The latest rankings from the Florida Power Rankings Index are out for the Panhandle Region along with the latest anaylsis for the Panhandle Region Top 10 going into Week 3. For full view of all 35 teams in the Panhandle region requires a Premium Season Ticket Membership (Yearly) or the Premium Monthly Season Ticket Membership. To subscribe, click here.

Rankings compiled from all games played through Saturday, Februray 28, 2026.

TOP 10 RANKINGS

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TOP 10 ANALYSIS – AFTER WEEK 2

THE BIG PICTURE

The Panhandle region’s top 10 heading into Week 3 is a tale of two distinct tiers. The top four — Choctawhatchee, Pace, Florida High, and Chiles — remain firmly entrenched with ratings well above the rest of the field, and the separation between that group and everyone below them is significant. Below that line, last week’s results created real movement and, in a couple of cases, raised legitimate questions about where some programs truly stand. What makes the Panhandle picture particularly interesting heading into Week 3 is how schedule strength is shaping the conversation just as much as wins and losses — and in several cases, the statewide SOS rankings tell a very different story than the win-loss records alone.

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No. 1 Choctawhatchee — Indians Validate Their Standing, Face Stiff Capital City Classic Test

The statement made on Feb. 25 was exactly what you want from a program at the top of any regional ranking. Choctawhatchee rolled past fellow top-10 regional opponent Crestview 25-0, shutting out a program carrying the strongest schedule in the entire Panhandle top 10. The Indians carry a schedule strength figure of 27.13, which ranks 160th statewide and places them firmly among the upper tier of all Florida programs in terms of schedule difficulty. Nothing about last week gave any reason to question their position atop the Panhandle — and this week, the Capital City Classic in Tallahassee will offer the first significant test of whether that position is truly justified. The Indians draw Sumner on Friday, a program from the Tampa Bay region that will provide a genuine out-of-region measuring stick before Week 4 arrives.

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No. 2 Pace — Patriots Hold After Tight Region Win, Marquee Matchup Looms Monday

Holding a 7-6 edge over Fort Walton Beach on Feb. 23 was not the dominant performance Pace may have wanted, but winning a one-score game against a fellow top-10 regional opponent carries its own kind of credibility. Their schedule strength figure of 30.41 ranking 129th statewide places them among the upper tier of schedules in Florida through two weeks. The more significant conversation surrounding Pace begins Monday, when the Patriots face Navarre in a matchup that has real implications for how the top half of the Panhandle rankings shake out. A win over Navarre would cement Pace’s hold on second. Then Friday at the Capital City Classic, Pace draws New Smyrna Beach in what figures to be another measuring-stick opportunity against out-of-region competition.

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No. 3 Florida High — Seminoles’ Dominant Start Comes With Schedule Asterisk, Classic Awaits

Five games, five wins, a point differential of plus-242 — no program in the entire Panhandle top 10 has been more productive in terms of pure volume. The Seminoles beat Leon 80-0 on Feb. 25, Godby 25-7 on Feb. 26, and Bradford 26-6 on Feb. 27 to push their record to 5-0. The schedule asterisk remains real, however. Their schedule strength figure of 12.61 ranks 319th statewide, falling in the bottom third of all Florida programs, and the opponents they have beaten — Leon sitting in the lower tier of the regional standings, Godby in the middle tier — have not tested them yet. Friday’s Capital City Classic matchup against Land O’ Lakes changes that conversation immediately. Land O’ Lakes is a program from the Tampa Bay region that will provide the first legitimate outside test of whether Florida High’s gaudy numbers translate against quality competition.

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