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Texas High School Football Playoffs 2026

The UIL state playoffs begin in November. Every district champion and wildcard earns a spot. Friday Night Picks tracks every team's road to the state title game in Arlington.

How the UIL Playoffs Work

Each district sends its top finishers to the bi-district round, typically the week after Thanksgiving. Teams advance through regional quarterfinals, semis, and finals before the state championship games at AT&T Stadium in Arlington in December. Six classifications (6A through 1A) each crown a champion.

AI Playoff Projections

Friday Night Picks runs an Elo-style model on every game, updated weekly off real results. The AI Top 5 playoff contenders per class are listed below, based on preseason ratings and 2026 schedule strength.

2026 AI Playoff Contenders

Class 6A

1Duncanville helmetDuncanville2Galena Park North Shore helmetGalena Park North Shore3Austin Westlake helmetAustin Westlake4Southlake Carroll helmetSouthlake Carroll5Katy helmetKatyFull 6A Top 10 →

Class 5A

1Clint Horizon helmetClint Horizon2Canutillo helmetCanutillo3El Paso Jefferson helmetEl Paso Jefferson4El Paso Bel Air helmetEl Paso Bel Air5El Paso HanksFull 5A Top 10 →

Class 4A

1Pecos2Clint Mountain View helmetClint Mountain View3El Paso Andress helmetEl Paso Andress4El Paso Bowie helmetEl Paso Bowie5El Paso Ysleta helmetEl Paso YsletaFull 4A Top 10 →

Class 3A

1Raymondville2Dallas A+ Academy helmetDallas A+ Academy3Dallas Madison4Blanco helmetBlanco5Marion helmetMarionFull 3A Top 10 →

Class 2A

1Mart helmetMart2Refugio helmetRefugio3Albany4Shiner helmetShiner5HawleyFull 2A Top 10 →

Class 1A

1Westbrook helmetWestbrook2Benjamin helmetBenjamin3Richland Springs helmetRichland Springs4Borden County helmetBorden County5Sterling City helmetSterling CityFull 1A Top 10 →
Follow your team's playoff road.
Live bracket updates, picks, and the AI playoff projection, all free in the app.
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