We’re halfway through the high school football season (if your high school is only scheduled to play 10 games). In years past, this was too early for playoff projections.

That’s not the case this year, the first in which MaxPreps.com’s computer rankings will play a major role in seeding the football playoffs.

Each conference gets a certain amount of automatic bids, based on the number of teams (1-4 teams = one bid; 5-8 teams = two bids; 9 or more = three bids). MaxPreps ranking is how the conference champions will be seeded, as well as the conference runner-ups and the third-place teams. A second-place team cannot be seeded higher than a 1-seed, a third-place team can’t be seeded higher than a runner-up and a wild-card can’t be seeded ahead of anything but other wild-cards.

Wild-card selections are done entirely based on MaxPreps ranking. If you’re a 4A or 1A bubble team, it’ll be important to stay about No. 48; if you’re in 2A or 3A, the number is No. 64 (though automatic bids could go to teams ranked lower, which would move the wild-card cutoff higher).

Once the field is seeded, the largest playoff teams in one classification are put into one bracket and the smallest into the other, creating eight brackets in all: 4AA and 4A, 3AA and 3A, 2AA and 2A and 1AA and 1A. The official numbers used for determining the size of each school, the ADMs (average daily membership) won’t be released until the last week of the regular season, so for now we’re using last year’s numbers. With this being the first year of a new realignment period, there will be teams in different brackets than you may be used to seeing.

The brackets are divided into East and West based on geography. In the 24-team brackets of 4AA, 4A, 1AA and 1A, the top four seeds in each bracket get a first-round bye.

The MaxPreps rankings are updated each Sunday. This link will be updated throughout the season right up until the field is announced on Nov. 4.

We’ll use MaxPreps rankings to project conference champions, runner-ups and, when necessary, third-place teams. This is an if-the-season-ended-today projection.

Last update: Monday, Sept. 18, 3:30 p.m.

Note: If you’re having problems seeing the most updated version on your Twitter app, try this link instead.

Automatic bids - 4A
Conf. (listed W to E)

1st

2nd

Northwestern

McDowell County

N/A

South Meck

Harding

West Mecklenburg

I-Meck

Mallard Creek

Vance

Southwestern

Myers Park

Butler

Central Piedmont

West Forsyth

Glenn

Metro

Page

Northwest Guilford

Sandhills Athletic

Scotland County

Pinecrest

Triangle 6

Green Hope

Athens Drive

Patriot Athletic

South View

N/A

South Wake

Middle Creek

Fuquay-Varina

Cap-7

Sanderson

Cardinal Gibbons

Northern Athletic

Wake Forest

Heritage

Mideastern

Hoggard

N/A

Eastern Carolina

South Central

N/A

4AA East
1-Page vs BYE; 8-Richmond County vs 9-Millbrook

4-Pinecrest vs BYE; 5-Northwest Guilford vs 12-Garner

3-Green Hope vs BYE; 6-Fuquay-Varina vs 11-Laney

2-Middle Creek vs BYE; 7-Athens Drive vs 10-Leesville Road

4AA West
1-Mallard Creek vs BYE; 8-North Mecklenburg vs 9-Olympic

4-West Mecklenburg vs BYE; 5-Butler vs 12-South Mecklenburg

3-Myers Park vs BYE; 6-Providence vs 11-Ardrey Kell

2-West Forsyth vs BYE; 7-Hough vs 10-West Charlotte

4A East
1-Wake Forest vs BYE; 8-Cardinal Gibbons vs 9-Seventy-First

4-Sanderson vs BYE; 5-South View vs 12-High Point Central

3-Scotland County vs BYE; 6-South Central vs 11-Ragsdale

2-Hoggard vs BYE; 7-Heritage vs 10-Purnell Swett

4A West
1-Harding vs BYE; 8-Mooresville vs 9-Porter Ridge

4-Vance vs BYE; 5-East Forsyth vs 12-Reagan

3-Glenn vs BYE; 6-Hickory Ridge vs 11-R.J. Reynolds

2-McDowell County vs BYE; 7-Davie County vs 10-East Mecklenburg

Automatic bids - 3A
Conf. (listed W to E)

1st

2nd

3rd

Western Mountain

A.C. Reynolds

Tuscola

Asheville

Northwestern

Freedom

Alexander Central

N/A

Big South

Crest

Stuart Cramer

N/A

North Piedmont

South Iredell

Statesville

N/A

Southern Carolina

Charlotte Catholic

Marvin Ridge

N/A

South Piedmont

A.L. Brown

Concord

N/A

Piedmont Triad

Dudley

Mount Tabor

N/A

Mid-Piedmont

Southeast Guilford

Eastern Guilford

N/A

Mid-State

Western Alamance

Eastern Alamance

N/A

Big Eight

Hillside

Orange

N/A

Tri-County 6

Lee County

Triton

N/A

Patriot Athletic

Cape Fear

Terry Sanford

N/A

Greater Neuse River

Clayton

Cleveland

N/A

Big East

Southern Nash

Rocky Mount

N/A

Mideastern

New Hanover

Topsail

N/A

Eastern Carolina

D.H. Conley

Eastern Wayne

N/A

Coastal

Havelock

Jacksonville

N/A

3AA East
1-Dudley vs 16-Northern Durham; 8-Hillside vs 9-Terry Sanford

4-Cape Fear vs 13-Cleveland; 5-Southeast Guilford vs 12-Triton

3-New Hanover vs 14-Southern Durham; 6-D.H. Conley vs 11-Topsail

2-Lee County vs 15-Southern Alamance; 7-Clayton vs 10-Jacksonville

3AA West
1-A.L. Brown vs 16-Ashbrook; 8-Sun Valley vs 9-Weddington

4-Mount Tabor vs 13-Watauga; 5-Marvin Ridge vs 12-Northern Guilford

3-South Iredell vs 14-Parkland; 6-Alexander Central vs 11-Southwest Guilford

2-A.C. Reynolds vs 15-Central Cabarrus; 7-Asheville vs 10-Ben L. Smith

3A East
1-Havelock vs 16-Fike; 8-Eastern Wayne vs 9-West Carteret

4-Eastern Alamance vs 13-Westover; 5-Eastern Guilford vs 12-Northeast Guilford

3-Western Alamance vs 14-E.E. Smith; 6-Orange vs 11-Monroe

2-Southern Nash vs 15-Rockingham County; 7-Rocky Mount vs 10-Northside (Jacksonville)

3A West
1-Charlotte Catholic vs 16-West Caldwell; 8-Hunter Huss vs 9-Kings Mountain

4-Stuart Cramer vs 13-West Rowan; 5-Concord vs 12-Burns

3-Freedom vs 14-Hickory; 6-Tuscola vs 11-Northwest Cabarrus

2-Crest vs 15-West Henderson; 7-Statesville vs 10-Jay M. Robinson

Automatic bids - 2A
Conf. (listed W to E)

1st

2nd

3rd

Mountain Six

Franklin

Hendersonville

N/A

Western Highlands

Mountain Heritage

N/A

N/A

Southwestern

South Point

Shelby

N/A

Northwestern Foothills

Hibriten

Patton

N/A

South Fork

Newton-Conover

Maiden

N/A

Mountain Valley

North Wilkes

N/A

N/A

Western Piedmont

North Surry

West Stokes

N/A

Central Carolina

North Davidson

Ledford

Salisbury

Rocky River

Mount Pleasant

East Montgomery

N/A

PAC-7

Randleman

Wheatmore

N/A

Mid-State

Reidsville

Cummings

N/A

Three Rivers

South Columbus

East Bladen

N/A

Northern Carolina

South Granville

Roanoke Rapids

N/A

East Central

Wallace-Rose Hill

East Duplin

N/A

Eastern Plains

SouthWest Edgecombe

Nash Central

N/A

Eastern Carolina

Kinston

Greene Central

N/A

Coastal 8

Southwest Onslow

Trask

N/A

Northeastern Coastal

Northeastern

First Flight

N/A

2AA East
1-North Davidson vs 16-Forest Hills; 8-Nash Central vs 9-Cummings

4-Randleman vs 13-Bunn; 5-East Duplin vs 12-T.W. Andrews

3-SouthWest Edgecombe vs 14-North Lenoir; 6-Ledford vs 11-West Craven

2-South Granville vs 15-East Davidson; 7-Roanoke Rapids vs 10-Clinton

2AA West
1-South Point vs 16-West Lincoln; 8-Patton vs 9-West Stokes

4-Mount Pleasant vs 13-Wilkes Central; 5-Newton-Conover vs 12-Madison

3-Franklin vs 14-North Lincoln; 6-Maiden vs 11-Foard

2-Hibriten vs 15-West Iredell; 7-North Surry vs 10-Pisgah

2A East
1-Wallace-Rose Hill vs 16-North Johnston; 8-Hertford County vs 9-First Flight

4-Kinston vs 13-Ayden-Grifton; 5-Southwest Onslow vs 12-Farmville Central

3-South Columbus vs 14-Bertie; 6-East Bladen vs 11-Whiteville

2-Northeastern vs 15-Fairmont; 7-Greene Central vs 10-Trask

2A West
1-Reidsville vs 16-R-S Central; 8-Salisbury vs 9-East Rutherford

4-Shelby vs 13-Red Springs; 5-Hendersonville vs 12-Lincolnton

3-North Wilkes vs 14-West Wilkes; 6-East Montgomery vs 11-Lexington

2-Mountain Heritage vs 15-Carver; 7-Wheatmore vs 10-Brevard

Automatic bids - 1A
Conf. (listed W to E)

1st

2nd

Smoky Mountain

Murphy

Robbinsville

Western Highlands

Mitchell County

N/A

Southern Piedmont

Bessemer City

Mountain Island Charter

Mountain Valley

East Wilkes

N/A

Northwest

Mount Airy

East Surry

Yadkin Valley

North Rowan

North Stanly

Three Rivers

South Robeson

N/A

Northern Carolina

Louisburg

N/A

Carolina 1A

North Duplin

Lakewood

Tar-Roanoke

Northampton County

Southeast Halifax

Coastal 8

East Carteret

N/A

Coastal Plains

Tarboro

Southside

Albemarle

Edenton Holmes

Manteo

Atlantic

Bear Grass Charter

N/A

1AA East
1-Tarboro vs BYE; 8-Riverside (Williamston) vs 9-Pender

4-Louisburg vs BYE; 5-Lakewood vs 12-Pamlico County

3-East Carteret vs BYE; 6-Princeton vs 11-Rosewood

2-Edenton Holmes vs BYE; 7-Gates County vs 10-Union

1AA West
1-North Rowan vs BYE; 8-Swain County vs 9-Starmount

4-North Stanly vs BYE; 5-East Surry vs 12-Granville Central

3-Bessemer City vs BYE; 6-Polk County vs 11-South Stokes

2-East Wilkes vs BYE; 7-West Montgomery vs 10-Cherrvyille

1A East
1-North Duplin vs BYE; 8-South Stanly vs 9-North Edgecombe

4-Bear Grass Charter vs BYE; 5-Southside vs 12-Albemarle

3-South Robeson vs BYE; 6-Manteo vs 11-Northside (Pinetown)

2-Northampton County vs BYE; 7-Southeast Halifax vs 10-Plymouth

1A West
1-Murphy vs BYE; 8-Alleghany County vs 9-Union Academy

4-Robbinsville vs BYE; 5-Mountain Island Charter vs 12-Rosman

3-Mitchell County vs BYE; 6-Cherokee vs 11-Winston-Salem Prep

2-Mount Airy vs BYE; 7-Thomas Jefferson vs 10-Elkin