Projecting the Iowa high school football playoffs

In addition to the rain, the lightning and the countless delays and postponements, this football season will be remembered for the advent of a new playoffs system.

For better or worse (probably more for the better), the Iowa High School Athletic Association has implemented an RPI system that will help determine the 16-team playoff field — and the seedings once those teams are determined — in each of the six classes.

District champions are automatic qualifiers, with RPI the determinant for the rest of the field.

RPI consists of win-loss record (37.5 percent), opponents' win-loss record (37.5 percent) and opponents' opponents' win-loss record (25 percent). All nine games are figured in, not just district games. Margin of victory means nothing.

A few tidbits in trying to compile mock brackets with two weeks of play remaining:

• District champions get first priority in seeding and hosting in the first round. In the quarterfinals, that is thrown out the window, and higher RPI get home-field advantage regardless of district finish.

• In the case of a three-way tie for a district title (and if all three teams go 1-1 in a round robin amongst each other), all are designated as district champions, provided the number of district champions doesn't surpass 16.

• In the event of a two-way tie, on the other hand, the winner of head-to-head is the district champion, the loser is simply an at-large candidate.

• The IHSAA will make all efforts, whenever reasonable, to avoid first-round matchups between teams from the same district. It will also try to come fairly close to true seeding (1-vs.-16, 2-vs.-15, etc.), with common sense used for geography.

• Brackets will be reseeded for the semifinals in the UNI-Dome. So don't think of a class as a 16-team bracket. Think of it as four brackets with four teams each. As a result, the East-vs.-West championship games are gone; it's completely possible to see, for example, a Valley-Dowling championship in 4A.

With those guidelines in place, here's an attempt at projecting the playoff brackets. All outcomes for Week 8 and Week 9 are merely predictions from the BC Moore computer.

Class 4A

*district champion

Ankeny Centennial Quadrant

#9 Johnston (7-2) at #8 Fort Dodge (7-2)

#15 Ankeny (5-4) at #1 *Ankeny Centennial (9-0)

Cedar Falls Quadrant

#10 Cedar Rapids Prairie (7-2) at #7 *Waukee (7-2)

#16 Davenport North (6-3) at #2 *Cedar Falls (9-0)

West Des Moines Valley Quadrant

#11 Indianola (7-2) at #6 *West Des Moines Dowling (7-2)

#14 Cedar Rapids Kennedy (6-3) at #3 *West Des Moines Valley (9-0)

Iowa City West Quadrant

#12 Pleasant Valley (5-4) at #5 *Bettendorf (8-1)

#13 Urbandale (6-3) at #4 *Iowa City West (8-1)

Class 3A

*district champion

Sergeant Bluff-Luton Quadrant

#9 *Carroll (6-3) at #8 *Norwalk (6-3)

#13 Spencer (7-2) at #1 *Sergeant Bluff-Luton (8-1)

Lewis Central Quadrant

#11 Harlan (7-2) at #7 *Oskaloosa (8-1)

#12 Sioux City Heelan (7-2) at #2 *Lewis Central (9-0)

Cedar Rapids Xavier Quadrant

#10 Clear Creek Amana (8-1) at #5 *Solon (9-0)

#16 Waverly-Shell Rock (7-2) at #4 *Cedar Rapids Xavier (9-0)

North Scott Quadrant

#15 Western Dubuque (7-2) at #6 *Decorah (7-2)

#14 Pella (8-1) at #3 *North Scott (8-1)

Class 2A

*district champion

Spirit Lake Quadrant

#12 Chariton (8-1) at #5 *Algona (8-1)

#16 Clear Lake (7-2) at #4 *Spirit Lake (8-1)

BHRV Quadrant

#8 *Southeast Valley (6-3) at #7 *Carroll Kuemper (6-3)

#14 Greene County (8-1) at #2 *Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley (8-1)

Waukon Quadrant

#9 *Crestwood (6-3) at #6 *Union Community (7-2)

#13 Benton Community (8-1) at #3 *Waukon (8-1)

PCM Quadrant

#11 *Williamsburg (6-3) at #10 *West Liberty (6-3)

#15 West Marshall (6-3) at #1 *Monroe PCM (9-0)

Class 1A

*district champion

South Central Calhoun Quadrant

#9 *Osage (7-2) at #6 *West Sioux (8-1)

#14 West Lyon (7-2) at #1 *South Central Calhoun (9-0)

Van Meter Quadrant

#11 Interstate 35 (8-1) at #8 *Treynor (8-1)

#15 Underwood (6-3) at #4 *Van Meter (9-0)

Bellevue Quadrant

#10 West Branch (8-1) at #7 *Wilton (8-1)

#13 Mediapolis (8-1) at #2 *Bellevue (9-0)

Pella Christian Quadrant

#12 Sumner-Fredericksburg (8-1) at #5 *Dike-New Hartford (9-0)

#16 South Hamilton (7-2) at #3 *Pella Christian (7-2)

Class A

*district champion

Westwood Quadrant

#10 *Lynnville-Sully (7-2) at #7 *IKM-Manning (7-2)

#15 West Hancock (7-2) at #3 *Westwood (8-1)

AHSTW Quadrant

#9 *Mason City Newman (7-2) at #6 *Hinton (8-1)

#13 Akron-Westfield (7-2) at #4 *Avoca AHSTW (9-0)

Garrigan Quadrant

#12 North Tama (8-1) at #5 *Durant (7-2)

#16 Grundy Center (6-3) at #2 *Algona Garrigan (9-0)

Hudson Quadrant

#11 BGM (8-1) at #8 *Edgewood-Colesburg (8-1)

#14 Highland (7-2) at #1 *Hudson (9-0)

8-Player

*district champion

Northwood-Kensett Quadrant

#13 Lenox (7-2) at #6 *Exira-EHK (8-1)

#14 Newell-Fonda (7-2) at #2 *Northwood-Kensett (9-0)

Ar-We-Va Quadrant

#12 Audubon (7-2) at #7 *Fremont-Mills (8-1)

#16 East Mills (7-2) at #1 *Ar-We-Va (9-0)

Central City Quadrant

#10 Don Bosco (8-1) at #5 *Southeast Warren (10-0)

#11 New London (8-1) at #4 *Central City (9-0)

Iowa Valley Quadrant

#9 Turkey Valley (8-1) at #8 *Ackley AGWSR (7-2)

#15 Rockford (7-2) at #3 *Iowa Valley (9-0)

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com