Prep football: Mike Helfgot's four downs for Week 9

Oct. 23--DVC's scheduling mess

Unless a partnership with another conference can be formed for crossover games, the DuPage Valley Conference's new nine-team makeup does not appear to be sustainable -- and not because of the physical demands of facing top competition almost every week. With its crossover contract with the Upstate Eight set to expire, each team in the league has to find one non-conference game. Other than Weeks 1 and 2, this is proving difficult. Lake Park, for instance, cannot find an opponent for Week 3 next season, and this is a program that hasn't been to the playoffs since 2009.

Ready to end droughts

Leaving the DVC for the Upstate Eight has had the desired effect for Glenbard East and West Aurora, both of which are in position to end long playoff droughts. West Aurora (5-2) may already have done enough to get in for the first time since 1994, and the Blackhawks can assure themselves a spot in the Class 8A field with a victory over Metea Valley (3-5) of the DVC. Glenbard East (4-4) will has to beat another bubble team, Bartlett (4-4), to taste the postseason for the first time since 1999 and second time ever.

Coin flip could be huge

Respected "bracketologist" Steve Soucie of the Kankakee Daily Journal projects that the No. 3 seed in the Class 8A field will come down to a coin flip. This is noteworthy because Tribune No. 1 Homewood-Flossmoor is one of the teams involved (Edwardsville is the other), and the loser of the coin flip will be on the same side of the bracket as Tribune No. 2 Loyola. It's important to note, however, that the projection is based on predicting the Week 9 winners of every game played by every team on H-F's and Edwardsville's schedule.

Hawks could be 7A

Maine South, an 8A playoff team every year since the playoffs expanded in 2001 and a three-time 8A champion, may find itself in 7A when the pairings are announced on Comcast SportsNet on Saturday night. Soucie projects Maine South and Simeon to be the two largest schools in a 7A field that will include other traditional powers like Glenbard West, Mount Carmel and Lincoln-Way East.

Mike Helfgot is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.