In the first significant change to the state football playoffs since 2000, the IHSA announced, Dec. 16, an increase in the number of eligible schools from 256 to 384, effective next year. This means there will be an additional 16 schools in each of the eight playoff classes, and all teams who finish with three and four victories will be eligible for qualification.
The IHSA members voted for the expansion proposal, with the voting process concluding Dec. 15. The results were as follows: 377 yes, 252 no, and 96 with no opinion.
In a press release, IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said the proposal was designed to preserve conferences.
“Too often throughout the years, football decisions have negatively impacted other sports at IHSA schools,” he stated. “We are hopeful that this football playoff expansion will provide intended relief to our schools by stabilizing conference movement and eliminating the difficulty of scheduling football games that many of our schools face each year. It may create some short-term complications for some schools, conferences, and coaches, but we remain optimistic it will create long-term stability in football and beyond.”
Under the new playoff format, the top 16 schools in each class receive first-round byes. It also mandates a change in Week 1 scheduling – the first games will be played on Aug. 20, 2026 rather than Aug. 27 on the original IHSA calendar. The first day of practice, Aug. 10, 2026, remains the same. Moreover, the no-contact period is being moved from early August to June 29-July 5, 2026. Schools cannot hold practices, competitions, open gyms, and conditioning and weight training sessions during that time.
Oak Park and River Forest High School head coach John Hoerster, who said the school voted yes, thinks it’s a good idea to expand the playoff field.
“Generally speaking, I believe more football is a good thing. And a team’s record only tells part of the story,” he said. “I’ve seen plenty of 6-3 teams across the state that weren’t particularly strong, and I’ve also seen 3-6 teams that were quite talented. There are so many variables – conference strength, scheduling, matchups – that it makes sense to let more teams into the playoffs and allow the games themselves to sort things out.
“The positives are clear: more students get the opportunity to play meaningful football, scheduling flexibility improves with less pressure to chase five wins, and teams in strong conferences are less penalized for competing against high-level opponents week after week. The primary drawback is losing a week in an already busy summer.”
While Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia doesn’t have any thoughts on the playoff expansion, he’s more focused on adjusting his program to an earlier season start as well as the moving of the no-contact period.
“I focus on what we can control. We just have to make sure we do a great job preparing our guys in being ready for the earlier start time,” Battaglia said. “That’s probably the biggest adjustment. It’s going to be tinkering and reworking some stuff to make sure the players are staying fresh and getting their free time to be kids while also making sure we maximize our time as a team.”