The high school football regular season wraps in Class 5A this week with three teams entering the week still undefeated and hoping for the top seed in the playoffs.
The 32-team bracket will be released Sunday and Columbine put itself in position to earn the top spot with a 42-14 win over Lakewood on Thursday night to finish the regular season unbeaten. The Rebels went into the week ranked No. 1, but they must wait to see how Westminster and Arapahoe fare.
Westminster probably has the bigger challenge Friday night in hosting an improving, gritty Boulder team while Arapahoe hosts 2-6 Smoky Hill.
If all three teams finish the regular season undefeated, it seems the top seed would likely come down to either Columbine or Arapahoe based on their entire body of work.
They have similar resumes in some ways. The combined record of Columbine’s opponents was 34-39 as of Friday morning while the combined record of Arapahoe’s opponents was 34-40. Columbine has beaten four teams with winning records while Arapahoe has beaten three.
A deciding factor could be Arapahoe’s victory over Grandview earlier this season. It is the only blemish on Grandview’s resume going into the final week and the Wolves are a team that is very capable of winning the state championship.
Of course, it’s entirely possible Grandview could be a two-loss team by Saturday morning. It finishes the regular season Friday night on the road at Valor Christian, which is coming off a 10-0 shutout of Cherry Creek.
A Grandview win at Valor Christian would be a big boost for Arapahoe’s chances of earning the top seed as long as it handles its business. If Grandview loses, it just muddles the picture a little more.
Regardless of who secures the top seed, it seems as many as eight teams could have a legitimate chance of winning the title. None of those undefeated teams are going to be happy to see a perennial power such as Valor Christian, Cherry Creek or Pomona before the semifinals and teams like Fairview, Ralston Valley and Regis Jesuit are also dangerous.
Pine Creek, Longmont and Durango go into this weekend as the only undefeated teams left in Class 4A, which still has a week left in the regular season before the 16-team playoff field is set. Only league champions are guaranteed playoff spots in 4A and one of those champions will be decided Friday when Fort Collins hosts Broomfield for the Northern League title.
