Georgia Top 25 high school football rankings (11/8/2023)

Mill Creek and Buford remain 1-2 as the race for the 7A state crown begins; Newton returns to the Top 10

The final SBLive Sports Georgia Power 25 high school football rankings of the regular season for the state of Georgia are out as we gear up for the state playoffs this week.

The Top 5 remains intact from one week ago before some shakeups occur. Parkview and Norcross fall out of the Top 10 and Newton finds itself back in.

Good luck to all of the teams competing in their respective classifications. We will come out with our final rankings of the 2023 season shortly after the completion of the state championship games.

Here is the complete breakdown of our current SBLive Sports Goergia Power 25 high school football rankings for the state of Georgia. 

1. Mill Creek

(10-0)

The Hawks of Mill Creek close out the 2023 regular season ranked No. 1 in the state of Georgia after completing a perfect 10-0 regular season. They beat Mountain View 33-7 to get there, and will now face Osborne in the first round of the state playoffs. The Hawks signature win this regular season came against No. 2 Buford. 

2. Buford

(9-1)

The Wolves started off the 2023 regular season ranked No. 1, and will close out the regular season ranked No. 2. Their only loss came against No. 1 Mill Creek and they never sniffed a loss at any other point during the regular season. They’ll open up the playoffs at home against Wheeler. 

3. Colquitt County

(10-0)

The Packers are 10-0 heading into the playoffs after blowing out Richmond Hill 35-3 last Friday night. It’s the second straight year under head coach Sean Calhoun that the Packers went a perfect 10-0 during the regular season. They lost in the semifinals last year to Carrollton.

4. Walton

(9-0)

The Raiders capped off a perfect 10-0 regular season with a 42-16 win over Wheeler last Friday night, and they’ll come in as the No. 4 team in the state heading into the playoffs. The Raiders only came close to losing once this regular season, and their signature win came way back in Week 1 against Grayson. They’ll open up the playoffs at home against Mountain View.

5. Carrollton

(9-1)

After losing their first game of the season, the Trojans never lost again and finished off the regular season 9-1. After making it to the Class 7A state championship game last season, the Trojans will open up the playoffs this season at home against Harrison.

6. Gainesville

(10-0)

Coming in as the highest-ranked non-Class 7A team, the Red Elephants of Class 6A went a perfect 10-0 during the regular season, and only got stronger every week. They’ll enter the playoffs as the favorite to win the Class 6A state championship after losing in the finals last year.

7. Grayson

(8-2)

After losing their first region game of the season, the Rams ripped off four in a row to win the Region 4-7A championship, and will now enter the playoffs with a No. 1 seed. The Rams are as hot as any team heading into the playoffs and could see Buford in the quarterfinals.

8. Thomas County Central

(10-0)

The Yellow Jackets have been one of the biggest risers over the last few weeks, and they’ll finish out the regular season ranked No. 8 in the state with a perfect 10-0 regular season. Playing in a loaded Class 6A, the Yellow Jackets find themselves on the opposite side of the bracket of Gainesville, which could potentially set up a state championship showdown between the two of them. 

9. Lee County

(8-2)

The Trojans lost two games during the regular season, but both came against Top 10 teams in No. 3 Colquitt County and No. 8 Thomas County Central. Barring any upsets, the Trojans could see Gainesville in the Class 6A semifinals.

10. Newton

(8-2)

The Rams had a major slipup in the latter part of the season, and it cost them a Region 4-7A championship. But they were able to get themselves back on track last week against Archer, and it was enough to secure a No. 2 seed and a home playoff game heading into the Class 7A state playoffs. The Rams should be favored for the first two rounds of the playoffs and could see Mill Creek in the quarterfinals.

11. Douglas County

(10-0)

The Tigers capped off a perfect 10-0 regular season with a 30-7 beatdown against South Paulding, and they’ll enter the Class 6A state playoffs with a No. 1 seed as a result. If the Tigers are able to win their first two playoff games, it could see Lee County in the quarterfinals at home in what would be a massive game for both teams.

12. Norcross

(8-2)

The Blue Devils fall outside of the Top 10 in the final regular season rankings after losing to North Gwinnett in a shootout 51-41 last Friday night. The loss very nearly cost them the Region 7-7A championship, but they were able to squeak it out in a point differential tiebreaker. Winning that region won’t give the Blue Devils an easy route in the playoffs, however. They’ll likely see Buford in the second round. 

13. Westlake

(8-2)

It was an up-and-down regular season for the Lions, but in the end, they will enter the Class 7A state playoffs as a No. 2 seed after finishing out their regular season at 8-2. Their only losses came against No. 5 Carrollton and No. 10 Newton. As a result, the Lions will slot in at No. 13 in the final regular season poll.

14. Langston Hughes

(8-2)

The Panthers weren’t nearly as dominant during the regular season as they were last year, when they went 15-0 and set new state records. They lost two games, including one to No. 11 Douglas County, but they finished off the regular season strong. They will enter the playoffs as a No. 2 seed and could see Rome on the road in the second round.

15. Parkview

(7-3)

The Panthers are unfortunately trending in the wrong direction heading into the playoffs after getting blown out at home to Grayson last Friday night. They also lost a three-way tiebreaker in the Region 4-7A standings and will enter the playoffs as No. 4 seed. They’ll now have to travel to face No. 3 Colquitt County in Round 1, which could lead to a first-round exit for a Panthers team that entered the season with high expectations.

16. Calvary Day

(10-0)

Make that five straight shutouts on defense for the Cavaliers, who completed a perfect 10-0 regular season last Friday night against Beach. They’re the highest-ranked team in Class 3A heading into the playoffs, barely edging out Cedar Grove. They’ll open up the playoffs at home against Jackson.

17. Cedar Grove

(5-5)

In what has been a wacky regular season for the Saints, they finished up with a 24-14 win against Carver-Atlanta to finish 5-5. But don’t let that record fool you. Three of their five losses came against ranked teams in No. 1 Mill Creek, No. 3 Colquitt County and No. 13 Westlake. The Saints could see Calvary Day in the semifinals, which would in all likelihood determine who goes on to win the Class 3A state championship.

18. Rome

(9-1)

The Wolves’ only loss during the regular season came against No. 5 Carrollton. Since that loss, they have won seven in a row and haven’t sniffed a loss. They’ll be a tough out in the Class 6A state playoffs, but will get an almost immediate test - in all likelihood - against the defending state champs Hughes in the second round.

19. Marist

(9-1)

The War Eagles have been one of the more underrated teams in the state this season and finished off their regular season at 9-1 last week after defeating Riverwood 42-6. Their only loss came in Week 1 to No. 6 Gainesville 34-26, and they could find themselves facing Roswell in the Class 6A quarterfinals, a game they would likely be favored to win.

20. Benedictine

(10-0)

The Cadets were the first team to get to 10-0 after doing so two weeks ago. They had a bye in the final week of the regular season, which has given them two weeks to prepare for the playoffs. They’ll open up against Baldwin looking to win their third state Class 4A state championship.

21. Milton

(8-2)

On paper, an 8-2 regular season is pretty good for Milton, who made a deep run in the Class 7A state playoffs last season. But it wasn’t quite the regular season they had hoped for from a performance standpoint. The Eagles were good, but not great. They’ll likely see North Cobb in the second round, who was one of the two teams to beat the Eagles in the regular season. North Cobb beat Milton 42-27 at home, but would have to travel to Milton in Round 2.

22. Roswell

(9-1)

The Hornets will remain at No. 22 in the final regular season rankings after beating Alpharetta 52-13 last Friday night to get to 9-1. The Hornets will have a great opportunity to make a deep run in the Class 6A state playoffs. They wouldn’t face a ranked team in Class 6A until a potential quarterfinals against Marist.

23. Houston County

(8-2)

The Bears finished out their regular season at 8-2 last Friday night with a 42-0 shutout of Veterans, but they’ll enter the playoffs as a No. 3 seed after losing to both Thomas County Central and Lee County in region play. They did find themselves in a good quadrant in the Class 6A playoffs, however, and could win a couple of games as road warriors.

24. North Oconee

(10-0)

The Titans weren’t tested at all during the regular season, and it wasn’t their fault. Playing in one of the biggest regions in the state, they were forced to play eight region games, all of which came against bad teams. The Titans breezed its way to a 10-0 record and will still be one of the favorites to win the Class 4A state championship.

25. Peachtree Ridge

(9-1)

The Lions capped off their best regular season in years with a beatdown of Duluth to finish 9-1. That secured them a No. 2 seed in the upcoming Class 7A state playoffs, and they’ll open up at home against Lambert, who is coming off a 37-16 loss to Milton last Friday night.