How 2024 football playoff brackets would’ve looked using new GHSA model

Playing at home — all against metro Atlanta opponents — would’ve been Camden County, Colquitt County, Lowndes, Richmond Hill and Valdosta. In 2024, only Colquitt and Lowndes played at home, and Richmond Hill missed the playoffs despite a 7-3 record.

Having all five make the playoffs would deliver on the GHSA’s intent to reward teams from stronger regions, although it won’t play out that way for all regions perceived to be stronger, according to AJC research.

Below are what the first-round matchups would’ve looked like if the GHSA’s new rules had been in effect in 2024.

And another dream of the new plan — that the state’s best teams won’t face each other until later in the playoffs — won’t always come true, either.

Grayson, the eventual Class 6A champion, and Prince Avenue Christian, the Class 3A-A runner-up, would’ve been seeded 10th in their classes using the new model.

Grayson would’ve faced a likely second-round game at Douglas County — the team the Rams defeated 35-28 in the semifinals in their closest playoff game.

Calhoun, the eventual Class 3A champion, would’ve been seeded 13th and potentially played at fourth-seeded Peach County in the second round, though both were region champions. Peach County was No. 1 in the AJC rankings at the time.

The team that would’ve benefited the most last year under the new model was Richmond Hill, which missed the playoffs because GHSA rules in Class 6A allowed only the top four region finishers to qualify. Under the new format, Richmond Hill would’ve played Lambert, the second-place finisher from Region 6, at home.

“I think they got it right,” Richmond Hill coach Matt LeZotte said. “Just because things have been done so long doesn’t mean it’s not the right thing. It’s adapting to the times. Some regions are tougher than others. This rewards teams good enough to play in the playoffs.”

Not all regions perceived to be strong would’ve benefited, however.

In Class 4A, Region 1 was rated the second-toughest region in the class by the computer Maxwell Ratings.

But using the GHSA’s PSR, that region would’ve received only one first-round home game, with Perry as the No. 16 seed. Ware County, the region runner-up, would’ve been seeded 30th. Benedictine would’ve been 26th and Warner Robins 23rd.

For playing tough out-of-region schedules, those teams did not have impressive won-lost records. But all but Ware County finished in the top 10 of the AJC’s final Class 4A rankings.

Below are the simulated 2024 first-round matchups using the GHSA’s playoff model approved this week for 2026. It shows each team’s region and region finish in parentheses, along with each team’s overall tournament seed.

Class 6A

• No. 1 Carrollton (R2 #1) vs. No. 32 Archer (R4 #4)
• No. 2 Lowndes (R1 #2) vs. No. 31 Denmark (R6 #4)
• No. 3 North Gwinnett (R7 #1) vs. No. 30 Cherokee (R5 #6)
• No. 4 Buford (R8 #1) vs. No. 29 Pebblebrook (R3 #4)
• No. 5 North Cobb (R5 #1) vs. No. 28 Peachtree Ridge (R7 #4)
• No. 6 Colquitt County (R1 #1) vs. No. 27 East Coweta (R2 #4)
• No. 7 Douglas County (R2 #2) vs. No. 26 West Forsyth (R6 #3)
• No. 8 Camden County (R1 #4) vs. No. 25 North Paulding (R5 #3)
• No. 9 Collins Hill (R8 #2) vs. No. 24 McEachern (R3 #3)
• No. 10 Grayson (R4 #1) vs. No. 23 Newton (R4 #2)
• No. 11 Valdosta (R1 #3) vs. No. 22 Westlake (R2 #3)
• No. 12 Richmond Hill (R1 #5) vs. No. 21 Lambert (R6 #2)
• No. 13 Walton (R5 #2) vs. No. 20 Brookwood (R7 #2)
• No. 14 Harrison (R3 #1) vs. No. 19 Norcross (R7 #3)
• No. 15 Mill Creek (R8 #3) vs. No. 18 South Gwinnett (R4 # 3)
• No. 16 North Atlanta (R6 #1) vs. No. 17 Hillgrove (R3 #2)

Class 5A

• No. 1 Milton (R7 #1) vs. No. 32 Pope (R6 #6)
• No. 2 Lee County (R2 #1) vs. No. 31 Villa Rica (R5 #4)
• No. 3 Thomas County Central (R2 #2) vs. No. 30 Dutchtown (R3 #3)
• No. 4 Roswell (R7 #2) vs. No. 29 Winder-Barrow (R8 #3)
• No. 5 Sequoyah (R6 #2) vs. No. 28 Glynn Academy (R1 # 4)
• No. 6 Hughes (R3 #1) vs. No. 27 Lanier (R7 #4)
• No. 7 Decatur (R4 #2) vs. No. 26 Creekview (R6 #5)
• No. 8 Brunswick (R1 #1) vs. No. 25 Effingham County (R1 #3)
• No. 9 East Paulding (R5 #2) vs. No. 24 Tri-Cities (R4 #3)
• No. 10 Rome (R5 #1) vs. No. 23 New Manchester (R5 #3)
• No. 11 Sprayberry (R6 #1) vs. No. 22 Woodstock (R6 #4)
• No. 12 Coffee (R2 #3) vs. No. 21 Seckinger (R7 #5)
• No. 13 Gainesville (R7 #3) vs. No. 20 Houston County (R2 #4)
• No. 14 Lakeside (Evans) (R1 #2) vs. No. 19 River Ridge (R6 #3)
• No. 15 Woodward Academy (R4 #1) vs. No. 18 Newnan (R3 #2)
• No. 16 Clarke Central (R8 #1) vs. No. 17 Jackson County (R8 #2)

Class 4A

• No. 1 Blessed Trinity (R6 #1) vs. No. 32 Madison County (R8 #5)
• No. 2 Cartersville (R7 #1) vs. No. 31 Northside (Columbus) (R3 #5)
• No. 3 North Oconee (R8 #1) vs. No. 30 Ware County (R1 # 2)
• No. 4 Marist (R5 #1) vs. No. 29 Lithonia (R5 #5)
• No. 5 Eastside (R8 #2) vs. No. 28 Westminster (R6 #4)
• No. 6 Cedartown (R7 #2) vs. No. 27 Southwest DeKalb (R5 #2)
• No. 7 Ola (R2 #1) vs. No. 26 Benedictine (R1 #3)
• No. 8 Cambridge (R6 #3) vs. No. 25 Tucker (R5 #3)
• No. 9 Starr’s Mill (R3 #3) vs. No. 24 Hiram (R7 #3)
• No. 10 Mays (R4 #2) vs. No. 23 Warner Robins (R1 #4)
• No. 11 Central (Carrollton) (R3 #1) vs. No. 22 Cass (R7 #4)
• No. 12 East Forsyth (R8 #3) vs. No. 21 St. Pius X (R5 #4)
• No. 13 Jones County (R2 #2) vs. No. 20 Maynard Jackson (R4 #3)
• No. 14 Creekside (R4 #1) vs. No. 19 Jonesboro (R3 #2)
• No. 15 Harris County (R3 #4) vs. No. 18 Hampton (R2 #3)
• No. 16 Perry (R1 #1) vs. No. 17 Kell (R6 #2)

Class 3A

• No. 1 Jefferson (R8 #1) vs. No. 32 Chestatee (R6 #3)
• No. 2 Cherokee Bluff (R8 #2) vs. No. 31 Liberty County (R3 #5)
• No. 3 Harlem (R4 #1) vs. No. 30 Troup (R2 #5)
• No. 4 Peach County (R1 #1) vs. No. 29 Adairsville (R7 #4)
• No. 5 Westover (R1 #2) vs. No. 28 Gilmer (R7 #5)
• No. 6 Sandy Creek (R2 #1) vs. No. 27 Spalding (R2 #6)
• No. 7 Jenkins (R3 #2) vs. No. 26 Whitewater (R2 #4)
• No. 8 North Hall (R6 #1) vs. No. 25 Monroe Area (R8 #4)
• No. 9 Westside (Augusta) (R4 #3) vs. No. 24 Luella (R5 #3)
• No. 10 Oconee County (R8 #3) vs. No. 23 Heritage (Ringgold) (R7 #2)
• No. 11 Southeast Bulloch (R3 #3) vs. No. 22 Northwest Whitfield (R7 #3)
• No. 12 West Laurens (R4 #4) vs. No. 21 Baldwin (R4 #2)
• No. 13 Calhoun (R7 #1) vs. No. 20 Cairo (R1 #3)
• No. 14 Douglass (R5 #2) vs. No. 19 Lumpkin County (R6 #2)
• No. 15 Stephenson (R5 #1) vs. No. 18 Long County (R3 #4)
• No. 16 LaGrange (R2 #3) vs. No. 17 Upson-Lee (R2 #2)

Class 2A

• No. 1 Morgan County (R2 #2) vs. No. 32 Hardaway (R1 #5)
• No. 2 Rockmart (R7 #1) vs. No. 31 Therrell (R5 #5)
• No. 3 Carver (Columbus) (R1 #1) vs. No. 30 Miller Grove (R6 #3)
• No. 4 Callaway (R2 #1) vs. No. 29 Cook (R3 #4)
• No. 5 Sumter County (R1 #2) vs. No. 28 Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe (R7 #5)
• No. 6 Burke County (R4 #1) vs. No. 27 Crisp County (R3 #3)
• No. 7 Hapeville Charter (R5 #1) vs. No. 26 Butler (R4 #4)
• No. 8 Pierce County (R3 #2) vs. No. 25 South Atlanta (R6 #2)
• No. 9 Carver (Atlanta) (R5 #2) vs. No. 24 East Jackson (R8 #5)
• No. 10 Stephens County (R8 #3) vs. No. 23 Union County (R7 #4)
• No. 11 Ringgold (R7 #2) vs. No. 22 Jackson (R2 #5)
• No. 12 Westside (Macon) (R2 #3) vs. No. 21 Shaw (R1 #4)
• No. 13 Appling County (R3 #1) vs. No. 20 Pike County (R2 #4)
• No. 14 Spencer (R1 #3) vs. No. 19 Laney (R4 #3)
• No. 15 Hart County (R8 #4) vs. No. 18 Thomson (R4 #2)
• No. 16 Columbia (R6 #1) vs. No. 17 North Murray (R7 #3)

Class A Division I

• No. 1 Fannin County (R7 #1) vs. No. 32 Vidalia (R3 #5)
• No. 2 Dublin (R2 #1) vs. No. 31 Gordon Central (R7 #6)
• No. 3 Toombs County (R3 #2) vs. No. 30 McNair (R4 #5)
• No. 4 Thomasville (R1 #2) vs. No. 29 Coosa (R7 #7)
• No. 5 Northeast (R2 #2) vs. No. 28 Bleckley County (R2 #7)
• No. 6 Fitzgerald (R1 #3) vs. No. 27 Southwest (R2 #6)
• No. 7 Dodge County (R2 #3) vs. No. 26 Bacon County (R1 #6)
• No. 8 Lamar County (R4 #2) vs. No. 25 Swainsboro (R3 #3)
• No. 9 Heard County (R6 #1) vs. No. 24 Dade County (R7 #5)
• No. 10 Gordon Lee (R7 #3) vs. No. 23 Putnam County (R4 #3)
• No. 11 Temple (R6 #2) vs. No. 22 Bremen (R6 #3)
• No. 12 Worth County (R1 #1) vs. No. 21 Rabun County (R8 #4)
• No. 13 Commerce (R8 #2) vs. No. 20 Chattooga (R7 #4)
• No. 14 Jasper County (R4 #4) vs. No. 19 Elbert County (R8 #3)
• No. 15 Social Circle (R4 #1) vs. No. 18 ACE Charter (R2 #5)
• No. 16 Jeff Davis (R1 #4) vs. No. 17 Washington County (R2 #4)