The Illinois High School Association state football playoff pairings have been revealed. The top 16 seeds receive a bye in the Opening Round.
In the Opening Round, the higher seed hosts the game. In subsequent rounds, the school that has hosted fewer times during the current playoff series hosts the game. If both teams have hosted an equal number of times, the higher seed hosts. The game must be played on Saturday, unless both schools agree to play the game on Friday.
One playoff round will take place each week, starting with the Opening Round games on Friday, Oct. 23 and Saturday, Oct. 24. This season’s state championship games will be held at Hancock Stadium in Normal. The Class 1A thru 4A title games will take place on Friday, Nov. 27. The Class 5A thru 8A title games will be Saturday, Nov. 28.
In Class 7A and 8A, the 48 teams are seeded #1 through #48. Seeds #1–#16 receive an Opening Round bye.
In Class 1A through 6A, each 24-team half is seeded #1 through #24. Seeds #1–#8 in each half receive an Opening Round bye.
The Opening Round winners then join the bye teams in Round 1.
(33) Oak Park at (32) East Aurora
(48) Lake Park at (17) Hinsdale Central
(40) Neuqua Valley at (25) Marist
(41) Waubonsie Valley at (24) Barrington
(36) Warren at (29) Naperville Central
(45) Taft at (20) Fremd
(37) Stevenson at (28) Lockport
(44) Metea Valley at (21) Lyons
(34) Oswego East at (31) Curie
(47) Joliet Central at (18) Lane
(39) Young at (26) Glenbrook South
(42) Dundee-Crown at (23) Conant
(35) Minooka at (30) Evanston
(46) Bloom at (19) York
(38) Joliet West at (27) O'Fallon
(43) Leyden at (22) West Aurora
East Aurora/Oak Park at (1) Lincoln-Way East
Hinsdale Central/Lake Park at (16) Von Steuben
Marist/Neuqua Valley at (8) Mount Carmel
Barrington/Waubonsie Valley at (9) Sandburg
Naperville Central/Warren at (4) Oswego
Fremd/Taft at (13) Naperville North
Lockport/Stevenson at (5) Bolingbrook
Lyons/Metea Valley at (12) Perspectives
Curie/Oswego East at (2) Huntley
Lane/Joliet Central at (15) South Elgin
Glenbrook South/Young at (7) New Trier
Conant/Dundee-Crown at (10) Homewood-Flossmoor
Evanston/Minooka at (3) Loyola
York/Bloom at (14) Downers Grove South
O'Fallon/Joliet West at (6) Maine South
West Aurora/Leyden at (11) St. Ignatius
