Football · Preview · Class A
Class A football playoff outlook: 10 teams are in, and five more clinch with a Week 9 win
Who has clinched in Class A, who is on the bubble, the Week 9 games that decide the last spots, and a projected first round.
Ten Class A teams have clinched playoff spots, and five more clinch with a Week 9 win: Creighton Prep, Millard West, Kearney, Lincoln North Star and Lincoln Southwest. Two of those five meet Thursday, so the Lincoln North Star-Lincoln Southwest winner is in. Class A has no districts. The 16 highest point averages qualify (NSAA football manual, p. 46).
At the top, Omaha Westside (8-0) plays at Millard South (8-0) on Friday, Oct. 23. Both are already in, and the winner is guaranteed no worse than the No. 2 seed. Lower in the field, Lincoln Southeast is out if it loses to Lincoln East.
Data as of 9:04 a.m. CT Monday, Oct. 19, from NSAA wildcard points and schedule exports. Every Week 1-8 final is posted, and Week 9 games are Oct. 22-23. Everything here is a NEB Preps projection until NSAA seeds the field. Clinched and eliminated calls are NEB Preps' math, which runs every Week 9 result through NSAA's full point formula (football manual, p. 40).
If the season ended today
NEB Preps projection by NSAA points order, using NSAA's bracket (manual, p. 46). Teams with identical averages are listed in NSAA's page order, which is not a tiebreak result. Creighton Prep and Millard West have the same average.
- No. 1 Millard South vs. No. 16 Lincoln Standing Bear
- No. 9 Elkhorn South vs. No. 8 Lincoln Northeast
- No. 5 Papillion-La Vista South vs. No. 12 Millard West
- No. 13 Kearney vs. No. 4 Millard North
- No. 3 Bennington vs. No. 14 Lincoln North Star
- No. 11 Creighton Prep vs. No. 6 Omaha North
- No. 7 Papillion-La Vista vs. No. 10 Elkhorn North, a rematch of PLV's 21-17 win at Elkhorn North on Oct. 16
- No. 15 Lincoln Southwest vs. No. 2 Omaha Westside
What changed
Since NEB Preps' Oct. 17 playoff picture, NSAA's figures lowered Omaha Westside from 45.1250 to 44.7500 and Bellevue West from 38.5000 to 38.1250. Neither team played. Each has an out-of-state opponent, Lee's Summit, Mo., and Brandon Valley, S.D., whose record on NSAA's export changed. The order at the top did not change.
Who's in
Clinched: Millard South, Omaha Westside, Bennington, Millard North, Papillion-La Vista South, Omaha North, Papillion-La Vista, Lincoln Northeast, Elkhorn South and Elkhorn North. The proof is arithmetic. In every Week 9 outcome, each finishes with an average that no more than 15 other teams can match. Lincoln Northeast's case is the tightest: its lowest possible average is 39.8889, and at most 15 teams can reach it.
Fifteen teams can no longer reach the top 16 in any outcome, including Fremont, Norfolk and Bellevue East.
The bubble
Ranks and points are NSAA's. Status is NEB Preps' projection math.
| Team | Pts (rank) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Creighton Prep | 40.0000 (T-11) | In with a win |
| Millard West | 40.0000 (T-11) | In with a win |
| Kearney | 39.8750 (13) | In with a win |
| Lincoln North Star | 39.5000 (14) | In with a win |
| Lincoln Southwest | 39.1250 (15) | In with a win |
| Lincoln Standing Bear | 38.8750 (16) | Out with a loss |
| Bellevue West | 38.1250 (T-17) | Not yet determined |
| Lincoln Southeast | 38.1250 (T-17) | Out with a loss |
| North Platte | 38.0000 (19) | Out with a loss |
| Columbus | 37.7500 (20) | Not yet determined |
| Omaha Westview | 37.5000 (21) | Not yet determined |
A loss does not eliminate any of the top five. Millard West also clinches if it loses but Lincoln Southeast or Papillion-La Vista wins.
Games that matter
Lincoln North Star at Lincoln Southwest, Thursday. Both clinch with a win, so the winner is in and the loser waits. The Lincoln Journal Star headline calls it win and get in, and NEB Preps' math agrees. North Star won the 2025 meeting 14-10.
Creighton Prep at Bellevue West, Thursday. Prep (4-4) clinches with a win. Bellevue West is tied for the first spot outside the field and cannot clinch even with a win. A Prep win plus a Standing Bear or Lincoln Southeast win eliminates Bellevue West.
Papillion-La Vista South at Millard West, Thursday. Millard West (4-4) clinches with a win. PLV South is already in.
Lincoln Standing Bear at Bellevue East, Thursday. Standing Bear holds the 16th spot but cannot clinch with a win, and a loss eliminates it. Bellevue East (3-5) is already out.
Columbus at North Platte, Friday. Two teams just outside the field meet. Neither clinches with a win, and a North Platte loss eliminates North Platte. Columbus won the 2025 meeting 42-6 at North Platte.
Lincoln East at Lincoln Southeast, Friday. Southeast is out with a loss. The Omaha World-Herald wrote that Southeast needs a win plus help.
Possible quarterfinals
If every higher seed wins in the first round (a NEB Preps projection):
- No. 1 Millard South vs. No. 8 Lincoln Northeast
- No. 4 Millard North vs. No. 5 Papillion-La Vista South
- No. 3 Bennington vs. No. 6 Omaha North
- No. 2 Omaha Westside vs. No. 7 Papillion-La Vista
Still unknown
The last spot is not yet determined, and neither are any seeds. Week 9 also changes opponents' records, which moves every team's average, so the final order can shift even for teams that win.
Every class: Wildcard Watch: Week 9.
Sources
Nebraska football scores and schedules → · Football playoff tracker →