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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

1Galena Park North Shore helmetGalena Park North Shore2Manvel helmetManvel3Waller helmetWaller4Deer Park helmetDeer Park5Pearland helmetPearlandFull 6A Top 10 →

Class 5A

1McAllen helmetMcAllen2Boerne Champion3Gregory-Portland helmetGregory-Portland4Fort Worth Richland helmetFort Worth Richland5Denton helmetDentonFull 5A Top 10 →

Class 4A

1Lubbock-Cooper Liberty2Kerrville Tivy helmetKerrville Tivy3Graham helmetGraham4Canton helmetCanton5JarrellFull 4A Top 10 →

Class 3A

1Dallas Life Oak Cliff2Bowie helmetBowie3George West4Idalou helmetIdalou5WhitesboroFull 3A Top 10 →

Class 2A

1D'Hanis2Shiner helmetShiner3Post helmetPost4DeLeon5KenedyFull 2A Top 10 →

Class 1A

1Wildorado2Vernon Northside3Borden County helmetBorden County4Gordon5Richland Springs helmetRichland SpringsFull 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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