All 6 Region 1-6A Teams Would Make Playoffs This Season Under 2026-2027 System
The recent decision by the GHSA to adopt the new playoff format beginning next year will give many Georgia high school football teams left out of this season’s playoffs hope for next year, especially the six teams that make up Region 1 in Class 6A. It would also mean missing the playoffs for at least one Class 5A powerhouse program.
While none of this matters at all for the 2025 football playoffs, it does create an interesting picture for next season’s potential playoff matchups.
Based on the most recent postseason rankings, if the new playoff format for the 2026-2027 school year was in effect for this year’s 2025 state postseason, many teams not likely to make this year’s playoffs would be playing in Week 11.
For example, every Region 1-6A team would be in the playoffs this year. That’s right. All six teams would be gearing up for a first-round playoff game. Here are the current power rankings for each Region 1-6A team out of the 32 that would qualify for the state playoffs under the new playoff format that goes into effect next season:
- Lowndes
7. Colquitt County
9. Valdosta
10. Camden County
14. Richmond Hill
29. Tift County
According to the 2026 postseason rankings formula, Lowndes would be the state’s top-ranked team, and Region 1-6A would have four teams in the top 10 under the new playoff format.
Maybe the biggest surprise to fans would be the inclusion of Camden County. If the new playoff format was being used for this 2025 season’s playoffs, Camden County would be the 10th-best team out of the 32 teams qualifying for the Class 6A state playoffs.
The top 10 overall teams in Class 6A would be:
- Lowndes
- Buford
- McEachern
- Carrollton
- Grayson
- North Gwinnett
- Colquitt County
- Douglas County
- Valdosta
- Camden County
Of course, the PSR would have the opposite effect for some teams that are all but guaranteed to make the playoffs this year. A few of those teams would not be a playoff team if the 2026-2027 PSR formula was deciding this year’s playoff teams.
East Coweta, Paulding County, and Dacula will likely qualify this season for the Class 6A state playoffs as either a third or fourth seed out of their respective regions. Under the 2026-2027 playoff format, they would be out in this year’s postseason.
Class 5A Powerhouse Program Would Likely Miss Playoffs This Season Under 2026-2027 System
In Class 5A, one of the most dominant programs over the past decade, Coffee, is all but assured to make the state playoffs for what would be the 12th consecutive season. That reign has been under former head coach Robbie Pruitt and current head coach Mike Coe, who is in his fourth season as head coach at Coffee. Coe led the Trojans to the state quarterfinals in 2022, their first-ever state title in 2023, and to the Class 5A state semifinals last year.
This season, Coffee is still in a position to qualify for the state playoffs. Depending on the outcome of their final two games against Thomas County Central and Houston County, the Trojans could advance as Region 2-5A’s top seed or as the No. 4 seed. They are currently 3-4 and 1-1 in region play.
But if the 2026-2027 playoff format was deciding this year’s 32 playoff teams in Class 5A, Coffee would be at risk of not making the postseason. The Trojans are currently the No. 37-ranked team in Class 5A based on the GHSA’s 2025 PSR formula. That means that if the PSR formula was in effect as of today, Coffee would not make the Class 5A state playoffs.
Don’t worry. This is all conjecture based on a formula that is still a year away from being implemented. In the meantime, let’s all enjoy this season. There’s some exciting football yet to come.
