Idaho football playoff scenarios: What 6A, 5A SIC teams must do to make the postseason
The final week of Idaho’s high school football regular season is here. That means teams throughout the Treasure Valley face a dizzying array of playoff possibilities heading into the week.
But put away your abacuses. We’ve got you covered with a team-by-team playoff guide for the final week in the 6A and 5A Southern Idaho Conferences.
6A SIC
Automatic playoff berths: 6
Potential at-large berths: 2
Playoff field: 12 teams
Clinched: Rocky Mountain, Eagle
Eliminated: Boise, Centennial
Thursday’s game: (4) Owyhee at (3) Timberline
Friday’s games: (1) Eagle at (1) Rocky Mountain; (5) Capital vs. (2) Borah; (5) Mountain View at (2) Middleton; (4) Meridian at (3) Kuna; (6) Boise at (6) Centennial
Before going into all the scenarios, here’s a quick explainer on how the 6A playoffs work.
The four division or conference champs get first-round byes. Rocky Mountain, Eagle, Rigby and Coeur d’Alene already clinched those.
Winners of the SIC’s No. 2 vs. 5 and No. 3 vs. No. 4 cross-division games automatically advance to the playoffs. They’ll fit on the bracket as the West 3 through 6 seeds.
Losers of those games drop into a pool for two at-large berths. Those berths are awarded to the remaining teams with the highest MaxPreps rankings.
We can never speak with total certainty on the MaxPreps rankings because the company uses a secret formula. But other classification have used the rankings for years, giving us a feel for how much they can move in the final week.
One of those at-large berths will almost certainly go to the loser of Highland at Madison, as Madison enters the week ranked third and Highland seventh. (The winner of that game clinches Eastern Idaho’s second automatic playoff berth.)
The other at-large bid remains up for grabs depending on this week’s results. The Southern Idaho Conference should keep a close eye on the Post Falls at Lake City matchup. Post Falls is No. 8 in the MaxPreps rankings, leaving it in strong position for an at-large berth even if it loses.
Rocky Mountain (8-0): Clinches the league’s top playoff seed and home-field advantage through semifinals with a win over Eagle. A loss sends it to the bottom half of the bracket, where it would still host a quarterfinal game but might need to travel for the semifinals.
Eagle (7-1): Repeats as SIC champs and secures home-field advantage through the semifinals by beating Rocky Mountain. A loss drops it to the league’s second seed, which guarantees home field only for the quarterfinals.
Borah (5-3): Beat rival Capital and the Lions clinch the league’s third seed in the playoffs and a first-round home game against the top at-large team. A loss means it must rely on its MaxPreps’ ranking for an at-large berth. The Lions enter the week ranked sixth, so they are in strong position.
Middleton (4-4): Beat Mountain View and the Vikings earn a home playoff game. The Vikings take the league’s third seed with a win and a Borah loss. A win and a Borah win leaves the Vikings as the fourth seed thanks to a MaxPreps tiebreaker with Borah. A loss sends it into the at-large field, where Middleton’s No. 13 ranking leaves it to sweat out the weekend.
Timberline (5-3): Beat Owyhee and the Wolves clinch their first playoff berth since 2020. Timberline can finish as the third, fourth or fifth seed depending on how Borah and Middleton fare. If both Borah and Middleton lose, Timberline is the third seed with a win and hosts a playoff game against the first at-large team. If one of Borah or Middleton lose, Timberline is the SIC’s fourth seed and hosts the league’s fifth seed in the first round. If Timberline, Borah and Middleton all win, Timberline is the fifth seed. Lose, and Timberline must rely on its MaxPreps ranking, 10th entering the week, for an at-large bid.
Kuna (3-5): Beat Meridian and the Kavemen can finish anywhere from the SIC’s third to sixth seed. Kuna finishes sixth if Borah, Middleton and Timberline all win and travels to the winner of Highland-Madison in the first round. Kuna finishes fifth if one of those three lose. Kuna rises to fourth if two of those three lose. All three must lose for Kuna to become the third seed. A loss leaves the Kavemen relying on its MaxPreps rankings (11th) for an at-large berth.
Owyhee (5-3): Beat Timberline and the Storm clinch a playoff berth, where they’ll be anything from the third to sixth seed. Owyhee finishes sixth and travels to the winner of Highland-Madison if Borah, Middleton and Kuna — all higher seeds — are victorious. Owyhee rises one spot with each loss by those three teams. The Storm start the week ninth in the MaxPreps rankings, leaving them in a relatively strong spot even with a loss.
Meridian (3-5): Beat Kuna and the Warriors advance to the playoffs as either the fourth, fifth or sixth seed from the SIC. Meridian is the sixth seed if both Borah and Middleton win. A loss by either Borah or Middleton makes Meridian the fifth seed. Both must lose to make Meridian the fourth seed. A loss spells trouble as Meridian starts the week 14th in the MaxPreps rankings.
Mountain View (3-5): The Mavericks must beat Middleton for a playoff berth. The Mavericks finish as the league’s fifth seed if Capital upsets Borah. The Mavericks end up as the sixth seed in all other scenarios. A loss ends Mountain View’s season as it starts the week 15th out of 19 teams in the MaxPreps rankings.
Capital (2-6): The Eagles must beat rival Borah to extend their season. Capital can finish no higher than the league’s sixth seed thanks to its MaxPreps ranking — 18th out of 19 teams entering the week.
Boise (4-4): Saw its playoff hopes end Wednesday, when the state refused to overturn Boise’s last-minute appeal of a loss to Owyhee. Boise finished last in the River Division, eliminating it from the playoffs.
Centennial (0-8): The Patriots are ineligible for the playoffs because they finished last in the Foothills Division. Their result against Boise will not affect the postseason.
5A SIC
Automatic playoff berths: 2
Potential at-large berths: 5
Playoff field: 16 teams
Clinched: Bishop Kelly
Eliminated: Caldwell
Friday’s games: Bishop Kelly at Emmett; Nampa at Vallivue; Skyview at Ridgevue; Canyon Ridge at Columbia
The 5A playoffs work differently. The SIC’s top two teams get automatic playoff berths and host a first-round playoff game. They will end up as the No. 1 through No. 8 seeds on the bracket depending on the final MaxPreps rankings.
Only Bishop Kelly, Emmett and Vallivue remain in the hunt for those two automatic playoff berths in the 5A SIC.
The rest of the league must compete for one of eight statewide at-large berths. Those are also determined by the final MaxPreps rankings. Emmett, Vallivue and Nampa start the week in solid position for at-large berths. The rest of the league likely needs to win and get help.
Bishop Kelly (7-1): Beat Emmett and the Knights clinch their third straight league crown. Bishop Kelly can also win the league title with a loss by five or fewer points, and a Vallivue win over Nampa. The Knights cannot finish lower than second place, which comes with an automatic playoff berth and a first-round home game.
Emmett (6-2): Buckle in. This one gets complicated. Emmett can win the league title by beating Bishop Kelly by six or more points. The Huskies can also win the conference outright by beating Bishop Kelly by any score if Nampa also knocks off Vallivue. A Vallivue win and an Emmett win by five or fewer points drops Emmett into third place and the at-large field on a tiebreaker. A loss and a Vallivue loss makes Emmett the second seed and guarantees it a first-round home playoff game. A loss and a Vallivue win drops Emmett into the at-large field.
Vallivue (5-2): The Falcons cannot win the conference title. The best they can finish is second. That happens if Vallivue beats Nampa and Bishop Kelly tops Emmett. That also happens if Vallivue wins and Emmett beats Bishop Kelly by five or fewer points. An Emmett win by six or more points sends Vallivue into third place and the at-large field.
Nampa (4-4): Cannot claim an automatic playoff berth because it can’t finish higher than third in the league standings. The Bulldogs must rely on their MaxPreps ranking for an at-large bid. Nampa starts the week 14th. A win over No. 7 Vallivue would help the Bulldogs.
Skyview (1-7): Must wait for the final MaxPreps rankings to come out and see how the rest of the state shakes out. The Hawks start the week ranked 17th thanks to a relatively strong strength of schedule. A win always helps. But a loss to No. 22 Ridgevue might doom Skyview.
Ridgevue (2-5): Also must impress the computers in the final week. The Warhawks are currently ranked 22nd, so their matchup with No. 17 Skyview is a must-win to stay in the hunt for an at-large berth.
Columbia (3-5): The Wildcats remain a long shot for the playoffs. They can only get in via their MaxPreps ranking. Columbia starts the week at No. 21 and hosts No. 20 Canyon Ridge, leaving little chance to move up.
Caldwell (0-9): Competes as an independent program and is ineligible for the playoffs.
This story was originally published October 23, 2024 at 4:42 PM.
