CINCINNATI — The Ohio high school football postseason picture is in focus late Friday night across seven divisions in Greater Cincinnati.
Ohio High School Athletic Association computer points analyst Joe Eitel updated the latest playoff projections. The regular season concludes Saturday night across the state.
Eitel’s projections are considered unofficial until the OHSAA announces the playoff qualifiers Sunday afternoon.
The top 12 teams in each region will qualify for the playoffs, with the top four seeds getting a first-round bye. This is information as of 12:38 a.m. Saturday.
Unofficial first round playoff pairings
(All games Friday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. unless noted)
In Division I, Region 4
No. 1 Princeton (10-0), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 8 vs. No. 9
No. 2 Elder (8-2), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 7 vs. No. 10.
No. 3 Lakota West (9-1), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 6 vs. No. 11
No. 4 Moeller (7-3), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 5. vs. No. 12.
No. 12 Lakota East (6-4) at No. 5 Winton Woods (8-2)
No. 11 Fairfield (5-5) at No. 6 St. Xavier (5-5)
No. 10 Little Miami (7-3) at No. 7 Springboro (7-3)
No. 9 Middletown (6-4) at No. 8 Lebanon (7-3)
In Division II, Region 8
This region is not yet finalized as of 12:25 a.m. Saturday.
1. Anderson (9-1)
2 or 3. Trotwood-Madison (7-2)
2 or 3. Harrison (8-2)
4. Lima Senior (9-1)
5. Troy (8-2)
6. Columbus West (10-0)
7 or 8. Badin (7-3)
7 or 8. Talawanda (8-2)
9 or 10. La Salle (5-5)
10 or 11. Edgewood (6-4)
11 or 12. Butler (7-3)
Withrow (6-3). With a win at Taft at 3 p.m. Saturday the Tigers are ninth. A loss would place Withrow at No. 11 or 12.
In Division III, Region 12
(Not finalized)
- Bellbrook (10-0)
- Tippecanoe (9-1)
- McNicholas (8-2)
- Chillicothe (8-2)
- Miami Trace (9-1)
6 or 7. Indian Hill (8-2)
7 or 8. Unioto (7-3)
8 or 9. Northwest (8-2)
No. 10 Goshen (9-1)
No. 11 Alter (6-4)
No. 12 Monroe (6-4)
In Division IV, Region 16
(Not finalized)
1-3 CHCA (9-1)
1-2 Wyoming (9-1)
2-3 London (8-2)
4. North College Hill (9-0)
5. Urbana (7-3)
6. Wilmington (6-4)
7. Valley View (7-3)
8. Oakwood (8-2)
9. Kenton Ridge (8-2)
10. Dunbar (6-4)
11. New Richmond (5-5)
12-out. Clinton-Massie (3-7)
Taft (2-7) is No. 12 with a win. A loss Saturday would be out.
In Division V, Region 20
- St. Paris Graham (9-1)
- Williamsburg (9-1)
- Miami East (9-1)
- Waynesville (8-2)
- Summit Country Day (5-4)
- Fenwick (5-5)
- Carlisle (6-4)
- Arcanum (6-4)
- Dayton Christian (7-3)
- Greenon (6-3)
- Greeneview (5-4)
- Preble Shawnee (7-3)
In Division VI, Region 24
- Tri-Village (10-0)
- Deer Park (9-1)
- Zane Trace (9-1)
- Cincinnati College Prep (8-2)
- Portsmouth West (8-2)
- Mechanicsburg (8-2)
- Chillicothe Huntington (7-3)
- Madison-Plains (8-1)
- St. Henry (7-3)
10 or 11. Covington (7-3)
10-12 St. Bernard-Elmwood Place (7-2)
11-12 Miami Valley Christian Academy (7-3)
In Division VII, Region 28
- Marion Local (10-0)
- Ansonia (9-1)
- Riverside (8-2)
- Minster (7-3)
- Waynesfield-Goshen (7-3)
- Cincinnati Country Day (5-5)
- New Bremen (5-5)
- Fort Loramie (5-5)
- Tri-County North (6-4)
10-12. Ridgemont (3-7)
10-12. Upper Scioto Valley (5-5)
12. Fort Recovery (3-7)
The 72 largest schools are in Division I, along with several schools that opted up to D-I for the 2026 season. Divisions II through VII are divided equally (approximately 106 schools in each division).
The first round of the regional playoffs start Oct. 30. Those games are hosted by the better seed.
The regional quarterfinals are scheduled for Nov. 6 and hosted by the better seed. The regional semifinals are Nov. 13 and hosted by the better seed.
The regional finals are set for Nov. 20 at neutral locations. The state semifinals are Nov. 29 at neutral locations.
The OHSAA football state championship games are scheduled for Dec. 3-5 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. The state finals schedule was announced earlier this week.
There are 706 schools that play 11-man football this season in Ohio.
Indiana started its postseason this week while Kentucky begins the playoffs in November.
East Central defeated Madison 51-7 in the Indiana Class 4A state tournament. Lawrenceburg defeated NewCastle 52-18 in Class 3A.
