Many Georgia high school football programs have released all or part of their football schedules for the upcoming 2026 season. While there are some gems that fans will surely enjoy, there are also a lot of yawners that may be due in part to the new GHSA postseason ranking formula, which goes into effect for the 2026-2027 school year for all classifications.
The new GHSA PSR formula will determine playoff teams based on a seeding of the top 32 teams in each classification. This formula, which has been used over the past two seasons to determine postseason eligibility with half of the GHSA’s classifications, will now expand to all classifications effective with this upcoming season.
The old system of determining playoff teams based on region standings is gone, with one exception: Every region champion is guaranteed to make the playoffs as a top-16 seed. Other than that, all playoff teams will be determined by where they are seeded out of 32 eligible teams using the PSR formula.
How Will Playoff Teams Be Seeded Using the PSR Formula?
The GHSA’s PSR formula will use a three-tier system that will award points for a team’s winning percentage, the winning percentage of its opponents, and the winning percentage of its opponents’ opponents.
Last year, the GHSA began seeding teams as a dress rehearsal of sorts for this year, even though it did not factor into or determine playoff eligibility. It did, however, give football coaches and observers alike a glimpse into what teams can expect if they want to be one of their classification’s 32 playoff-eligible teams in 2026.
Did the New PSR Formula Affect How Teams Planned Their 2026 Schedules?
Last season, the GHSA began seeding all teams in Class 1A-Division II, Class 4A, Class 5A, and Class 6A, although it had no bearing on playoff eligibility. It did offer a look at how things may look in 2026 when it comes to how teams become eligible for the postseason.
One example from the 2025 season shines an interesting light on how qualifying for the playoffs in 2026 could look much different than the past.
Camden County started the 2025 season with five straight non-region wins, including victories over four Florida programs. However, once Camden County began the region portion of its schedule, things took a turn south. The Wildcats lost their first four region contests by an average of 21 points, giving up an average of 41 points to their region foes. Camden County defeated Tift County in the final game of the regular season, giving the Wildcats a 6-4 overall record, but just a 1-4 record in region play. Camden County did not qualify for the 2025 playoffs.
However, using the new PSR formula, Camden County would have been seeded No. 12 in Class 6A because of its impressive wins at the start of the season. Not only would Camden County have made the playoffs using the new PSR formula, but the team that finished last in the region, Tift County, would have also been a 2025 playoff team. The Blue Devils would have finished as the No. 32 team in Class 6A last year.
Interesting? You bet it is.
What Are Georgia High School Football Coaches Saying About the New Playoff Formula?
We spoke with a few Georgia high school coaches and a media member to get their takes on the new GHSA playoff formula and how it affects their outlook on the upcoming season and beyond.
“Historically, winning the region is what mattered most,” Ben Reaves, Milton head football coach, said. “We would schedule the toughest non-region games possible in-state and nationally to forge and toughen our team before region play. Of course, you wanted to win those games, but if you didn’t, you still controlled your own playoff destiny going into region play. These tough non-region games were also fun and entertaining for the fan bases as well.
“With the new PSR model, you essentially have to schedule to beat the formula.
“At the end of the day, winning matters more than anything. Due to that, there is less of an incentive to schedule tough non-region games. And out-of-state games, as opposed to in-state games, can hurt you more than they can help you, and for some teams it’s made finding non-region games really tough because everyone just wants to find a win instead of a good matchup.”
We asked Lee County head football coach Dean Fabrizio to give us his thoughts on the effects of the new PSR formula.
“I feel the new PSR formula has devalued the importance of region play,” Fabrizio said. “I think it’s made it a lot harder to put together your schedule, and I think it has incentivized coaches to schedule weaker teams and teams you know you can beat rather than challenging yourself and playing stronger teams as part of your non-region schedule.”
A representative of the outspoken high school football media outlet Fired Football Coaches of Georgia gave a few examples of shortcomings of the PSR formula.
“In my opinion, the new PSR has caused anyone to be wary of scheduling too many tough games at the risk of not having enough wins,” the representative said. “So if the PSR is going to penalize teams for playing harder games, what is the motivation?”
The representative referenced the example of Camden County and the lasting impact it has likely made on Georgia high school football coaches.
“Coaches will lose jobs because they don’t make the playoffs,” the representative said. “Camden would have been a playoff team this year with the new PSR model.”
Former Camden County head football coach Travis Roland was fired after Camden County failed to make the postseason in 2025.
The theme for Georgia high school football coaches in 2026 seems to have come down to one simple rule: Just win, baby. Just win.
