With the 2026 season on the horizon, the playoff format for high school football in Florida has just been changed in a major way.
In a motion approved 10-0 by the Board of Directors, the Florida High School Athletic Association approved a brand new “Open Division” for football, volleyball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, boys and girls lacrosse, and flag football starting in the 2026/2027 academic year.
In football specifically, the open division will be determined by MaxPreps rankings. As stated in their article on the Open Division format, “MaxPreps computer rankings will be used at the conclusion of the regular season to help create two pools of four teams. The top two teams in each pool advance to a single-elimination tournament. Tie-breaking procedures include head-to-head results, points allowed, and point differential.”
FHSAA Executive Director Craig Damon, in a quote to the Gainesville Sun, expressed his excitement about the new division.
“Florida has always had the best athletes in the country, but now we’re putting our elite teams, the quality of those matchups with some of those teams that can be seen on a national level,” Damon said.
On the surface level, the implementation of the Open Division has some great potential.
For the first time, Florida will be able to try to determine the “true” state champion. There will still be great matchups from the other brackets, especially when considering the overall talent level of the players in the state. But now, the best teams from the regular season will be able to face each other in matchups that would not have been possible in other iterations of the playoffs. Additionally, these games will put players on a bigger stage against the best competition, allowing them to bolster their stock as they head to college or build a profile as a recruit.
However, the format has some downsides, too.
The sole reliance on MaxPreps rankings and zero human input could create a scenario where the “true” eight best teams are not selected. Furthermore, the context of how teams are playing could be left out, especially for teams competing for the lower slots. Will MaxPreps value teams grinding through a tough schedule, or value the team that has beaten lower-level teams after getting that one big win? Can these rankings truly understand the context of how these teams are progressing throughout a season?
Over time, I think Florida’s Open Division will be a success, especially as the format and selection process get refined. For a state with so much talent in football and other sports, it will one day truly help to determine the “best” team in the state.
At this juncture, though, I am intrigued to see how the first iteration of the Open Division will work. It will be a massive change for the 2026 season, but whether that initial change results in the FHSAA’s desired outcome remains to be seen.
Cover Photo Credits: Christian Proscia, NewEraPrep
