Here are the playoff scenarios for all classifications of Wyoming high school football entering Week 8 of the 2024 season:
Class 4A
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Cheyenne Central at Natrona; Cheyenne East at Campbell County; Cheyenne South at Thunder Basin; Rock Springs at Kelly Walsh; Sheridan at Laramie.
Sheridan: In. No. 1 seed.
Campbell County, Cheyenne East: In. No. 2 seed with victory. No. 3 seed with loss.
Natrona: In. No. 4 seed.
Rock Springs: In. Between the No. 5 and No. 7 seed.
Thunder Basin: In. Between the No. 5 and No. 8 seed.
Kelly Walsh: Neither in nor out. Between the No. 5 seed and out.
Cheyenne Central: Neither in nor out. Between the No. 6 seed and out.
Laramie: Neither in nor out. Between the No. 7 seed and out.
Cheyenne South: Out.
Get ready… here are the Class 4A scenarios for seeds 5-8:
| If Thunder Basin beats South | KW | RS | TB | Lar | CC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central, Rock Springs, Sheridan win | 8 | 6 | 5 | out | 7 | |
| Central, Rock Springs, Laramie win | out | 6 | 5 | 7 | 8 | *scenario 1 |
| Central, Kelly Walsh, Sheridan win | 5 | 7 | 6 | out | 8 | |
| Central, Kelly Walsh, Laramie win | 5 | 7 | 6 | 8 | out | *scenario 2 |
| Natrona, Rock Springs win (Sheridan-Laramie is moot) | 7 | 6 | 5 | 8 | out | |
| Natrona, Kelly Walsh win (Sheridan-Laramie is moot) | 5 | 7 | 6 | 8 | out |
| If South beats Thunder Basin | KW | RS | TB | Lar | CC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central, Rock Springs, Sheridan win | 7 | 5 | 8 | out | 6 | *scenario 3 |
| Central, Rock Springs, Laramie win | 6 | 5 | 7 | 8 | out | *scenario 4 |
| Central, Kelly Walsh, Sheridan win | 5 | 7 | 6 | out | 8 | *scenario 5 |
| Central, Kelly Walsh, Laramie win | 5 | 7 | 6 | 8 | out | *scenario 6 |
| Natrona, Rock Springs, Sheridan win | 6 | 5 | 7 | 8 | out | |
| Natrona, Rock Springs, Laramie win | 6 | 5 | 7 | 8 | out | *scenario 7 |
| Natrona, Kelly Walsh, Sheridan win | 5 | 7 | 6 | 8 | out | |
| Natrona, Kelly Walsh, Laramie win | 5 | 7 | 6 | 8 | out | *scenario 8 |
Tiebreaker scenario 1: If Central, Kelly Walsh and Laramie tie for the 7-8-out seeds, Laramie would have the victory against the highest-ranked non-tied team (Sheridan) for the No. 7 seed, and Central would beat Kelly Walsh for the head-to-head tiebreaker for the No. 8 seed.
Tiebreaker scenario 2: If Central, Rock Springs and Laramie tie for the 7-8-out seeds, Rock Springs would have two head-to-head victories against the other teams, earning the No. 7 seed. Laramie would have the No. 8 seed with the head-to-head tiebreaker over Central.
Tiebreaker scenario 3: If Central, Thunder Basin and Kelly Walsh tie for the 6-7-8 seeds, Central would have the victory against the highest-ranked non-tied team (Natrona) for the No. 6 seed, and Kelly Walsh would have the head-to-head tiebreaker to decide the No. 7 and 8 seeds.
Tiebreaker scenario 4: If Thunder Basin, Kelly Walsh, Laramie and Central tie for the 6-7-8-out seeds… it gets messy. Wyoming has never had a four-way tie in conference standings, so this would be unprecedented. WHSAA guidelines state in a four-way tie, the highest-ranking non-tied victory rule isn’t used, with head-to-head records among the four teams the first step in the tiebreaker. KW and Thunder Basin would each be 2-1 in the head-to-head, with KW earning the No. 6 seed with the head-to-head win against Thunder Basin. Then we revert to a three-way tiebreaker between the three remaining schools. Thunder Basin would be the No. 7 seed with victories over the remaining two teams. Laramie would then be No. 8 with the head-to-head victory against Central.
Tiebreaker scenario 5: If Thunder Basin, Rock Springs and Central tie for the 6-7-8 seeds, Thunder Basin would have head-to-head tiebreakers against both to earn the No. 6 seed. Rock Springs would have the No. 7 seed with the head-to-head tiebreaker against Central.
Tiebreaker scenario 6: If Thunder Basin, Rock Springs, Laramie and Central tie for the 6-7-8-out seeds… again, an unprecedented four-way tie. Thunder Basin, with a 3-0 mark against all the others, would be the No. 6 seed. Rock Springs would be No. 7 with victories against the remaining two teams, and Laramie would be the No. 8 seed with a head-to-head victory against Central.
Tiebreaker scenario 7: If Thunder Basin, Kelly Walsh and Laramie tie for the 6-7-8 seeds, Kelly Walsh would be the No. 6 seed due to victories over both of the other teams. Thunder Basin would be No. 7 due to its head-to-head victory against Laramie, which would be seeded No. 8.
Tiebreaker scenario 8: If Thunder Basin, Rock Springs and Laramie tie for the 6-7-8 seeds, Thunder Basin would be the No. 6 seed due to victories over both of the other teams. Rock Springs would be No. 7 due to its head-to-head victory against Laramie, which would be seeded No. 8.
Class 3A East
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Buffalo at Lander; Riverton at Rawlins; Torrington at Douglas.
Douglas: In. No. 1 seed with victory. Tie for 1-2-3 seeds (score differential to break, seeded either 1 or 3) with loss and Riverton victory. No. 2 seed with loss and Rawlins victory.
Torrington: In. No. 1 seed with victory and Rawlins victory. Tie for 1-2-3 seeds (score differential to break, seeded either 2 or 3) with victory and Riverton victory. No. 3 seed with loss.
Riverton: In. Tie for 1-2-3 seeds (score differential to break, seeded either 1 or 2) with victory and Torrington victory. No. 2 seed with Douglas victory, win or lose. No. 3 seed with loss and Torrington victory.
Buffalo, Lander: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory. Out with loss.
Rawlins: Out.
In case of a Douglas-Torrington-Riverton tie for the 1-2-3 seeds, score differential will be used to break the tie. Current differential is Douglas +7, Riverton +5, Torrington -12. If Torrington wins by one or two points, Douglas would win the tiebreaker and the No. 1 seed, with Riverton earning the No. 2 seed with a head-to-head victory against Torrington, which would be seeded No. 3. If Torrington wins by three or more points, Riverton would earn the No. 1 seed, and then Torrington would be seeded No. 2 with a head-to-head victory over Douglas, which would be seeded No. 3.
Class 3A West
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Powell at Evanston.
Star Valley: In. No. 1 seed.
Cody: In. No. 2 seed.
Evanston, Powell: In. No. 3 seed with victory. No. 4 seed with loss.
Green River, Jackson: Out.
In a scenario where Jackson ties either Evanston or Powell, or both, Jackson loses all head-to-head tiebreakers. Similarly, if Cody ties with Evanston or Powell, Cody wins all head-to-head tiebreakers.
Class 2A East
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Moorcroft at Burns; Newcastle at Wheatland.
Big Horn: In. No. 1 seed.
Newcastle: In. No. 2 seed with victory. Tie for 2-3-4 seeds (score differential to break) with loss and Burns victory. No. 3 seed with loss and Moorcroft victory.
Burns: In. Tie for 2-3-4 seeds (score differential to break) with victory and Wheatland victory. No. 3 seed with Newcastle victory, win or lose. No. 4 seed with loss and Wheatland victory.
Wheatland: In. No. 2 seed with victory and Moorcroft victory. Tie for 2-3-4 seeds (score differential to break) with victory and Burns victory. No. 4 seed with Newcastle victory, win or lose.
Upton-Sundance, Moorcroft, Tongue River, Glenrock: Out.
In the scenario where Newcastle, Burns and Wheatland tie for the 2-3-4 seeds, score differential will be used as the tiebreaker. Current differentials are Newcastle +12, Burns -4, Wheatland -8. In this scenario, if Wheatland wins by nine or fewer, Newcastle wins the differential tiebreaker and earns the No. 2 seed, with Burns No. 3 and Wheatland No. 4 due to Burns’ head-to-head victory. If Wheatland wins by 10, Wheatland and Newcastle tie in the score differential, with Wheatland (I believe) winning the head-to-head tiebreaker for the No. 2 seed, and then Newcastle winning the No. 3 seed due to head-to-head over Burns. If Wheatland wins by 11 or more, Wheatland wins the score tiebreaker outright, with Newcastle No. 3 and Burns No. 4 in the head-to-head.
Upton-Sundance loses all potential tiebreakers with either Burns or Wheatland.
Class 2A West
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Cokeville at Lovell; Kemmerer at Worland; Lyman at Mountain View; Thermopolis at Pinedale.
Mountain View: In. No. 1 seed with victory. No. 2 seed with loss.
Cokeville: In. No. 1 seed with victory and Lyman victory. No. 2 seed with victory and Mountain View victory. No. 3 seed with loss.
Lovell: In. No. 1 seed with victory and Lyman victory. No. 2 seed with victory and Mountain View victory. No. 3 seed with loss.
Worland: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory. Out with loss.
Thermopolis: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with Kemmerer victory. Out with Worland victory.
Kemmerer, Lyman, Pinedale: Out.
This gets a bit confusing, as Thermopolis (3-3), Worland (3-3) and Kemmerer (2-4) attempt to secure the No. 4 seed. By winning, Worland eliminates the possibility of a three-way tiebreaker and is the No. 4 seed regardless of whether Thermopolis wins or loses due to having the tiebreaker head-to-head victory. If Worland loses, though, Thermopolis is the No. 4 seed regardless of whether it wins or loses. In this scenario, one of two things happens — Thermopolis wins and earns the No. 4 seed outright, or Thermopolis loses and the teams (Worland, Thermopolis and Kemmerer) tie 4-out-out. In all situations where Thermopolis, Worland and Kemmerer tie for the No. 4 seed, Thermopolis wins the tiebreaker by having the victory over the highest-ranked non-tied team, which would be Mountain View. Kemmerer could tie both Worland and Thermopolis, but Kemmerer would lose all three-way ties with those two teams for the No. 4 seed.
Class 1A nine-man East
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Lusk at Wright; Saratoga at Lingle; Southeast at Pine Bluffs.
Lingle: In. No. 1 seed.
Pine Bluffs: In. No. 2 seed with victory. No. 3 seed with loss.
Saratoga: In. No. 3 seed with victory and Pine Bluffs victory. No. 4 seed with Southeast victory, win or lose. No. 4 seed with loss.
Southeast: Neither in nor out. No. 2 seed with victory. No. 3 seed with loss and Lingle victory. No. 4 seed with loss, Saratoga victory and Wright victory. Out with loss, Saratoga victory and Lusk victory.
Lusk: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory, Saratoga victory and Pine Bluffs victory. Out in all other scenarios, win or lose.
Wright, Guernsey: Out.
In scenarios where Saratoga, Southeast and Pine Bluffs tie for the No. 2-3-4 seeds, Southeast wins the tiebreaker with a 2-0 record head-to-head against the others. Pine Bluffs is the No. 3 seed with a head-to-head victory over Saratoga, which would be No. 4.
In scenarios where Lusk, Saratoga and Southeast tie for the 3-4-out seeds, Southeast wins the tiebreaker via score differential (Southeast +8, Lusk +1, Saratoga -9). Saratoga then earns the No. 4 seed with the head-to-head victory against Lusk.
Lusk only gets into the playoffs by tying Southeast alone for the No. 4 seed.
Class 1A nine-man West
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Rocky Mountain at Wind River; Greybull at Wyoming Indian; Shoshoni at Big Piney.
Big Piney: In. No. 1 seed with victory. No. 2 seed with loss and Wyoming Indian victory. Tie for 1-2-3 seeds (score differential to break) with loss and Greybull victory.
Shoshoni: In. No. 1 seed with victory and Wyoming Indian victory. Tie for 1-2-3 seeds (score differential to break) with victory and Greybull victory. No. 3 seed with loss.
Greybull: In. Tie for 1-2-3 seeds (score differential to break) with victory and Shoshoni victory. No. 2 seed with Big Piney victory, win or lose. No. 3 seed with loss and Shoshoni victory.
Rocky Mountain, Wind River: Neither in nor out. No. 4 seed with victory. Out with loss.
Wyoming Indian: Out.
In the scenario where Big Piney, Shoshoni and Greybull tie for the 1-2-3 seeds, score differential will be used to break the tie. Current differentials are Big Piney +10, Greybull -5 and Shoshoni -5. If Shoshoni wins by seven or fewer points, Big Piney wins the scoring differential and will be the No. 1 seed, with Greybull the No. 2 due to the head-to-head victory against Shoshoni, which would be seeded No. 3. If Shoshoni wins by eight or more, Shoshoni wins the tiebreaker and the No. 1 seed by winning the scoring differential. Big Piney would be the No. 2 seed due to head-to-head against Greybull, which would be No. 3.
Class 1A six-man North
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Burlington at Midwest; Meeteetse at Riverside; Kaycee at Ten Sleep.
Burlington: In. No. 1 seed.
Riverside: In. Either No. 2 or No. 3 seed.
Midwest, Meeteetse, Kaycee: Neither in nor out. Seeding TBD in scenarios below.
Hulett, Ten Sleep: Out.
| Winners | Riverside | Midwest | Meeteetse | Kaycee | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington, Meeteetse, Kaycee | 3 | 4 | 2 | out | |
| Burlington, Meeteetse, Ten Sleep | 3 | 4 | 2 | out | |
| Burlington, Riverside, Kaycee | 2 | out | 4 | 3 | *scenario 1 |
| Burlington, Riverside, Ten Sleep | 2 | 4 | 3 | out | |
| Midwest, Meeteetse, Kaycee | 3 | 4 | 2 | out | *scenario 2 |
| Midwest, Meeteetse, Ten Sleep | 3 | 4 | 2 | out | *scenario 2 |
| Midwest, Riverside, Kaycee | 2 | 3 | out | 4 | |
| Midwest, Riverside, Ten Sleep | 2 | 3 | 4 | out |
Tiebreaker scenario 1: In the scenario where Kaycee, Meeteetse and Midwest tie for the 3-4-out seeds, score differential would be used to break the tie. Differentials are Kaycee +9, Meeteetse 0, Midwest -9. Kaycee would be the No. 3 seed in winning the differential, and Meeteetse would be No. 4 with the head-to-head victory against Midwest.
Tiebreaker scenario 2: In the scenario where Meeteetse, Riverside and Midwest tie for the 2-3-4 seeds, Meeteetse would be the No. 2 seed by having a 2-0 record against the other two tied teams head-to-head. Riverside would be the No. 3 seed with a head-to-head victory against Midwest, which would be the No. 4 seed.
Class 1A six-man South
Week 8 games affecting playoff seeding: Snake River at Encampment.
Encampment, Snake River: In. No. 1 seed with victory. No. 2 seed with loss.
Dubois: In. No. 3 seed.
Farson: In. No. 4 seed.
Hanna, Casper Christian: Out.
Dubois wins its potential tiebreaker with Farson due to head-to-head victory.
If anything looks weird or incorrect, please let me know. Leave a comment here or email me at pschmiedt@yahoo.com. I’m indisposed on Saturday (the job that pays me…), but I’ll still have email access.
–patrick
Updated 11:30 p.m. MDT Saturday, Oct. 19, with 2A East and 1A nine-man West scenarios. Updated 11:49 p.m. MDT Saturday, Oct. 19, with Class 1A six-man scenarios for both conferences.