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Wisconsin high school football governing body approves changes in playoff qualification

Lawrence Andrew Fernandezby:Lawrence Fernandez•02/06/25•

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Slinger Owls - Wisconsin High School Football
Slinger players pose with the WIAA Division 2 football state championship trophy after a 31-30 victory over Rice Lake at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (© Scott Ash / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control has agreed to change the playoff qualifications for high school football teams. The 10-1 decision approved a proposal from the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association to follow a wins-based metric for playoff slots.

Before the approved change, football teams in Wisconsin must win over 50 percent of their conference games for playoff qualification. From there, a contentious computer algorithm that could leave room for controversy and dispute determines the seeding.

However, the new policy, ratified by an 8-3 vote, provides transparency when coming up with pairing and regional groupings. The so-called Football Matrix Calculations will be available starting in the upcoming season.

As Civic Media’s Jimmie Kaska wrote, the proposal received strong support from the WFCA. Brian Kaminski, the association’s president, revealed that 400 out of the 425 Wisconsin high school football coaches have signified their support for the WFCA’s proposal.

Kaska added that controversies surfaced using the previous system for determining playoff seeding. One such concern is conference champion Oconomowoc starting the postseason on the road as a six-seed despite an 8-1 record.

While there are over 450 high school football programs in Wisconsin, only 256 enter the postseason. The new guidelines should make determining playoff qualifiers easier, even if teams had unfavorable conference records.

Before, eight divisions of 32 teams comprised the 11-on-11 football state championships. Once the new system starts, there will be seven divisions of 52 teams, with 32 qualifying for the postseason. The realignment could start in the 2026-27 season and it’s still unsure if it will affect conference groupings.

Aside from the playoffs, Wisconsin high school football teams can undergo promotion or relegation based on their Tournament Performance Factor. They can go up a division if they accumulate enough postseason points over the past three seasons. Conversely, teams can drop a division if they have zero points over the same stretch.