Football · Preview · Class C1
Class C1 bubble watch: Auburn and Alliance hold the last spots, and six teams below them are out
The Class C1 teams on both sides of the 10th wild card, what each needs and who's already out.
Class C1 takes six district champions and 10 wild cards, and the 10th wild card sits at 38.000 points. Alliance holds it. Six teams sit between 40.750 and that line, and three teams below it are still alive, led by Mount Michael Benedictine, 0.625 back.
The group chasing them is smaller than the standings suggest. Six teams just below the line are already out. More on that below.
Data as of 7:59 a.m. CT Wednesday, Oct. 21, from NSAA's wildcard page. Points haven't changed since the Oct. 19 update. Ranges below run every Week 9 result through NSAA's point formula. They're NEB Preps projections, not official.
Class C1 bubble board
NSAA points · 7:59 a.m. CT Wednesday, Oct. 21 (NSAA wildcard page; points unchanged since the Oct. 19 9:04 a.m. update). Projection—not official seeds.
Current last at-large average: 38.000 · Alliance. Dashed marks compare current averages, not guaranteed qualification. District berths and tiebreakers still apply.
All schools shown. JavaScript enables the optional search and one-game controls.
Open a school for its remaining game and reviewed scenario. Each what-if fixes only one game; all other results can vary. Ranges are not rankings or clinch probabilities. Ties remain ties.
Lincoln Christian6-2 · Bubble40.750 ptsClinches with a win over Milford.
2026-10-23 · at Milford (2-6). Kickoff not confirmed in this snapshot.
Final-average range with a win: 40.778–42.444. With a loss: 39.556–41.222.
O'Neill5-3 · Bubble39.875 ptsClinches with a win over Wayne.
2026-10-23 · vs. Wayne (1-7). Kickoff not confirmed in this snapshot.
Final-average range with a win: 40.000–40.667. With a loss: 38.444–39.111.
Central City4-4 · Bubble38.875 ptsClinches with a win over Pierce.
2026-10-23 · vs. Pierce (8-0). Kickoff not confirmed in this snapshot.
Final-average range with a win: 40.111–40.111. With a loss: 38.556–38.556.
Cozad4-4 · Bubble38.875 ptsClinches with a win over Sidney.
2026-10-23 · at Sidney (8-0). Kickoff not confirmed in this snapshot.
Final-average range with a win: 40.111–40.778. With a loss: 38.556–39.222.
Auburn4-4 · Bubble38.125 ptsA win alone doesn't lock up a spot; it would finish at 39.1111 with a win.
2026-10-23 · vs. Nebraska City (0-8). Kickoff not confirmed in this snapshot.
Final-average range with a win: 39.111–39.111. With a loss: 37.556–37.556.
Alliance4-4 · Bubble38.000 ptsA win alone doesn't lock up a spot; it would finish at 39.0000-40.0000 with a win.
2026-10-23 · at Mitchell (6-2). Kickoff not confirmed in this snapshot.
Final-average range with a win: 39.000–40.000. With a loss: 37.778–38.778.
Mount Michael Benedictine3-5 · Bubble37.375 ptsA win alone doesn't lock up a spot; it would finish at 37.7778-38.7778 with a win.
2026-10-23 · vs. Concordia Omaha (2-6). Kickoff not confirmed in this snapshot.
Final-average range with a win: 37.778–38.778. With a loss: 36.556–37.556.
Broken Bow2-6 · Out36.125 ptsEliminated. Cannot reach the last spot in any Week 9 outcome.
2026-10-23 · at Holdrege (2-6). Kickoff not confirmed in this snapshot.
Final-average range with a win: 36.667–37.000. With a loss: 35.444–35.778.
Qualification evidence: Out in every Week 9 outcome by a district-champion count (pigeonhole) check: at most one title contender per district can take an automatic bid, so enough non-champions are guaranteed to finish above this team's best possible average.
Columbus Lakeview3-5 · Bubble36.000 ptsA win alone doesn't lock up a spot; it would finish at 37.5556-38.5556 with a win.
2026-10-23 · vs. Ashland-Greenwood (7-1). Kickoff not confirmed in this snapshot.
Final-average range with a win: 37.556–38.556. With a loss: 36.000–37.000.
Douglas County West3-5 · Bubble36.000 ptsA win alone doesn't lock up a spot; it would finish at 36.5556-37.5556 with a win. Out with a loss to Arlington.
2026-10-23 · at Arlington (2-6). Kickoff not confirmed in this snapshot.
Final-average range with a win: 36.556–37.556. With a loss: 35.333–36.333.
Arlington2-6 · Out35.375 ptsEliminated. Cannot reach the last spot in any Week 9 outcome.
2026-10-23 · vs. Douglas County West (3-5). Kickoff not confirmed in this snapshot.
Final-average range with a win: 36.667–37.000. With a loss: 35.111–35.444.
Qualification evidence: Out in every Week 9 outcome by a district-champion count (pigeonhole) check: at most one title contender per district can take an automatic bid, so enough non-champions are guaranteed to finish above this team's best possible average.
Concordia Omaha2-6 · Out35.000 ptsEliminated. Cannot reach the last spot in any Week 9 outcome.
2026-10-23 · at Mount Michael Benedictine (3-5). Kickoff not confirmed in this snapshot.
Final-average range with a win: 36.000–36.667. With a loss: 34.444–35.111.
Qualification evidence: Out in every Week 9 outcome by a district-champion count (pigeonhole) check: at most one title contender per district can take an automatic bid, so enough non-champions are guaranteed to finish above this team's best possible average.
Holdrege2-6 · Out34.875 ptsEliminated. Cannot reach the last spot in any Week 9 outcome.
2026-10-23 · vs. Broken Bow (2-6). Kickoff not confirmed in this snapshot.
Final-average range with a win: 35.556–36.889. With a loss: 34.333–35.667.
Qualification evidence: Out in every Week 9 outcome by a district-champion count (pigeonhole) check: at most one title contender per district can take an automatic bid, so enough non-champions are guaranteed to finish above this team's best possible average.
Fort Calhoun2-6 · Out34.625 ptsEliminated. Cannot reach the last spot in any Week 9 outcome.
2026-10-23 · vs. Syracuse (6-2). Kickoff not confirmed in this snapshot.
Final-average range with a win: 36.000–37.333. With a loss: 34.778–36.111.
Qualification evidence: Out in every Week 9 outcome by a district-champion count (pigeonhole) check: at most one title contender per district can take an automatic bid, so enough non-champions are guaranteed to finish above this team's best possible average.
Milford2-6 · Out34.625 ptsEliminated. Cannot reach the last spot in any Week 9 outcome.
2026-10-23 · vs. Lincoln Christian (6-2). Kickoff not confirmed in this snapshot.
Final-average range with a win: 36.000–37.333. With a loss: 34.778–36.111.
Qualification evidence: Out in every Week 9 outcome by a district-champion count (pigeonhole) check: at most one title contender per district can take an automatic bid, so enough non-champions are guaranteed to finish above this team's best possible average.
View the three-column points table
| Team | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Christian | 6-2 | 40.750 |
| O'Neill | 5-3 | 39.875 |
| Central City | 4-4 | 38.875 |
| Cozad | 4-4 | 38.875 |
| Auburn | 4-4 | 38.125 |
| Alliance | 4-4 | 38.000 |
| Mount Michael Benedictine | 3-5 | 37.375 |
| Broken Bow | 2-6 | 36.125 |
| Columbus Lakeview | 3-5 | 36.000 |
| Douglas County West | 3-5 | 36.000 |
| Arlington | 2-6 | 35.375 |
| Concordia Omaha | 2-6 | 35.000 |
| Holdrege | 2-6 | 34.875 |
| Fort Calhoun | 2-6 | 34.625 |
| Milford | 2-6 | 34.625 |
Win and you're in
Lincoln Christian (6-2, 40.750) clinches with a win at Milford. It also clinches if Pierce beats Central City or Sidney beats Cozad, win or lose. O'Neill (5-3, 39.875) clinches with a win over Wayne (1-7).
Central City (4-4, 38.875) hosts unbeaten Pierce, and Cozad (4-4, 38.875) visits unbeaten Sidney. Each clinches with an upset. Central City would finish at exactly 40.111. Cozad would finish at 40.111 to 40.778.
Holding on: Auburn and Alliance
Auburn (4-4, 38.125) hosts winless Nebraska City. A win puts it at 39.111, but that doesn't lock up a spot. Alliance (4-4, 38.000) visits Mitchell (6-2), a C2 team. A win gets Alliance to 39.000 to 40.000, but that doesn't clinch either. Both need the upsets above to fail.
Just outside
Mount Michael Benedictine (3-5, 37.375) is the first team out. It hosts Concordia Omaha, and a win gets it to 37.778 to 38.778. That's in range of the line, but it's not enough by itself.
Columbus Lakeview (3-5, 36.000) hosts Ashland-Greenwood (7-1) and could reach 37.556 to 38.556 with the upset. Douglas County West (3-5, 36.000) is out with a loss at Arlington. A win gets it only to 36.556 to 37.556.
Already out
Six more teams are out in every Week 9 outcome: Arlington, Holdrege, Broken Bow, Concordia Omaha, Fort Calhoun and Milford. The check: a district has only one champion, so most of the title contenders ranked above each of these teams have to finish as non-champions. That leaves at least 10 non-champions guaranteed to finish above each team's best possible average. Wayne, Nebraska City, Kearney Catholic, Raymond Central and Ogallala were already out.
How the math works
A win is worth 50, 47, 44 or 41 points depending on the opponent's division, and a loss is worth 36, 33, 30 or 27. Take O'Neill: 39.875 over eight games is 319 points. Beat Wayne and Wayne is 1-8 (Division 4), so the win is worth 41, and 360 divided by 9 is 40.000. A loss to a 2-7 Wayne is worth 27, and 346 divided by 9 is 38.444.
The district races and the projected bracket are in the Class C1 playoff outlook.
Sources
Lincoln Christian team center → · O'Neill team center → · Central City team center → · Cozad team center → · Auburn team center → · Alliance team center → · Mount Michael Benedictine team center → · Columbus Lakeview team center → · Douglas County West team center →
Nebraska football scores and schedules → · Football playoff tracker →