How changing playoff seeding impacts MHSAA high school football

The Michigan High School Football Coaches Association’s nearly half-decade crusade to get regional playoff seeding is finally over. During its annual spring meeting May 3-4 in Gaylord, the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s Representative Council, a 19-member legislative body representing 1,500 schools, voted to change how the 11-player football postseason will be seeded starting in 2026. Going forward, all eight divisions will be split into eight separate regions and seeded by average playoff points.

Each region will then be divided into two districts. District 1 will feature the Nos. 1, 4, 5 and 8 seeds, while District 2 will include the Nos.

2, 3, 6 and 7 seeds. The district winners will meet in the round 3 regional final. Previously, the MHSAA only seeded districts.

This offseason, the MHSFCA submitted a 21-page document to the Representative Council outlining why seeding beyond districts was necessary. Hometown Life obtained that document, which highlighted parity across regions, breaking up geographic clusters and improving the postseason experience for teams, while adding little travel for most schools and still keeping eight state champions. “I’ve been in favor of this for a while, and we’ve been kicking around this change in our meetings with the Coaches Association for at least three years or more,” said Livonia Franklin coach Chris Kelbert, also an MHSFCA regional director.