Class D1 football playoff bracket

2026 · Playoffs in progress · Source Oct. 31

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Class D1 bracket

Read bracket as a list
Team path & bracket guide

Higher seed listed first. Select a game for details; unassigned matchups link to team schedules.

Connected bracket · Swipe across rounds or use the round buttons. Choose Round cards for a larger game-by-game view.

G1 ↗Final · Fri., Oct. 30 · 5:00 PM CT · Host by seed rule: Johnson-BrockFinal1Johnson-Brock#1 Johnson-Brock ✓9-0 · 46.006916Amherst#16 Amherst5-4 · 39.7824Game center →Open Game Center →
G2 ↗Final · Fri., Oct. 30 · 7:00 PM CT · Host by seed rule: Exeter-Milligan-FriendFinal8Exeter-Milligan-Friend#8 Exeter-Milligan-Friend ✓8-1 · 43.11399Elmwood-Murdock#9 Elmwood-Murdock6-3 · 41.676Game center →Open Game Center →
G3 ↗Final · Fri., Oct. 30 · 7:00 PM CT · Host by seed rule: CroftonFinal5Crofton#5 Crofton ✓8-1 · 44.445912Elkhorn Valley#12 Elkhorn Valley6-3 · 41.006Game center →Open Game Center →
G4 ↗Final · Fri., Oct. 30 · 7:00 PM CT · Host by seed rule: RavennaFinal4Ravenna#4 Ravenna ✓8-1 · 44.445613Cross County#13 Cross County6-3 · 41.0036Game center →Open Game Center →
G5 ↗Final · Fri., Oct. 30 · 6:00 PM CT · Host by seed rule: StantonFinal3Stanton#3 Stanton ✓9-0 · 45.007814Alma#14 Alma6-3 · 40.6727Game center →Open Game Center →
G6 ↗Final · Fri., Oct. 30 · 3:00 PM CT · Host by seed rule: Hartington-NewcastleFinal6Hartington-Newcastle#6 Hartington-Newcastle ✓8-1 · 44.116211Centura#11 Centura7-2 · 41.2257Game center →Open Game Center →
G7 ↗Final · Fri., Oct. 30 · 6:00 PM CT · Host by seed rule: SuttonFinal7Sutton#7 Sutton ✓7-2 · 43.223010Wisner-Pilger#10 Wisner-Pilger7-2 · 41.2224Game center →Open Game Center →
G8 ↗Final · Fri., Oct. 30 · 6:00 PM CT · Host by seed rule: Sandy CreekFinal2Sandy Creek#2 Sandy Creek ✓8-1 · 45.787215Ponca#15 Ponca5-4 · 39.786Game center →Open Game Center →
1Johnson-Brock#1 Johnson-Brock8Exeter-Milligan-Friend#8 Exeter-Milligan-FriendGame center →Open Game Center →
From these games:Game 1: #1 Johnson-Brock / #16 AmherstGame 2: #8 Exeter-Milligan-Friend / #9 Elmwood-MurdockWinners advance; no result is assumed.
5Crofton#5 Crofton4Ravenna#4 RavennaGame center →Open Game Center →
From these games:Game 3: #5 Crofton / #12 Elkhorn ValleyGame 4: #4 Ravenna / #13 Cross CountyWinners advance; no result is assumed.
3Stanton#3 Stanton6Hartington-Newcastle#6 Hartington-NewcastleGame center →Open Game Center →
From these games:Game 5: #3 Stanton / #14 AlmaGame 6: #6 Hartington-Newcastle / #11 CenturaWinners advance; no result is assumed.
7Sutton#7 Sutton2Sandy Creek#2 Sandy CreekGame center →Open Game Center →
From these games:Game 7: #7 Sutton / #10 Wisner-PilgerGame 8: #2 Sandy Creek / #15 PoncaWinners advance; no result is assumed.
Winner of quarterfinal 1Winner of quarterfinal 1
Winner of quarterfinal 2Winner of quarterfinal 2
From these games:Quarterfinal 1: #1 Johnson-Brock / #8 Exeter-Milligan-FriendQuarterfinal 2: #5 Crofton / #4 RavennaWinners advance; no result is assumed.
Winner of quarterfinal 3Winner of quarterfinal 3
Winner of quarterfinal 4Winner of quarterfinal 4
From these games:Quarterfinal 3: #3 Stanton / #6 Hartington-NewcastleQuarterfinal 4: #7 Sutton / #2 Sandy CreekWinners advance; no result is assumed.
G15Time TBA · Venue not confirmed
Winner of semifinal 1Winner of semifinal 1
Winner of semifinal 2Winner of semifinal 2
From these games:Semifinal 1Semifinal 2Winners advance; no result is assumed.
State championFinal winner
Read bracket round by round

Reported matchups and verified results. This list includes every round, even when a different round is selected above.

First round

  1. First round, game 1: No. 1 Johnson-Brock versus No. 16 Amherst. Friday, Oct. 30. 5:00 PM CT. Host by seed rule: Johnson-Brock. Final: Johnson-Brock 69, Amherst 24. Winner: Johnson-Brock.

    Game center →

  2. First round, game 2: No. 8 Exeter-Milligan-Friend versus No. 9 Elmwood-Murdock. Friday, Oct. 30. 7:00 PM CT. Host by seed rule: Exeter-Milligan-Friend. Final: Exeter-Milligan-Friend 39, Elmwood-Murdock 6. Winner: Exeter-Milligan-Friend.

    Game center →

  3. First round, game 3: No. 5 Crofton versus No. 12 Elkhorn Valley. Friday, Oct. 30. 7:00 PM CT. Host by seed rule: Crofton. Final: Crofton 59, Elkhorn Valley 6. Winner: Crofton.

    Game center →

  4. First round, game 4: No. 4 Ravenna versus No. 13 Cross County. Friday, Oct. 30. 7:00 PM CT. Host by seed rule: Ravenna. Final: Ravenna 56, Cross County 36. Winner: Ravenna.

    Game center →

  5. First round, game 5: No. 3 Stanton versus No. 14 Alma. Friday, Oct. 30. 6:00 PM CT. Host by seed rule: Stanton. Final: Stanton 78, Alma 27. Winner: Stanton.

    Game center →

  6. First round, game 6: No. 6 Hartington-Newcastle versus No. 11 Centura. Friday, Oct. 30. 3:00 PM CT. Host by seed rule: Hartington-Newcastle. Final: Hartington-Newcastle 62, Centura 57. Winner: Hartington-Newcastle.

    Game center →

  7. First round, game 7: No. 7 Sutton versus No. 10 Wisner-Pilger. Friday, Oct. 30. 6:00 PM CT. Host by seed rule: Sutton. Final: Sutton 30, Wisner-Pilger 24. Winner: Sutton.

    Game center →

  8. First round, game 8: No. 2 Sandy Creek versus No. 15 Ponca. Friday, Oct. 30. 6:00 PM CT. Host by seed rule: Sandy Creek. Final: Sandy Creek 72, Ponca 6. Winner: Sandy Creek.

    Game center →

Quarterfinals

  1. Quarterfinals, game 1: No. 1 Johnson-Brock versus No. 8 Exeter-Milligan-Friend. Fri. Nov. 6. Time TBA. Venue not confirmed.

    Game center →

  2. Quarterfinals, game 2: No. 5 Crofton versus No. 4 Ravenna. Fri. Nov. 6. Time TBA. Venue not confirmed.

    Game center →

  3. Quarterfinals, game 3: No. 3 Stanton versus No. 6 Hartington-Newcastle. Fri. Nov. 6. Time TBA. Venue not confirmed.

    Game center →

  4. Quarterfinals, game 4: No. 7 Sutton versus No. 2 Sandy Creek. Fri. Nov. 6. Time TBA. Venue not confirmed.

    Game center →

Semifinals

  1. Semifinals, game 1: winner of quarterfinal 1 versus winner of quarterfinal 2. Fri. Nov. 13. Time TBA. Venue not confirmed.

  2. Semifinals, game 2: winner of quarterfinal 3 versus winner of quarterfinal 4. Fri. Nov. 13. Time TBA. Venue not confirmed.

State final

  1. State final, game 1: winner of semifinal 1 versus winner of semifinal 2. Mon. Nov. 23. Time TBA. Venue not confirmed.

Team paths and matchup details

Find your team in the bracket

Select a school to highlight its possible path. No winner is assumed.

This round · Quarterfinals

Reported games from the official field · Fri., Nov. 6

  1. Game 9

    #1
    Johnson-Brock9-0 · 46.00 pts avg.
    #8
    Exeter-Milligan-Friend8-1 · 43.11 pts avg.

    Fri., Nov. 6 · Host by seed rule: Johnson-Brock · Time TBA

    Game center →

  2. Game 10

    #5
    Crofton8-1 · 44.44 pts avg.
    #4
    Ravenna8-1 · 44.44 pts avg.

    Fri., Nov. 6 · Host by seed rule: Ravenna · Time TBA

    Game center →

  3. Game 11

    #3
    Stanton9-0 · 45.00 pts avg.
    #6
    Hartington-Newcastle8-1 · 44.11 pts avg.

    Fri., Nov. 6 · Host by seed rule: Stanton · Time TBA

    Game center →

  4. Game 12

    #7
    Sutton7-2 · 43.22 pts avg.
    #2
    Sandy Creek8-1 · 45.78 pts avg.

    Fri., Nov. 6 · Host by seed rule: Sandy Creek · Time TBA

    Game center →

Higher seed hosts through the semifinals. Times and any announced venues appear when verified.

Playoffs in progress

Source snapshot Oct. 31 · 10:20 a.m. CT

Follow reported results and the next round. An empty score is not a final.

#1 seed: Johnson-Brock (9-0)

Current / next round: Quarterfinals · Fri., Nov. 6

Official seeds, records and points

Official seeds

Field in seed order, then eligible outsiders by NSAA points. Source timestamp above.

SeedSchoolRecordPts avg.Qualification / gap
1Johnson-Brock9-046.00Official seed
2Sandy Creek8-145.78Official seed
3Stanton9-045.00Official seed
4Ravenna8-144.44Official seed
5Crofton8-144.44Official seed
6Hartington-Newcastle8-144.11Official seed
7Sutton7-243.22Official seed
8Exeter-Milligan-Friend8-143.11Official seed
9Elmwood-Murdock6-341.67Official seed
10Wisner-Pilger7-241.22Official seed
11Centura7-241.22Official seed
12Elkhorn Valley6-341.00Official seed
13Cross County6-341.00Official seed
14Alma6-340.67Official seed
15Ponca5-439.78Official seed
16Amherst5-439.78Official seed

Seeds come from the entered official field. Complete NSAA points list →

Fan predictions

Your bracket · picks locked

The playoffs have started. See how fans' brackets are doing below.

Scoring: 10 pts per first-round winner, 20 per quarterfinal, 40 per semifinal, 80 for the champion.

Key dates · qualifying · sources
Key dates
  • Wildcard cutoffWeek 9 · Oct. 22–24
  • Bracket statusOfficial NSAA bracket
  • 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).

How Class D1 qualifies

The 7 district champions and the 9 teams with the highest regular-season point average that did not finish as district champions = 16.

Official sources: NSAA Class D1 bracket · NSAA wildcard points · NSAA district leaders · NSAA football

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.

NEBPrepsLive · https://nebprepslive.com/playoffs/class-d1

Official field; only verified results advance teams. Higher seed hosts through the semifinals. Times and announced venues require confirmation before travel.

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