GHSA to Change Process for Selecting Playoff Teams Across All Classes

A post-season ranking formula will to go in effect for team sports in Georgia beginning 2026-27 school year

The new playoff format in Georgia high schools isn't just for football and basketball. / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) playoffs in traditional team sports will look a little different next school year for Georgia's largest schools.

It's all in the name of competition. The current model is being replaced with a postseason ranking formula. Region champions will automatically be the first eight qualifiers. It's a quest to create the highest level of competition for the state championship journey. The postseason ranking formula has been in place for classes A, AA, and AAA since the 2023-24 school year.

The Formula

The formula being used currently is called the GHSA Post-Season Ranking Formula. (PSRF). It rewards teams in several ways. Teams are awarded for not just their own winning percentage but the winning percentage of their opponents, and their opponents' opponents' winning percentage. Teams are also rewarded for road wins. The simple formula looks like this for a particular team: (winning percentage x 0.35) + (opponents' winning percentage against all opponents x 0.35) + (opponents' opponents'' winning percentage x 0.30). When calculating the winning percentage, added weight is given when a team wins on the road.

The Sports Under the PSRF Umbrella.

The sports under the new ranking formula are the traditional one vs. one sports. In the fall, football, softball and volleyball. Basketball in the winter and baseball, slow-pitch softball, soccer and tennis in the spring. The changes are for both boys' and girls' sports. The recently implemented private school playoff format will continue moving forward.

Why Is This New Policy Necesarry?

GHSA Executive Director Tim Scott believes this new formula will make the playoffs more competitive all the way to the championships.

"It's (about) trying to do the best job we can do of getting the best 32 teams in the bracket so we can have the best teams in the state championship. I'd like the EIite Eight to be the Elite Eight."

In the past (and currently for classes AAAA-AAAAAA), there have been instances when the fourth and sometimes third best teams in some regions in certain sports aren't representative of the best 32 schools.

The Ranking Formula May Be Tweaked

While the formula appears to work in the lower classes so far, it may change slightly. GHSA associate athletic director Don Corr is in charge of the postseason ranking and is constantly experimenting with the numbers to generate the most fair recipe. Scott insists on getting it right for the long haul,

"We want to do it right," said Scott. "We want to measure it as accurate as it can possibly be. I don't know if we have enough years of data yet."

Georgia teams in AAAA-AAAAAA will be chasing a new playoff system in 2026-2027. Joshua L. Jones, Athens Banner-Herald USA TODAY NETWORK / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Potential for Scheduling Strategies

When rules get changed, smart competitors will try to gain an advantage. Scott and his team respect this and are not surprised. Until now, there was no minimum number of games a school had to play to make the playoffs. Scott and the GHSA noticed, "Soccer, for example, last year we had teams play 10-12 games and make the playoffs. When the new system starts, that's not going to be possible. You're going to have to play a minimum number of games to qualify."

Keeping regions rather than disregarding them in the new system also ensures teams play a certain level of competition.

Will the Changes Make a Difference?

A quick look at the current (2025) postseason rankings for Class AAAAAA on the GHSA website, shows that playoff football next year will almost certainly look different. All six of the teams in Region 1-AAAAAA are ranked in the top 32. Camden County (5-2, 0-2) is ranked No. 8 and Tift County (3-4, 0-2) is ranked No. 27. While Tift County appears to be on the border of making the playoffs with three games remaining, Camden County appears to be safe despite not having won a region game before the second week of October. On the other hand, through October 9, Dacula (3-3, 1-1) is in fourth place in Region 8-AAAAAA but would not make the playoffs due ranking No. 35.

When considering all the sports that will be using the new guidelines, the playoffs across all three season will most certainly look different. Consider the results of girls' tennis in 2025. Three teams from Region 6-AAAAAA reached the Elite Eight round of the state tournament. Lambert was eliminated by eventual runner-up Walton, South Forsyth advanced to the Final Four and West Forsyth won the championship.

In the name of competition, high schools sports in Georgia are headed to the next level in 2026-27.