Football · Preview · Class D6
Class D6 bubble watch (projected): Sterling last in after eligibility filter; Red Cloud field No. 4 (after Thursday)
Projected Class D6 after Thursday: McCool/Mead/HTRS ineligible; Red Cloud eligibility-filtered field No. 4; Sterling last in; GI Lutheran first out. Scout 10:53 a.m. CT Friday, Oct. 23.
Eligibility: McCool Junction (D6(INELIGIBLE) (classification PDF)); Mead (D6(INELIGIBLE) (classification PDF)); Humboldt-Table Rock-Steinauer (D6(INELIGIBLE) (classification PDF)). These schools cannot take a projected playoff place. Regular-season results still count for opponents' points. Cite: NSAA 2026–27 Football Classifications PDF · Scout eligibility rebuild 10:53 a.m. CT Friday, Oct. 23.
Class D6's eligibility-filtered cut after Thursday: Sterling (4-3, 39.2857) is last in, and GI Lutheran (4-4, 39.25) is first out. Top 16 by points qualify (eligibility-filtered).
Red Cloud beat Grand Island Lutheran 54–27 on Thursday (NSAA official). Red Cloud is points No. 5 (7-1, 43.375) and eligibility-filtered playoff field No. 4 because McCool Junction, Mead and Humboldt-Table Rock-Steinauer are postseason-ineligible.
PROJECTED after Thursday — not official NSAA seeds. Data as of 10:53 a.m. CT Friday, Oct. 23 (NSAA points page 23 Oct 2026 10:51:20 am CDT). Friday opponents unplayed only — no invented win/loss averages. Doubtful Friday 0–1/1–0 NSAA rows (Banner County–Potter-Dix, Cody-Kilgore–Sioux County, Diller-Odell–HTRS) were left unplayed on purpose.
| Team | Rec | Pts | Elig # | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hay Springs | 5-3 | 41.000 | 12 | In |
| Meridian | 4-3 | 40.1429 | 13 | In |
| Crawford | 5-3 | 39.5 | 14 | In |
| High Plains | 4-3 | 39.2857 | 15 | In |
| Sterling | 4-3 | 39.2857 | 16 | Last in |
| GI Lutheran | 4-4 | 39.25 | 17 | First out |
| Potter-Dix | 3-4 | 38.5714 | 18 | Out |
Eligible field Nos. 12–16
Hay Springs (5-3, 41.000, No. 12) — No Friday game left (or finished). Meridian (4-3, 40.1429, No. 13) — Friday: visits Pawnee City (unplayed). Crawford (5-3, 39.5, No. 14) — No Friday game left (or finished). High Plains (4-3, 39.2857, No. 15) — Friday: hosts Harvard (unplayed). Sterling (4-3, 39.2857, No. 16) — Friday: visits Lewiston (unplayed).
Ineligible (no projected berth)
McCool Junction (8-0, 43.625, raw No. 4), Mead (4-3, 39.286, raw No. 17), and Humboldt-Table Rock-Steinauer are D6 postseason-ineligible. They cannot take a playoff place; results still count for opponents. Cite: 2627class.pdf.
Just outside
GI Lutheran (4-4, 39.25, No. 17) — No Friday game left (or finished). Potter-Dix (3-4, 38.5714, No. 18) — No Friday game left (or finished).
What to watch Friday
Meridian visits Pawnee City. High Plains hosts Harvard. Sterling visits Lewiston.
Top 16 by points qualify (eligibility-filtered). The points-order Nos. 12–18 are a wild-card watch list after eligibility filtering — not a promise that the No. 16 team on raw points is the No. 16 seed on Selection Day.
How the math works
Win values 50/47/44/41 and loss values 36/33/30/27 by division, averaged across counted games. Playing up adds 2/3/4. District champs are safe where the format uses them; wild cards fill the rest by points among eligible schools only.
/playoffs · Wildcard Watch (eligibility note) · After-Thursday Wildcard Watch.
Sources
Hay Springs team center → · Meridian team center → · Crawford team center → · High Plains Community team center → · Sterling team center → · Grand Island Lutheran team center → · Potter-Dix team center → · McCool Junction team center → · Mead team center →
Nebraska football scores and schedules → · Football playoff tracker →