Honestly, trying to figure out ohio hs football state rankings is like trying to solve a Rubik's Cube while riding a roller coaster at Cedar Point. One week you’ve got a powerhouse like St. Edward looking untouchable, and the next, they’re getting clipped by a team from the MAC that most people outside of Mercer County can’t even find on a map.
It's chaotic. It’s loud. It’s uniquely Ohio.
If you’ve ever sat in the stands on a Friday night in October, you know the vibe. The smell of charcoal from the tailgates, the band playing "Hang on Sloopy" for the tenth time, and that one guy three rows up screaming about Harbin points like he's a math professor. But here’s the thing: those rankings aren’t just numbers. They’re the lifeblood of the post-season, deciding who gets a home game and who has to bus three hours across the state for a first-round matchup.
The 2025 Reality Check: Who Actually Came Out on Top?
Let's look at what just went down in Canton. The 2025 season was a wild ride that ended with some massive surprises at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. If you were betting on the "usual suspects," you probably lost a few bucks.
Olentangy Orange basically crashed the party. They weren't just good; they were perfect. Finishing 15-0 and taking down a heavyweight like Cincinnati St. Xavier 28-14 in the Division I final is the stuff of legends. Levi Davis and Lukas Fickel were essentially a two-man wrecking crew. When Davis threw that one-handed touchdown pass to MC Walker, you could almost hear the collective "wow" from the stands.
Then you have Avon. They did it again. Back-to-back Division II titles after beating Cincinnati Anderson 37-20. Blake Elder was tossing touchdowns like he was playing catch in the backyard, tying the D-II championship record. It's getting to the point where you just expect the Eagles to be there in December.
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And we can't ignore the small-school dominance. Kirtland and Tiger LaVerde. Eight state titles now. Eight. They beat Bascom Hopewell-Loudon 41-6 and made it look easy. John Silvestro ran for 255 yards, which is basically a full season's worth of work for some kids, all in one afternoon.
The Final 2025 Power Rankings (The Ones That Matter)
- Olentangy Orange (15-0): Undisputed. You don't go undefeated through a DI schedule and not take the top spot.
- Avon (14-1): The D-II kings. Their only loss was a close one early on, and they never looked back.
- Cincinnati St. Xavier (11-3): Yeah, they lost the final, but look at who they played. Their strength of schedule was through the roof.
- Columbus Bishop Watterson (14-0): D-III champs. They shut out Toledo Central Catholic 30-0 in the final. Think about that. A shutout in a state final.
- Cleveland Glenville (12-3): Third title in four years. The Tarblooders are a factory of talent.
Understanding the Harbin Points Mystery
Most fans see the ohio hs football state rankings and just assume it’s a popularity contest or a media poll. Nope. Ohio uses the Harbin computer system, and it is cold-blooded. It doesn't care about your "legacy" or how cool your jerseys are.
Basically, you get points for winning (Level 1). Then you get "bonus" points for every game the teams you beat go on to win (Level 2). This is why a team with two losses can be ranked higher than an undefeated team. If the undefeated team played a bunch of "cupcakes," their Level 2 points are going to be garbage.
"It's not just about who you beat, it's about how good the people you beat are." — Every coach in Ohio, probably.
If you beat a Division I school, you get 6.5 points. If you beat a Division VII school, you get 3.5. This creates a massive incentive for teams to schedule "up." It’s also why you’ll see teams like Massillon Washington or Archbishop Moeller playing national schedules. They want those points, but they also want the battle-testing that comes with it.
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Why the MAC (Mid-American Conference) Changes Everything
You cannot talk about Ohio rankings without mentioning the MAC. We're talking about the small-school conference in Northwest Ohio—think Maria Stein Marion Local, St. Henry, and Coldwater.
They are the "giant killers."
Even though they play in D-VI and D-VII, these teams are often ranked higher in "all-division" power polls than big-city schools. Why? Because they beat each other up all season. Marion Local recently had a win streak of over 60 games. When a D-VII team is that dominant, it breaks the computer. If you're a coach and you see a MAC team in your playoff bracket, you start sweating. Doesn't matter how many students they have.
How to Track Rankings Like a Pro
If you're still relying on the local paper for your info, you're living in 2005. To really stay on top of the ohio hs football state rankings, you need to be checking a few specific spots:
- JoeEitel.com: This is the "Holy Grail." Joe Eitel is a legend. He calculates the Harbin points in near real-time. If you want to know if your team is the 8th seed or the 9th seed on a Saturday morning, this is where you go.
- Drew Pasteur's Fantastic 50: Drew uses a different math model that predicts win probabilities and ranks teams across divisions. It’s great for seeing how a D-IV powerhouse stacks up against a struggling DI school.
- The OHSAA Website: This is the official source. They release the "official" computer ratings every Tuesday afternoon during the season.
Misconceptions That Drive Fans Crazy
One thing that drives me nuts is when people say, "Team A is 10-0, they should be #1!"
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Not necessarily. In Ohio, a 10-0 record against a weak schedule is often worse than an 8-2 record against killers. Look at the 2025 season. Archbishop Moeller had four losses at one point but was still considered a top-10 team by almost every expert because they were playing the best teams in the country.
Rankings are a snapshot. They change. A star quarterback gets a high ankle sprain in Week 4, and suddenly that "top 5" team looks very different.
What’s Coming for 2026?
Looking ahead, the landscape is shifting. With the way Olentangy Orange performed, the "center of gravity" for Ohio football might be shifting slightly toward Central Ohio. For decades, it was all about Cleveland (St. Ed's, St. Ignatius) and Cincinnati (Elder, Moeller, St. X).
But Columbus is waking up.
Keep an eye on the transfer portal—yes, it’s even hitting the high school ranks now. Top players are moving to "super-programs" to get more exposure. This is going to make the top of the ohio hs football state rankings even more top-heavy. The "haves" are getting more, and the "have-nots" are struggling to keep up.
To stay ahead of the curve, start your research early. Don't wait until October to see who's good. Look at the junior varsity records from last year. Look at the kids who dominated the track season in the spring. That speed usually translates to the turf. If you want to be the smartest person at the water cooler (or the concession stand), you've got to look at the data before the season even kicks off.
Your Next Steps for Following the Rankings
- Bookmark JoeEitel.com now so you don't have to hunt for it in August.
- Check the OHSAA divisional breakdowns. Schools move up and down based on enrollment every couple of years, and a big school dropping to a lower division can wreck the rankings.
- Follow local beat reporters on X (formerly Twitter). Guys like Ryan Isley or the local sports editors in Canton and Cincinnati usually have the "inside track" on injuries and locker room vibes that the computers can't see.
- Watch the schedules. Look for those out-of-conference games in Weeks 1-3. That’s where the "rankings juice" is earned.