This is the first year of the WIAA’s new Football Playoff Matrix system, which makes significant changes to how teams qualify, are grouped, and are seeded for the postseason. Introduced by the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association last year and adopted by the WIAA Board of Control in February, the proposal came in response to increased frustrations and concerns from coaches regarding playoff-related matters in recent seasons, including how the regional groupings are determined, what many felt were inconsistent or incorrect seeds for several teams, and controversies around last year's playoff qualifiers after the WIAA erred by leaving out Madison West and Greenfield from the postseason.
The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) proposal, dubbed the Wisconsin Football Playoff Matrix, is modeled after the system that has been utilized in Ohio for many years. More details on the plan can be found here. The official 2025 11-player playoff qualifiers, points, and brackets can be found here.
How did the changes impact divisional placements and who qualified this season? User “wihssfan” from the BadgerStateSports message board broke it down using the previous divisional placement system and 224-team playoff qualifying methodology, and we can compare just how different things would have been in the past.
Previously, qualification was based on conference record, with a conference mark over .500 clinching a playoff spot. Any remaining playoff spots were then filled by teams that finished at .500 in conference play, and then from a poll of teams that finished with the highest winning percentage below .500 (teams that went 3-4 in league), with a large number of tiebreakers usually involved.
Applying the previous criteria to the 2025 year would yield 226 teams that went 3-4 or better in conference play, meaning a tiebreaker would need to be applied to any teams that finished 3-4 in conference. Under that criteria, Catholic Central and Eau Claire North would be the teams that would be eliminated.
Per “wihhsfan”, teams that made it this year, but would NOT have made it under old playoff rules:
Milwaukee Bradley Tech - D1 (7 seed)
Waukesha West - D2 (6 seed)
Nicolet - D2 (7 seed)
Brookfield Central - D2 (7 seed)
Menomonee Falls - D2 (8 seed)
Pewaukee - D3 (6 seed)
Menomonie - D3 (7 seed)
Whitefish Bay - D3 (8 seed)
Rhinelander - D3 (8 seed)
Kettle Moraine Lutheran - D4 (7 seed)
Beloit Turner - D4 (7 seed)
Brown Deer - D4 (8 seed)
Lancaster - D5 (7 seed)
Chilton - D5 (8 seed)
Kiel - D5 (8 seed)
Laconia - D5 (8 seed)
Omro - D5 (8 seed)
Loyal/Greenwood - D6 (8 seed)
Webster - D7 (7 seed)
Palmyra-Eagle - D7 (8 seed)
Shiocton - D7 (8 seed)
Teams that did NOT make it in this year under the matrix, but would've made it under old rules are:
Madison Memorial - D1
Stevens Point - D1
Milwaukee Marshall - D1
Janesville Craig - D1
Janesville Parker - D1
Sheboygan North - D1
Kenosha Indian Trail - D1
Obama SCTE - D2
Cudahy - D3
Waupaca - D3
Greendale - D3
Campbellsport - D4
Wisconsin Dells - D4
Elk Mound - D5
Westby - D5
Cadott - D6
Cuba City - D6
Luther - D6
Nekoosa - D6
Living Word Lutheran - D6
Iowa-Grant - D7 (Were D6 this year, but they would've made the D7 cutline)
Teams that would've been in a different division under the old system (Matrix division in parentheses):
Waunakee - D2 (D1)
Milwaukee Reagan - D2 (D1)
Brookfield East - D2 (D1)
Sun Prairie East - D2 (D1)
De Pere - D2 (D1)
Chippewa Falls - D2 (D1)
La Crosse Central - D3 (D2)
Beaver Dam - D3 (D2)
Wauwatosa West - D3 (D2)
Marinette - D4 (D3)
Jefferson - D4 (D3)
Amery - D5 (D4)
Cambridge - D5 (D6)
Poynette - D5 (D6)
Bangor - D7 (D6)
Melrose-Mindoro - D7 (D6)
Iowa-Grant - D7 (D6) (Did not make it under the matrix)
Qualifiers under previous playoff system
Below is the list of qualifiers for the 2025 playoffs under the old system
Team | Division |
|---|---|
Appleton North 5-4 (6) | 1 |
Arrowhead 8-1 (1) | 1 |
Badger 9-0 (2) | 1 |
Bay Port 7-2 (3) | 1 |
D.C. Everest 6-3 (5) | 1 |
Fond du Lac 5-4 (6) | 1 |
Franklin 9-0 (1) | 1 |
Hudson 7-2 (3) | 1 |
Janesville Craig 4-5 (OUT) | 1 |
Janesville Parker 3-6 (OUT) | 1 |
Kenosha Bradford 7-2 (5) | 1 |
Kenosha Indian Trail 4-5 (OUT) | 1 |
Kimberly 7-2 (3) | 1 |
Madison Memorial 4-5 (OUT) | 1 |
Madison West 5-4 (8) | 1 |
Marquette 4-5 (7) | 1 |
Middleton 8-1 (3) | 1 |
Milwaukee Hamilton 4-4 (6) | 1 |
Milwaukee Marshall 3-5 (OUT) | 1 |
Milwaukee Pulaski 6-3 (4) | 1 |
Milwaukee Riverside (8) | 1 |
Mukwonago 6-3 (4) | 1 |
Muskego 8-1 (1) | 1 |
Neenah 7-2 (2) | 1 |
Oak Creek 5-4 (7) | 1 |
Oconomowoc 5-4 (5) | 1 |
Racine Case 7-2 (4) | 1 |
Sheboygan North 5-4 (OUT) | 1 |
Stevens Point 5-4 (OUT) | 1 |
Sussex Hamilton 7-2 (2) | 1 |
Verona 6-3 (5) | 1 |
Wausau West 5-4 (8) | 1 |
Ashwaubenon 4-5 (7) | 2 |
Brookfield East 7-2 (4- D1) | 2 |
Chippewa Falls 4-5 (8 - D1) | 2 |
De Pere 5-4 (7 - D1) | 2 |
Elkhorn 7-2 (4) | 2 |
Germantown 6-3 (3) | 2 |
Greenfield 5-4 (8) | 2 |
Hartford 4-5 (8) | 2 |
Holmen 8-1 (2) | 2 |
Homestead 9-0 (1) | 2 |
Kaukauna 4-5 (7) | 2 |
Marshfield 5-4 (6) | 2 |
Menasha 6-3 (5) | 2 |
Milton 7-2 (4) | 2 |
Milwaukee Bay View 6-3 (5) | 2 |
Milwaukee King 6-3 (3) | 2 |
Milwaukee Reagan 8-1 (2 - D1) | 2 |
Monona Grove 8-1 (2) | 2 |
New Richmond 7-2 (2) | 2 |
Notre Dame 9-0 (1) | 2 |
Obama SCTE 3-5 (OUT) | 2 |
Oshkosh North 8-1 (3) | 2 |
Pulaski 6-3 (5) | 2 |
Rice Lake 8-1 (2) | 2 |
River Falls 8-1 (1) | 2 |
Slinger 7-2 (4) | 2 |
Sun Prairie East 5-4 (6 - D1) | 2 |
Union Grove 8-1 (3) | 2 |
Waunakee 9-0 (1 - D1) | 2 |
Wauwatosa East 5-4 (6) | 2 |
West Bend West 7-2 (5) | 2 |
West De Pere 9-0 (1) | 2 |
Beaver Dam 4-5 (8 - D2) | 3 |
Burlington 5-4 (6) | 3 |
Catholic Memorial 8-1 (1) | 3 |
Cudahy 3-6 (OUT) | 3 |
Edgewood 8-1 (1) | 3 |
Fox Valley Lutheran 6-3 (6) | 3 |
Grafton 9-0 (1) | 3 |
Greendale 3-6 (OUT) | 3 |
La Crosse Central 6-3 (4 - D2) | 3 |
La Crosse Logan 6-3 (4) | 3 |
Lakeland 5-4 (5) | 3 |
Luxemburg-Casco 7-2 (3) | 3 |
Martin Luther 6-3 (3) | 3 |
McFarland 4-5 (7) | 3 |
Medford 3-6 (8) | 3 |
Merrill 6-3 (4) | 3 |
Milwaukee Washington 6-3 (4) | 3 |
Mount Horeb/Barneveld 7-2 (2) | 3 |
New Berlin Eisenhower 5-4 (3) | 3 |
New Berlin West 7-2 (1) | 3 |
Onalaska 7-2 (2) | 3 |
Pius XI Catholic 5-4 (6) | 3 |
Plymouth 9-0 (2) | 3 |
Port Washington 6-3 (5) | 3 |
Reedsburg 6-3 (4) | 3 |
Sauk Prairie 7-2 (3) | 3 |
Waterford 5-4 (5) | 3 |
Waupaca 3-6 (OUT) | 3 |
Wausau East 4-5 (7) | 3 |
Wauwatosa West 4-5 (6 - D2) | 3 |
Whitnall 8-1 (2) | 3 |
Wisconsin Lutheran 6-3 (5) | 3 |
Altoona 7-2 (4) | 4 |
Aquinas 9-0 (1) | 4 |
Ashland 5-4 (7) | 4 |
Baldwin-Woodville 9-0 (2) | 4 |
Berlin 8-1 (3) | 4 |
Campbellsport 4-5 (OUT) | 4 |
Columbus 8-1 (1) | 4 |
Delavan-Darien 6-3 (5) | 4 |
Edgerton 6-3 (5) | 4 |
Ellsworth 5-4 (5) | 4 |
Evansville 8-1 (3) | 4 |
Freedom 8-1 (2) | 4 |
Jefferson 5-4 (8 - D3) | 4 |
Lake Mills 7-2 (4) | 4 |
Little Chute 8-1 (2) | 4 |
Lodi 7-2 (3) | 4 |
Marinette 6-3 (7 - D3) | 4 |
Milwaukee North 3-4 (8) | 4 |
Mosinee 7-2 (2) | 4 |
Oconto Falls 8-1 (3) | 4 |
Osceola 6-3 (4) | 4 |
Platteville 5-4 (6) | 4 |
Racine St. Cat's 8-1 (1) | 4 |
Ripon 6-3 (7) | 4 |
Seymour 7-2 (5) | 4 |
Shoreland Lutheran 5-4 (6) | 4 |
St. Francis 4-5 (8) | 4 |
Waupun 8-1 (4) | 4 |
West Salem 7-2 (6) | 4 |
Winneconne 9-0 (1) | 4 |
Wisconsin Dells 3-6 (OUT) | 4 |
Wrightstown 6-3 (6) | 4 |
Amery 4-5 (8 - D4) | 5 |
Amherst 8-1 (2) | 5 |
Arcadia 7-2 (5) | 5 |
Barron 6-3 (6) | 5 |
Brillion 7-2 (3) | 5 |
Brookfield Academy 7-2 (4) | 5 |
Cambridge 7-2 (4 - D6) | 5 |
Clinton 6-3 (6) | 5 |
Durand-Arkansaw 6-3 (5) | 5 |
Elk Mound 3-6 (OUT) | 5 |
Grantsburg 9-0 (1) | 5 |
Lake Country Lutheran 8-1 (1) | 5 |
Mayville 9-0 (1) | 5 |
Milwaukee Academy of Science 4-5 (7) | 5 |
New Glarus 8-1 (3) | 5 |
New Holstein 6-3 (4) | 5 |
Northwestern 9-0 (2) | 5 |
Poynette 7-2 (4 - D6) | 5 |
Prairie du Chien 6-3 (3) | 5 |
Prescott 3-6 (7) | 5 |
Racine Lutheran 8-1 (2) | 5 |
Richland Center 4-5 (7) | 5 |
River Valley 6-3 (4) | 5 |
Spencer/Columbus Catholic 5-4 (5) | 5 |
St. Croix Falls 7-2 (3) | 5 |
Stratford 7-2 (2) | 5 |
Tomahawk 8-1 (1) | 5 |
Watertown Luther Prep 4-5 (6) | 5 |
Westby 3-6 (OUT) | 5 |
Westfield 6-3 (6) | 5 |
Winnebago Lutheran 6-3 (4) | 5 |
Wittenberg-Birnamwood 4-5 (5) | 5 |
Abbotsford 6-3 (7) | 6 |
Auburndale 8-1 (3) | 6 |
Belleville 5-4 (7) | 6 |
Bonduel 7-2 (3) | 6 |
Cadott 5-4 (OUT) | 6 |
Cedar Grove-Belgium 6-3 (2) | 6 |
Chetek-Weyerhaeuser (4) | 6 |
Crandon 5-4 (6) | 6 |
Cuba City 3-6 (OUT) | 6 |
Darlington 9-0 (1) | 6 |
Edgar 9-0 (1) | 6 |
Fall Creek 6-3 (5) | 6 |
Fennimore 7-2 (4) | 6 |
Howards Grove 5-4 (5) | 6 |
Kewaunee 8-1 (2) | 6 |
Living Word Lutheran 3-6 (OUT) | 6 |
Lomira 6-3 (6) | 6 |
Luther 4-5 (OUT) | 6 |
Manitowoc Lutheran 9-0 (1) | 6 |
Marathon 4-5 (7) | 6 |
Markesan 9-0 (2) | 6 |
Marshall 5-4 (6) | 6 |
Mineral Point 5-4 (5) | 6 |
Mishicot 5-4 (7) | 6 |
Mondovi 8-1 (2) | 6 |
Nekoosa 3-6 (OUT) | 6 |
Regis 9-0 (1) | 6 |
St. Mary Catholic 5-4 (6) | 6 |
St. Mary's Springs 6-3 (3) | 6 |
Unity 4-5 (OUT) | 6 |
Waterloo 5-4 (8) | 6 |
Weyauwega-Fremont 5-4 (5) | 6 |
Assumption 3-6 (8) | 7 |
Bangor 8-1 (3) | 7 |
Black Hawk/Warren 9-0 (1) | 7 |
Blair-Taylor 6-3 (4) | 7 |
Boyceville 8-0 (2) | 7 |
Brookwood 6-3 (4) | 7 |
Cambria-Friesland 5-4 (6) | 7 |
Cashton 6-3 (5) | 7 |
Clear Lake 4-5 (7) | 7 |
Cochrane-Fountain City 9-0 (1) | 7 |
Coleman 7-2 (3) | 7 |
Crivitz 6-3 (5) | 7 |
Eleva-Strum 6-3 (5) | 7 |
Glenwood City 5-4 (5) | 7 |
Hilbert 7-2 (2) | 7 |
Iowa-Grant 5-4 (OUT - D6) | 7 |
Ithaca 5-4 (6) | 7 |
Johnson Creek 8-1 (2) | 7 |
Kenosha St. Joe's 9-0 (1) | 7 |
Lourdes Academy 9-0 (1) | 7 |
Melrose-Mindoro 5-4 (8 - D6) | 7 |
Pepin/Alma 8-1 (3) | 7 |
Pittsville 4-5 (7) | 7 |
Potosi/Cassville 8-1 (3) | 7 |
Randolph 4-5 (6) | 7 |
Reedsville 4-5 (4) | 7 |
River Ridge 4-5 (8) | 7 |
Roncalli 7-2 (2) | 7 |
Royall 4-5 (7) | 7 |
Spring Valley 5-4 (4) | 7 |
Turtle Lake 6-3 (6) | 7 |
Wauzeka-Steuben/Seneca 7-2 (3) | 7 |
Travis Wilson serves as the Bound Wisconsin Manager. Wilson was selected as part of the Sports 40 Under 40 list by Coach & AD Magazine and the National High School Athletic Coaches Association for 2019. The Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA) named Travis the 2015 recipient of the Dave McClain Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the WFCA Executive Board and is a member of the Executive Board of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association. A graduate of Richland Center High School and Mount Mercy College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Travis was a three-sport athlete in high school (football, baseball, basketball), inducted to the Richland Center High School Hall of Fame in 2023, and currently resides in Reedsburg. You can follow him on Twitter at @travisBound or reach him at [email protected].