Eleven Connecticut High School Football Teams Unofficially Qualified for 2026 CIAC Playoffs

Eleven Connecticut high school football teams unofficially secured their postseason berths across the six playoff divisions entering Thursday’s games, according to projections published by Yahoo Sports.

With three regular-season weeks still remaining on the schedule, the math is starting to clear up for programs chasing a spot in the December brackets.

These projections rely on the official CIAC football playoff formula, utilizing OpenAI’s GPT-6 Luna medium model. Hearst Connecticut Media’s GametimeCT verified the standings, though the postseason berths remain unofficial until the regular season concludes and the CIAC football committee meets to approve the final playoff points.

The Race Across Class Divisions

In Class LL, Staples at 7-1 and Southington at 7-1 have both locked down playoff berths. Defending champion Greenwich at 6-2 and New Britain at 6-2 can join them this week if they secure victories. Over in Class L, 8-0 Naugatuck stands as the lone team to officially clinch so far, while 8-0 Ludlowe sits right on the doorstep.

Class M features a heavily decided top tier. Masuk at 8-0, Lyman Hall at 7-1, New London at 8-0, and Guilford at 7-1 have all punched their tickets. Meanwhile, Class SS sees Hand at 8-0, Plainville at 8-0, and Ansonia at 7-1 safely inside the field. North Branford at 8-0 stands alone as the lone clinched team in Class S so far.

Division	Clinched Teams	Key Contenders Nearing Clinches
Class LL	Staples, Southington	Greenwich, New Britain
Class L	Naugatuck	Ludlowe
Class M	Masuk, Lyman Hall, New London, Guilford	Notre Dame Prep
Class SS	Hand, Plainville, Ansonia	Jonathan Law
Class S	North Branford	Tolland, Valley Regional/Old Lyme

How the Points Work

The CIAC formula awards teams 100 base points for every victory, adding 10 points for each game won by a defeated opponent. An additional 5 points roll in for every win earned by all opponents played.

Programs in the Class MM/M and Class SS/S divisions also pick up 10 to 20 bonus points for defeating opponents from one or two higher class divisions. Dividing those total accumulated points by the number of games played yields each team’s final playoff point average.

The eight teams possessing the highest point averages in each division advance directly to the CIAC quarterfinals. Those games are scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 1, hosted at the sites of the higher-seeded teams.