Below is the second edition of the state playoff matchups as of Oct. 4 for Divisions 6A through 4A based on the published AIA rankings.
6A DIVISION
The most noticeable game could be No. 2 Mountain Pointe vs. No. 15 Tucson Magnet since this will be their first time meeting up in recorded history. Seeing that the No. 7 Wolves will play No. 10 Horizon, a team who had a strong start in the season with winning three games in a row, will be interesting since it has the possibility of matching up with Chandler pretty well.
No. 1 Brophy Prep (7-0) vs. No. 16 Corona del Sol (3-3)
No. 2 Mountain Pointe (6-0) vs. No. 15 Tucson Magnet (3-3)
No. 3 Perry (6-0) vs. No. 14 Highland (2-4)
No. 4 Hamilton (5-2) vs. No. 13 Desert Vista (2-4)
No. 5 Skyline (6-1) vs. No. 12 Valley Vista (4-2)
No. 6 Desert Ridge (5-1) vs. No. 11 Red Mountain (4-2)
No. 7 Chandler (5-2) vs. No. 10 Horizon (5-1)
No. 8 Westview (4-2) vs. No. 9 Mountain View, Mesa (3-3)
5A DIVISION
No. 4 Queen Creek would get a tough draw with No.13 Mountain View-Mesa and then potentially No. 5 Centennial, the defending Division I champion in round two, before getting another defending champ in Desert Edge in the semis. That Desert View-Kellis game in the No. 6-11 matchup could a good one.
No. 1 Desert Edge (6-0) vs. No. 16 Betty H. Fairfax (5-2)
No. 2 Cienega (6-0) vs. No. 15 Liberty (4-2)
No. 3 Williams Field (7-0) vs. No. 14 Maricopa (4-2)
No. 4 Queen Creek (6-1) vs. No. 13 Mountain View Marana (4-2)
No. 5 Centennial (5-1) vs. No. 12 Notre Dame Prep (4-2)
No. 6 Desert View (6-0) vs. No. 11 Raymond S. Kellis (5-1)
No. 7 Ironwood Ridge (5-1) vs. No. 10 Campo Verde (6-1)
No. 8 Mesquite (5-2) vs. No. 9 Marana (4-2)
4A DIVISION
There are a bunch of rematches here, including No. 3 Catalina Foothills and No. 15 Canyon del Oro. The game with the most intrigue could be Dysart at No. 11 with a real chance to upset No. 6 Cactus Shadows.
No. 1 Saguaro (7-0) vs. No. 16 Mingus Union (3-3)
No. 2 Sunrise Mountain (5-1) vs. No. 15 Prescott (4-2)
No. 3 Catalina Foothills (5-1) vs. No. 14 Canyon del Oro (3-3)
No. 4 Higley (5-1) vs. No. 13 Bradshaw Mountain (4-2)
No. 5 Marcos de Niza (4-2) vs. No. 12 Casa Grande (4-2)
No. 6 Cactus Shadows (5-1) vs. No. 11 Dysart (5-1)
No. 7 Cactus (4-2) vs. No. 10 Thunderbird (5-1)
No. 8 Salpointe Catholic (4-2) vs. No. 9 Peoria (4-2)
PLAYOFF QUALIFICATIONS
The seeds, ranking each school in each division, are based on an algorithm utilizing statistical mathematics found in the 2005 research paper by Roy Bethel entitled: “A Solution to the Unequal Strength of Schedule Problem.” MaxPreps developed the algorithm for high school sports nationwide and the state tweaked it to be “retrodictive,” meaning it focuses solely on games in the past and does not attempt to predict the results for games remaining on the schedule. Each team is assigned a rating value, which then translates to the playoff seed.
Football playoffs begin Friday, Nov. 4 and are played within four rounds of a single elimination, 16-team bracket in Divisions 6A to 2A. In order to qualify, teams must have scheduled a minimum of eight games and the top team in each region is given an automatic bid. Note: The automatic bid in the 6A Southern will be the winner of the No. 1 Tucson division team vs. the No. 1 Yuma division team. The state tournament bracket will be seeded according to overall ranking of the 16 teams.
