By: Ron Reagin

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

Starting in 2026, GHSA football playoffs will use the Post-Season Ranking Formula (PSRF): 35% team winning percentage, 35% opponents’ winning percentage, and 30% opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage.

Just statewide, data-driven seeding.

The formula is straightforward: PSRF = (Your Winning Percentage × 0.35) + (Opponents’ Winning Percentage × 0.35) + (Opponents’ Opponents’ Winning Percentage × 0.30)

This system replaces the old region-only qualification model, ending the era of weak-region champions advancing easily while statistically stronger teams from stacked regions were left out.

Now, a 7–3 team with elite opponents can outrank a 10–0 team that plays lower ranked and lower classification teams. Region champions still earn automatic bids and favorable top-16 seeds, preserving motivation for region play.

PSRF shines in its fairness and predictive power. Simulations suggest it offers 15–20% better playoff forecasting than the previous system.

For example, Colquitt County’s 2025 8–2 regular season with several national-level games would have earned a No. 1 seed under PSRF — something that was impossible before as they were not region champs, but they defeated the region champs.

The main fallacies with this method are easy to identify but harder to measure: ignoring margin of victory (a one-point win counts the same as a 50-point blowout and close losses to top teams earn no credit), assuming all games are played on a neutral field, inconsistent data from some programs, and the reality that high school teams rarely stay the same strength throughout an entire season.

Also, late season upsets could cause wild swings in rankings mainly due to a chain reaction of all aspects of the formula with few games to recover.

For 2027-2028 and beyond, GHSA should consider refinements: a capped margin of victory (up to 24 points), a simple home/away factor (road win = 1.1× credit), and a slight boost to OOWP weight.

These tweaks would better reward dominance and the courage to play top tier teams without sacrificing simplicity and transparency as suggested by Loren Maxwell.

Whatever modifications GHSA makes, the loudest protests will come from programs most negatively affected.

The best way to judge PSRF’s real impact in its first season is to examine the schedules of the teams complaining the most and the teams they are complaining about.

Coaches and athletic directors will now need to incorporate statistical formulas into their scheduling strategies to avoid being penalized for weak non-region slates and avoiding upsets.

The 2026 PSRF is a bold, objective, and merit-based upgrade. No method is flawless, but with smart refinements, Georgia has a chance to lead the nation in the playoff ranking system ecosystem.