Football · Preview · Class C2
Class C2 football playoff outlook: 10 teams are in, and Bergan Catholic-Yutan decides C2-1
Who has clinched in Class C2, the district races still open, the teams that clinch with a Week 9 win and a projected first round.
Ten Class C2 teams have clinched playoff spots, and two more clinch with a Week 9 win, whatever else happens: Scotus Central Catholic and Fillmore Central. The projected field's last four, Wilber-Clatonia, Hershey, Omaha Brownell Talbot and West Point-Beemer, cannot clinch on their own result.
The headline game is unbeaten Bergan Catholic at unbeaten Yutan on Friday, Oct. 23. Both are 4-0 in C2-1 and already in, so it decides the district title and seeding. Grand Island Central Catholic, No. 1 by points, clinches C2-5 and the projected No. 1 seed with a win at Gothenburg. In the Hurrdat Sports Class C2 coaches poll of Oct. 18, Bergan is No. 3 and Yutan No. 4.
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. 53). District leaders are counted as champions. Teams with identical averages are listed in NSAA's page order, which is not a tiebreak result. Omaha Brownell Talbot and West Point-Beemer are tied (38.7500), so the 1-16 and 15-2 games could swap opponents.
- No. 1 Grand Island Central Catholic vs. No. 16 West Point-Beemer
- No. 9 Malcolm vs. No. 8 Bishop Neumann
- No. 5 Gothenburg vs. No. 12 Fillmore Central
- No. 13 Wilber-Clatonia vs. No. 4 Yutan
- No. 3 Ord vs. No. 14 Hershey
- No. 11 Scotus Central Catholic vs. No. 6 Cedar Catholic
- No. 7 Boone Central vs. No. 10 Mitchell
- No. 15 Omaha Brownell Talbot vs. No. 2 Bergan Catholic, a rematch of Bergan's 56-20 win on Oct. 16
How C2 qualifies
The six district champions qualify, plus the 10 highest averages among teams that did not win a district (NSAA football manual, p. 53). The 16th-best average is not automatically in.
Who's in
District champions: Cedar Catholic (C2-4) and Mitchell (C2-6).
By math: Grand Island Central Catholic, Bergan Catholic, Ord, Yutan, Gothenburg, Boone Central, Bishop Neumann and Malcolm. Each finishes with an average that too few wild-card teams can reach in any Week 9 outcome. Bishop Neumann and Malcolm share the tightest case: at most nine other wild-card-eligible teams can reach their lowest possible average, 40.6667, and there are 10 wild cards.
Six teams are out in every outcome: H&H, Palmyra, Wood River, Schuyler, Summerland and Louisville. Battle Creek is out with a loss.
The bubble
Ranks and points are NSAA's. Status is NEB Preps' projection math.
| Team | Pts (rank) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Scotus Central Catholic | 40.5000 (11) | In with a win |
| Fillmore Central | 40.0000 (12) | In with a win |
| Wilber-Clatonia | 39.2500 (13) | Not yet determined |
| Hershey | 39.0000 (14) | Not yet determined |
| Omaha Brownell Talbot | 38.7500 (T-15) | Not yet determined |
| West Point-Beemer | 38.7500 (T-15) | Not yet determined |
| Lincoln Lutheran | 38.6250 (17) | Not yet determined |
| Norfolk Catholic | 37.7500 (18) | Not yet determined |
| St. Paul | 36.7500 (19) | Not yet determined |
A loss does not eliminate any of the seven teams from Scotus Central Catholic to Lincoln Lutheran; for Norfolk Catholic and St. Paul, status after a loss is not yet determined. Lincoln Lutheran, the first team outside, is 0.1250 behind Brownell Talbot and West Point-Beemer.
Games that matter
Bergan Catholic at Yutan, Friday. The C2-1 title. Both are 8-0, so if the season ended today their order would need tiebreak steps beyond overall record.
Fillmore Central at Malcolm, Friday. Malcolm (4-0 in C2-2) is in either way. A Fillmore Central win ties them at 4-1, and the head-to-head result gives Fillmore Central the title and a spot (manual, p. 53).
West Point-Beemer at Boone Central, Thursday. Boone Central (8-0) clinches C2-3 with a win. A WPB win takes the title and a spot if Scotus loses to North Bend Central. If Scotus wins, the three tie at 4-1, each 1-1 against the others, and Boone Central (8-1) takes the title on overall record (manual, p. 53).
Grand Island Central Catholic at Gothenburg, Friday. GICC clinches C2-5 and the No. 1 seed with a win. A Gothenburg win makes a three-way 3-1 tie with Ord, each 1-1 against the others. If Ord also loses to Cedar Catholic, Gothenburg takes the title on its win over GICC; if Ord wins, all three are 8-1 and the title is not yet determined (manual, p. 53). All three are already in.
Bishop Neumann at Omaha Brownell Talbot, Friday. Brownell Talbot sits on the line. Neumann, the 2025 state champion, is already in.
Possible quarterfinals
If every higher seed wins in the first round (a NEB Preps projection):
- No. 1 Grand Island Central Catholic vs. No. 8 Bishop Neumann
- No. 4 Yutan vs. No. 5 Gothenburg
- No. 3 Ord vs. No. 6 Cedar Catholic
- No. 2 Bergan Catholic vs. No. 7 Boone Central
Neumann beat GICC 37-15 in the 2025 final. In this projection they would be in the same quarter of the bracket.
Still unknown
The C2-1, C2-2, C2-3 and C2-5 titles, the last four spots and every seed are not yet determined.
Every class: Wildcard Watch: Week 9.
Sources
Nebraska football scores and schedules → · Football playoff tracker →