Idaho football playoffs are nearly here. What’s at stake for every 5A, 4A SIC team this week
Idaho’s high school football playoffs don’t start for another two weeks. But the scoreboard watching kicks into high gear this weekend as the postseason draws closer and closer.
Don’t worry about figuring out all the possible scenarios. We’ve got you covered with everything at stake for your favorite team in the 5A and 4A Southern Idaho Conferences heading into Week 8.
5A SOUTHERN IDAHO CONFERENCE
The league wraps up its regular season this week, reserving Week 9 for cross-division games for playoff seedings. Think of it as a mini district tournament for the 13-team conference.
The Week 9 matchups will pit the following seeds from each division against each other:
No. 1 vs. No. 1
No. 2s vs. No. 6s
No. 3s vs. No. 5s
No. 4 vs. No. 4
The division winners meet for the district title. The rest will battle in winner-to-state matchups for the conference’s five remaining automatic playoff berths.
One at-large playoff berth remains for the Week 9 losers to fight over. The top team in MaxPreps.com’s rankings will get that berth. But it will have to finish ahead of the remaining teams from north and east Idaho for that spot.
5A SIC RIVER DIVISION
Eagle: The Mustangs (7-0, 5-0) clinched the division title and a first-round playoff bye last week. Friday’s home game against Borah means nothing for Eagle’s postseason fate. The Mustangs will host Meridian for the 5A SIC championship next week.
Boise: The Brave (6-1, 4-1) have already wrapped up a second-place finish in the division regardless of what happens Friday against Kuna. Boise will host the last-place team from the Foothills Division — Capital, Centennial or Timberline — in Week 9. If none of those three can pull an upset, Boise will host Centennial. A win there clinches Boise a playoff berth for the first time since 2002.
Owyhee: The Storm (6-2, 4-2) clinched third place by beating Kuna before taking a bye this week. They will host the fifth-place team from the Foothills Division next week with a chance to advance to the playoffs. That would be Timberline if all the Foothills favorites take care of business.
Mountain View: The Mavericks (4-3, 2-3) wrap up the fourth seed with a victory at Nampa, or a Borah loss to Eagle. They would then host Capital next week if none of the Foothills underdogs pull an upset. Mountain View can only fall to fifth place with a loss and a Borah victory.
Borah: The Lions (4-3, 2-3) can climb to fourth by upsetting undefeated Eagle on the road, and watching Mountain View fall to winless Nampa. All other scenarios leave Borah in fifth place. The Lions would head to Middleton if the Vikings beat Centennial on Thursday.
Kuna: The Kavemen (3-4, 1-4) will finish sixth no matter what happens this week. They will travel to Rocky Mountain next week with a chance to steal an automatic playoff berth with a victory.
Nampa: The Bulldogs (0-7, 0-5) are already guaranteed to finish last in the division, locking them out of the Week 9, winner-to-state games. Nampa can play only for pride when it hosts Mountain View on Friday.
5A SIC FOOTHILLS
Meridian: The Warriors (5-2, 4-0) wrapped up the division title and a first-round playoff bye with a last-second win at Rocky Mountain last week. They host Capital on Friday before heading to Eagle next week to defend their conference title.
Rocky Mountain: The Grizzlies (4-3, 3-1) are locked into second place in the Foothills regardless of what happens against Timberline on Thursday. They will host Kuna next week, and the winner automatically advances to state.
Middleton: The Vikings (5-2, 2-2) could clinch the third seed by beating Centennial at home Thursday. Middleton would then host Borah next week — barring upsets by both Nampa and Borah. Middleton cannot fall lower than fourth place with a loss.
Centennial: The Patriots (1-6, 1-3) enter the week with the most variables, possibly finishing third, fifth or sixth in the division. They could vault to third and host a Week 9 game by upsetting Middleton. A loss and a Timberline upset of Rocky Mountain makes Centennial fifth. The Patriots finish sixth in all other scenarios.
Capital: The Eagles (2-5, 1-3) can finish anywhere from fourth to sixth depending on this week’s results. But they own the tiebreaker should Capital, Centennial and Timberline all fail to pull major upsets this week. That would make Capital the fourth-place team, and it would travel to Mountain View or Borah next week.
Timberline: The Wolves (1-6, 1-3) only have one path to fourth place — beat Rocky Mountain and see Centennial and Capital both lose. Timberline finishes fifth if it, Centennial and Capital all lose, sending the Wolves to Owyhee next week. A loss and a Centennial win would drop Timberline to sixth, setting up a rematch with Boise.
4A SOUTHERN IDAHO CONFERENCE
Two weeks remain in the 4A SIC regular season, but its playoff picture is much clearer.
The top two teams get automatic berths into the state playoffs. The four remaining teams must hope for one of the eight at-large berths awarded by MaxPreps.com rankings.
Bishop Kelly has already clinched one playoff spot, and Skyview can clinch the other with a win Friday at Ridgevue. That would set up a battle for the league title next week at Bishop Kelly.
A Ridgevue upset keeps it and Emmett in the hunt for one of those two guaranteed berths. A Ridgevue loss drops both into the category with Columbia and Vallivue, who are left trying to impress the computers in the final two weeks.
This story was originally published October 11, 2023 at 2:11 PM.
