Football Playoff Pairings, Opening Matchups to be Announced Sunday on NFHS Network
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
October 22, 2026
The announcement of qualifiers and first-round pairings for this season’s Michigan High School Athletic Association Football Playoffs – the annual “Selection Sunday Show” – will be streamed at 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, on the NFHS Network.
The playoffs for both 11 and 8-player teams begin during the weekend of Oct. 30-31. The top 32 teams by playoff-point average in each 11-player division and top 16 teams by playoff-point average in each 8-player division will qualify. Divisions were determined prior to the start of the season.
Click for the direct link to watch the Selection Sunday Show. That link also is posted to the Football page of the MHSAA website. A subscription is not required to watch the Selection Sunday Show, although viewers must register on the site to view the broadcast.
The playoff qualifiers and pairings will be posted to the website following the show, and times and dates will be added Monday, Oct. 26.
To review a list of all football playoff schools and individual school playoff point details, visit the Football Playoff Point Summary page.
The MHSAA Football Playoffs conclude with the 8-Player Finals on Nov. 21 at Northern Michigan University’s Superior Dome and 11-Player Finals to be played Nov. 27 and 28 at Ford Field. Both games will be broadcast live on the NFHS Network.
Be the Referee: No Tackle Box
October 3, 2019
This week, MHSAA officials coordinator Sam Davis explains the difference between high school and college/pro rules in regards to the football tackle box and intentional grounding.
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment - No Tackle Box - Listen
Today we are going to talk about the rules that govern the quarterback, specifically when the quarterback is being rushed and is looking to throw the ball away and avoid the sack.
Under both pro and college rules, they have what’s called the tackle box. When the quarterback gets outside of the original position of the offensive tackles and throws the ball and it reaches the line of scrimmage, there is never a foul for intentional grounding.
However, under high school rules there is no such thing as a tackle box. If the quarterback is either in pocket or scrambles outside of the pocket and now is trying to throw that ball away to avoid the sack, there always must be a receiver in the vicinity of the pass to avoid an intentional grounding foul.
Past editions
Sept. 26: You Make the Overtime Call - Listen
Sept. 19: Swimming Finishing Touch - Listen
Sept. 12: Curbing Gamesmanship By Substitution - Listen
Sept. 5: Football Safety Rules Changes - Listen
Aug. 29: 40-Second Play Clock - Listen