against the yet-to-be-determined fifth-place finisher from District 4-5.
Pocatello (4-4) would claim that spot with an expected win over Burley (3-5) on Friday.
Bishop Kelly: The Knights (6-2, 6-2) have a bye this week and already have secured the league’s second seed in the playoffs. They host the fourth-place team from District 4-5, a spot Canyon Ridge (2-6) would clinch with an expected win over Wood River (1-5) on Friday.
Middleton and Vallivue: The Vikings (6-2, 5-2) and Falcons (6-2, 5-2) battle for the third and fourth seeds out of the SIC on Friday at Middleton.
The winner travels to Skyline (5-3), the already clinched second-place team from East Idaho. The loser travels to the North Idaho champ, which Moscow (4-3) can wrap up with a win over Lakeland (2-6) on Friday.
Nampa and Emmett: The Bulldogs (5-3, 4-3) and Huskies (3-5, 3-4) fight for the SIC’s fifth and final playoff spot. Neither can rise higher than fifth place.
The winner travels to face the District 4-5 champ — the winner of Friday’s Jerome (6-2) at Century (5-3) game — for a first-round matchup. The loser’s season is over.
This story was originally published October 23, 2019 at 4:05 PM.
