The Illinois High School Association expanded its football in 2026, giving more programs a chance to compete for a state championship. The first round delivered a mixed verdict: More teams earned a postseason berth, but higher seeds largely controlled the results.
But did expanding the postseason make the playoffs better?
The first night of competition offered a mixed answer.
Higher-seeded teams won 59 of the 74 completed first-round games, while lower seeds pulled off 15 upsets. The average margin of victory was 17.5 points, suggesting a sizable competitive gap in many matchups.
Teams with just two or three regular-season victories struggled considerably, although a handful of underdogs nearly delivered memorable upsets.
The expanded field undoubtedly created more postseason opportunities. Whether those additional opportunities produced better football is a more complicated question.
Higher Seeds Dominate the Opening Round
Higher-seeded teams won nearly 80% of the completed first-round matchups, but 15 lower seeds advanced.
Some of those victories were convincing. Others came down to the final minutes.
Here are the 15 lower-seeded teams that won their opening-round games:
Class 8A - Updated Bracket
- No. 35 Minooka defeated No. 30 Evanston, 35-21
- No. 33 Oak Park-River Forest defeated No. 32 East Aurora, 58-7
Class 7A - Updated Bracket
- No. 36 Reavis defeated No. 29 Elgin, 31-28
- No. 38 Glenbard North defeated No. 27 Hoffman Estates, 34-20
Class 6A - Updated Bracket
- No. 17 St. Charles East defeated No. 16 Elk Grove, 42-21
- No. 18 Carmel defeated No. 15 Bulls Prep, 38-20
- No. 23 Rolling Meadows defeated No. 10 Addison Trail, 34-26
- No. 20 Nazareth defeated No. 13 Shepard, 44-14
Class 5A - Updated Bracket
- No. 17 Glenbard South defeated No. 16 Payton, 40-7
- No. 18 St. Francis defeated No. 15 Grayslake North, 61-6
- No. 21 Washington defeated No. 12 Mascoutah, 35-28
Class 4A - Updated Bracket
- No. 17 Tinley Park defeated No. 16 Woodstock North, 20-8
- No. 19 Waterloo defeated No. 14 Taylorville, 34-28
Class 3A - Updated Bracket
- No. 18 Prairie Central defeated No. 15 Chicago Christian, 44-20
Class 2A - Updated Bracket
- No upsets
Class 1A - Updated Bracket
- No. 18 Red Hill defeated No. 15 Cumberland, 12-0
The results demonstrate that lower-seeded teams were capable of winning, but they also underscore how frequently the favorites prevailed.
Two-Win Teams Struggle, but Several Nearly Pull Off Upsets
One of the biggest debates surrounding the expansion was whether teams with losing records, particularly those with only two regular-season victories, belonged in the postseason.
The opening-night results gave critics plenty of ammunition.
Teams entering the playoffs with two wins went 1-11, losing by an average of 23.3 points.
Rolling Meadows was the lone winner in that group, defeating Addison Trail 34-26 in Class 6A.
But two other two-win programs came remarkably close to advancing.
Benet Academy, which entered at 2-7, held a 10-point lead over Moline during the third quarter before the Maroons rallied for a 42-38 victory. Moline scored the winning touchdown on a 25-yard pass with just 11 seconds remaining.
Tinley Park Andrew also threatened an upset.
The 2-7 Thunderbolts pulled within 28-27 of Buffalo Grove with 1:58 remaining, but Buffalo Grove stopped a two-point conversion attempt to preserve the victory.
Those games illustrate why evaluating the expanded field solely by wins and losses can be misleading.
Neither Benet Academy nor Andrew advanced, but both pushed opponents with significantly better regular-season records to the brink.
Three-Win Teams Also Face Difficult Odds
Teams with three regular-season victories experienced similar struggles.
The group went 3-23 in completed opening-round games, with Glenbard North, Carmel and St. Charles East accounting for the three victories.
Those results suggest that the expansion created opportunities for teams that faced significant competitive disadvantages against higher-seeded opponents.
However, the three victories also demonstrate that regular-season records do not always predict postseason performance.
For some teams, a difficult schedule may have contributed to a losing record. Others simply found themselves overmatched.
The first round offered examples of both possibilities.
Expanded Field Ends Long Playoff Droughts
The expansion also accomplished something that cannot be measured solely by the opening-round scoreboard.
It gave programs with lengthy postseason droughts a chance to return to the playoffs.
Joliet Central made its first postseason appearance since 1994, ending a 32-year absence.
Metea Valley and Leyden also returned after years away from the postseason.
For those programs, earning a playoff berth represented a significant milestone, even if their seasons ended in the opening round.
Players who might otherwise have finished their high school careers without experiencing playoff football were given that opportunity.
Whether those additional berths justify the competitive mismatches is a matter of perspective, but the value of postseason participation should be part of the discussion.
So, Was the IHSA Playoff Expansion a Success?
After one night, the answer depends largely on how success is defined.
If the primary objective was to create more opportunities for high school athletes and programs, the expansion accomplished that goal.
If the objective was to produce more competitive first-round games, the results were less convincing.
Higher seeds won 59 of 74 completed contests. Two-win teams went 1-11, and three-win teams finished 3-23.
Those numbers reveal a substantial gap between many of the teams in the expanded field.
Yet the 15 lower-seeded winners, along with near-upsets by Benet Academy and Tinley Park Andrew, offer a reminder that a team's regular-season record doesn't always tell the entire story.
The first round provided evidence for supporters and critics alike.
The expanded field gave more teams a chance to compete. Some proved they belonged. Others struggled against stronger opposition.
Whether that trade-off ultimately makes the Illinois high school football playoffs better will require more than one night of results to determine.
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