CLASS D1 PLAYOFF BRACKET
2026 NSAA 8-man football playoffs · 16 teams · state final Mon. Nov. 23 · 2:45 PM CT · Memorial Stadium, Lincoln
NEB Preps Projected Bracket
as of Oct. 16, 11:07 a.m. CTOur projection, not the official bracket. It applies Class D1's qualifying rules to the NSAA's own wildcard point standings. NSAA releases the real brackets after Week 9 — expected Sat. Oct. 24–25, 2026 (NSAA has not announced an exact release time). #1 seed: Johnson-Brock (7-0).
Higher seed listed first. Select a game for details; unassigned matchups link to team schedules.
Tied leads: which co-leader gets the district seat is projected.
Pick the Class D1 champion
Tap teams to fill out all 15 games, then share your bracket. Locks Fri, Oct 30, 1:30 PM CT. Picks made now use the projected field.
BUILD YOUR BRACKET →Scoring: 10 pts per first-round winner, 20 per quarterfinal, 40 per semifinal, 80 for the champion.
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The leaderboard opens once first-round games go final.
KEY DATES · QUALIFYING · SOURCES
- Wildcard cutoffWeek 9 · Oct. 22–24
- Brackets releasedExpected Oct. 24–25
- First roundFri. Oct. 30
- QuarterfinalsFri. Nov. 6
- SemifinalsFri. Nov. 13
- State finalMon. Nov. 23 · 2:45 PM CT · Memorial Stadium, Lincoln
Higher seed hosts through the semifinals. NSAA wildcard points cover regular-season games Fri. Aug. 21 through Fri. Oct. 23, 2026 (Week 9).
The 7 district champions and the 9 teams with the highest regular-season point average that did not finish as district champions = 16.
Seeds 1-16 go strictly by NSAA point average; district champions are guaranteed a spot, not a top seed. "Tied (projected)" marks equal averages or district records that NSAA tiebreakers will settle.
Projected district places use district record, then point average. The NSAA's full tiebreakers (head-to-head, overall record and more) aren't applied, so close districts can change.
Official sources: NSAA Class D1 bracket · NSAA wildcard points · NSAA district leaders · NSAA football
BUBBLE WATCH · NSAA WILDCARD POINTS Top 24 standings · Tied for last spot (proj.): Tri County
| # | School | Rec. | Avg. | Projected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Johnson-Brock | 7-0 | 46.57 | #1 (D1-1) |
| 2 | Ravenna | 7-0 | 45.29 | #2 (D1-6) |
| 3 | Sandy Creek | 6-1 | 45.00 | #3 (WC) |
| 4 | Hartington-Newcastle | 7-0 | 44.86 | #4 (D1-5) |
| 5 | Stanton | 7-0 | 44.00 | #5 (D1-4) |
| 6 | Crofton | 6-1 | 43.71 | #6 (WC) |
| 7 | Exeter-Milligan-Friend | 6-1 | 42.86 | #7 (D1-2) |
| 8 | Sutton | 6-2 | 42.38 | #8 (WC) |
| 9 | Wisner-Pilger | 6-1 | 41.57 | #9 (WC) |
| 10 | Amherst | 5-2 | 41.29 | #10 (D1-7) |
| 11 | Elmwood-Murdock | 4-3 | 40.57 | #11 (WC) |
| 12 | Alma | 5-2 | 40.43 | #12 (WC) |
| 12 | Centura | 5-2 | 40.43 | #13 (WC) |
| 14 | Ponca | 5-3 | 40.25 | #14 (WC) |
| 15 | Elkhorn Valley | 4-3 | 39.71 | #15 (WC) |
| 16 | Nebraska Christian | 5-2 | 39.57 | #16 (D1-3) |
| 16 | Tri CountyTied for last spot (proj.) | 5-2 | 39.57 | — |
| 18 | West Holt | 5-2 | 39.14 | — |
| 19 | Cross County | 4-3 | 38.86 | — |
| 19 | Pender | 4-3 | 38.86 | — |
| 21 | Conestoga | 4-3 | 38.43 | — |
| 22 | Thayer Central | 3-4 | 37.71 | — |
| 23 | Centennial | 4-4 | 37.38 | — |
| 24 | Elm Creek | 3-4 | 36.86 | — |
Top 24 of 40 by point average, copied from the NSAA. District code = projected district qualifier, WC = wildcard. Ties share a rank; tied teams are seeded here in NSAA list order, while the NSAA breaks ties by head-to-head, then strength-of-schedule steps.
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.
