How many teams make the Nebraska football playoffs?

Sixteen in each of the eight classes, 128 teams in all. Seeds 1 vs. 16, 8 vs. 9 and so on meet in the first round.

How do teams qualify?

Class A and six-man D6 take the top 16 by point average. Class B takes the top three from each of its three geographic districts, the emerging-district champion and six wildcards. C1, C2 and D2 take six district champions plus 10 wildcards; D1 and D3 take seven district champions plus nine wildcards.

How do NSAA wildcard points work?

In a nine-game season, a win over a first-division opponent (7-2 or better) is worth 50 points, second division 47, third 44 and fourth 41; losses earn 36, 33, 30 or 27. Playing a school one, two or three classes higher adds 2, 3 or 4 bonus points. Total points divided by games played is the point average, and the score of the game doesn't matter. Only the first meeting with an opponent counts and points stop at the end of the regular season.

When are the playoff games?

First round Fri., Oct. 30, quarterfinals Fri., Nov. 6, semifinals Fri., Nov. 13. State finals: Fri., Nov. 20: D3 1 p.m. and D6 7 p.m.; Mon., Nov. 23 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln: D2 (time to be confirmed), D1 2:45 p.m. and A 7:15 p.m.; Tue., Nov. 24 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln: C2 10:15 a.m., C1 2:45 p.m. and B 7:15 p.m.

When are the official brackets released?

The NSAA hasn't announced a 2026 release date. The field is set by the standings after Week 9 (Oct. 22-24).

Who hosts playoff games?

In every class except D6, the higher seed hosts through the semifinals. In D6 the higher point average hosts the first round, and after that the team that was the visitor in its previous game hosts if the other team hosted; otherwise the higher point average hosts.

NSAA PLAYOFFS 2026•ALL 8 CLASSES•PROJECTED FROM WILDCARD POINTS

PLAYOFF BRACKETS

Every 2026 NSAA football bracket, Class A through six-man D6. Each class has 16 teams seeded 1–16 by wildcard point average. Until NSAA releases the real brackets — expected Sat. Oct. 24–25, 2026 (NSAA has not announced an exact release time) — the fields below are PROJECTED from the NSAA's own wildcard standings.

BRACKETSOct. 24–25expected
ROUND 1Oct. 30Fri
QUARTERSNov. 6Fri
SEMISNov. 13Fri
FINALSNov. 20–24Kearney & Lincoln

PROJECTED

NEB Preps Projected Brackets

as of Oct. 16, 11:07 a.m. CT

Our projected 16-team field for every class, built from the NSAA's wildcard points. Open a class to see the full bracket and share it.

CLASS APROJECTED

11-man · state final Mon. Nov. 23 · 7:15 PM CT · Memorial Stadium, Lincoln

PROJECTED #1 SEEDMillard South8-0 · 46.25 pts avg.

2Bennington7-0
3Omaha Westside7-0
4Papillion-La Vista South6-1

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CLASS BPROJECTED

11-man · state final Tue. Nov. 24 · 7:15 PM CT · Memorial Stadium, Lincoln

PROJECTED #1 SEEDGretna7-0 · 45.29 pts avg.

2Omaha Skutt Catholic6-1
3Scottsbluff7-0
4Gretna East6-1

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CLASS C1PROJECTED

11-man · state final Tue. Nov. 24 · 2:45 PM CT · Memorial Stadium, Lincoln

PROJECTED #1 SEEDAshland-Greenwood7-0 · 44.00 pts avg.

2Sidney7-0
3Chadron6-1
4Boys Town7-0

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CLASS C2PROJECTED

11-man · state final Tue. Nov. 24 · 10:15 AM CT · Memorial Stadium, Lincoln

PROJECTED #1 SEEDGrand Island Central Catholic7-0 · 45.14 pts avg.

2Ord7-0
3Yutan7-0
4Bergan Catholic7-0

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CLASS D1PROJECTED

8-man · state final Mon. Nov. 23 · 2:45 PM CT · Memorial Stadium, Lincoln

PROJECTED #1 SEEDJohnson-Brock7-0 · 46.57 pts avg.

2Ravenna7-0
3Sandy Creek6-1
4Hartington-Newcastle7-0

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CLASS D2PROJECTED

8-man · state final Mon. Nov. 23 · Memorial Stadium, Lincoln

PROJECTED #1 SEEDShelby-Rising City7-0 · 45.86 pts avg.

2North Platte St. Patrick's7-0
3Loomis7-0
4East Butler6-1

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CLASS D3PROJECTED

8-man · state final Fri. Nov. 20 · 1:00 PM CT · Kearney

PROJECTED #1 SEEDLawrence-Nelson8-0 · 45.63 pts avg.

2Central Valley6-1
3Archangels Catholic6-1
4Dundy County Stratton5-2

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CLASS D6PROJECTED

6-man · state final Fri. Nov. 20 · 7:00 PM CT · Cope Stadium (UNK), Kearney

PROJECTED #1 SEEDStuart7-0 · 45.29 pts avg.

2Medicine Valley6-0
3Arthur County5-1
4Wallace5-1

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How NSAA wildcard points and seeding work

Every Nebraska football playoff bracket has 16 teams, and wildcard points decide who fills the at-large spots and where every qualifier is seeded.

Each regular-season game earns points based on the opponent's record. In a nine-game season, a win over a first-division team (7-2 or better) is worth 50 points. Second division (6-3, 5-4) is worth 47, third (4-5, 3-6) 44, and fourth (2-7 or worse) 41. Losses still earn 36, 33, 30 or 27. Playing a school one, two or three classes higher adds 2, 3 or 4 bonus points; playing down costs nothing. The score doesn't matter: a 7-6 win counts the same as 50-0.

Divide total points by games played to get the point average. Only the first meeting with an opponent counts, points stop at the end of the regular season, and out-of-state opponents are converted to a Nebraska class by enrollment.

Qualifying depends on the class:

Class A and six-man D6 take the top 16 by points.
Class B takes the top three from each of its three geographic districts, the emerging-district champion and six wildcards.
C1, C2 and D2 take six district champions plus 10 wildcards.
D1 and D3 take seven district champions plus nine wildcards.

All 16 are seeded by point average (1 vs. 16, 8 vs. 9, and so on). In every class except D6, the higher seed hosts through the semifinals. Ties in point average go to head-to-head if two tied teams met, then strength-of-schedule steps, then a coin flip.

NSAA wildcard points cover regular-season games Fri. Aug. 21 through Fri. Oct. 23, 2026 (Week 9).

OFFICIAL SOURCES

The NSAA is the official source for brackets, seeds and wildcard points: NSAA football · wildcard point leaders · district leaders · brackets: A, B, C1, C2, D1, D2, D3, D6

Nebraska football playoffs: FAQ

Eight classes, 128 teams, one state champion each. Until the NSAA releases the official brackets, each class shows a projected 16-team field built from the official NSAA wildcard standings, and you can fill out your own bracket.

How many teams make the Nebraska football playoffs?: Sixteen in each of the eight classes, 128 teams in all. Seeds 1 vs. 16, 8 vs. 9 and so on meet in the first round.
How do teams qualify?: Class A and six-man D6 take the top 16 by point average. Class B takes the top three from each of its three geographic districts, the emerging-district champion and six wildcards. C1, C2 and D2 take six district champions plus 10 wildcards; D1 and D3 take seven district champions plus nine wildcards.
How do NSAA wildcard points work?: In a nine-game season, a win over a first-division opponent (7-2 or better) is worth 50 points, second division 47, third 44 and fourth 41; losses earn 36, 33, 30 or 27. Playing a school one, two or three classes higher adds 2, 3 or 4 bonus points. Total points divided by games played is the point average, and the score of the game doesn't matter. Only the first meeting with an opponent counts and points stop at the end of the regular season.
When are the playoff games?: First round Fri., Oct. 30, quarterfinals Fri., Nov. 6, semifinals Fri., Nov. 13. State finals: Fri., Nov. 20: D3 1 p.m. and D6 7 p.m.; Mon., Nov. 23 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln: D2 (time to be confirmed), D1 2:45 p.m. and A 7:15 p.m.; Tue., Nov. 24 at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln: C2 10:15 a.m., C1 2:45 p.m. and B 7:15 p.m.
When are the official brackets released?: The NSAA hasn't announced a 2026 release date. The field is set by the standings after Week 9 (Oct. 22-24).
Who hosts playoff games?: In every class except D6, the higher seed hosts through the semifinals. In D6 the higher point average hosts the first round, and after that the team that was the visitor in its previous game hosts if the other team hosted; otherwise the higher point average hosts.