Assembling the Super 25 was tough this week. There were multiple revisions and last-minute changes.
Several readers were calling for Loyola to be dropped from the rankings after losing at Providence. The Ramblers don’t have a majorly impressive collection of wins (Merrillville, Ind., St. Francis, DePaul, St. Ignatius) so that’s not a wild opinion.
It was considered. But after driving around and watching high school football for two months, I can honestly say Loyola is one of the 25 best teams I’ve covered.
This will not surprise many readers, but it may anger some: overall, the private school football teams are playing at a higher level than the public school teams. That’s reflected in this week’s Super 25.
Montini and Fenwick jumped significantly. Providence and Carmel joined and Loyola held on at No. 12.
I walked away from the Providence vs. Carmel game in mid-September believing both teams were better than several public schools ranked in the Super 25. But the Celtics and Corsairs needed to build a resume before joining the rankings.
The “private school advantage” debate has raged for many, many years. The Super 25 rankings are not the place to debate that issue. The rankings are just one reporter’s opinion about what he’s seen on the field mixed with the overall results.
There are great public school teams this season. Lincoln-Way East is stellar. Glenbard West is reborn. Maine South is on the rise. Now that Owen Lansu has returned, look out for Downers Grove North. But many of the public school conferences lack the top-tier teams they’ve had the past several seasons.
Super 25 high school football rankings for Week 8
With record and last week’s ranking
1. Mount Carmel (7-0) 1
Friday vs. No. 9 Fenwick
2. Lincoln-Way East (7-0) 2
Friday at Naperville North
3. Brother Rice (6-1) 3
Friday vs. St. Laurence
4. Glenbard West (7-0) 5
Friday at No. 22 York
5. Nazareth (6-1) 6
Friday at Benet
6. Maine South (6-1) 8
Friday vs. No. 17 Glenbrook South
7. Downers Grove North (6-1) 11
Friday at No. 19 Lyons
8. Montini (7-0) 13
Friday at St. Ignatius
9. Fenwick (6-1) 14
Friday at No. 1 Mount Carmel
10. Batavia (5-2) 10
Friday vs. St. Charles East
11. Providence (5-2) NR
Friday at Marian Catholic
12. Loyola (4-2) 4
Friday vs. No. 25 Carmel
13. Fremd (6-1) 7
Friday vs. Palatine
14. Warren (6-1) 12
Friday at Lake Zurich
15. Barrington (6-1) 15
Friday at Schaumburg
16. St. Charles North (6-1) 9
Friday vs. Glenbard North
17. Glenbrook South (6-1) 16
Friday at No. 6 Maine South
18. Prairie Ridge (7-0) 18
Friday at Dundee-Crown
19. Lyons (5-2) 20
Friday vs. No. 7 Downers Grove North
20. Lincoln-Way West (7-0) 21
Friday vs. Bradley-Bourbonnais
21. Lincoln-Way Central (6-1) 22
Friday vs. Waubonsie Valley
22. York (5-2) 17
Friday vs. No. 4 Glenbard West
23. Morris (7-0) 23
Friday vs. Sycamore
24. Kankakee (5-2) 24
Friday at Thornton
25. Carmel (5-2) NR
Friday at No. 12 Loyola