OHSAA Football Playoff Changes 2025: New Format, Schedule, Key Details

Several notable changes stand out in the 2025 Ohio High School Athletic Association football playoff regulations, which received approval from the OHSAA Board of Directors on June 12.

The number of qualifiers per region will now be 12, reduced from 16, with the top four seeds in each region receiving a first-round bye. Furthermore, the higher seeded team will host the first three rounds of the postseason, as opposed to just the initial two rounds.

Between 1947 and 1971, the Associated Press poll was responsible for determining the state champion across three classes (A-AA-AAA), while the United Press International also published a state poll from 1953 to 1971.

The inaugural playoff games took place in 1972, featuring a four-team format across the three classes. Notably, Norwalk secured the Class AA championship in 1974.

In 1980, the OHSAA transitioned from three classes to five divisions, each containing four regions. The playoffs were expanded to include a regional title game for an eight-team field in every division.

Further growth occurred in 1985, when the top four teams from each region qualified for the playoffs, effectively doubling the number of schools eligible to 80.

In 1994, a sixth division was introduced, bringing an additional 16 schools into the playoff mix. By 1999, the number of qualifying schools was once again doubled, with eight teams per region, culminating in a total of 192 playoff participants.

The playoffs maintained a five-week tournament format until 2019, a year that witnessed St. Paul competing in five state championship games in 1997, 1999, 2004, 2009, and 2014. The Flyers secured the Div. VI state title in 2009.

In early 2020, the OHSAA sanctioned a proposal from the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association to increase the number of qualifiers to 12 per region, which added an extra week to the postseason.

Shortly thereafter, the COVID pandemic had a significant impact on high school sports, leading the OHSAA to permit every school to take part in the 2020 playoffs, as schools had played varying numbers of games.

The encouraging responses from schools during that season led the OHSAA to increase the number of qualifiers per region from 12 to 16 for the years 2021-24.

“In recent years, we have been happy to see more schools participating in the football playoffs, and we’ve even seen some lower-seeded teams win playoff games,” stated Doug Ute, the Executive Director of OHSAA.

“However, over the past year, we have gathered input from our schools, with a slight majority preferring 12 qualifiers per region. We engaged in numerous discussions with stakeholders across the state, which prompted us to present this proposal to our board,” Ute continued.

“We value the feedback we’ve received and will keep collecting comments as we move forward. As with all our sports, our primary focus is ensuring that student-athletes remain our top priority.”

With the top four seeds in each region getting a first-round bye, the matchups for the first round will feature the No. 12 seed facing the No. 5 seed, the No. 11 against the No. 6, the No. 10 versus the No. 7, and the No. 9 playing against the No. 8.

In the second round, the No. 1 seed will host the winner of the No. 12 vs. No. 5 matchup, the No. 2 seed will take on the winner of No. 11 vs. No. 6, the No. 3 seed will face the winner of No. 10 vs. No. 7, and the No. 4 seed will host the winner of No. 8 vs. No. 9.

There will be no alterations to the divisional breakdowns and regional assignments for 2025, as announced by the OHSAA on May 1.