![Hawthorne will be among over 35 teams to be a part of the rural classification this fall. [Joshua Wilson/FloridaHSFootball.com]](https://i0.wp.com/floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Rural-Classification-New-Playoff-Format-2024.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1)
New playoff format could test for future changes in football and other team sports as well.
Welcome to the 2024 Florida High School Football season with practices now underway around the state! We will present a plethora of storylines over the coming days that will impact the 2024 season as part of our 2024 Storylines To Follow series and we will update this as we go through the days and weeks leading up to kickoff of the 2024 season!
RURAL CLASSIFICATION TAKING ON NEW PLAYOFF FORMAT IN TEST
The Rural classification will take on a pilot project over the next two years that will create two playoff brackets of 16 teams each, which will be considered an A Division and B Division bracket. The teams would be ranked in the Top 16 in the A Division bracket and play a four-round championship bracket, while the next 16 teams would be in the B Division bracket and play a four-round bracket. The teams would be ranked using the FHSAA MaxPreps Playoff Power Rankings, with teams being seeded based upon their ranking.
This change in the playoff process was about creating a plan to help establish a closer level of competition between schools in high school sports in Florida. This comes as transfers in high school athletics have continued to change the landscape and have made an imbalance of competition a much wider divide.
The goal at the end of the day is to have the two best teams, regardless of where they are located in the state, play for the state championship, thus eliminating the four regions that the other classifications have with no assignment of a region or even a district given for the Rural classification.
It should be noted that the A Division champion would be considered the state champion in the Rural classification, while it is still unknown if the B Division bracket champion will have any title, but most expect that the B Division champion will not be called a state champion.
The pilot format will be measured over the next two years, including running clocks and margin of victory in the postseason compared to seasons past, plus polling all coaches and athletic directors in 2025 in both rural and other classifications to determine their thoughts regarding the pilot project.
MORE IN THE 2024 STORYLINES TO FOLLOW SERIES
• New classifications will set tone
• How many defending state champions will be able to repeat?
• SSAA moves to 10-game schedule
• FHSAA playoff power rankings will shift more toward MaxPreps rankings
• Rural classification taking on new playoff format in test
• Where are the FHSAA State Championships going to be played at?
![Addy Curry has helped lead second-year Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine) to the playoffs and will travel to Timber Creek for their first-round match. Class 4A Regional Quartefinals take place on Wednesday, April 29. [Joshua Wilson/FloridaHSFootball.com]](https://i0.wp.com/floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026-Class-4A-Regional-Quarterfinals-Playoff-Preview.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1)
![Ponte Vedra QB Izzy Murray will be one to keep an eye when the Class 3A Regional Quarterfinals take place on Wednesday, April 29. [Joshua Wilson/FloridaHSFootball.com]](https://i0.wp.com/floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026-3A-Regional-Quarterfinals-Playoff-Preview.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1)
![Robinson (Tampa) is chasing a 10th consecutive state championship -- and 11th overall as the Class 2A Regional Quarterfinals get underway on Tuesday, April 28. [Kyle Zedaker/Tampa Bay Buccaneers]](https://i0.wp.com/floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/2026-2A-Regional-Quarterfinals-Playoff-Preview.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1)
![Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota) is looking to defend their state championship status in 2024. Question will be where is the FHSAA state championships going to be played at? [Myqueal Lewis/For FlordiaHSFootball.com]](https://i0.wp.com/floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Where-will-the-2024-FHSAA-State-Championship-s-be-played-at.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1)
![ESPN High School Football Kickoff logo [Courtesy of ESPN]](https://i0.wp.com/floridahsfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ESPN-High-School-Kickoff-Featured.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1)
