An obvious question after the inaugural opening round of the Illinois high school football playoffs would be, “Was this a good idea?”
The Illinois High School Association expanded the field from 32 teams per class to 48, which meant the top 16 seeds got byes, while some teams that finished 3-6 or 2-7 played it out on the field.
There were some noncompetitive games in the opening round, no doubt, and more lie ahead. At the same time, plenty of teams proved to be better than their records showed, especially those from strong conferences such as Glenbard North, St. Charles East, St. Francis and Nazareth.
There were competitive games between pretty good teams, such as Naperville Central versus Warren, and at least one big surprise: Rolling Meadows, which was 2-7, advanced past Addison Trail.
Whether expansion was the right move should be based on the student-athletes’ experiences. The best opening-round example might be Reavis versus Elgin, two teams that had gone more than a decade without a playoff win. It was a fun game, featuring two fourth-quarter lead changes and a late defensive stop, before Reavis won 31-28.
Granted, the Rams aren’t likely to be competitive this week against East St. Louis, which beat Mount Carmel in the season opener. But under the old format, Reavis would have missed the playoffs, while Elgin would have gone straight to East St. Louis, taken some lumps and gotten back on the buses. At least this way, Reavis got a playoff win, a chance to celebrate and some nice memories.
That’s just one example, but it shows there are positives to playoff expansion. If it helps, just think of it as adding a 10th game for most schools.
The first round is next, so let’s break down the updated brackets.
Class 8A
Game of the week: Barrington at Sandburg.
In Week 1, Barrington traveled south with high expectations for the season but got a rude awakening in a loss to Lyons. The Broncos started 0-4 and used four quarterbacks because of injuries but have won six in a row and seem like a formidable challenge for the Eagles, who are ranked No. 22 in the baiduhai’s Top 25.
Team to beat: Still No. 2 Mount Carmel. At least as long as the Caravan keep playing like they did at Loyola in Week 9.
Looking ahead: No. 1 Lincoln-Way East likely will play a second-round game at Hinsdale Central. That would guarantee the Griffins, should they win, a home game for a potential quarterfinal showdown against Mount Carmel.
The bottom part of this bracket is also interesting, with potential second-round matchups of No. 10 St. Ignatius at No. 14 Maine South and surging No. 24 York at No. 3 Loyola.
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Bold predictions: Lane Tech advances to the second round, and Oak Park-River Forest keeps it competitive against Lincoln-Way East.
Class 7A
Game of the week: Glenbard East at Kenwood.
This feels like a toss-up. Kenwood took some lumps early in the season but demonstrated improvement by playing No. 18 Morgan Park close in the city championship game. Glenbard East was mistake-prone in the early weeks, then picked up some decent wins late.
Team to beat: Brother Rice or East St. Louis — flip a coin. Or go with Hersey if that coin lands on its side.
Looking ahead: Batavia versus Brother Rice in the second round could be a blowout, but it also could be an epic point fest. The second round would be way too early for Downers Grove North versus St. Rita.
Bold predictions: Jacobs will have its hands full against Glenbard North. After a last-second win over Benet last week, Moline will not find late-game luck at Glenbard West.
Class 6A
Game of the week: Joliet Catholic at Wheaton Warrenville South.
With just six senior starters, Wheaton Warrenville South is a team of the future that arrived ahead of schedule. Like almost every Catholic League team, Joliet Catholic’s 6-4 record is a product of its schedule, with the four losses coming against No. 21 Fenwick, No. 19 Providence, No. 2 Mount Carmel and No. 5 IC Catholic. The Tigers finished third in the DuKane Conference, so they also know tough competition.
Team to beat: Geneva has the offensive weapons. Wide receiver Bennett Konkey got an Ohio State offer last week, but he visited Champaign on Saturday and said he remains committed to Illinois.
Looking ahead: This bracket is way too top-heavy. Arguably 10 of the 16 best teams in 6A are in the top half of this grid.
Bold prediction: The winner between Joliet Catholic and Wheaton Warrenville South ends up downstate.
Class 5A
Game of the week: St. Francis at Kaneland.
Rolling all season, Kaneland lost only to No. 23 Morris. It’s fair to say the Knights are in contention for the 5A title. St. Francis, meanwhile, is the defending 5A champion, went 4-5 against a killer regular-season schedule and has plenty of college-level talent. So it’s also fair to suggest the Spartans are a strong favorite in this matchup.
A close second in this category is Providence at Kankakee, which had a fourth-quarter lead against Lincoln-Way East in Week 2.
Team to beat: Undefeated Mahomet-Seymour is clinging to that title and might not get a true test for a few weeks.
Looking ahead: This bracket is too unbalanced. Kankakee has to play Providence this week, and the winner probably gets Morgan Park in the next round. There are other quadrants in which none of the four teams are as good as those three.
Bold prediction: Two Public League teams, Morgan Park and King, advance to the second round.
Class 4A
It still feels like the top half of this bracket will be decided in the second round if Montini and Morris advance to play each other.
Class 3A
It will take a few weeks for 3A to get interesting, when unbeatens Byron and Richmond-Burton get a chance at IC Catholic.
Class 2A
Aurora Christian is probably the Chicago-area team with the best chance to make noise here.