Ohio High School Football Playoffs 2025: How Division I Would Look at the Halfway Point

How the new Ohio High School Football Division I playoffs could look in 2025

The Olentangy Liberty football team poses with the Division I state championship trophy after defeating Moeller 28-14 on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024. / Bob Rossiter / Special To The Canton Repository / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With five weeks now in the books in the Ohio high school football season, we have hit the midway point of the regular season.

With that in mind and the fact that Ohio has once again changed the format for the playoffs, we decided to take a peek at how the playoffs would look in each division if they started after five weeks.

The change that was made by the Ohio High School Athletic Association for the postseason this year is a reduction in teams making the playoffs.

Starting in 2021, the OHSAA went to a format that saw the top 16 teams in each region qualify for postseason play. But starting in 2025, only 12 will make the playoffs with the top four seeds in each region earning a bye in the first round.

Also, the first three rounds of the postseason will be hosted by the higher seeded team instead of the first two rounds. 

With the top four teams earning a bye, the first-round games will be the following:

No. 12 at No. 5

No. 11 at No. 6

No. 10 at No. 7

No. 9 at No. 8

In round two, the No. 1 seed will host the winner of No. 8 vs. No. 9, the No. 2 seed will host the winner of No. 7 vs. No. 10, the No. 3 seed will host the winner of No. 6 vs. No. 11, and the No. 4 seed will host the winner of No. 5 vs. No. 12. 

As has been the case over the last several years, all playoff games until the state championships will be played on Friday night.

The playoff qualifiers and first round matchups will be announced on Sunday, Oct. 26 with the first round being played on Friday, Oct. 31. The second round (or regional quarterfinals) will be played on Nov. 7, the regional semifinals on Nov. 14, the regional finals on Nov. 21 and the state semifinals on Nov. 28. The regional finals and state semifinals will all be held at neutral sites as determined by the OHSAA.

The state championship games will once again be at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton from Dec. 4-6.

In Division I, the top seed in each region would be Mentor (1), Middletown (2), Olentangy Orange (3) and Elder (4).

Here is how the playoff picture would look in Division I if they started after five weeks.

(All rankings according to Joe Eitel.com and are not official).

Region 1

Byes

1. Mentor, 2. St. Edward, 3. Berea-Midpark, 4. Canton McKinley

First round games

5. Strongsville vs. 12 St. Ignatius

6. Whitmer vs. 11. Brunswick

7. Perrysburg vs. 10 John Marshall

8. Massillon Jackson vs. 9. Medina

Region 2

Byes

1. Middletown, 2. Troy, 3. Findlay, 4. Wayne

First round games

5. Hilliard Bradley vs. 12 Westland

6. Hilliard Davidson vs. 11. Beavercreek

7. Lebanon vs. 10 Hilliard Darby

8. Springboro vs. 9. Dublin Jerome

Region 3

Byes

1. Olentangy Orange, 2. Pickerington Central, 3. Olentangy, 4. Upper Arlington

First round games

5. Pickerington North vs. 12 Delaware Hayes

6. Grove City vs. 11. Olentangy Liberty

7. Gahanna Lincoln vs. 10 Westerville North

8. Westerville Central vs. 9. Groveport Madison

Region 4

Byes

1. Elder, 2. Archbishop Moeller, 3. Winton Woods, 4. St. Xavier

First round games

5. Princeton vs. 12 Little Miami/Milford

6. Mason vs. 11. West Clermont

7. Lakota East vs. 10 Oak Hills

8. Lakota West/Fairfield vs. 9. Fairfield/Lakota West

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