28 Texas High School Teams Are Playoff-Bound Before the Season Kicks Off

August 29, Friday night football is back in Texas. A multitude of high school teams across the state will begin a quest to punch their tickets to the playoffs in mid-November.

28 teams from Class 2A to 5A, however, are already playoff-bound, even before the first helmets are strapped and fight songs played.

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UIL Texas Football Playoffs

You may be old enough to remember when being the district champ in Texas not only meant a golden football trophy and bragging rights, but you were also the lone representative of your district in the playoffs.

Later, the district runner-up was included in the playoff run. Then, in 2013-2014, the top four teams in Class 2A/3A were allowed to make the playoffs, before teams in 4A and above were added to the 4-team format.

Currently, the top 2 teams in Class A make the football playoffs, while the top 4 teams in Class 2A through 6A get a spot in the playoff bracket.

Four Team Districts With Automatic Playoff Berths

There are 7 football districts (Class 2A - 5A) that feature only 4 teams. Since 4 teams make the playoffs, the teams in these districts are mainly playing for playoff seeding and bragging rights.

They already know that they'll be playing a bi-district game on or around November 14.

Here Are The 28 Teams Already in the Playoffs

Class 2A, Division 2 - District 16**

• Agua Dulce
• Ben Bolt - Palito Blanco
• La Villa
• Woodsboro

**Bruni was originally in this district, but only recently decided to drop down to a 1A independent due to a lack of players.

Class 3A, Division 1, District 1

• Amarillo River Road
• Bushland
• Dalhart
• Shallowater

Class 3A, Division 1, District 2

• Brownfield
• Denver City
• Kermit
• Lamesa

Class 3A, Division 2, District 3

• Alpine
• Anthony
• Crane
• Odessa Compass Academy

Class 4A, Division 1, District 3

• Andrews
• Big Spring
• Pecos
• San Angelo Lake View

Class 4A, Division 2, District 16

• Kingsville King
• La Feria
• Port Isabel
• Rio Grande City Grulla

Class 5A, Division 1, District 1

• El Paso Americas
• El Paso Bel Air
• El Paso El Dorado
• El Paso Parkland

Some people think the 4-team inclusion waters down the accomplishment of making the playoffs, especially in districts with fewer than 6 teams.

There are also the frequent blowout bi-district games, where a district champ takes on a 4th place finisher. Last year, there were instances where teams scored 70, 80, and 90+ points on their way to lopsided first-round victories.

Then again, there were also quite a few bi-district upsets.