With only two weeks left in the regular season, here’s where Illinois Valley football teams stand in their quest to make the IHSA and the I8FA playoffs.

Locked in

Morris 7-0 (36 playoff points)

Week 7 could not have gone better for Morris‘ playoff picture. The Interstate 8 Conference leader not only added a victory, but also picked up every possible playoff point (opponents’ combined wins, the first tiebreaker after record when seeding potential playoff teams) when every team on its schedule won in Week 7 except the three teams (La Salle-Peru, Ottawa and Kaneland) that were playing other teams on Morris’ schedule. A win over 4-3 Sycamore this Friday would wrap up the I-8 title with 4-3 Byron Center, Mich., waiting in Week 9.

Seneca 7-0 (20 playoff points)

The Fighting Irish have a berth locked up and, though it doesn’t come with an automatic bid, the Chicagoland Prairie Conference title. If Seneca wants a good seed, though, it will likely need to keep winning, as what looked like a tough nonconference schedule before the season has not played out that way, hence the very low number of playoff points. Coming up are 4-3 St. Joe-Ogden and 0-7 Carlyle.

8-man: Amboy/LaMoille/Ohio 6-1 (27 playoff points)

It was extremely likely a week ago, but now it’s a certainty that the defending Illinois 8-Man Football Association champion Clippers are back in the I8FA playoffs. Amboy can bolster its resume and better its seed with wins in the final two weeks against 1-6 West Prairie and/or 6-1 West Central.

Almost there

Marquette 4-3 (35 playoff points)

The Crusaders did their playoff hopes a huge favor with their 51-6 road domination of Elmwood-Brimfield last Friday night. With a healthy number of playoff points already in hand and more on the way, Marquette likely needs only one more win to make the field of 256. Remaining in Week 8 and 9 are a home game this Saturday against 4-3 Knoxville and an Oct. 24 trip to 1-6 Morrison.

Princeton 4-3 (32 playoff points)

The Tigers, with a Week 7 victory over Mendota, continued to dig themselves out of their early 0-2 hole and toward the daylight of the postseason. One win would likely get the job done, though two would be a sure bet as the Tigers visit 1-6 Mercer County before a Week 9 home contest against 5-2 Erie-Prophetstown.

Dwight 4-3 (28 playoff points)

Back-to-back wins have done wonders for the Trojans. While it’s likely they’d get in at 5-4, their pedestrian number of playoff points could cause them stress come the Saturday pairings show. Running the table against 3-4 Warrensburg-Latham and 4-3 Oregon would punch the Trojans’ ticket to Week 10 for certain.

8-man: Flanagan/Cornell/Woodland 4-3 (27 playoff points)

Their current four wins might be enough to get the Falcons into what is usually an I8FA bracket that includes multiple 4-5s. It would be a much surer thing for FCW if it can score a win in either of its remaining contests – at 1-6 Peoria Heights this Friday or at home in Flanagan against 1-6 Bushnell-Prairie City in Week 9.

Work to do

Hall/Putnam Co. 3-4 (32 playoff points)

The Red Devils picked up five playoff points in Week 7, a good number, but lost their game with Monmouth-Roseville, a big hit to those playoff points mattering. A playoff berth at 5-4 isn’t a sure thing, and at 4-5 is unlikely but not impossible, but every win the Red Devils can record in the final two weeks against 4-3 Riverdale and 7-0 Rockridge would boost Hall/PC’s chances dramatically. Two losses would end those chances.

Hail Mary time

La Salle-Peru 2-5 (37 playoff points)

The Cavaliers have a healthy number of playoff points, which is keeping one final but treacherous path to the postseason open. If 4-5 teams get in and if the Cavaliers can win out, they’re projecting to have enough playoff points to at least be in the conversation. To get there, L-P has to upset 5-2 Kaneland this Friday at home and then defeat 3-4 O’Fallon in Week 9.

Sandwich 2-5 (37 playoff points)

The Indians' 42-26 loss at Woodstock last Friday reduced their playoff chances to win and out and hope for the best. The playoff point total isn’t bad and will only grow over the final two weeks, but it’s no sure thing that 4-5 teams will get at-large bids, nor that Sandwich can win out against 4-3 Woodstock North and 6-1 Marengo to take advantage of its 40-plus playoff points.

Mendota 2-5 (31 playoff points)

After a 0-9 2024, the Trojans have already made a nice leap this season. To leap all the way to the playoffs, however, would require two more wins and an unlikely number of favorable breaks statewide. Mendota is at 5-2 Erie-Prophetstown in Week 8 and hosts 1-6 Mercer County in Week 9.

St. Bede 2-5 (29 playoff points)

The Bruins picked up a nice chunk of playoff points in Week 7, but not a win. Their final remaining path to Week 10 is sweeping the rest of their schedule (versus 5-2 Peoria Notre Dame, at 2-5 St. Teresa) and hoping a lot of 4-5 teams get invited to the postseason.

Ottawa 2-5 (25 playoff points)

It’s hard to envision a realistic path to the playoffs for the Pirates, even if 4-5 teams get in and Ottawa can win out against 4-3 Rochelle and 0-7 Granite City. That’s because of Ottawa’s strikingly low number of playoff points for a team that plays in a powerhouse conference like the I-8, only three total coming from its four nonconference opponents (two from L-P, one from Streator).