Post-Season Play

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The postseason schedule can be found under the “Schedules” tab at the top of the website. Please keep in mind that the schedule will not be available until the final regular-season game has been completed.

Unless an age group qualifies for an extended playoff as outlined below, the four highest-ranked teams will qualify for the NIFC postseason.

Semifinal Matchups:

• No. 1 seed vs. No. 4 seed
• No. 2 seed vs. No. 3 seed

The winners will advance to the NIFC Championship Game.

If an age group has an even number of teams and contains 10, 12, or 14 teams, the six highest-ranked teams will qualify for the postseason.

The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds will receive first-round byes.

Week 9 First-Round Matchups:

• No. 3 seed vs. No. 6 seed
• No. 4 seed vs. No. 5 seed

Following the first round, the remaining teams will be re-seeded. The highest remaining seed will play the lowest remaining seed in the semifinals. The other two remaining teams will play in the second semifinal. The semifinal winners will advance to the NIFC Championship Game.

If an age group has an even number of teams and contains 16 or more teams, the eight highest-ranked teams will qualify for the postseason.

Week 9 First-Round Matchups:

• No. 1 seed vs. No. 8 seed
• No. 2 seed vs. No. 7 seed
• No. 3 seed vs. No. 6 seed
• No. 4 seed vs. No. 5 seed

Following the first round, the remaining teams will be re-seeded. The highest remaining seed will play the lowest remaining seed in the semifinals. The other two remaining teams will play in the second semifinal. The semifinal winners will advance to the NIFC Championship Game.

The following criteria will be used, in order, to determine postseason participants and seeding:

1. Conference record
2. Head-to-head record
3. Conference points
4. Determined by either a win or lowest point deficit vs. the highest seed common opponent. In the case where both teams beat the highest seeded common opponent, the point differential in those games determines the participant. 
5. In the event there are three times tied based on review of the first three elements listed above, a brief playoff will be played using IHSA overtime rules. Each of the three teams will play at a designated field prior to the semi-final games. A coin toss will determine which two teams play first. The winner of the first game will play the “odd team out” from the coin toss. The ultimate winner will advance to the playoffs.

Conference points are cumulative and are recalculated throughout the regular season.

A team receives one conference point for every victory earned by each conference opponent it defeated.

Example: Team A has three wins when it loses to Team B. Team B initially receives three conference points for defeating Team A. If Team A finishes the season with eight wins, Team B will receive eight total conference points from that victory.

Conference points are based on each defeated opponent’s final or current cumulative win total—not the number of wins that opponent had on the date the game was played. The post-season schedule can be found under the "Schedules" tab at the top of the website.  Please keep in mind that this schedule will not be available until after the final regular season game in completed.