Illinois High School Football Rankings: Key IHSA Factors 1A-8A

I’ve spent more Friday nights on metal bleachers than I can count, trying to sort out the mess that is illinois high school football rankings. Every fall, I look at Class 8A giants, Class 7A grinders, small-school 3A dynasties, Public League surprises, Chicago Catholic League hammers, and those downstate powerhouses that stroll into November like it’s a family reunion. In my experience, strength of schedule and playoff seeding chatter get louder than the student section. And that’s saying something. LSI stuff matters too: enrollment, the IHSA multiplier, the success factor, transfer rules, and the weird alchemy of who you play and when you play them.

What We’re Actually Ranking (and Why It Gets Messy)

I’ve always found that ranking teams here is like trying to solve a puzzle while a marching band walks through your living room. Illinois football is big. Eight classes (1A to 8A), private vs. public, north vs. south, city vs. suburbs. Different styles, different resources, same goal: win on Friday and keep your season alive in November.

If you’re new, the IHSA football page spells out the basics. Playoffs need five wins (usually), plus playoff points from your opponents’ wins. Classes are set by enrollment, with a multiplier and success factor that can bump non-boundaried schools up a class. I swear, it makes sense by Week 3. Kind of.

Quick Map of Illinois Ball

• Chicago Catholic League/ESCC: Big linemen. Smart QBs. Special teams that don’t blink.
• Suburban 8A: Depth. Weight rooms that look like small airports.
• Public League: Speed and skill, matchup nightmares in space.
• Downstate: Physical. Efficient. Coaches who’ve run the same power plays since you were in kindergarten, and it still works.

How Classes Shake Out

Here’s the broad brush. It’s a simplification, but it helps.

Class	Typical Profile	What Wins	Common Trap
1A–2A	Small towns, two-way stars	Execution, no turnovers	Depth gets thin late
3A–4A	Well-coached, tradition-heavy	Run game, special teams	Injuries to a key guy ruin everything
5A–6A	Mixed styles, versatile athletes	Balance, discipline	Schedule swings make results look weird
7A–8A	Large enrollments, big fronts	Trenches, QB play, depth	Everyone has film, mistakes get punished

What Actually Goes Into My Rankings

I’ll say this up front: any list without context is junk. I chase the “why.” Then I build the order. Here’s the stuff I weigh, week by week.

The Inputs (Simple, not easy)

• Returners: How many starters back? Especially linemen and the QB.
• Strength of schedule: Who did you beat? On the road? Short week?
• Line play: If you can’t block, you’re pretending.
• QB/OC chemistry: It looks boring until it breaks your safety’s ankles.
• Special teams: Hidden yards, field position, kickers who can survive wind near the lake.
• Injuries and depth: Backups decide November.
• Turnover margin: Football’s version of a cheat code.
• Explosive plays: 20+ yard plays tell me who scares people.
• Penalty yardage: Undisciplined teams write their own L.
• Context: Weather, grass vs. turf, Thursday night starts, rivalry week chaos.

How I Roughly Weight It

Not a computer model. A human model. Me, my notes, and too much coffee.

Factor	Weight (Approx.)	Why It Matters
Strength of Schedule	25%	Beating cupcakes tells me nothing
Line Play (OL/DL)	20%	Games are won up front, forever
QB + Scheme Fit	15%	Decision-making under stress
Injuries/Depth	15%	Next man up, or season over
Explosives + Turnovers	15%	Big swings decide tight games
Special Teams	10%	Field position, quiet points

My Week-in, Week-out Routine

On Friday, I start at a game I need to see with my own eyes. Saturday morning: film. Hudl tabs everywhere. I’ll call a coach, a scout, a trainer, and maybe the chain gang guy if he’s seen something. Sunday night, I compare notes from three angles: scoreboard, tape, context.

I also like to nerd out on chaos. If you’re into how weird momentum feels in real time, this piece on predicting sports magic hits what I keep trying to describe when a team flips the script in one quarter. Seen it a hundred times. Still feels like sorcery.

Preseason Lists vs. Real Games

Preseason is a guess. An educated one, but a guess. I look at returning starters, college offers, scrimmage whispers, and schedules. But once Week 2 hits, the list starts moving fast. Someone you loved gets smoked in the trenches. Someone you ignored turns out to have the best sophomore tackle in the state. Happens every year. I’ve learned to adjust without apology. The field doesn’t care about my July thoughts.

Public vs. Private, City vs. Suburbs, and All the Noise

This argument never ends. Some folks say private schools should be bumped two classes. Others say stop whining and beat them. What I think is simple: the rules are the rules. The success factor and multiplier are baked in. I rate teams inside those rules. And yes, I judge matchups, not labels. Downstate teams don’t need anyone’s pity; they’ll push you around and hand you hot cocoa afterwards.

As for the Chicago Catholic League? You know what you’re getting: pro-level scouting, clean special teams, and a defensive end who looks like he eats cars. But I’ve also watched a smaller 4A team from the middle of the state run a perfect counter scheme and shut the whole party down. Football remains beautiful like that.

Media, Polls, and the Better Noise

I read the AP poll every week because cross-checking is healthy. If you want a broad look beyond Illinois, the AP high school football hub is handy. I also poke around MaxPreps and the Chicago papers, then trust my gut when the tape says otherwise. Computers can’t smell a cold, windy sideline on the lakefront. You have to be there to know a ball that sails in September will die in October.

The Chicago-Downstate Personality Clash

I grew up seeing the storylines draw themselves. Loyola and Mount Carmel fans act like the season starts in November. East St. Louis travels like a college program and hits like a truck. Lincoln-Way East is quietly terrifying, like the nice neighbor with a bunker. Rochester? They’re that well-drilled group that ruins your bracket every single time you doubt them. Warren Township, Batavia, Maine South, York, Nazareth—pick your week, pick your lesson.

Someone will yell at me for leaving their team out right there. And they’re probably right. That’s how big the talent pool is.

Reading a Ranking Without Losing Your Mind

Parents: take a deep breath. Your kid’s team dropped three spots after a one-score loss? Relax. Probably schedule strength; maybe a key injury I know about and you don’t, or a matchup problem you’ll see in film. Players: don’t screenshot polls. Put that energy into 3rd-and-6 installs. Coaches: I know you say you don’t read this stuff. You do. It’s fine. Use it as fuel or ignore it. Just don’t let it creep into play-calling.

For Parents

• Ask your kid about assignments, not headlines.
• Cheer. Hydrate. Drive safely. That’s the job.

For Players

• Two truths: pad level and eyes. Always those two.
• Film > rankings. Every time.

For Coaches

• I weight special teams more than most. Win it there.
• If you’re saving a wrinkle, save it. I’m not the one you need to impress.

Checklist I Use Every Sunday Night

This is my little ritual. Keeps me honest.

Input	Source	What I’m Looking For
Box score	School site, AD email, stat reports	3rd downs, red zone TDs, penalties
Film cut-ups	Hudl, coach share	Line movement, edge contain, tackling form
Injury notes	Trainer/coach chat (off record)	How long is your MLB/QB out?
Weather/context	My own eyeballs, field notes	Wind, grass vs. turf, short rest
Opponent quality	Power schedule, common opponents	Was that win real or lipstick?

Notes on Specific Metrics (Keep It Simple)

I’ll keep the math friendly. If I use numbers, it’s because they explain what your eyes see.

• Points per drive: Are you efficient or just explosive once a quarter?
• Yards per play: A clean snapshot of how offenses move and defenses choke it off.
• Red zone TD rate: Field goals in November feel like turnovers.
• 3rd/4th down: Identity shows up here. Power teams stay on schedule.
• Turnover margin: Don’t hand games away.
• Penalty yards: Free yards kill you, quietly.

Is this perfect? No. But it’s consistent. And I’d rather be transparent than pretend my list is sent down from a mountaintop.

My Favorite Small Stories (Because This Stuff Is Human)

One year, I bumped a team two spots for a gutsy Thursday road win. Their AD emailed me a thanks that read like he’d just found twenty bucks in an old coat. Two weeks later, same team lost on a missed PAT in a crosswind, and a booster sent me an essay about how I “jinxed the program.” The internet is undefeated.

Another time, I left an undefeated 5A school behind two 7A teams with a loss. My mentions caught fire. But here’s the thing: I’d watched the 7A squads bully people in the trenches and schedule like grown-ups. That matters in November. And yes, those 7A teams marched. The 5A team got bounced by a group with a tight counter game and a kicker who didn’t blink from 38. Football is a story of details. Always.

Example Week 5 Snapshot (Just to Show My Style)

Not a final truth. A snapshot. If you’re mad at it, good—you care. Also good: bring me your film.

Rank	Team	Class	Why Here
1	Loyola Academy	8A	Defense travels, QB efficient, special teams tidy
2	Mount Carmel (Chicago)	7A	Front seven is rude, run game sets tone
3	Lincoln-Way East	8A	Trench clinic every week, disciplined as a metronome
4	East St. Louis	6A	Speed and schedule, nobody wants that smoke in November
5	Batavia	7A	Balanced, sneaky good on 3rd-and-medium
6	Warren Township	8A	Defense wins slow games, patience is a weapon
7	York	8A	QB poise + sturdy OL, clean situational football
8	Maine South	8A	Explosive playmakers, battle-tested schedule
9	Rochester	4A	Machine-like efficiency, smart special teams
10	Nazareth Academy	5A	Young talent, ceiling keeps rising late season

Weather, Fields, and Other Gremlins

In my experience, grass fields in October are the great equalizer. A fast team on slow turf is a different animal. Wind at Gately or down by the river can turn a passing attack into a very expensive punt drill. I knock teams a little if they can’t win ugly. Because eventually you will have to.

Injuries, Depth, and the Week 10 Reality Check

I’ve watched November dreams fade because a guard twisted an ankle and the next guy wasn’t ready. That’s why I care about depth, especially in 7A and 8A. If your second string can hold water for two series, you can survive long drives and sudden swings. If not, sorry. The bracket doesn’t care.

Records and History Matter (But Not Too Much)

I peek at historical records to calibrate expectations—program DNA is real—but I don’t chain a current team to what their older cousins did in 1999. If you love that context, the IHSA keeps a fun archive of records and history. Just remember: last year’s rings don’t block anyone this Friday.

How I Stay Sane During Ranking Season

• I write down my first list fast. Then I try to prove myself wrong.
• I call one person who will tell me I’m dumb. Everyone needs that friend.
• I watch the first half of a game again with sound off. Clean read.
• I sleep on it. If a team still looks mis-slotted in the morning, I move them.

By the way, if you’re here for pure numbers-only lists, you’ll hate me. I use data, but I won’t let a spreadsheet ignore a backup QB starting in a sideways hailstorm. Humans get a vote.

Little Things That Weirdly Sway Games

• Kickoff depth in cold air. Short fields are silent killers.
• Long-snappers who never miss. You won’t notice them until you do.
• Sophomore corners. Brave, raw, sometimes brilliant, sometimes burnt.
• Thursday night games. Funky rhythms. Upsets live here.
• Homecoming distractions. Yeah, it matters more than anyone admits.

A Word on the Phrase Everyone Googles

People ask me if illinois high school football rankings “matter.” Depends what you mean. For bragging rights and message boards? Sure. For seeding vibes? A little. But when the ball is snapped in a playoff opener, the list on your phone will not block a pulling guard. It’s a signpost, not a destiny.

Where I Look First Each Week

• Did you beat a ranked team, or did you beat up a young roster?
• Were your explosives schemed or busted plays? The difference matters.
• Did your QB protect the ball against real pressure?
• Did your OL move grown humans or just confuse kids out of position?
• Can you win a 17-14 game? Because November asks that question.

I keep saying the same thing every year and still people act shocked by Week 10. The game simplifies. Can you run it when they know you will? Can you stop it when everyone is cold and grumpy? That’s the sport.

Media I Respect (Even When I Disagree)

If you want official nuts-and-bolts, schedules, and playoff stuff, go to the IHSA page. For national perspective and poll snapshots, that AP hub is clean and useful. I read everything, then I double-check with film. Always film.

Random Stories I Probably Shouldn’t Tell

I once moved a team up after a loss. People lost their minds. But the tape showed a shorthanded group fighting a top-five monster to the last drive, on the road, in wind that should’ve been illegal. Meanwhile, another team won by 35 while doing nothing but capitalizing on three muffed punts. One of those games told me who can hang in November. The other told me someone forgot how to catch. That’s not the same thing, so the list changed.

FAQs

• Do you ever change a ranking because a coach calls you? Only if he sends film and he’s right. Phone calls don’t move teams. Tape does.
• Why did my 6-0 team drop below a 5-1 team? Strength of schedule. Who you beat matters more than how loud the student section was.
• How much do injuries matter in your list? A lot. If a QB or LT is out, I adjust. Depth can save you, or not.
• Does weather really change rankings? Yep. If your whole plan dies in wind, I can’t trust you in late October.
• Are these illinois high school football rankings the same as the AP poll? No. I read the AP poll, but I build my own order off film and context.

Anyway, that’s where my head is at. If your team thinks I’m underselling them, good. Prove me wrong and send the cut-ups. I’ll be the one with a notebook, a cold coffee, and a seat that rattles every time the band hits Seven Nation Army.