The offense out at Houston Davis has made it playoff-worthy. (Isaac Sanchez)

By Travis Stewart/TexasFootball.com

Below is our breakdown of the 4A playoff picture, from teams in position for a district title to programs that need wins -- plus a little help -- just to get in.

Here in 4A, there's a good mix of both. There's plenty of schools that we thought were going to waltz through the regular season that instead will be dancing alone come December, while a handful of others managed to drag themselves up from the basement and all the way into district title contention. If you're looking for confusing playoff scenarios, head out East, where the districts might as well just let everyone into the postseason ... I'm not even sure they make tiebreakers for situations like those.

If you just want shockers, that would be the Houston districts -- teams like Yates and Wheatley were supposed to contenders, and instead they're sitting on the outside looking in. And who knew that Austin and Worthing had it in them? Texas high school football is never boring.

Coming up next: Class 3A, followed by 2A and 1A.

NOTES: Even though Austin and Chapin have both clinched, this weekend's game between the two will likely end up deciding the district title race. I think I would lean more towards the Huskies at this point, but if for some reason Chapin can't take care of business and Andress does, those two would face off in Week 10 with DI seeding on the line. Andress has also clinched the postseason, but if Burges were to collapse and EP Irvin were to win out, the Rockets could sneak into the final 1-4A DII playoff spot.

NOTES: First things first: Canutillo, Parkland and Riverside have all clinched playoff spots, and if Del Valle wins this weekend versus Clint Horizon, then the Conquistadors will eliminate both the Scorpions and long shots Ysleta and Mountain View. Considering they're 15 point favorites, I think they will. Then, if Del Valle can beat Mountain View in Week 10 and Riverside loses out, they would be sitting at a 4-3 district record tie, with the edge going to Del Valle through head-to-head. Both Parkland and Canutillo should win out, which would create a 6-1 record tie, and again, head-to-head would break it up -- Parkland would win the district title.

NOTES: Even though we know Canyon Randall and Dumas are both headed to the playoffs -- they've each clinched spots -- this district is still a total mess. It looks like both Randall and the Demons will win their Week 9 matchups, which would set them up for a Week 10 battle for the outright district title. The other two spots are up for grabs -- though Pampa is sitting in dead last right now, I think it will win its games vs. Amarillo Caprock and Amarillo Palo Duro and both of those two will lose out. That would put Canyon in third, Pampa in fourth via head-to-head tiebreakers and Caprock and Palo Duro at 1-4 in district and out of luck.

NOTES: The top two spots here are pretty easy to figure out -- both Cooper and Frenship have already clinched playoff spots and are the clear-cut favorites in 4-4A; I'm siding with Cooper this weekend, but Frenship shouldn't slide any further down than second unless it loses in Week 10, too. That leaves the last two spots to surprising San Angelo Lake View, originally picked sixth in district, and Big Spring, which should win its critical Week 10 matchup with Hereford; however, if Big Spring can beat Lakeview in San Angelo this weekend, all this could change in a hurry, considering Lakeview would have to close the season as a big underdog to Frenship.

NOTES: Rider's win last week over Lake Dallas all but gave it a district title, and the only way it could finish anywhere but first would be if it were to somehow lose to both Little Elm (a 45-point underdog) or rival Wichita Falls. Assuming that plays out, Lake Dallas would be the second seed in DII no matter where it finished. The final two playoff spots will probably fall to Denton Ryan (which should best both The Colony and rival Guyer) and the Wildcats, which should squeak in with a win over Wichita Falls. I think The Colony and Guyer will both finish 3-4 in district, but the Wildcats' 37-34 head- to-head victory in Week 4 would settle that issue.

NOTES: Since Aledo and Birdville are both big favorites in Week 9, it looks like a Week 10 matchup of 6-0 heavyweights will be inevitable, and even though the Hawks have already far exceeded expectations in the post-Tommy Dorman era, Aledo has been just as impressive without SMU-signee Cole Loftin. I like Aledo in that matchup, but after that, the trifecta of Boswell, Saginaw and Brewer likely won't shake itself out until Week 10. I think Saginaw upends Boswell this week to clinch the third spot, but that would mean Boswell -- picked second in the preseason -- would HAVE to beat Brewer in the season finale to make the playoffs.

NOTES: Just for a quick recap -- since zone districts can be confusing -- here's how this works: in Week 10, the top two teams from each zone (in this case, the West and East) play in the "zone playoffs," where the top seed from each zone face off for the district title and the second seeds play for third and fourth. The top two spots should fall to FW Dunbar and Arlington Heights, and since the Wildcats have already topped the Yellowjackets once this year (27-20 in the last week of September), you'd have to think Dunbar would be the favorite. That would leave the final two spots to FW Southwest and Eastern Hills, both of which should win this weekend to punch their playoff tickets.

NOTES: Don't you love it when it all works out? In all three ways we look at the season in this article, 8-4A just keeps shaking out the same. Everman and Stephenville are mortal locks to finish 1-2 in the standings, and even though Crowley, Legacy and Joshua are all still technically alive, Arlington Seguin and Timberview should both win in Week 10 to ensure their status. The only hiccup? If Joshua wins out (possible) and Timberview drops its next two (also possible). That would put both at 3-4 in district, but in order for Timberview to finish at that number, Mansfield Legacy would have to finish at least 3-4, and it would own the tiebreaker over both those squads. Confused yet? So am I, but don't sweat it ... it probably won't happen.

NOTES: Some might disagree, but I think this is another district that is going to have its title decided in Week 10 when top-dog Denison travels to Sherman in the yearly Battle of the Ax. For that to be the case, Denison would have to win this weekend against Frisco Centennial (which it should) and Sherman would have to win against defensively-challenged McKinney; Bearcat RB Waymon James may break some all-universe rushing records in what I think will be a Sherman win. That history-infused title match should be high-scoring, but I give the edge to Denison. For the final two spots, Centennial and McKinney should both win in Week 10 to clinch their berths.

NOTES: Wow -- picking Highland Park to lose the district title to Rockwall-Heath? Ambitious, but true. The Scots and the Hawks should both walk through their Week 9 matchups, and with Heath's offense looking unstoppable and HP's defense looking vulnerable, I think the combo of QB Drew Hollingshead and RB Kendial Lawrence can put the Hawks over the top. The final two spots go to Royse City, which should win out, and Richardson Pearce, which has very winnable games against Greenville and Carrollton Smith. A W in both of those would make the Mustangs postseason-bound.

NOTES: Well, mighty Dallas Carter looks like it's all but wrapped up a district title; sitting at 5-0 and facing North Dallas and Dallas Smith in its last two games, a perfect 7-0 record in 11-4A (and 10-0 overall) seems a certainty. Meanwhile, Dallas Pinkston might continue to freefall without star RB Aaron Spikes, but even if it loses its next two games, Dallas Smith, its biggest threat, probably won't be able to muster two straight district wins to knock the Vikings out of contention. SOC and Kimball should both finish the season 5-2 in district en route to playoff bids.

NOTES: This district has been a bit of a headache since Day 1, when Dallas Spruce shut down its athletic program for the year due to academic issues. Lucky for Dallas Lincoln, forfeiting its win over Dallas Hillcrest didn't really hurt it. But this is the second year in a row it’s had to throw out games for using an ineligible player ... that needs to be looked at. The three way tie for second will get broken up when Samuell wins out and Adams and Hillcrest both finish 1-1; Adams would win its tiebreak with Wilson through its 29-22 victory in Week 6.

NOTES: Longview's road to the district title is all but a formality now, as the Lobos are 43-point favorites against Longview Pine Tree and have Week 10 off. Texas High should have no problem against Hallsville (Week 9) and Pine Tree (Week 10), which would lock it into second place and the second 13-4A DI seed. The two DII seeds almost have to go to Sulphur Springs and Marshall, and the order of those two will likely be decided this week when they play in Marshall. After the way Marshall played last week, I think I'd have to go with Tyrik Rollison's squad.

NOTES: This might officially take the cake for the annual "Weirdest Thing We've Seen" award, as it's likely this district will end up with three teams tied for first -- all with split 1-1 record against each other -- and the other three teams all tied for third, again with 1-1 head-to-head records. At least we know that the top three teams -- Lindale, Whitehouse and Kilgore -- would all be in and that Whitehouse would take the top DI seed. Other than that? We'll just have to wait and see. The team out of the bottom three with the best chance to finish 2-3 in district instead of 1-4 would be Nacogdoches, which has a winnable game vs. Whitehouse this weekend.

NOTES: OK, this is getting a bit ridiculous -- can you tell I'm doing these in order, yet? Still another grouping that looks like it will come down to district tiebreakers, 15-4A should finish up the season with West Mesquite, Forney and Lancaster all locked up for the top spot and tied in head-to-head competition with each other. Things could change, however, as Mabank could upset either Lancaster (Week 9) or West Mesquite (Week 10) to break up that triumvirate and, if it somehow wins both, edge past Red Oak and get into the playoffs. Forney could drop its season finale with Red Oak, too, which would also snap the three-way tie. Of course, we could always make it MORE complicated, too -- we could always end up with a five-way 4-2 tie between Mabank, Red Oak, Forney, Lancaster and West Mesquite.

NOTES: With the way Waco Midway's defense has been dominating opponents this season, it's hard to see the Panthers losing either of their remaining two games -- they should hoist the district title trophy. Ennis' remaining schedule is much easier than Waxahachie's (the Indians still have to play Midway), so it looks like the Lions will enter the postseason as the top DII seed from 16-4A. The only way Waco could miss out at the fourth spot would be if Corsicana or Midlothian win out and coach Johnny Tusa's squad loses its remaining two, but that's not likely. If Corsicana were to win out and somehow move into the playoffs, it would bump Waxahachie into the second DI seed.

NOTES: This is actually one of the trickier districts to plot out, since aside from Buda Hays and Kyle Lehman, everyone seems capable of beating each other on any given day. Buda Hays, with Lehman and Del Valle left on the schedule, will win out and earn a district title for coach Bob Shelton in his 41st season at the school. It looks like both Elgin and Lockhart will win out as well, which would move both of them into the playoffs; the last spot would probably fall to Manor, unless Del Valle somehow manages a win against either Buda Hays or Elgin, which doesn't seem likely.

NOTES: This district was one that had its season interrupted by Hurricane Ike, so the overall records and point totals look a little skewed for a playoff race. Still, everything aside from the district title race is wide open -- Huntsville, with Magnolia West and Willis left on the slate -- looks like a sure-fire bet to take home the 18-4A trophy. Magnolia will be favored to beat both Brenham in Week 9 and Magnolia West in Week 10, and the 5-2 district record those wins would garner would be good enough for the second DI seed. Montgomery and Brenham should both go 1-1 over the next two weeks, but Willis and Waller don't look like they have the 2-0 finishes necessary to put either of those two teams in jeopardy. That has to be frustrating for Willis -- if it wins this weekend against Montgomery, it's in ... I just don't think it has the gas in the tank.

NOTES: There's almost no point in predicting how this district will shake out, considering so much can happen here in the last two weeks of the season. Interestingly, the underdogs in all of the important 19-4A games are at home this weekend -- King will host Dayton with district title hopes on the line (I like Dayton), Crosby (which has already clinched) must travel to Galena Park (which hasn't) and Barbers Hill welcomes North Forest to town. Unfortunately for them, I don't think it matters -- I have all three of those teams losing and Dayton, King, Crosby and North Forest filling out the playoff platter.

NOTES: This is another district with numerous possible outcomes, but even more importantly, outside of woeful Little Cypress-Mauriceville, all these teams seem like dead-even favorites; as a matter of fact, I went with almost all home teams in both Weeks 9 and 10, as that will probably be the biggest deciding factor in these one-point spread affairs. I think Beaumont Central will win out and both Lumberton and Livingston will lose a game, giving the Jaguars the 20-4A crown and the top DI seeding. The fourth and final spot should fall to Vidor, who, like Nederland, will probably finish 4-3 in district, then beat out the Bulldogs via a head-to-head victory this weekend.

NOTES: With Reagan and Yates (Yates? Really?) essentially out of it and offensively challenged Waltrip hanging by a razor-thin thread, this district looks like a four-horse race. Sharpstown's only game remaining is against cellar-dweller Reagan, so that win should leave it at 4-2 and in the playoffs for the second year in a row. An Austin win over Waltrip this weekend would eliminate the Rams and clinch a playoff spot for the Mustangs, but unless it could beat Westbury the following week -- not likely -- it would remain in the second seed spot for DI. As for the district title, that's probably riding on this week's game between Davis and Westbury, a game the Rebels are favored in because of their home-field advantage.

NOTES: Like 20-4A, a good chunk of these teams are evenly matched, so it's tough to say with any certainty who is going to pull out the big wins down the stretch, but no game was tougher to decide on than Jones at Houston Worthing in Week 10; that may seem like a gimme considering the preseason standings, but the Colts have proven themselves to be tough opponents, and if Jones were to lose that game, it would potentially create a three-way tie between the Falcons, Worthing and Furr for first place. Luckily, I think Jones will win, which provides us with a much neater 1-2-3 scenario. Even though Washington will probably go 1-1 in Weeks 9 and 10, I don't think Wheatley or Kashmere can go 2-0, which is what it would take to pass the War Eagles.

NOTES: With just five teams in this district -- and two of them (Bay City and Foster) having just one district game left to play -- this might be the easiest predicting I've done in years! To simplify things, Bay City probably won't beat El Campo this week, which would essentially eliminate it from postseason play. Though Foster likely won't top Terry in Week 10, its 1-3 district record would be good enough to force a tiebreak – one it would win with Bay City. Lamar Consolidated should win out, which would give it the district title that looked so impossible five weeks ago, while El Campo and Terry should both finish at 2-2, with Terry's 21-14 victory in Week 7 serving as the tiebreak that would give the Rangers the top DII seed.

NOTES: As tempting as it is to try and justify putting Brazosport, Pearland Dawson or Manvel into the playoffs, I just can't see a way that would happen. Angleton, with Santa Fe and Manvel remaining, should win out and capture the district crown. Friendswood will finish 6-1 in district as well, but the Mustangs' loss to Angleton earlier in the season will give it the second DI seed. The somewhat under-achieving Texas City squad should beat both Dawson and Brazosport, which would put it at 4-3 and into the top DII slot. La Marque, of all teams, is the wild card -- if it loses to Manvel this week (which is possible), and all the other cards falls just so, we could have a four-way tie for the final spot between Brazosport, La Marque, Manvel and Dawson. Wouldn't that be a mess ... but I think the Cougars win out, which would put them into the fourth and final playoff bid from 24-4A.

NOTES: With Lake Travis and Dripping Springs having already clinched playoff bids (and the Cavaliers the clear-cut district title favorite), the only point of intrigue surrounds the trio of Killeen, Pflugerville Hendrickson and Hutto. Killeen should finish at least 3-3, and since Marble Falls still has Lake Travis left on the schedule, it probably could do no BETTER than 3-3; since Killeen has the head-to-head tie break, it's likely in. That means it will come down to Hendrickson and Marble Falls -- the Hawks are still control of their own destiny, but a loss to Marble Falls in Week 9 and another in Week 10 could be enough to drop them out of the playoff race.

NOTES: Hey look -- everything matches (with a twist). Just like we predicted in the preseason, it looks like LBJ, Crockett, McCallum and Travis will all reach the playoffs in 2008. The only thing that's undecided? The district champ. Assuming the three top-dogs all win out (which they should), they would all be sitting at 4-1 in district with 1-1 head-to-head tiebreakers with each other. Once this district sorts that mess out, we'll know whether LBJ or Crockett will be the top DI seed. Reagan is the only other team alive in this 26-4A playoff race, but I can't imagine it winning either of its remaining two games (LBJ and McCallum).

NOTES: of all the district to be filled with crazy tiebreakers and equal district records, I thought it would be this one! Instead, 27-4A looks to be headed for a whole-number kind of feel. of course, that's just by my predictions, and there's plenty of ways to go wrong in this competitive cauldron. For starters, Tivy hosts Alamo Heights this weekend to likely decide the district title -- I have Tivy winning, but if the Mules post the upset, then the crown could come down to their Week 10 matchup with Cibolo Steele. The top three teams have all clinched, which means Schertz Clemens is the lone soul in the hot seat; if the Buffaloes falter in their final two games and NB Canyon makes a late run, our only missing preseason playoff pick could get in after all. Technically, Boerne Champion is still alive ... but not by much. Still, it's impressive that the entire school pretty much up-and-moved and still remained competitive.

NOTES: The top two teams here haven't changed since the preseason and likely never will -- both Fox tech and Brackenridge should win out and finish 6 -1 in district, but Brackenridge's 25-14 victory a week ago gives it that all-important head-to-head tiebreak and, now, likely a district title. Poor SA Memorial (0-8) is long since eliminated, but Lanier, Jefferson and Kennedy are all pretty close themselves. Unfortunately, all three are 20+ point underdogs this week, and those expected losses plus the wins Burbank and Edison are sure to record will officially eliminate all but the top four teams. After that, all that remains is playoff seeding, and you shouldn't see any changes there.

NOTES: Medina Valley really came out of nowhere, huh? The Panthers, in their first season up from 3A since 2005, look like a lock to win the 29-4A title, and unless SA Southside can upset them in Week 10, they'll be taking home the hardware. Floresville and Uvalde have also both clinched playoff spots, meaning SA McCollum is the only team left with work to do. A win in Week 10 against SA Harlandale seems like a sure bet, but if the Cowboys fall this weekend to Southside, then the collars would tighten just a little bit. Still, that would be a long shot proposition, and it looks like we already have our top four teams for the playoffs.

NOTES: The resurgence of Gregory-Portland has been swift, and the team that looked a little beaten at the beginning of the season has suddenly surged to the front of the 30-4A pack. Its win over Port Lavaca Calhoun two weeks ago would give it the district title unless it lost its next two, which isn't going to happen. As long as Calhoun wins this weekend, which it should, it'll have the top DII seed for the playoffs, and Beeville Jones will be locked into the two-spot. CC Ray clinches the fourth and final spot with either a win or Rockport-Fulton and CC Moody losses, and considering those two are both 20+ point underdogs this weekend, that seems inevitable.

NOTES: Despite the season-opening loss to Edcouch-Elsa and back-to-back setbacks against Los Fresnos and Alice, it's all but assured that resilient Calallen is headed to the playoffs, and a win this weekend would clinch it. Alice has already punched its ticket too, and the next time it wins it will have assured itself a district title. Flour Bluff should get in with wins over Tuloso-Midway and Kingsville King, but both of those teams might end up in a complicated three-way tie with left-for-dead Laredo Cigarroa. The head-to-head records for all three would be 1-1, so it'd have to go to district rules.

NOTES: Edcouch-Elsa's season-opening win has carried throughout its entire season, and now the momentum generated in that win looks to have earned the Yellowjackets a district title; with games left against Juarez-Lincoln and Roma, I'd bet on that happening. Mercedes also has two very winnable games left, so it should also have no problem cementing its playoff status. Weslaco East and Mission should take the two DI bids, and their game this weekend should sort out who has the top seed and who comes in second. However, if East beats Mission then loses to Veterans Memorial, we could have another three way tie on our hands.

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