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Every high school football season seems to bring changes to the playoff format even when the powers that be appear to have finally “gotten it right.”
The 2025 prep pigskin season featured a new format that cut teams off by numerical ranking into successive playoff divisions. Teams were ranked No. 1 through No. 64. The best reams were at the top and so forth down the line.
It made for a competitive postseason in which a No. 6 seed (Division III), No. 4 seed (Open Division), No. 3 seed (Division IV), No. 2 seed (Division I, Division IV) each won division championships. Out of the seven 11-man divisions, only two top-seeded teems (Division II, Division V-AA) emerged with division titles.
That speaks a lot for parity. Why change it?
Only the higher-ups know the answer.
Here’s what we know in the preseason:
MaxPreps will continue to provide the ranking system used by the section to seed the 2026 playoffs. That doesn’t change.
The tweaks start with the playoff selection system.
The top four teams will continue to be placed in the Open Division tier for postseason competition. However, the Division I playoff tier has been reduced from 12 teams to eight.
Previously, 16 teams were allotted to Division I for regular season rankings. The top four teams were siphoned off to the Open Division while the remaining 12 teams comprised the restructured Division I playoff field.
Teams will still face a playoff cut-off by final rankings position. The top four-ranked teams will constitute the Open Division, Nos. 5-12 will be in Division I, Nos. 13-24 in Division II, Nos. 25-36 in Division III, Nos. 37-48 in Division IV, Nos. 49-64 in Division V.
Division V-AA will include eight teams in a single division with seeding based completely on final MaxPreps rankings.
The playoffs will include 12 teams in Division II, Division III and Division IV. The top four teams will receive first-round byes. That number remains the same.
But Division V expands from 12 teams to 16 teams with no first-round byes.
There are 76 teams in Division I through Division V with 64 teams qualifying for postseason play. The total number of playoff teams remains the same with the cut of four teams in Division I and the addition of four teams in Division V.
There are 10 teams listed in Division V-AA. Eight make the playoffs. There are six teams listed in Division VI (eight-person). Four teams qualify for postseason play.
The reduction in the number of Division I teams should make that division more impactful for postseason play. Theoretically, the trickle down effect should make the top of each following division a bit more competitive.
As a result, the top 16 teams in the section playoffs (four in the Open Division, eight in Division I and top four seeds in Division II) will all receive first-round byes. That’s the product of playoff realignment.
It gets a little complicated from there.
The section is introducing playoff pools this season, which is more akin to what the playoffs used to be like with predetermined teams vying in each playoff enrollment division.
That system provided mismatches of great proportion before the introduction of the Open Division.
The section has created five football playoff pools: 12 teams in Division I, 14 teams in Division II, 14 teams in Division III, 14 teams in Division IV and 22 teams in Division V.
Teams are not permitted to move down more than one playoff pool when seeding the playoffs. However, there are no restrictions on teams moving up multiple divisions.
Teams moving down will obviously displace teams in lower playoff pools.
League champions will automatically qualify for postseason play. If a designated league champion is ranked outside the playoff seeding bracket, it will replace the lowest seeded team in the bracket. That could create another push-down effect.
The last possible regular season contest is Oct. 31. Seeding will be conducted Nov. 1.
Teams in Division II through Division IV will start first-round play on Nov. 6 and follow with quarterfinals on Nov. 13, semifinals on Nov. 20 and finals Nov. 27-28.
Postseason play in Division I and Open is set to kick off Nov. 13. Semifinal games in Division I follow on Nov. 20. The Open Final is Nov. 21. The Division I Final is scheduled Nov. 27-28.
The playoff format for Division V-AA and Division VI is more compact: first round on Nov. 6, semifinals on Nov. 13 and finals on Nov. 20-21.
It’s going to be a busy month of November regardless of which division a team is in .
December will reserved for the regional state playoffs. Section champions in Open through Division V will qualify.
San Diego Section Playoff Pools
Pool 1: Granite Hills, Cathedral Catholic, Mission Hills, Carlsbad, La Costa Canyon, San Marcos, Lincoln, Torrey Pines, Rancho Bernardo, Mount Miguel, Poway, Oceanside
Pool 2: Point Loma, Del Norte, Helix, Scripps Ranch, Mater Dei Catholic, El Camino, Steele Canyon, Santa Fe Christian, St. Augustine, La Jolla, San Diego, University City, Central Union, Imperial
Pool 3: San Pasqual, Hotlville, Christian, Grossmont, Madison, Valley Center, Mission Bay, Patrick Henry, Brawley, Eastlake, Bishop’s, Ramona, Army-Navy Academy, Westview
Pool 4: Otay Ranch, El Capitan, Mt. Carmel, Montgomery, Olympian, La Jolla Country Day, Mira mesa, Morse, Hilltop, Chula Vista, Hoover, Sweetwater, Rancho Buena Vista, Monte Vista
Pool 5: Coronado, Escondido, West Hills, Bonita Vista, Calexico, Coastal Academy, Santana, Canyon Hills, Fallbrook, Maranatha Christian, Kearny, Crawford, Vista, Classical Academy, Valhalla, San Ysidro, Southwest San Diego, Mar Vista, Southwest El Centro, El Cajon Valley, Orange Glen, Castle Park
Division V-AA: Escondido Charter, O’Farrell Charter, Clairemont, Palo Verde Valley, Mountain Empire, Vincent Memorial, Calipatria, Foothills Christian, Tri-City Christian, Victory Christian Academy
Division VI (eight player): St. Joseph Academy, Borrego Springs, Francis Parker, Julian, West Shores, Warner
There are no regional championship at this time for Division V-AA and Division VI section champions.
Seeding will be conducted Nov. 29. The Southern California regional championships are scheduled Dec. 4-5. State championship bowl games are scheduled Dec. 11-12.
Postseason all-star games could disrupt the traditional holiday break. But that’s bonus time.
San Diego Section 2025 Football Championships
Open Division: (4) Cathedral Catholic 20, (3) Carlsbad 16
Division I: (2) Granite Hills 41, (1) Lincoln 29
Division II: (1) Santa Fe Christian 44. (2) Steele Canyon 41
Division III: (6) Christian 28, (1) Central Union 14
Division IV: (3) Valley Center 21, (5) Eastlake 14
Division V: (2) Morse 45, (9) Hoover 30
Division V-AA: (1) Marathana Christian 24, (2) Palo Verde Valley 12
