When we last checked in here, there were seven teams remaining in the national title picture.
We're down to six now, but thanks to some shocking upsets and a newly-scheduled game, two of those six teams are new names on our list as the No. 3/SN No. 3 St. Frances Academy [Baltimore, MD] Panthers rejoin the conversation along with the No. 5/SN No. 5 Carrollton [GA] Trojans.
St. Frances Academy initially didn't have a path to the national title after the No. 1/SN No. 1 IMG Academy [Bradenton, FL] Ascenders backed out of their game originally scheduled for November 8. But while the Ascenders were ducking out of the matchup, the Panthers still had their sights set on a national title, and they ended up accepting a bid to play in the initial Overtime Nationals High School Football Championship – a game billed as a high school football national championship game.
St. Frances will take on Utah's newly-crowned UHSAA Class 6A champions, the Corner Canyon [Draper, UT] Chargers, next Wednesday night in Baltimore. The Chargers are currently ranked No. 25 in AllSportsPeople Composite Rankings so AllSportsPeople is not endorsing this game as a singular national championship game.
That is to say, a win there won't guarantee either of the teams the title of AllSportsPeople High School Football National Champions, but at least in St. Frances Academy's case, it does give them a new path to move ahead of IMG Academy in the rankings. Depending on how things shake out in Georgia and Texas, the Panthers at least have a potential opening in which they could win SN's national title.
Carrollton, meanwhile, enters the conversation after knocking off last week's No. 2/SN No. 2 Grayson [Loganville, GA] Rams in Georgia's GHSA Class 6A quarterfinals. The lopsided nature of that win – a 34-14 rout by the Trojans – opened up a path for Carrollton if they can go on to win the Peach State's top division which also includes the new No. 2/SN No. 2 Buford [GA] Wolves.
Two Texas teams – the No. 4/SN No. 4 Southlake [TX] Carroll Dragons and the No. 10/SN No. 6 Allen [TX] Eagles – round out the teams still in the running for the national title.
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AllSportsPeople High School National Championship Picture
We have attempted to rank the contenders below in the order in which they control their own destiny, so to speak, which isn't to say it is easy or even likely. This is reflected in the fact that this list doesn't correspond directly with each team's ranking, although all six of these teams are now ranked in the top six of The SN Top 25. This is, therefore, an attempt to put teams in an order where they might rank if they won out.
This is only an analysis of where things stand today as we continue to move forward through the postseason. It's not a guarantee of any team's position, even if the scenarios unfold as described below. The manner in which games and outcomes are determined will still play a role in SN's final selection process, but this represents an attempt to sort out where things stand as we head into the final three weeks of the national high school football postseason and begin to sort out which team is most deserving of the title of AllSportsPeople High School Football National Champion.
Scenario No. 1
SN No. 5 Buford [GA] Wolves (15-0)
What needs to happen for this scenario to take effect: If SN No. 2 Buford wins its final two games, the Wolves will be AllSportsPeople national champions.
Thanks to losses last week by the previous No. 2 Grayson Rams and No. 3 Centennial [Corona, CA] Huskies, Buford jumped from No. 5 to No. 2 in The SN Top 25, and they are one win away from taking over the top spot from IMG Academy. That win would come against a 12-1 Valdosta [GA] Wildcats' squad Friday night, and then the Wolves would face the winner of the No. 5 Carrollton [GA] Trojans and the North Gwinnett [Suwanee, GA] Bulldogs. If it's Buford vs. Carrollton, it could be a pseudo-national championship game where the winner is the national champion, but that depends on some other outcomes involving other teams on this list down the stretch.
Key Potential Games/Resume Builders
- Friday, 12/5/2025 — vs. Valdosta [GA] Wildcats
- Tuesday, 12/16/2025 — vs. No. 5 Carrollton [GA] Trojans OR North Gwinnett [Suwanee, GA] Bulldogs
Scenario No. 2
SN No. 4 Southlake [TX] Carroll Dragons (16-0)
What needs to happen for this scenario to take effect: Buford loses one of its final two games and SN No. 4 Southlake Carroll wins out.
If Southlake Carroll beats the Guyer [Denton, TX] Wildcats Saturday afternoon in the regional finals of the Texas UIL Class 6A Division II playoffs, they'll move ahead of No. 3 St. Frances Academy in The SN Top 25. Then, assuming a Buford loss in one of its final two games, the Dragons would then move ahead of IMG Academy with a win in the state semifinals.
Finally, if the Dragons win a state championship the following week, they would be first in line for consideration in the national championship conversation. In this scenario, we would also consider the results of any games involving Carrollton in Georgia along with St. Frances Academy's game vs. Corner Canyon on December 10. We'll also consider the opponents that Southlake Carroll faces and whether there are any upsets that give Southlake Carroll a path against lower-ranked teams. Ideally, Southlake Carroll would have to face DeSoto in the semifinals to further enhance their resume.
By virtue of an 18-point win over the Prosper [TX] Eagles last week, Southlake Carroll would stay ahead of Allen in this scenario due to the fact that Allen only beat Prosper by a single point in their regular-season matchup. That's the only direct comparison we have between the two at this point since they are competing in different playoff brackets.
Key Potential Games/Resume Builders
- Friday, 12/5/2025 — vs. Guyer [Denton, TX] Wildcats
- Friday, 12/12/2025 — vs. DeSoto [TX] Eagles if they beat the Willis [TX] Wildkats
Scenario No. 3
SN No. 5 Carrollton [GA] Trojans (15-0)
What needs to happen for this scenario to be in effect: Carrollton would need to win out, and Buford and Southlake Carroll would need to lose.
Carrollton would be next in line for consideration if the above scenario unfolds over the next couple of weeks. The Trojans' resume would look even better if they are the team to give Buford that loss in the state championship game, and that might also be enough to lift them over an undefeated Southlake Carroll if the Dragons are the beneficiary of upsets that knock out other highly-ranked teams like DeSoto or Summer Creek.
Key Potential Games/Resume Builders
- Friday, 12/5/2025 — vs. North Gwinnett [Suwanee, GA] Bulldogs
- Tuesday, 12/16/25 — vs. Buford [GA] Wolves or Valdosta [GA] Wildcats
Scenario No. 4
SN No. 6 Allen [TX] Eagles (16-0)
What needs to happen for this scenario to be in effect: Allen would need to win out, and Buford, Carrollton, and Southlake Carroll would all need to lose.
If the above scenario unfolds, then it wouldn't hurt Allen's chances if St. Frances Academy also lost to Corner Canyon because that would be the first team we compare the Eagles to when making our final determination. Allen likely has the hardest remaining schedule with a three-week gauntlet to run that starts Friday night with the defending Texas Class 6A Division I champions from North Crowley. They would also be undefeated in this scenario.
While Allen can't leap over an undefeated Southlake Carroll at this point, we would consider the Eagles in a head-to-head against an undefeated Carrollton if (1) the Trojans don't have to face Buford in Georgia's state championship and (2) Allen has to face one of the other frontrunners in the state championship game (i.e., the Lake Travis [Austin, TX] Cavaliers). If Allen won convincingly against that schedule, then they would still be in the running for national title consideration.
Key Potential Games/Resume Builders
- Friday, 12/5/2025 — vs. North Crowley [Fort Worth, TX] Panthers
- Friday, 12/12/25 — vs. Duncanville [TX] Panthers or Waxahachie [TX] Indians
Scenario No. 5
SN No. 3 St. Frances Academy [Baltimore, MD] Panthers (9-1)
What needs to happen for this scenario to be in effect: St. Frances Academy would need to beat Corner Canyon, and Buford, Southlake Carroll, Carrollton, and Allen would need to lose.
In this scenario, St. Frances Academy would need to beat Corner Canyon and have the other four contenders above them lose. That would guarantee a national championship for the Panthers, although we might consider them in Scenarios No. 2-4 if they won big against Corner Canyon, and any of those other teams won against a lineup of lower-ranked teams resulting from upsets.
Key Potential Games/Resume Builders
- Wednesday, 12/10/25 — vs. Corner Canyon [Draper, UT] Chargers
Scenario No. 6
SN No. 1 IMG Academy [Bradenton, FL] Ascenders
What needs to happen for this scenario to be in effect: IMG Academy needs all of the other five teams to lose.
While they are currently ranked No. 1 in The SN Top 25, the Ascenders, unfortunately, need a lot of help to maintain their position. So far, luck has been on their side with the nation's No. 2 and No. 3 teams losing last week to help them cling to their position for another week. But, ultimately, the Ascenders canceled the game that would have all but guaranteed them a title when they backed out of their scheduled meeting with St. Frances Academy. With no other opportunities to add a signature win to a solid but unspectacular resume, any of the other teams are better options for the title of national champions should they run the table from here out.
That means IMG Academy is still No. 1 for now... But only No. 6 when it comes to controlling its own destiny.
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