Friday night in Ohio is a sacred thing. The smell of charcoal, the rhythmic thud of a drumline, and that crisp late-October air that basically tells you the "real" season is finally here. If you’ve spent any time in places like Massillon, Steubenville, or Mentor, you know the Ohio high school football playoffs aren't just a tournament. It’s more like a six-week survival test that stops time in small towns across the state.
But things look a little different lately. If you haven't been paying close attention to the OHSAA board meetings, you might have missed the fact that the bracket just went through another massive facelift.
For the last few years, we saw 16 teams per region making the cut. It was a "everyone gets a seat at the table" kind of vibe. Honestly, it was a bit much. The No. 1 seeds were out here winning games 56-0 against No. 16 seeds who, in some cases, had losing records. It didn't feel like playoff football; it felt like a formality.
The Big 12-Team Pivot
Starting in the 2025 season, the OHSAA officially dialed it back. We’re down to 12 teams per region now.
This change is a huge deal for the teams at the top. The top four seeds in each region now earn a first-round bye. Think about that for a second. In a sport as violent and draining as football, getting a week off in late October to heal up while everyone else is out there grinding? That is a massive reward for a dominant regular season.
Under the old 16-team format, the top seeds had to play that extra game, risking injury against an overmatched opponent. Now, the stakes for those top four spots are through the roof.
The schedule usually breaks down like this:
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- Week 11: Seeds 5 through 12 battle it out.
- Week 12: The top four seeds join the fray to face the survivors.
- Week 13: Regional Semifinals.
- Week 14: Regional Finals (The "Neutral Site" jump).
- Week 15: State Semifinals.
- Week 16: The State Championships in Canton.
It’s a grueling path. If you aren't one of those lucky top four seeds, you have to win six straight games to lift a trophy at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. That’s essentially half of a second regular season.
How the "Harbin" Math Actually Works
You've probably heard fans complaining about "the computer" or "Harbin points." It sounds like some mysterious algorithm, but it’s actually pretty straightforward math once you strip away the jargon.
Basically, the system rewards you for two things: winning your own games (First Level points) and your opponents winning their games (Second Level points).
If you’re a Division III school and you beat a Division I giant, you get a massive haul of points because the system scales based on school size. But the real magic happens in the second level. If the team you beat goes 9-1, they are feeding you points every single week. This is why coaches obsess over "strength of schedule." Winning a cupcake game against a 0-10 team gives you almost nothing. It can actually hurt your average in the long run.
It’s a system that punishes cowards. If you schedule weak teams to pad your record, the Harbins will usually sniff you out and leave you sitting at home in November while a 6-4 team with a brutal schedule takes your spot.
The Power Shift: Northeast Ohio Still Reigns
If you look at the 2025 results, it’s hard to ignore the dominance coming out of the Cleveland and Akron areas.
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Take a look at what happened in Canton this past December. Lewis Center Olentangy Orange finally broke through for their first-ever Division I title, taking down the powerhouse Cincinnati St. Xavier 28-14. It was a statement win for Central Ohio, but the rest of the weekend was a Northeast Ohio clinic.
Avon is becoming the new gold standard in Division II. They took down Cincinnati Anderson 37-20 to go back-to-back. Coach Mike Elder has built a machine up there. Then you have Cleveland Glenville, led by the legendary Ted Ginn Sr., who dismantled Shelby 45-7 in Division IV.
And Kirtland? What Tiger LaVerde is doing at Kirtland is borderline illegal. They won their eighth state title by crushing Hopewell-Loudon 41-6. When a school stays that dominant across decades, it’s not just talent; it’s a culture that the Ohio high school football playoffs tend to reward.
Common Misconceptions About the Postseason
People often think that the bigger the school, the better the football. That’s just not true in Ohio.
While Division I (the biggest schools) gets the most TV time, some of the most violent, high-level football happens in Division IV and V. Schools like Marion Local or Kirtland might be small, but they play a brand of disciplined, physical football that would give most big-city schools nightmares.
Another myth is that "neutral sites" start immediately. Nope. For the first three rounds, the higher seed gets to stay home. This is another 2025 change that fans love. There is nothing like a home-field advantage in a playoff game where the stands are literally vibrating. It’s only when you hit the Regional Finals (Round 4) that the OHSAA moves games to neutral turf.
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What to Look For Next Season
If you want to follow the playoffs like a pro, stop looking at the Win/Loss columns by Week 6. Start looking at the "Avg" column on the OHSAA rankings.
Keep an eye on the "bubble" teams—the ones sitting at 11, 12, and 13 in their regions. With the field shrunk back to 12 teams, the margin for error is gone. One bad fumble in a Week 10 rivalry game can be the difference between a playoff run and turning in your pads on Monday morning.
Also, watch the travel. One of the reasons for the 12-team contraction was to keep those first-round games from being five-hour bus rides for a No. 16 seed that stood no chance of winning. Now, the games are tighter, the geography is usually a bit closer, and the atmosphere is way more electric.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Parents:
- Track the Harbins Early: Use sites like JoeEitel.com starting in Week 4. It’s the unofficial bible for Ohio playoff projections.
- Understand the Bye: If your team is a lock for the top four, expect a "heavy" practice week during the first round of the playoffs to keep the momentum.
- Ticket Strategy: OHSAA has moved almost entirely to digital ticketing. Don't show up to a regional semi-final with a $20 bill expecting to get in at the gate. Buy them online through the OHSAA portal early in the week.
- Divisional Shifts: Every two years, schools are re-assigned divisions based on enrollment. Always check if your local school has "jumped" up or down a division before the season starts, as it completely changes who your playoff rivals will be.
The Ohio high school football playoffs are a gauntlet. They're unfair, they're loud, and they've ended in heartbreak for thousands of seniors every year since 1972. But that's exactly why we can't look away.