State playoffs are nearly here. What every 5A, 4A SIC team can do to boost its chances
Put away the calculator. We’ve got you covered.
The Idaho high school football playoffs loom in two weeks, and the Treasure Valley’s largest two leagues both have a dizzying array of possibilities left.
So we broke down all the scenarios for this team-by-team guide, allowing you to focus on the field Friday night instead of all the possible tiebreakers.
5A SIC
The 13-team league concludes its regular season this week. That leaves Week 9 for cross-division games to determine the league champ and who gets the league’s six automatic playoff berths.
These are the matchups between each division next week. Think of them a mini district tournament:
No. 1 vs. No. 1
No. 2 vs. No. 5
No. 3 vs. No. 4
No. 6 vs. No. 6
It’s complicated. But know this: The winners of No. 2 vs. No. 5 and No. 3 vs. No. 4 automatically go to the playoffs. So this week’s jockeying for position lays the groundwork for a playoff spot.
FOOTHILLS DIVISION
Meridian: Already clinched the division title and a bye into the state quarterfinals. It will host Eagle for the league title next week.
Rocky Mountain: Locked into a second-place finish no matter what happens Friday vs. Timberline. It will host either Borah or Owyhee next week. It’s Borah if the Lions lose to Eagle and Kuna beats Boise. It’s Owyhee in all other scenarios.
Middleton: Finishes third and plays at home next week by beating Centennial — or seeing Capital lose to Meridian. The Vikings would host either Borah (if it upsets Eagle or Kuna loses to Boise) or Kuna (if Borah loses and Kuna wins).
Capital: Must upset Meridian and see Middleton lose to Centennial to move into third place. Anything else means Capital finishes fourth and hits the road next week against the loser of Mountain View vs. Nampa.
Centennial: Can’t finish anything but fifth regardless of what it does vs. Middleton on Friday. The Patriots will travel to the winner of Mountain View vs. Nampa next week.
Timberline: Guaranteed to finish sixth even if it upsets Rocky Mountain. It will travel to the sixth-place team from the River Division next week. That could be Borah, Kuna or Boise, depending on the scenarios below.
At 0-7 vs. 5A teams entering the week, it has next to no path to an at-large berth.
RIVER DIVISION
Eagle: Clinched the division title and a bye into the quarterfinals last week. It travels to Meridian next week for the 5A SIC championship game.
Mountain View: Must beat Nampa on Friday to finish second and host Centennial next week. Lose, and the Mavericks are third and host their Week 9 opponent. That will be Capital — unless Capital upsets Meridian and Centennial upsets Middleton. Then it would be Middleton in that unlikely scenario.
Nampa: Beat Mountain View and it climbs into second place and hosts Centennial next week. Lose, and it finishes third and hosts either Capital or Middleton. It will be Capital unless both Capital and Centennial pull off upsets Friday.
Borah: A win over Eagle on Thursday or a Kuna loss to Boise on Friday clinches the Lions the fourth seed. Borah would then travel to Middleton (barring upsets by both Capital and Centennial).
A loss and a Kuna victory drops Borah into fifth place via the Azzie tiebreaker. The Lions would then travel to Rocky Mountain.
Owyhee: On a bye this week, the Storm have two potential outcomes. They are the sixth seed and face Timberline next week if Kuna beats Boise and Borah loses to Eagle. Fans should root for that outcome as it would boost their at-large odds with Owyhee holding a 4-4 record vs. 5A teams so far.
Any other combination of Borah and Kuna wins or losses means Owyhee is the fifth seed and travels to Rocky Mountain next week.
Kuna: The Kavemen can finish fourth, sixth or seventh. Here’s how:
A win over Boise and a Borah loss to Eagle makes the Kavemen the No. 4 seed.
Wins by both Kuna and Borah make the Kavemen the No. 6 seed.
A loss to Boise drops Kuna to seventh and all but eliminates it from at-large contention with a 2-5 record vs. 5A teams.
Boise: Must beat Kuna to move into sixth place and keep its playoff hopes on life support. That earns Boise a game vs. Timberline, where a win would boost its 5A record to 3-5.
Lose, and the Brave are all but eliminated from the playoffs with a 1-6 5A record. They would face Vallivue next week with nothing to play for except pride.
4A SIC
The league gets only two automatic playoff berths this year. That means everyone else will have to compete for one of eight at-large bids from around the state.
MaxPreps rankings determine those berths. The formula is not public, so we’ve done our best to estimate who can make it. Teams that finish inside the top 16 have a good shot.
Bishop Kelly: Needs to win one of its final two games to wrap up the 4A SIC title. That starts Friday at Columbia. The top-ranked Knights have already clinched a playoff berth.
Emmett: Win over Vallivue on Friday locks up the second automatic berth and a home playoff game in the first round. A loss would not sink the Huskies’ playoff chances, though. They are No. 6 in the MaxPreps rankings, making them a near shoo-in for an at-large berth.
Vallivue: Beat Emmett on the road Friday to clinch a playoff berth and a home game in the first round. A loss drops the Falcons into the at-large race. It enters the week in a strong position at No. 12 in the MaxPreps rankings.
Skyview: The Hawks’ strong nonconference schedule makes them MaxPreps’ No. 16 team despite a 1-6 record. They need to beat Ridgevue on Friday to boost that resume and stay in the hunt.
Columbia: With winless Caldwell looming next week, it’s now-or-never for the No. 18 Wildcats’ playoff chances. An upset of No. 1 Bishop Kelly would vault them up the rankings. A loss all but ensures their season ends Oct. 21.
Ridgevue: The final two games are must-wins for the No. 20 Warhawks. They have Skyview and Emmett left on the schedule, giving them an opportunity to climb the rankings with victories.
This story was originally published October 12, 2022 at 3:29 PM.
