🏈 2026 MHSAA Division Changes

👋 Hey, everyone! We’re back with our monthly offseason check-in.

On the docket this month: the division changes for the 2026 MHSAA football season.

The MHSAA released its eight divisions a couple of months ago, but what do the changes actually mean? Let’s take a closer look at how the divisions have shifted and what those moves could mean for the 2026 playoff landscape.

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Before we break down which teams changed divisions, here’s a quick overview of all the movement:

Welcome to the new 11-player teams: Calvin Christian, Northpointe Christian, International Academy of Flint, Carson City-Crystal, and Gobles!

There are 67 teams that have a new division in 2026, here they are:

Quick Thoughts:

It is immediately apparent that Divisions 2 through 5 have absorbed the brunt of the changes for 2026. With the number of teams moving to 8-man football stabilizing in recent years, and Division 1 enrollments remaining relatively steady, the biggest shifts are now happening among the schools in between.

In fact, 46 of the 67 teams listed are either entering or leaving Divisions 2 through 5, showing how even modest enrollment changes can create a significant ripple effect across the rest of the divisions.

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There were 25 teams that qualified for the playoffs last year that changed divisions, here they are:

Quick Thoughts:

There are plenty of great teams changing divisions for 2026.

Portage Central’s move to Division 1 is especially intriguing because it could bring some much-needed diversity to the west side of the playoff bracket.

In the middle divisions, Division 3 adds Dexter, Harper Woods, Chelsea, Harper Creek and Waterford Mott. That is a ton of firepower joining a division that already features Detroit Martin Luther King, DeWitt, Warren De La Salle and Mount Pleasant. Safe to say the Division 3 playoffs are going to be a lot of fun in 2026.

Among the smaller schools, Clinton moves up to Division 6. Oddly enough, that could actually benefit the Redwolves by keeping them out of the small-school “district of death” that included Whiteford and SMCC, although regional seeding may have already helped solve part of that problem.

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The biggest story from the 2026 division assignments is the amount of movement in the middle. Of the 67 teams changing divisions, 46 are entering or leaving Divisions 2 through 5.

Division 3 is now even more loaded, adding Dexter, Waterford Mott, Harper Woods, Chelsea and Harper Creek to an already-loaded field.

Portage Central’s move to Division 1 and Clinton’s move to Division 6 also create some intriguing new playoff possibilities. Overall, the changes should lead to fresh matchups and plenty of chaos in 2026.

Also, don’t forget to check out our brand new data-packed site: Check it out!

👋 That’s all for today guys! Thanks for checking it out. Stay tuned for more tid bits of MHSAA football data coming your way!

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