IHSA

How the Football Playoff Pairings are Determined — 2006

WHO WILL HOST?

Looking forward to the semifinals, who will host the games? Here are the criteria used to make the decision:

The host is the school that has hosted fewer times during the current playoff series.
If tied, and the bracket was paired as one group of 16 teams, the host is the school with the higher seed.
If tied, and the bracket was paired as two groups of eight teams, the host is the school with the higher initial seeding criteria, as follows:
a. Most wins at the end of the regular season.
b. If tied, most playoff points at the end of the regular season.
c. If tied, higher conference standing (if both teams are members of a conference).
If still tied, the team on the top half of the bracket will host.

Here are all the possible semifinal scenarios in the brackets that were paired in groups of eight:

CLASS 1A POSSIBLE SEMIFINAL ROUND PAIRINGS

Upper Bracket
#1 Galena (H.S.) at #5 Cuba [North Fulton Coop] (fewer home games, 1-2)
#1 Galena (H.S.) at #3 Toulon (Stark County) (fewer home games, 1-2)
#5 Cuba [North Fulton Coop] at #6 Cambridge (more playoff points, 33-30)
#6 Cambridge at #3 Toulon (Stark County) (more playoff points, 50-33)

CLASS 2A POSSIBLE SEMIFINAL ROUND PAIRINGS

Lower Bracket
#2 Red Bud at #1 Maroa (M.-Forsyth) (more wins, 9-8)
#2 Red Bud at #2 Westville (fewer home games, 1-2)
#1 Casey (C.-Westfield) at #1 Maroa (M.-Forsyth) (more playoff points, 37-36)
#1 Casey (C.-Westfield) at #2 Westville (fewer home games, 1-2) ORIGINAL POST WAS INCORRECT

CLASS 4A POSSIBLE SEMIFINAL ROUND PAIRINGS

Lower Bracket
#3 Decatur (St. Teresa) at #2 Mt. Carmel (more wins, 9-8)
#4 Mascoutah at #1 Bloomington (Central Catholic) (more wins, 9-8)
#4 Mascoutah at #3 Decatur (St. Teresa) (more playoff points, 35-31)
#2 Mt. Carmel at #1 Bloomington (Central Catholic) (more playoff points, 37-29)

CLASS 5A POSSIBLE SEMIFINAL ROUND PAIRINGS

Lower Bracket
#1 Metamora at #8 Charleston (fewer home games, 1-2)
#3 Marion (H.S.) at #1 Metamora (more wins, 9-7)
#2 Pontiac at #8 Charleston (fewer home games, 1-2)
#3 Marion (H.S.) at #2 Pontiac (more playoff points, 42-39)

CLASS 7A POSSIBLE SEMIFINAL ROUND PAIRINGS

Lower Bracket
#3 East St. Louis (Sr.) at #1 Wheaton (W. Warrenville South) (more wins, 9-8)
#2 Chicago (Morgan Park) at #1 Geneva (more wins, 9-8)
#1 Geneva (11-0) at #1 Wheaton (W. Warrenville South) (more playoff points, 44-35)
#3 East St. Louis (Sr.) at #2 Chicago (Morgan Park) (more playoff points, 47-42)