Top 25 Georgia high school football rankings (10/10/2023)

Buford and Mill Creek will battle for the state's top ranking this week

Class 7A reigns supreme in the state of Georgia, but Class 6A is not far behind. That's quite apparent in this week's rankings with several Class 6A teams inching their way up.

When it comes to which classification is the deepest in the State of Georgia, Class 6A has a good argument over Class 7A. Class 7A might be more top-heavy than people think when it comes to real state title contenders.

One place their is little dispute is that the 7A showdown this Friday between Buford and Mill Creek is one of the most anticipated high school football match-ups in quite some team. The two teams are currently ranked 1 and 2, respectively.

Here’s the complete breakdown of our SBLive Sports Georgia Power 25 high school football rankings.

1. Buford

(6-0)

The Wolves are fresh off their second and final bye week of the season, and it was in all likelihood timed perfectly to give them two weeks to prepare for No. 2 Mill Creek, their biggest test of the season to date. The Wolves won last year’s match-up, but the Hawks went on to win the Class 7A state title.

2. Mill Creek

(6-0)

Like Buford, the Hawks are coming off of a bye, which has given both teams two weeks to prepare for what will be their biggest regular season game of the season. The winner of this game will most likely determine the Region 8-7A championship, and the game will be hosted by the Hawks.

3. Colquitt County

(6-0)

The Packers continue a trend of top-ranked teams in the state lining up their byes on the same week. The Packers are 6-0 and will now start Region 1-7A play this Friday night against Camden County. The Packers shouldn’t have much of a problem handling the Wildcats to improve to 7-0 on the season.

4. Walton

(6-0)

The Raiders were the highest-ranked team to play a game last Friday night, and it almost ended in a loss to North Cobb, who led early. The Raiders avoided the scare and went on to win the game 35-27, but it took everything they had to win it. North Cobb put up decent fights against Buford and Westlake to start the season, but this was a game the Raiders should have probably won by at least a couple of scores.

5. Carrollton

(6-1)

The Trojans were back in action last Friday night and kicked off Region 2-7A play with a win, defeating East Coweta 56-24 to improve to 6-1 on the season. The Trojans are sleepwalking through this portion of their schedule, but a date with Westlake in less than two weeks is looming. 

6. Parkview

(5-1)

After a week off, the Panthers are back in action Friday night against Archer, who is also coming out of a bye following a blowout win of Brookwood. The Tigers are playing much better ball at this point in the season, but the Panthers should still win this game fairly easily.

7. Newton

(6-0)

The Rams are yet another team in the Top 10 that was off last Friday night, and now they’ll look to beat up on a bad Brookwood team that didn’t look competitive against Archer two weeks ago. The Rams have yet to have a letdown game this season, and with more big Region 4-7A games looming, they can’t afford to have one against the Broncos Friday night.

8. Grayson

(4-2)

Surprise, surprise. The Rams were another Top 10 team that had a bye last week. And it came at a good time for a Rams team that is looking to regroup after blowing a huge fourth-quarter lead to No. 7 Newton two weeks ago. The Rams will face off against a good South Gwinnett team Friday night that showed a lot of fight against Parkview two weeks ago. 

9. Gainesville

(6-0)

The Red Elephants are coming off of a bye, and one should feel sorry for the Habersham Central Raiders this Friday night, who will be getting a well-rested Gainesville squad coming into their house. If I were a betting man, I’d hammer the Red Elephants Friday night. 

10. Westlake

(6-1)

Ever since their 27-12 loss to No. 7 Newton a month ago, the Lions haven’t gotten much love from the media around the state of Georgia. However, we’re still very high on the Lions, who have several big wins this season, including Cedar Grove and North Cobb. They beat Pebblebook with ease last Friday night and will now have two weeks to prepare for No.5 Carrollton on Oct. 20.

11. Norcross

(5-1)

Despite not playing a game last Friday night, the Blue Devils move are the first team to move up in this week’s Power 25. They come in at No. 11 and have up until this point had a very solid season. They’re 5-1 and are in a good spot to compete for a Region 7-7A championship.

12. Lee County

(6-1)

The Trojans are up one spot in this week’s rankings to No. 13 after dismantling Veterans 56-16. It’s always easy to have a letdown game after a big win, but that didn’t happen to the Trojans, who continue to look impressive. 

13. Thomas County Central

(7-0)

News flash, the Yellow Jackets are really dang good. They come in at No. 14 in this week’s rankings and are without a doubt in the mix to win a Class 6A state championship this season. Right now, they’re ranked as the third-best Class 6A team, trailing only Gainesville and Lee County. 

14. Douglas County

(7-0)

Class 6A might be deeper than Class 7A this season, and the Panthers coming in at No. 14 proves it. The Panthers move up one spot to No. 14 in this week’s rankings after beating Paulding County 27-2 last Friday night to improve to 7-0. Are the Panthers built to make a deep playoff run? I’m not so sure. But they’ve definitely earned their ranking up until this point. 

15. Langston Hughes

(5-2)

If a couple of things break the Panthers' way, we could be looking at an undefeated team at 7-0 and ranked well inside the Top 10. Instead, they’re 5-2 and the media around the state are as low on the Panthers as they have been in quite some time. I wouldn’t sleep on the Panthers come playoff time, but right now, their being ranked at No. 15 is right where they deserve to be.

16. Houston County

(6-1)

The Bears are up three spots to No. 16, and are yet another team in Class 6A that has turned in a great season up until this point. After losing to No. 12 Lee County week before last, the Bears rebounded with a nice 42-14 win over Northside-Warner Robins and will now have two weeks to prepare for No. 13 Thomas County Central in what will be a huge Region 1-6A match-up.

17. Calvary Day

(7-0)

Can the Cavaliers beat Cedar Grove? At this point in the season, I think they can. The Saints have played an incredibly challenging schedule, but their most recent loss to Carver-Montgomery (Al.) - a good but not great team - is enough to move them out of the No. 1 spot in Class 3A and replace them with Calvary Day, who has absolutely earned it. The Cavs are 7-0 and are absolutely dismantling teams. They haven’t played a challenging schedule, but they’re beating the teams they’re supposed to beat.

18. Cedar Grove

(2-5)

The Saints tumble all the way down to No. 18 after losing to Caver-Montgomery (Al.) last Friday night, which now gives them five losses for the first time since 2013, not counting the forfeited 2020 covid season. Class 3A isn’t strong, so it wouldn’t surprise me, or really anyone in the state if they went on to win the Class 3A state championship. But when it comes to stacking up against top teams in the state, the Saints do not belong in that conversation with five losses, no matter how hard of a schedule they have played.

19. Benedictine

(7-0)

We said last week that the Cadets could be on upset watch against red-hot Burke County team, and it was a close one. The Cadets came out with the win 38-30, and they remain unbeaten on the season as a result. When it comes to Class 4A, the Cadets are the team to beat at this point in the season.

20. Rome

(6-1)

The Wolves move up one spot to No. 20 in this week’s rankings after dismantling Sequoyah 56-3 last Friday night. When it comes to Class 6A, the Wolves without a doubt a Top 10 team and we have them ranked No. 7 in the classification when three games left to play in the regular season.

21. Milton

(4-2)

The Eagles fall back to No. 21 in this week’s rankings and it’s hard to argue against it. The Eagles are missing the juice that they had last season and I’m not exactly sure why. Their roster is mostly intact from one season ago, and they made a run all the way to the Class 7A state semifinals last season. But it’s hard to imagine, at least at this point in the season, that they can make a run that deep in 2023.

22. Marist

(5-1)

The War Eagles were off last week and are quietly sitting at 5-1 on the season with their only loss coming in Week 1 to No. 9 Gainesville by eight points. They are without a doubt flying under the radar, and that’s probably where they want to be. Come playoff time, the War Eagles could surprise some teams with a deep run in Class 6A.

23. Roswell

(6-1)

The Hornets scored 84 points in a blowout of Lassiter last Friday night, and they’ll remain at No. 23 in this week’s rankings. Their loss to Milton a few weeks ago remains a bit of a headscratcher considering how good their offense has been this season. The Hornets haven’t played that challenging of a schedule. But for now, they should definitely be ranked at 6-1 on the season.

24. North Oconee

(6-0)

The Titans have been flying under the radar all season, and that’s due in large part to an extremely weak schedule that they have played. They haven’t even come close to playing a quality opponent this season, but their results are what they should be. They’re blowing out their opponents on a weekly basis and they’re deserving of a Top 25 spot. 

25. Peachtree Ridge

(6-0)

The Lions have not played a game since Sept. 22, and we’re about to find out if a long layoff was good or bad after facing off against a solid North Gwinnett squad this Friday night. It’s only fair to keep the Lions ranked for another week given their great start to the season. But now is where they will have to earn it with a win against the Bulldogs, a team they haven’t beaten since 2016.