Bracket Breakdown: Florida high school football playoffs

- Dallas Jackson, NationalHSFootball.com

And so it begins.

When the sun sets on the school day, the spotlight will turn on for the playoffs in Florida. With 12 teams ranked in the HSFB100 there is at least one nationally-ranked program in each of the state’s highest five brackets.

While the argument could be made that having eight classes is at least one — if not two — classes too many, that is a discussion better saved for the off-season. The focus now shifts to the path to a state title — and for Miami (Fla.) Booker T. Washington, a march toward a potential national championship.

NationalHSFootball.com will take a look at each of the brackets and provide a breakdown as it relates to national rankings.

Click here to visit the FHSAA bracket page.

CLASS 8A

The class with the highest enrollment may be the hardest to predict, as many quality programs have emerged over the course of the season and will make for some tremendous contests.

Generally, the playoffs in Florida are easy to predict the final four teams in each class because of the expanded classes. But in Class 8A, there are multiple contenders that could come out of each bracket and there are good games that project to be battles in every round.

Coming out of the gates will be a clash in the first round as Lake Mary (Fla.) High will be playing Jacksonville (Fla.) Sandalwood this evening in what may be one of the best games in the state, let alone the bracket.

Other than that, the first round may be a whimper before fielding one of the best second rounds in the country.

Teams that figure to factor in will be the winner of Lake Mary versus Sandalwood projecting to play Jacksonville (Fla.) First Coast in the second round. Also that quadrant will likely see defending champion Apopka (Fla.) High meeting Winter Park (Fla.) High in the second round.

Whichever program comes out of that quadrant will square off against a HSFB100 program in the semifinals, as there are two nationally-ranked programs in the bottom quadrant and two other nationally-relevant teams that could emerge if they make the semifinals.

Orlando (Fla.) Dr. Phillips and Bradenton (Fla.) Manatee are the two teams that would be the smart money to be playing for that right come Nov. 29, but each will have to get through Tampa (Fla.) Plant and Ft. Pierce (Fla.) Central, respectively.

The other side of the bracket is less interesting nationally and appears to be a little more predictable walking into the playoffs.

The second round game between nationally-ranked Deerfield Beach (Fla.) High and Miramar (Fla.) High will help settle the brewing rankings debate and most likely provide for a semifinalist — if not the finalist from the south.

Stunningly the weakest quadrant in Class 8A is the Miami bracket, as the only contender may be Homestead (Fla.) South Dade but it has mixed in a close victory against Miami (Fla.) Columbus and a loss to Miami (Fla.) Killian. Neither of those two programs are that high on the totem pole this season and could make the winner of this quadrant cannon fodder for Deerfield Beach or Miramar.

CLASS 7A

The Class 7A bracket may battle with Class 5A for the weakest of the major playoff paths as there are few nationally elite teams and none that are a serious threat for even a Top 25 finish in the HSFB100.

The highest profile programs are West Palm Beach (Fla.) Dwyer and Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas. They are both in the bottom right quadrant and would meet in the quarterfinals.

Around the other quadrants are some programs that are nationally relevant but not having the type of years that get noticed unless they conclude with a state title.

The north side of the bracket features Niceville (Fla.) High in what may be the toughest quadrant of the four. To get to the state final from that quadrant stands Tallahassee (Fla.) Lincoln, which is young but talented, Orange Park (Fla.) Fleming Island, which is undefeated but has its warts on offense, and Neptune Beach (Fla.) Fletcher, which has an impressive win over Sandalwood but has already lost to Fleming Island.

The other two quadrants appear to be relatively debris-free for two teams to make a run to the semifinals as Lakeland (Fla.) High should navigate its path to the North finals. Tarpon Springs (Fla.) East Lake figures to be the program destined to meet the winner of Dwyer and St. Thomas Aquinas in the South half of the bracket and by that point may be nationally ranked.

CLASS 6A

The third-highest class may be appropriately be the third best of the brackets in the state as each quadrant has questions and multiple, quality teams.

After starting the season hot, Lake City (Fla.) Columbia has dealt with off-the-field issues but still is the pick to make it from its quadrant — although it has two tough games to do it. It opens with a decent St. Augustine (Fla.) High squad before a potential rematch with Jacksonville (Fla.) White in the second round. White defeated Columbia earlier in the season, but it was on the heels of a tough spot within the Columbia program.

Battling to represent the North figures to be Seffner (Fla.) Armwood, which is the favorite to come from its quadrant although its path is tough. The Hawks open with a quality Venice (Fla.) High team and will likely have a rematch with Tampa (Fla.) Jefferson in the second round. Waiting in the regional final could be a Gainesville (Fla.) High team that has been up and down this season but may be a threat to challenge Armwood.

The South representative figures to be Miami (Fla.) Central and everyone else is just a preparation game.

Within the quadrant, Naples (Fla.) High should take on Palm Bay (Fla.) Heritage in the second round — and it may be one of the best second round games in the state next week — for the right to give it a go against Miami Central in the regional final.

The upper quadrant in the South appears to come down to Daytona Beach (Fla.) Mainland and Winter Haven (Fla.) High. Mainland is the bet to be a greater threat Central as it has a couple of quality contests on its resume, while Winter Haven has suffered two losses to Lakeland and Lakeland (Fla.) Kathleen and may be more of a hollow record than title threat.

CLASS 5A

There is little doubt that this is the weakest of the major classes and the argument is easily made that this class could be split and fill the bottom of 6A and the top of 4A with better teams.

There are two quadrants which are not even worth addressing as the lower bracket of the North and the upper breakdown of the South will not be winning the state.

The best game of the bracket before the final could be played in the opening round, as Pensacola (Fla.) Catholic takes on Tallahassee (Fla.) Rickards. The winner will play Tallahassee (Fla.) Godby in the second round and will present the greatest test for Godby before the final. Expect the winner of that second round game to make the final, and expect it to be Godby.

The southern side of the bracket will also likely be determined in the second round as HSFB100-ranked Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage will be taking on Immokalee (Fla.) High in the second round. The winner of that game would be the favorite to make it to Orlando and the state final.

CLASS 4A

While Miami Booker T. Washington does not control its own destiny to a national championship, it could add a couple of quality victories in this playoff path.

The Tornadoes opens with Belle Glade (Fla.) Glades Central which this season may be more of a name win than a quality victory but there will be some fight in the dog.

The potential second round game for Booker T. Washington could have been more of a showdown — and push nationally — but it is still a relevant game as a contest against Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) University. University closed its regular season against Miami Central and Manatee, losing both. If the Suns are able to refocus and knock off Booker T. Washington, it would throw the HSFB100 into a loop.

Small school powers Cocoa (Fla.) High and Jacksonville (Fla.) Bolles have each been able to give Washington problems in the past and both could stand in the way again this year.

Cocoa is playing quality football at the right time of the year and figures to cruise into the semifinals. Bolles is not on the same level that is has been historically, but outside of a second round contest with Jacksonville (Fla.) Raines, it should make it to the state final.

With a month until all questions are answered, the road to Orlando begins this evening.