Who will win Michigan’s 2026 high school football state championships? The STATE CHAMPS! Sports Network team has made its picks for the 2026 MHSAA Football Playoffs, naming projected champions, runners-up and sleeper teams across all 10 divisions: eight 11-player divisions and two 8-player divisions.
The playoffs begin Friday, October 30, with district semifinals in 11-player football and regional semifinals in 8-player football.
Five STATE CHAMPS! staff members submitted championship predictions: Executive Producer and Host Lorne Plant, Play-by-Play Announcer Sean Baligian, Host and Reporter Patti Cesarini, Analyst Brady Beedon and Producer Jon Kidd. Cesarini, Beedon and Kidd also submitted predictions for the two 8-player divisions.
11-Player Football Playoff Predictions: Divisions 1–8
Division 1 State Championship Picks
• Lorne Plant: Detroit Catholic Central over Cass Tech
• Sean Baligian: Cass Tech over Detroit Catholic Central
• Patti Cesarini: Detroit Catholic Central over Cass Tech
• Brady Beedon: Cass Tech over Detroit Catholic Central
• Jon Kidd: Detroit Catholic Central over Cass Tech
Division Takeaway: All five staff members predict a Detroit Catholic Central–Cass Tech championship game. Detroit Catholic Central leads the title picks, 3–2.
Division 2 State Championship Picks
• Lorne Plant: Brother Rice over Muskegon Mona Shores
• Sean Baligian: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s over Caledonia
• Patti Cesarini: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s over Muskegon Mona Shores
• Brady Beedon: Caledonia over Grosse Pointe South
• Jon Kidd: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s over Muskegon Mona Shores
Division Takeaway: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s earns three championship selections. Muskegon Mona Shores is the most frequent runner-up pick, also appearing on three ballots.
Division 3 State Championship Picks
• Lorne Plant: Chelsea over Detroit Martin Luther King
• Sean Baligian: Harper Woods over DeWitt
• Patti Cesarini: Harper Woods over DeWitt
• Brady Beedon: Zeeland West over Harper Woods
• Jon Kidd: Harper Woods over DeWitt
Division Takeaway: Harper Woods gets three title picks, while DeWitt is projected as runner-up by three staff members. Chelsea and Zeeland West each receive one championship vote.
Division 4 State Championship Picks
• Lorne Plant: Goodrich over Grand Rapids South Christian
• Sean Baligian: Kenowa Hills over Divine Child
• Patti Cesarini: Divine Child over Kenowa Hills
• Brady Beedon: Divine Child over Grand Rapids South Christian
• Jon Kidd: Divine Child over Kenowa Hills
Division Takeaway: Divine Child receives three championship selections. Kenowa Hills appears in three projected finals, including one title pick and two runner-up picks.
Division 5 State Championship Picks
• Lorne Plant: Grand Rapids Catholic Central over Kingsford
• Sean Baligian: Grand Rapids Catholic Central over Swan Valley
• Patti Cesarini: Grand Rapids Catholic Central over Frankenmuth
• Brady Beedon: Grand Rapids Catholic Central over Monroe Jefferson
• Jon Kidd: Grand Rapids Catholic Central over Frankenmuth
Division Takeaway: This is the only unanimous championship selection among the five staff members: all five pick Grand Rapids Catholic Central to win Division 5. Their runner-up picks are more varied.
Division 6 State Championship Picks
• Lorne Plant: Jackson Lumen Christi over Almont
• Sean Baligian: Jackson Lumen Christi over Almont
• Patti Cesarini: Jackson Lumen Christi over Almont
• Brady Beedon: Almont over Clinton
• Jon Kidd: Jackson Lumen Christi over Almont
Division Takeaway: Four of five staff members predict the same result: Jackson Lumen Christi over Almont. Brady Beedon instead selects Almont over Clinton.
Division 7 State Championship Picks
• Lorne Plant: Millington over Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central
• Sean Baligian: Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central over Millington
• Patti Cesarini: Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central over Menominee
• Brady Beedon: Pewamo-Westphalia over North Muskegon
• Jon Kidd: Menominee over Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central
Division takeaway: Division 7 has no majority pick. Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central leads with two championship selections; Millington, Menominee and Pewamo-Westphalia each have one.
Division 8 State Championship Picks
• Lorne Plant: Beal City over Hudson
• Sean Baligian: Beal City over Hudson
• Patti Cesarini: Hudson over Beal City
• Brady Beedon: Beal City over Madison Heights Madison
• Jon Kidd: Beal City over Hudson
Division takeaway: Beal City earns four of five championship selections. Four staff members predict a Beal City–Hudson title matchup, though one picks Hudson to win.
8-Player Football Playoff Predictions: Divisions 1 & 2
Three staff members submitted 8-player predictions. Lorne Plant and Sean Baligian did not make selections for these divisions because they will be on the call for the games.
8-Player Division 1 State Championship Picks
• Patti Cesarini: Blanchard Montabella over Dryden
• Brady Beedon: Bridgman over Dryden
• Jon Kidd: Deckerville over Climax-Scotts
Division takeaway: All three staff members choose different champions: Blanchard Montabella, Bridgman and Deckerville. Dryden is the runner-up pick on two ballots.
8-Player Division 2 State Championship Picks
• Patti Cesarini: Portland St. Patrick over Lenawee Christian
• Brady Beedon: Mendon over Grand Rapids Sacred Heart
• Jon Kidd: Portland St. Patrick over Mendon
Division takeaway: Portland St. Patrick is the leading title pick with two of three votes. Mendon appears once as a projected champion and once as a runner-up.
2026 MHSAA Football Playoff Sleeper Picks by Division
Which teams could make a surprise run through the Michigan high school football playoffs? Lorne Plant, Sean Baligian and Jon Kidd shared their sleeper picks by division. For the 8-player divisions, only Kidd submitted sleepers.
Division 1 Sleeper Picks
• Lorne Plant: Rochester Hills Stoney Creek
• Sean Baligian: Howell
• Jon Kidd: East Kentwood
Division 2 Sleeper Picks
• Lorne Plant: Traverse City West
• Sean Baligian: Byron Center
• Jon Kidd: Brother Rice
Division 3 Sleeper Picks
• Lorne Plant: Warren De La Salle
• Sean Baligian: Coopersville
• Jon Kidd: Mason
Division 4 Sleeper Picks
• Lorne Plant: Hastings
• Sean Baligian: Forest Hills Eastern
• Jon Kidd: Goodrich
Division 5 Sleeper Picks
• Lorne Plant: Shepherd
• Sean Baligian: Grand Rapids West Catholic
• Jon Kidd: Grand Rapids West Catholic
Division 6 Sleeper Picks
• Lorne Plant: Harbor Springs
• Sean Baligian: Marine City
• Jon Kidd: Marine City
Division 7 Sleeper Picks
• Lorne Plant: Ithaca
• Sean Baligian: Ithaca
• Jon Kidd: Millington
Division 8 Sleeper Picks
• Lorne Plant: Iron Mountain
• Sean Baligian: New Lothrop
• Jon Kidd: Decatur
8-Player Division 1 Sleeper Picks
• Jon Kidd: Blanchard Montabella
8-Player Division 2 Sleeper Picks
• Jon Kidd: Bay City All Saints
Follow the 2026 MHSAA Football Playoffs with STATE CHAMPS! SCORE!
The picks are in. Now it is time to follow the games. STATE CHAMPS! SCORE! premieres Friday, October 30, at 7:00 p.m. ET, giving Michigan high school football fans a live, statewide look at multiple playoff matchups throughout the night.
SCORE! is a fast-moving whip-around broadcast with live game look-ins, score updates, highlights, replays and expert analysis. Rather than focusing on just one game, viewers can follow the developing playoff picture across Michigan.
Upcoming SCORE! broadcasts: Friday, October 30; Friday, November 6; and Friday, November 13 — all at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Watch on the STATE CHAMPS! Sports Network YouTube channel or Local 4+. Learn more about SCORE! or see the STATE CHAMPS! broadcast schedule.
Follow STATE CHAMPS! Sports Network throughout the 2026 postseason for Michigan high school football highlights, scores, analysis, state championship coverage and SCORE! live broadcasts.
