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2023 Football Playoff Preview Guide

Which team was snubbed the most? Final 4s for every Division

October 24, 2023

Hey Guys -

We’re back with Goosepoop #82!

This eighty-second edition is also the 3rd annual ‘Playoff Preview Guide’, where we get you ready for all the playoff action to come in Michigan HS Football.

In this season’s installment, we’ve got the following sections:

  • The Brackets: 2023 Playoff Brackets for all 10 Divisions

  • Snubbed: Who missed the playoffs but deserved to be there?

  • Superlatives: The top team in each division, across a number of categories

  • Strongest & Weakest Districts: Which district in each division is strongest? How about weakest?

  • Final 4 Projections: Projections for each bracket’s Final 4

Also, you may have noticed that I did not send out an update on Goosepoop Pro this past Sunday.

That’s because I was waiting for 2023 playoff brackets to drop that evening.

So here’s my update: as of yesterday, Goosepoop Pro is updated for the Playoffs.

Just like during the season, all members of the playoff field have been assigned a probability of winning their District / Regional / Semi / Final….

Only this time, the probabilities are not based on my projected bracket. They’re based on the *ACTUAL* bracket.

Subscribers can check it out right here

The Brackets

While you scroll below, you’re gonna want to reference the Playoff Brackets themselves.

So here they are:

Snubbed

No playoff system is perfect. Whether it’s 6 wins and in (pre-2021) or our current one, some team is guaranteed to get *snubbed*.

Below are the teams in each division that my computer model would deem as *snubbed*. These teams missed the playoffs, but would be in under my rating system.

You will note that on average, 5.3 teams were snubbed per 11-man division this year. That’s 13% of the field.

Said another way, our current playoff system gets the playoff field 87% correct (per my computer model).

Division 1

  • Anchor Bay (#16)

  • Stoney Creek (#18)

  • East Kentwood (#25)

  • Jenison (#30)

Division 2

  • St Mary’s (#19)

  • Mattawan (#26)

  • Traverse City West (#29)

  • BC Lakeview (#31)

  • Flushing (#32)

Division 3

  • Cedar Springs (#20)

  • Greenville (#21)

  • Thornapple Kellogg (#26)

  • Kenowa Hills (#29)

  • Cadillac (#30)

  • Sparta (#32)

Division 4

  • Holland Christian (#13) - Holland Christian is the top snub across every division

  • Unity Christian (#17)

  • North Branch (#24)

  • Hamilton (#25)

  • GR Christian (#28)

  • Country Day (#29)

  • Ludington (#30)

  • Sault Ste Marie (#31)

Division 5

  • Standish-Sterling (#16)

  • Dundee (#17)

  • Yale (#26)

  • Powers Catholic (#27)

  • Dowagiac (#29)

Division 6

  • Hillsdale (#24)

  • Durand (#25)

  • Chippewa Hills (#27)

  • Onsted (#28)

  • Calumet (#31)

  • Elk Rapids (#32)

Division 7

  • Brandywine (#27)

  • Ravenna (#28)

  • Manistique (#29)

  • Leslie (#32)

Division 8

  • Bark River Harris (#21)

  • Saginaw Nouvel (#25)

  • Reese (#28)

  • Decatur (#29)

  • Roscommon (#31)

8man, D1

  • Concord (#9)

  • Gaylord St Mary (#14)

8man, D2

  • Colon (#14)

  • Tri-Unity Christian (#16)

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Superlatives

Division 1

  • Highest Rated Team: Rockford

  • Highest Rated Offense: Rockford

  • Highest Rated Defense: Rockford

  • Undefeated Teams: Rockford (#1), Belleville (#2), Lake Orion (#3), Davison (#4)

  • Most Likely to Win It All: Rockford (51%)

Division 2

  • Highest Rated Team: Muskegon

  • Highest Rated Offense: Portage Northern

  • Highest Rated Defense: Muskegon

  • Undefeated Teams: None

  • Most Likely to Win It All: Muskegon (28%)

Division 3

  • Highest Rated Team: Forest Hills Central

  • Highest Rated Offense: Walled Lake Western

  • Highest Rated Defense: Forest Hills Central

  • Undefeated Teams: Mason (#4), Gaylord (#10)

  • Most Likely to Win It All: Forest Hills Central (43%)

Division 4

  • Highest Rated Team: Whitehall

  • Highest Rated Offense: Niles

  • Highest Rated Defense: Whitehall

  • Undefeated Teams: Whitehall (#1), Portland (#5)

  • Most Likely to Win It All: Niles (30%)

Division 5

  • Highest Rated Team: West Catholic

  • Highest Rated Offense: West Catholic

  • Highest Rated Defense: GR Catholic Central

  • Undefeated Teams: West Catholic (#1), Notre Dame Prep (#2), Corunna (#4), Flint Hamady (#15)

  • Most Likely to Win It All: Notre Dame Prep (35%)

Division 6

  • Highest Rated Team: Kingsley

  • Highest Rated Offense: Kingsley

  • Highest Rated Defense: Almont

  • Undefeated Teams: Michigan Collegiate (#4)

  • Most Likely to Win It All: Kingsley (55%)

Division 7

  • Highest Rated Team: Clinton

  • Highest Rated Offense: Clinton

  • Highest Rated Defense: Lumen Christi

  • Undefeated Teams: North Muskegon (#8), Millington (#13)

  • Most Likely to Win It All: Clinton (43%)

Division 8

  • Highest Rated Team: Fowler

  • Highest Rated Offense: Iron Mountain

  • Highest Rated Defense: Hudson

  • Undefeated Teams: Ubly (#2), Iron Mountain (#3), Whiteford (#4), Ithaca (#5), Addison (#9), White Pigeon (#11)

  • Most Likely to Win It All: Whiteford (25%)

8MAN, D1

  • Highest Rated Team: Gobles

  • Highest Rated Offense: Gobles

  • Highest Rated Defense: Martin

  • Undefeated Teams: Brown City (#16)

8MAN, D2

  • Best Team: Marion

  • Best Offense: Marion

  • Best Defense: Morrice

  • Undefeated Teams: Marion (#1), Lenawee Christian (#2), Climax-Scotts (#4), Posen (#18)

What’s your team’s odds of winning it all?

Find out on Goosepoop Pro

Strongest & Weakest Districts

‘Strongest’ and ‘Weakest’ here means the districts with the highest & lowest average team rating, respectively.

Division 1

Highest Rated District:

  • Rockford (#1)

  • West Ottawa (#22)

  • Grandville (#8)

  • Hudsonville (#24)

Lowest Rated District:

  • Southfield (#14)

  • Fordson (#29)

  • John Glenn (#27)

  • Cass Tech (#26)

Division 2

Highest Rated District:

  • Byron Center (#2)

  • Caledonia (#3)

  • Portage Northern (#5)

  • Portage Central (#7)

Lowest Rated District:

  • East Lansing (#13)

  • Lansing Everett (#34)

  • White Lake Lakeland (#25)

  • Milford (#27)

Division 3

Highest Rated District:

  • East Grand Rapids (#5)

  • Coopersville (#3)

  • Zeeland West (#2)

  • Zeeland East (#9)

Lowest Rated District:

  • Auburn Hills Avondale (#31)

  • Holly (#40)

  • Walled Lake Western (#8)

  • Redford Thurston (#54)

Division 4

Highest Rated District:

  • Spring Lake (#12)

  • Big Rapids (#19)

  • Whitehall (#1)

  • Allendale (#6)

Lowest Rated District:

  • Airport (#16)

  • Detroit East English (#48)

  • Redford Union (#44)

  • Divine Child (#23)

Division 5

Highest Rated District:

  • Corunna (#4)

  • Flint Hamady (#15)

  • Notre Dame Prep (#2)

  • Williamston (#9)

Lowest Rated District:

  • Dearborn Heights Robichaud (#37)

  • Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard (#28)

  • Detroit Southeastern (#32)

  • Detroit Denby (#35)

Division 6

Highest Rated District:

  • Chesaning (#12)

  • Central Montcalm (#15)

  • Clare (#3)

  • Bullock Creek (#13)

Lowest Rated District:

  • Detroit Edison (#20)

  • Detroit Old Redford (#50)

  • Ecorse (#26)

  • Detroit Pershing (#53)

Division 7

Highest Rated District:

  • Lawton (#3)

  • Schoolcraft (#6)

  • North Muskegon (#8)

  • Union City (#15)

Lowest Rated District:

  • GPW University Liggett (#21)

  • Detroit Central (#37)

  • Montrose (#20)

  • Burton Bendle (#51)

Division 8

Highest Rated District:

  • Ithaca (#5)

  • Fowler (#1)

  • New Lothrop (#8)

  • Saginaw MLS (#17)

Lowest Rated District:

  • Everest Collegiate (#20)

  • Rochester Hills Lutheran NW (#35)

  • Marine City Cardinal Mooney (#24)

  • Pontiac A&T (#51)

How tough is your team’s district?

Are they projected to win it?

Find out on Goosepoop Pro

Projected Final Four(s):

Division 1

  • Rockford (#1)

  • Belleville (#2)

  • Lake Orion (#3)

  • Chippewa Valley (#5)

Division 2

  • Muskegon (#1)

  • Caledonia (#3)

  • De La Salle (#4)

  • Dexter (#14)

Division 3

  • Forest Hills Central (#1)

  • Zeeland West (#2)

  • Mason (#4)

  • River Rouge (#13)

Division 4

  • Whitehall (#1)

  • Niles (#2)

  • Harper Woods (#3)

  • Goodrich (#4)

Division 5

  • West Catholic (#1)

  • Notre Dame Prep (#2)

  • Ogemaw Heights (#5)

  • Flat Rock (#14)

Division 6

  • Kingsley (#1)

  • Almont (#2)

  • Clare (#3)

  • Constantine (#5)

Division 7

  • Clinton (#1)

  • Lawton (#3)

  • Menominee (#4)

  • Cass City (#12)

Division 8

  • Fowler (#1)

  • Iron Mountain (#3)

  • Whiteford (#4)

  • Everest Collegiate (#20)

8man, Division 1

  • Gobles (#1)

  • St Ignace (#3)

  • Pickford (#5)

  • Carson City-Crystal (#8)

8man, Division 2

  • Marion (#1)

  • Lenawee Christian (#2)

  • Morrice (#3)

  • Powers North Central (#8)

What round is your team is projected to reach?

Find out on Goosepoop Pro

And that’s all for today’s post!

We’ll be back Thursday with projections for this week’s biggest games

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