Checking out the football playoff bubble

As the IHSA prepares to unveil the football playoff pairings on Saturday, DuPage County sits on the verge of advancing another strong group of qualifiers.

Heading into Week 9, the playoff picture finally is becoming clearer.

With six wins or more, or with five wins and plenty of playoff points, 12 area teams already have wrapped up postseason berths: Benet, Downers Grove South, Glenbard North, Glenbard West, Montini, Naperville North, Neuqua Valley, St. Francis, Waubonsie Valley, Wheaton North, Wheaton Warrenville South and York.

Eight area teams have been eliminated from playoff contention: Downers Grove North, Glenbard East, Glenbard South, Hinsdale South, Lake Park, Metea Valley, West Chicago and Willowbrook.

That leaves seven area teams with a bunch to play for this weekend. A win virtually locks up a playoff spot for most of the teams, although for some teams even victory doesn't equate to a guarantee.

Without enough playoff points the total number of wins by opponents on a team's schedule, a tiebreaking criterion used by the IHSA to seed teams some five-win teams will be on the outside looking in. This season it looks like at least 37 or 38 points will be required for five-win teams to qualify.

For the seven anxious DuPage teams, here's how it stands heading into Week 9...

Addison Trail (4-4 record, 39 playoff points): Thanks to a rugged nonconference schedule that included Wheaton North, Lyons Twp. and Glenbard West, the Blazers have plenty of playoff points. They'll face a winner-take-all West Suburban Gold showdown against Leyden (4-4) as the victor advances and the loser doesn't.

Fenton (5-3, 23): Twenty-three playoff points simply won't cut it, but six wins will. To get the sixth the Bison face perhaps the area's most interesting matchup of the weekend. They'll play rival Riverside-Brookfield (4-4), which will definitely qualify with a win. Not only does the winner qualify and the loser not qualify, but the winner also claims the outright Metro Suburban Conference title.

Hinsdale Central (4-4, 40): The Red Devils piled up 23 playoff points in the first four weeks of the season by playing heavyweights WW South, Glenbard West and Lyons Twp., but the result was a 1-3 hole they still hope to overcome. Injuries have taken a toll heading into this weekend's game at Proviso West, a five-win team with plenty of playoff points.

Hinsdale Central will do whatever it can to extend its playoff streak to 10 straight years.

Immaculate Conception (5-3, 31): In two of their last three playoff appearances, the Knights won a state title. So you can imagine how much they'd like to qualify this season. Immaculate Conception has five wins, but it'll be awfully tough to reach 37 playoff points. The Knights face Chicago Christian (2-6) this weekend and plan on grabbing that key sixth win.

Lisle (4-4, 33): It's been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride for the Lions, who were enjoying a three-game winning streak before letting one slip away last week against Manteno. Now they're faced with something they hoped to avoid, a must-win situation against Herscher (7-1), whose only loss came by 2 points against unbeaten Sandwich.

Even with a win, Lisle still might not be able to qualify on playoff points.

Naperville Central (4-4, 45): Perhaps more than any other team on this list, the Redhawks have the stuff to be a postseason player. Only four teams in the state that are still alive for the playoffs boast more playoff points. Three of the Redhawks' losses came by a total of only 7 points.

Regardless, Naperville Central still enters the weekend fighting for its eighth straight playoff berth. Unfortunately for the Redhawks, they must beat Glenbard North (7-1) on the road to qualify.

Wheaton Academy (5-3, 30): This is another case of not enough playoff points. The Warriors appeared to be rolling early in the season while breaking out to a 4-0 record, but now their backs are against the wall as they prepare to face Suburban Christian Gold leader St. Edward (6-2).

Five wins won't be enough for Wheaton Academy. The Warriors must win to qualify.

Like the six other scrapping teams, the entire season comes down to this weekend.

kschmit@dailyherald.com