Football · Preview · Class C1
Class C1 football playoff outlook: 10 teams are in, and four more clinch with a win
Who has clinched in Class C1, the district races still open, the four teams that clinch with a Week 9 win and a projected first round.
Ten Class C1 teams have clinched playoff spots. Four more clinch with a Week 9 win, whatever else happens: Lincoln Christian, O'Neill, Central City and Cozad. Auburn and Alliance hold the last two projected spots but cannot clinch on their own result.
The game with the most riding on it at the top is Omaha Roncalli Catholic (7-1) at Boys Town (8-0) on Thursday, Oct. 22. Both are 3-0 in C1-1, the winner takes the district title, and both are already in.
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, using NSAA's bracket (manual, p. 51). District leaders are counted as champions. Teams with identical averages are listed in NSAA's page order, which is not a tiebreak result. Minden and Wahoo are tied, so the 9-8 and 7-10 games could swap opponents. Central City and Cozad are also tied (38.8750), so the 13-4 and 3-14 games could swap opponents.
- No. 1 Sidney vs. No. 16 Alliance, a rematch of Sidney's 20-8 win at Alliance on Oct. 16
- No. 9 Minden vs. No. 8 Omaha Roncalli Catholic
- No. 5 Boys Town vs. No. 12 O'Neill
- No. 13 Central City vs. No. 4 Ashland-Greenwood
- No. 3 Pierce vs. No. 14 Cozad
- No. 11 Lincoln Christian vs. No. 6 Adams Central
- No. 7 Syracuse vs. No. 10 Wahoo, a rematch of Syracuse's 42-23 win on Aug. 28
- No. 15 Auburn vs. No. 2 Chadron
Wahoo is the 2025 state champion, and Sidney was the runner-up.
How C1 qualifies
The six district champions qualify, plus the 10 highest averages among teams that did not win a district (NSAA football manual, p. 51). So the 16th-best average is not automatically in. A district champion with a low average would push a wild-card team out.
Who's in
District champions: Wahoo (C1-2), Syracuse (C1-3) and Adams Central (C1-5). No remaining result can catch them in their districts.
By math: Sidney, Chadron, Pierce, Ashland-Greenwood, Boys Town, Omaha Roncalli Catholic and Minden. In every Week 9 outcome, each finishes with an average too few wild-card teams can reach.
Nebraska City, Kearney Catholic, Raymond Central and Ogallala are out in every outcome.
The bubble
Ranks and points are NSAA's. Status is NEB Preps' projection math.
| Team | Pts (rank) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Christian | 40.7500 (11) | In with a win |
| O'Neill | 39.8750 (12) | In with a win |
| Central City | 38.8750 (T-13) | In with a win |
| Cozad | 38.8750 (T-13) | In with a win |
| Auburn | 38.1250 (15) | Not yet determined |
| Alliance | 38.0000 (16) | Not yet determined |
| Mount Michael Benedictine | 37.3750 (17) | Not yet determined |
| Broken Bow | 36.1250 (18) | Not yet determined |
| Columbus Lakeview | 36.0000 (T-19) | Not yet determined |
| Douglas County West | 36.0000 (T-19) | Not yet determined |
A loss does not eliminate any of the six teams inside the projected field; for the four outside it, their status after a loss is not yet determined. Lincoln Christian also clinches with a loss at Milford if Pierce or Sidney wins. Wayne and Concordia Omaha are out with a loss.
Games that matter
Omaha Roncalli Catholic at Boys Town, Thursday. The C1-1 title. Boys Town is No. 1 and Roncalli No. 6 in the Hurrdat Sports Class C1 coaches poll of Oct. 18.
Pierce at Central City, Friday. Pierce (8-0) clinches C1-4 with a win, and Central City clinches a spot with a win. A Central City win takes the title if O'Neill loses to Wayne, on Central City's head-to-head win over Pierce. If O'Neill also wins, Pierce, O'Neill and Central City tie at 3-1, each 1-1 against the others, so the next step, overall record, gives Pierce (8-1) the title (manual, p. 51).
Cozad at Sidney, Friday. Sidney (8-0) clinches C1-6 with a win. A Cozad win clinches Cozad a spot, and the title too if Chadron loses to 0-8 Ogallala. If Chadron wins, the three tie at 3-1, each 1-1 against the others; Sidney and Chadron would both be 8-1, and Sidney takes the title on its 7-6 win over Chadron (manual, p. 51). Sidney won the 2025 meeting with Cozad 35-0.
Nebraska City at Auburn, and Alliance at Mitchell, Friday. Auburn and Alliance hold the last two projected spots, but neither clinches with a win. Mitchell is a C2 team.
Concordia Omaha at Mount Michael Benedictine, Friday. Mount Michael is the first team outside the projected field. A win keeps it alive but does not clinch, and a Mount Michael win eliminates Concordia Omaha.
Possible quarterfinals
If every higher seed wins in the first round (a NEB Preps projection):
- No. 1 Sidney vs. No. 8 Omaha Roncalli Catholic
- No. 4 Ashland-Greenwood vs. No. 5 Boys Town
- No. 3 Pierce vs. No. 6 Adams Central
- No. 2 Chadron vs. No. 7 Syracuse
Still unknown
The C1-1, C1-4 and C1-6 titles, the last two spots and every seed are not yet determined.
Every class: Wildcard Watch: Week 9.
Sources
Nebraska football scores and schedules → · Football playoff tracker →