Alabama High School Football Games of the Week: Oct. 17-18

The 2024 Alabama high school football season is entering the home stretch and another jam-packed slate of games awaits this week.

Five ranked matchups between teams ranked in the On3 Massey Ratings state top 25 are set to kick off on Friday, headlined by No. 4 Phenix City Central vs. No. 7 Opelika and No. 9 Hoover vs. No. 3 Thompson.

Below are the games of the week in the Yellowhammer State as the postseason push continues:

The On3 Massey Ratings — which were officially used during the BCS era and have generated college high school sports team rankings since 1995 — rank sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule and margin of victory.

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Top High School Football Games in Alabama

#4 Phenix City Central vs. #7 Opelika — Friday, Oct. 18
After having its game against IMG Academy postponed last month, Phenix City Central hasn’t been as sharp, as it lost to new No. 1 Auburn and scraped past No. 16 Carver last week. Now 6-1 on the season, the Red Devils still have the top-ranked offense in the state and will look to remind the rest of the state why it held the No. 1 ranking for a majority of the season on Friday when it heads to Opelika. The Bulldogs enter at 7-1, with their lone loss also coming at the hands of Auburn. Opelika is coming off its biggest win of the year over No. 14 Enterprise last week and will now look for another big one against the Red Devils. The Massey Ratings predict a 35-20 win for Central.

#9 Hoover vs. #3 Thompson — Friday, Oct. 18
After suffering its second loss of the season to No. 12 Parker, Hoover has responded with two big wins, the most recent of which being a 56-6 thrashing of Tuscaloosa County. The Buccaneers are now 6-2 and will look to cement their status as a state title threat this week with a win in Alabaster over Thompson. The Warriors’ defense has been the best in the state, per the Massey Ratings, and has allowed 20 points or more just twice all season. Thompson sits at 6-2 and is predicted to win 35-14 on Friday night.

#2 Clay-Chalkville vs. #11 Oxford — Friday, Oct. 18
It’ll be a battle of undefeated 7-0 programs on Friday night in Oxford as the No. 11 Yellow Jackets host Clay-Chalkville. Oxford has just one ranked win under its belt thus far, a 29-28 road win over No. 21 Mountain Brook. The No. 2 Cougars also own a win over Mountain Brook and have also defeated No. 3 Thompson this season. They’re well on track to defend their 2023 state title thanks to having a top-five offense and defense. Oxford has a chance to make a serious statement on Friday, though the Massey Ratings predict a 42-21 win for Chalkville.

#1 Auburn vs. #16 Montgomery Carver — Friday, Oct. 18
Auburn didn’t skip a beat after becoming the new top-ranked team in the state two weeks ago, as it took down Smiths Station 70-6 last week. The 7-0 Tigers have their marquee win over Phenix City Central and have a clear path to an undefeated season. The 5-2 Wolverines will look to play spoiler, however. Carver enters the big opportunity on a two-game skid with losses to Enterprise and Central. It’ll try and lean on the home field and its top-20 defense to hand the Tigers their first loss of the season. The Massey Ratings predict an emphatic 42-14 win for No. 1 Auburn.