Every year, about the last week in October, I start thinking about Wyoming's football playoffs.

I wonder why more than 2/3 of the state's teams make the playoffs -- and how, in that system, some teams at .500 or better can be left out of the postseason.

I wonder if reducing the number of teams that makes the playoffs is the answer.

I wonder if all those road teams in the first round really do have a chance to win a state championship.

Then I think about 2003.

That was the year Glenrock won three consecutive road games in the playoffs, knocking off Wright, Big Piney and Lovell three weekends in a row -- and three bus trips in a row -- to become the only Wyoming team to ever win a state football championship by winning three straight road games in the playoffs.

And then I think about this season, and wonder who might "pull off a Glenrock" and win three straight on the road.

This year, there is one team that sticks out with the best chance to do just this: Natrona County. What a sweet ride it could be for the Mustangs, too.

On Friday, NC plays at Green River, a team that beat them 14-12 in Zero Week. If the Mustangs win there, there's a possible semifinal game awaiting with top-seeded Sheridan, which beat the Mustangs 10-9 in NC's conference opener. And if the bracket comes together under coincidence's sweet plan, NC could play Gillette in the championship -- the same Gillette that beat NC 15-13 a few weeks ago in Camel-land.

Three games, three losses, five total points. The Mustangs' only three losses of the season.

It's a revenge tour in the making.

I think the Mustangs take that first step tonight against Green River. The Wolves have shown a propensity to struggle against teams that control the ball (think Cheyenne East). And few teams are better at grinding it out than the Mustangs.

And maybe, just maybe, NC will get that shot at Sheridan in the semis. And maybe, just maybe, NC will have that chance against Gillette in the championship.

But none of that cool stuff happens if the Mustangs don't win on Friday, and beating an athletic group of players from Green River is much easier said than done.

Even so, the thought of the Mustangs "pulling a Glenrock" is too intriguing to ignore. I'll take NC.

Here are my other quarterfinal playoff picks, with projected winners in bold and projected losers ready to make me think twice:

Thursday
Class 2A
Greybull vs. Big Horn, at Sheridan: The Rams have been the class of 2A all season and already have a 24-6 victory over Greybull to its credit.

Friday
Class 5A
Evanston at Sheridan: The worst thing that could happen to Sheridan here is a blowout victory. Another close victory like the one last week could keep the Broncs sharp for the semis -- an edge they'll need, no matter who they play.
Cheyenne Central at Gillette: The Camels have already beaten the Indians once this year. And that was in Cheyenne. This one's in Gillette.
Rock Springs at Cheyenne East: This is a real landmine-type game for the Thunderbirds. Remember, it was Rock Springs that knocked a South Conference champ (Cheyenne Central) out of the playoffs in the first round a year ago. And East's victory over Rock Springs was one of those tight defensive battles that could have gone either way. Even so, I'll still take East.

Class 4A
Rawlins at Douglas: The Bearcats have to be feeling good about their prospects. As long as they don't get caught looking ahead to Nov. 15, they cruise.
Powell at Lander: Yep, trust me -- I know all the reasons why I should pick Lander to win this. They're at home and they've already beaten Powell once this season. For some reason, though, the Panthers have earned my choice this time around. I wish I knew why... but my gut tells me to take Powell.
Worland at Buffalo: They already played this game once this season. Buffalo won it by a bunch. Look for more of the same.
Torrington at Cody: These two teams haven't played each other since 1996. And even though Cody won the West Conference, this game could stay close due to the Trailblazers' ability to control the ground game.

Class 3A
Thermopolis at Glenrock: The first time around, Glenrock had five turnovers against the Bobcats -- and still won by 30.
Lovell at Pinedale: Pinedale has defensive backs that are athletic enough to slow the Bulldogs' aerial game, and I think because of that, this game is a toss-up. But I can't ignore the offensive numbers Lovell has put up this year.
Wright vs. Moorcroft, at Sundance: In a little bit of an upset pick, I'll take the Panthers. The first game between these two could have gone either way (Moorcroft won in OT), and I think the law of averages swings Wright's way this time.
Mountain View at Kemmerer: Even against an improved Buffalos squad, the Rangers keep rolling.

Class 2A
Rocky Mountain at Burns: Can anyone hang with the Broncs? Maybe. But of all the teams that cross my mind first, the Grizzlies aren't on the list. Maybe in darn near Montana, but not in darn near Colorado.
Lingle vs. Wind River, at Riverton: For as good a season as the Doggers have had, the Cougars have been able to prove themselves in several other different ways.
Riverside at Lusk: At 4-4 versus 7-1, this shouldn't be a tough selection, right? But it is. This will likely rival last year's semifinal meeting between these two teams (won by Riverside 10-9) as far as intensity and drama.

Class 1A
Normative Services at Burlington: Don't count out the Wolves, who beat Burlington last year on the Huskies' home field in the quarterfinals. But I don't think anyone will question that Burlington has a better team this year -- one that should go deep into the playoffs.
Shoshoni at Hulett: This is one of those potential game-of-the-week-type games. Both teams are solid, but at home the Red Devils should eke out the victory.
Guernsey at Cokeville: It seems like every time Guernsey goes to Cokeville, the Vikings play out of their minds. But this year, the Panthers' defense has just been too good to let that Guernsey curse strike again.
Upton at Southeast: It'll be closer than last year's quarterfinal game between these two teams (74-21 SE) -- but not as close as the game these two had earlier this year (34-0 SE).

There are my picks. Do you agree? Did I hit the nail on the head or did I hit my thumb instead? Leave a comment below, then let's all enjoy it as the postseason unfolds for us and makes choices like mine look silly. :)

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Where to begin? Where to begin? ... I don't know. This year's state cross country championships were full of so many amazing performances....

Glenrock's Brooke Hughes did what few others before here have been able to do -- she started and finished her cross country career as a state champion. She won the 3A state meet as a freshman, then finished second as a sophomore and third as a junior. Clearly the urgency of a senior-year finish was motivating her this time around. And she added a second state championship to prove her abilities.

And who is Jordan Wohlleber? Well, looking back on it, her sudden jump to 2A state champion wasn't so sudden. She won the Class A South Dakota state championship at Cheyenne-Eagle Butte as a freshman and as a sophomore, so the Hulett-Sundance junior had plenty of running experience. Her name just wasn't that well known in Wyoming. It is now.

The 4A race wasn't as close as last year's, but the extra rush of trying to put away last year's second-place finish was enough for Rock Springs' Nicole Peterson to not only win, but to set a state meet record in the process. The record was only four years old, but Peterson's run set the standard to which every other runner will now be measured.

Gillette's Dominick Robinson did exactly what everyone expected: He won the state championship. Again. Robinson winning distance races is now the expectation, not the rule. After all, he won back-to-back XC championships -- the first 4A runner since Gillette's Tony Bachmann in 2000-01 to win back-to-back -- and swept the three longest races and a key leg of the longest relay at the state track meet last year. That expectation, though, came only after a ton of hard work, a ton of miles in practice and a ton of resolve to be the best.

Speaking of repeats, Wyoming Indian's Caleb Her Many Horses won another state championship -- and he could join some rare company next year if he goes on to win his third in a row. Only four other runners (Lander's Matt Heller, Wright's Brett Schuler, Torrington's Rob Marney and Snake River's Trevor Kaisler) have won three straight individual titles since 1973.

In the most wide-open race of them all, Jackson's Andy Phillips was crowned the 3A boys champion. No runner was truly the favorite to win, as any one of a number of runners could have taken control. Phillips was the one who did, and he's the state champion because of it.

Certainly, the individual champions always stick out at state. Did anything else catch your eye up in Sheridan last week? Let me know and make a comment below.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Here are the unofficial pairings for the Wyoming State High School Volleyball Championships, set for next Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Casper. Official brackets, including match times, will be released on Sunday by the WHSAA.

Class 4A
Sheridan (1E) vs. Green River (4W)
Kelly Walsh (2W) vs. Riverton (3E)
Gillette (2E) vs. Rock Springs (3W)
Natrona County (1W) vs. Cheyenne East (4E)

Class 3A
Wheatland (1E) vs. Worland (4W)
Kemmerer (2W) vs. Douglas (3E)
Rawlins (2E) vs. Lyman (3W)
Powell (1W) vs. Buffalo (4E)

Class 2A
Big Horn (1E) vs. Thermopolis (4W)
Riverside (2W) vs. Tongue River (3E)
Sundance (2E) vs. Rocky Mountain (3W)
Mountain View (1W) vs. Lingle (4E)

Class 1A
Southeast (1E) vs. Snake River (4W)
Burlington (2W) vs. Kaycee (3E)
Hulett (2E) vs. Farson (3W)
Cokeville (1W) vs. Arvada-Clearmont (4E)

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

The official football playoff pairings have been posted by the Wyoming High School Activities Association. Game times will be posted Monday.

Two games have moved location. The Wind River-Lingle game will be played in Riverton, while the Wright-Moorcroft game will be played in Sundance.

The official pairings are as follows:

Class 5A
(8) Evanston at (1, 1N) Sheridan
(5) Natrona County at (4, 2S) Green River
(6) Cheyenne Central at (3, 2N) Gillette
(7) Rock Springs at (2, 1S) Cheyenne East
Class 4A
(8) Rawlins at (1, 1E) Douglas
(5) Powell at (4, 2W) Lander
(6) Worland at (3, 2E) Buffalo
(7) Torrington at (2, 1W) Cody
Class 3A
(8) Thermopolis at (1, 1E) Glenrock
(5) Lovell at (4, 2W) Pinedale
(6) Wright at (3, 2E) Moorcroft
(7) Mountain View at (2, 1W) Kemmerer
Class 2A
(8) Rocky Mountain at (1, 1E) Burns
(5) Lingle at (4, 2W) Wind River
(6) Riverside at (3, 2E) Lusk
(7) Greybull at (2, 1W) Big Horn
Class 1A
(8) Normative Services at (1, 1W) Burlington
(5) Shoshoni at (4, 2E) Hulett
(6) Guernsey at (3, 2W) Cokeville
(7) Upton at (2, 1E) Southeast

Pairings are also available by clicking here.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

The regular season's over. So no messing around. Let's just get right to it:

First mad props to Riverside, which beat Greybull 35-21. Matt Craft ran every which way through the Buffs' defense and finished with -- are you ready? -- 294 rushing yards. Although both teams are on the road in the first round of the playoffs, this was a big win for the defending champion Rebels as they try to gain some momentum heading into the postseason.

Second mad props to Thermopolis, which knocked off Lovell. The more I think about it, the more I think that this was not a flukey win at all. Thermopolis has had a solid defense all season, and tonight that defense came up with four interceptions and generally hounded the Bulldogs' passing game into submission and left it looking sort of like this. Granted, this game didn't affect the playoff make-up that much -- Lovell's still the five seed, going to Pinedale; Thermop is still the eight seed, going to Glenrock -- but mentally, this has to be a huge lift for the Bobcats.

Third mad props to Star Valley, which knocked off Worland 14-0 and made me sad at the same time. Sad? Well, yeah. The Braves have finally started clicking. They'd be a scary team if they could have made the playoffs. But they didn't make the playoffs. And that kind of makes me sad -- because I think the Braves could be that one team no one really wanted to play in the first round.

Now, for something outside the Bighorn Basin....

Fourth mad props to Pine Bluffs, which whomped Saratoga 41-8. What took the Hornets so long? I really thought this was the year they'd break through and cause some damage in the East. And if not for a one-point loss to Lingle, they could be in the playoffs. Instead, they'll have to settle for winning the last two games of the season and find some solace in the fact that they did, eventually, find that other level they'd been waiting for all year.

Fifth mad props to Upton, which solidified a playoff spot by beating Normative Services in OT. Matt Lougee was the Bobcats' savior; he scored the game-tying touchdown with 2 minutes to go, intercepted a Wolf pass during NSI's OT possession, then scored the game-winning touchdown on Upton's subsequent drive. Only the appearance of a bear and a Webelo would have made this game any better.

Now, onto the thing everyone is waiting for anyway: the playoff shakedown.

I've posted the brackets below in a post of their own (please remember these are PROJECTED power ratings and brackets; real brackets won't be out from the WHSAA until today sometime). But there were a couple things that stuck out. First was how close the battle for the last Class 4A spot ended up. Rawlins, with a PPR (projected power rating) of 25.94, wound up with the eighth spot. Star Valley finished ninth at 25.88. And defending champ Jackson looks like it won't even get a chance to play in the postseason; the Broncs are 10th with a PPR of 25.75. (FWIW, Wheatland was 11th at 25.28). As its reward, Rawlins gets to go to play Douglas, a team that beat it 48-0 about a month ago, in the first round.

In 5A, thanks to what's probably the highest-scoring Trona Bowl in history (certainly, the highest-scoring Trona Bowl in the past 50 years, as Green River and Rock Springs combined for 88 points in the Wolves' 57-31 victory), the brackets shook out almost exactly as I thought they might. Natrona will go to Green River in the most intriguing of the first-round games. Remember, though, last year, no team was safe in the 5A first round, as three of the four home teams lost in the quarterfinals. And then Cheyenne East, the only home team to win in the first round, went on to win the title.

Class 2A shook out a bit differently due to Riverside's win and Rocky Mountain's loss to Pinedale. Riverside, Greybull and Rocky went 6-7-8 as the West Conference earned five of the eight seeds. Speaking of such, conference balance was pretty much thrown right out with the bathwater ... 3A also finished unbalanced as the East earned five of the eight seeds ... as did 5A, where the South got five of eight ... as did 1A, where the East took five of eight.

And, for once, the first-round playoff pairings do not feature a single game where the participants played against each other in Week 8. Finally.

So there you go. The playoffs start next week. Did Week 8 change your mind at all about who might be the favorites for the state titles? Comment below if you think of something relevant. :)

Projected playoff pairings are right below this post; I'll post official pairings as soon as I get them.

This week: 24-5 (83 percent). This year: 190-61 (76 percent).

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Projected playoff pairings
Through early Friday using current standings. For complete projected playoff pairings, check The Blitz, the Star-Tribune's one-stop checkpoint for everything high school football: http://www.trib.com/theblitz
Class 5A
(8) Evanston at (1, 1N) Sheridan
(5) Natrona County at (4, 2S) Green River
(6) Cheyenne Central at (3, 2N) Gillette
(7) Rock Springs at (2, 1S) Cheyenne East
Class 4A
(8) Rawlins at (1, 1E) Douglas
(5) Powell at (4, 2W) Lander
(6) Worland at (3, 2E) Buffalo
(7) Torrington at (2, 1W) Cody
Class 3A
(8) Thermopolis at (1, 1E) Glenrock
(5) Lovell at (4, 2W) Pinedale
(6) Wright at (3, 2E) Moorcroft
(7) Mountain View at (2, 1W) Kemmerer
Class 2A
(8) Rocky Mountain at (1, 1E) Burns
(5) Lingle at (4, 2W) Wind River
(6) Riverside at (3, 2E) Lusk
(7) Greybull at (2, 1W) Big Horn
Class 1A
(8) Normative Services at (1, 1W) Burlington
(5) Shoshoni at (4, 2E) Hulett
(6) Guernsey at (3, 2W) Cokeville
(7) Upton at (2, 1E) Southeast

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Bighorn Basin rivals whose rivalry goes way back.

A game with huge playoff seeding implications.

A chance for one team to prove it's back for good; a chance for another team to prove its glory days aren't over yet.

So... are you thinking about Greybull at Riverside? Or Powell at Cody?

Because those statements accurately describe both games -- two huge Week 8 games on Friday.

The Powell-Cody matchup will decide which school wins the 4A West championship (and, subsequently, the No. 2 seed in the 4A playoffs). The fallout for the loser isn't quite as cut-and-dry, though.

If Powell wins, it's pretty simple: Cody is the runner-up and the No. 4 seed in the playoffs. If Cody wins, Powell falls into a tie with Lander -- and maybe Worland, if the Warriors beat Star Valley -- for second place in the conference standings. Then we all break out our tiebreaking procedures and go from there.

But we'll worry about that when the time comes. For now, it'll be interesting to see how the defenses stack up in this one. Powell has only given up 83 points this season and never more than 19 in a game -- and never more than 14 in a game it's won -- while Cody's given up only 77, including single digits to four of its past five opponents.

As for Greybull-Riverside, the 2A playoff implications are limitless. Right now, the defending state champion Rebels are seventh in the power ratings, hardly a secure spot for a team trying to defend its championship. Meanwhile, Greybull is not much safer in sixth place as the oft-stomped Buffaloes try to finish the regular season with a winning record for the first time since 2003 -- a huge mental step for a team on the verge of becoming a perennial powerhouse.

These two schools are only eight miles apart and their rivalry is deep. But there hasn't been a game this big in this rivalry for quite some time. The winner is guaranteed to move on in the playoff race, while the loser sits on pins and needles until the power rankings sort themselves out.

To put it succinctly, these are big games. And I'll take the upstarts -- Cody and Greybull -- to knock off the old favorites.

Here are the rest of this week's picks, with projected winners in bold type:

Thursday
Class 2A
Big Horn vs. Tongue River, at Sheridan: Even with the Rams at 7-0 and the Eagles at 0-7, nothing can be taken for granted in this game. That's been proven time and time again in this series.

Interclass
Wind River at Shoshoni: Even with both teams heading to the playoffs -- WR in 2A, Shoshoni in 1A -- the Cougars have the upper hand here.

Friday
Class 5A
Cheyenne Central at Laramie: The Indians have been a quirky team all year. And they could very well be a dangerous team in the playoffs.
Cheyenne East at Gillette: Don't call this game meaningless. Neither team wants to interrupt the momentum they have built up heading into the playoffs.
Evanston at Natrona County: With both teams already in the playoffs, don't expect too many fireworks. Think lots of off-tackle running plays, safe passes and a final score that might be closer than you think.
Kelly Walsh at Sheridan: The Broncs are back. And if they do things right, this could be the second of five straight games at home for them.
Rock Springs at Green River: The Tigers could create a whole bunch of problems in the 5A South if they can find a way to pull off the upset of the Wolves. And after the Wolves' tough loss last week, a Rock Springs upset seems entirely plausible. For now, though, the house will take GR.

Class 4A
Douglas at Wheatland: The Bulldogs could have probably wrapped up a playoff berth if they had won last week. But they lost. Now they have to try and pull off a monumental upset if they want to sniff the playoffs again.
Rawlins at Buffalo: Never bet against the Bison to lose twice in a row.
Worland at Star Valley: The Warriors' October curse has finally been lifted -- which means a deep playoff run is still a possibility.

Class 3A
Lovell at Thermopolis: The Bulldogs' loss last week was more of a ? than a ! Look for them to bounce back.
Mountain View at Lyman: The Buffalos have had control of this series lately, winning three in a row and 15 of the past 19 meetings. And with the Eagles' struggles, it's a pretty safe bet that trend will continue.
Wright at Glenrock: Last four weeks: Glenrock 148, opponents 13.

Class 2A
Lusk at Burns: This is a pretty rare occurrence in Wyoming: Two undefeated teams meeting up in the last week of the regular season. My educated guess goes to the Broncs....
Pine Bluffs at Saratoga: If the Panthers can find a way to generate some offense, their defense is stout enough to pull out a win in this one.
Sundance at Lingle: The Doggers have been one of the most pleasant surprises in 2A this fall. Now, they have to prove something else: that they're not just a nice surprise, they're a legit championship contender. The bulk of that proving comes next week, but it sure can start here....

Class 1A
Burlington at Dubois: The Huskies are conference champs for a reason.
Hanna at Wyoming Indian: The Chiefs can wrap up their second straight winning season -- a first in school history -- if they can win at home on Friday.
Normative Services at Upton: The Wolves could be a nightmare in the 1A playoffs if the improvement they showed last week continues to grow.
Southeast at Guernsey: With the conference championship on the line, the experienced Cyclones should play up to the challenge.

Interclass
Big Piney at Cokeville: The Panthers could be nice guys and try to let the Punchers keep some of their fading playoff hopes alive. But don't count on it.
Hulett at Moorcroft: With both teams likely hosting games in the first round of the playoffs, this game simply becomes a tune-up for the bing one at home next week.
Jackson at Kemmerer: There are a bevy of subplots here, but it boils down to this: Jackson is trying to make the playoffs. Kemmerer is trying to preserve its undefeated season and get revenge for their only loss last season.
Newcastle at Torrington: Two teams on the playoff bubble should create some exciting football. Honestly, I'd really like to get down and see this one. It should be a great ballgame and it should be played with the type of intensity you like to see in Week 8.
Riverton at Lander: The short version: Lander has a lot more riding on this game than Riverton does.
Rocky Mountain at Pinedale: After a hot start, the Grizzlies have fallen on hard times. And they could fall out of the playoffs if they lose this one. It's never fun to be in that situation.

Six-man
Meeteetse at Bridger, Mont.: Bridger comes in undefeated and on a roll. Meeteetse comes in desperate for a victory to make the postseason. Combined, that means these two teams could be setting up for a great game that goes down to the wire or a not-so-close game that fans can leave early. I hope it's the former.

There are my choices, but I've certainly been proven wrong before. What do you think will happen this weekend? What are your choices for this week's surprises? Post a comment below.

Also, as soon as I can on Friday, I'll be posting the projected playoff pairings for all five divisions of Wyoming football. The first place you'll see them is at The Blitz, which you've surely heard of by now (or at least I hope you have). There is at least one out-of-state game scheduled for Saturday, but I don't anticipate it having much of an effect on the power ratings. So, barring any unforseen postponements, we should be able to have all the playoff pairings up for you by Friday night.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

With volleyball's regional tournaments beginning on Friday, here's a short debate-stirring look at who might win each tournament:

4A East: Gillette. The Camels have been the scariest 4A team outside of Casper. They've been improving consistently and they're poised for a big weekend.... which may lead to more success next week.
4A West: Natrona County. This is simply a toss-up between the two Casper squads, but the Fillies have shown more consistency during the conference schedule than Kelly Walsh. Plus, NC beat KW twice in the regular season.
3A East: Wheatland. Once again, it could go either way with either the Bulldogs or Rawlins, especially since the tournament is on the Outlaws' home court. But Wheatland has already won once at Rawlins in the regular season and also beat Rawlins again at Wheatland during the regular season. Douglas and Glenrock, though, could also provide some upsets along the way and de-rail a Bulldogs-Outlaws championship.
3A West: Powell. No one has been more consistent in the 3A West this year than the Panthers. They just keep plugging away. They've been a bit under the radar due to Wheatland and Rawlins, but believe me -- Powell will have every team's full attention at state.
2A East: Big Horn. The Rams haven't shown any signs of a post-championship letdown. They're just as good this year as they were last year. Maybe better.
2A West: Mountain View. This is the scary part of trying to repeat for Big Horn: Mountain View is better this year, too. They've been tearing it up in the southwest corner this year and will be one of the teams to beat at state.
1A East: Hulett. There's quite a bit of parity in the 1A East this year, as Southeast, Kaycee and Arvada-Clearmont have all proven they know how to win big matches. But Hulett has proven all season that last year's title was no fluke -- and that they have the ability to win it all again.
1A West: Cokeville. As usual, no one has been close to touching the success the Panthers have experienced this fall. Now, all they have to do is put the pieces together at the right time, and they should be right there next Saturday night in the Casper Events Center, fighting it out in yet another championship match.

So what do you think? Any volleyball teams come into this week poised for some upsets? Who are your underdog picks for this weekend? Or did I hit the nail on the head with my picks? Make a comment below and fill me in on your thoughts.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com.

After taking some time to dissect the Week 8 matchups and my projected WHSAA power ratings, I've come up with my annual handy-dandy guide to Week 8 football/playoffs/possible postseason matchups guide. Check it out.

Class 5A
In: Gillette, Natrona County, Sheridan, Cheyenne East, Green River, Cheyenne Central, Evanston, Rock Springs.
Out: Kelly Walsh, Laramie, Riverton.
(My projections show that if everything goes right for Kelly Walsh and/or Laramie, and everything goes wrong for Rock Springs, Cheyenne Central or Evanston, KW and/or Laramie still wouldn't be able to catch any of those three. Hence, the eight teams are set; only the order is in question.)

Class 4A
In: Buffalo, Douglas, Cody, Powell, Worland.
Win and in: Lander.
Win and need help: Jackson, Torrington, Rawlins, Wheatland, Star Valley.
Out: No one.
(Class 4A is the most confusing of the bunch. No team has truly been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, and Jackson, Torrington and Rawlins -- the seven, eight and nine spot-holders in the power rankings -- are only separated by 0.07 power points. Because of how tight the power ratings are, a win alone won't be enough for any of those three teams. They have to win, then hope the right games fall the right ways for them to make the playoffs.)

Class 3A
In: Glenrock, Lovell, Moorcroft, Wright, Kemmerer, Pinedale.
Win and in: Mountain View, Thermopolis.
Need a win and some help: Newcastle, Big Piney, Lyman.
Out: No one.
(Lyman is the longest of long shots but is still mathematically alive. But Mountain View and Thermopolis control their own destinies for the No. 7 and No. 8 spots, and as long as they win, their postseason berths are assured.)

Class 2A
In: Burns, Lingle, Lusk, Big Horn, Wind River.
Win and in: Greybull, Riverside, Rocky Mountain.
Need a win and some help: Sundance.
Out: Saratoga, Pine Bluffs, Tongue River.
(Even if Saratoga and Pine Bluffs finish their seasons with two victories, they can't catch up enough to make the playoffs. Sundance could be the spoiler here, as with the right mix they could jump as high as sixth.)

Class 1A
In: Hulett, Southeast, Burlington, Cokeville, Shoshoni, Guernsey.
Win and in: Normative Services, Upton, Hanna.
Need a win and some help: Dubois.
Out: No one.
(The obvious big Week 8 game here in terms of qualifying is NSI at Upton. The winner moves on, but the loser isn't automatically out of playoff contention, depending on what happens to Hanna and Dubois.)

There's how Week 8 sets up. Soak it in, and then when the crazy stuff happens on Friday night -- just like it always does -- come back here and I'll fill you in on exactly how it "should" break down for the playoffs.

Remember, these are possibilities based on PROJECTED power rankings. Those officially don't come out from the WHSAA office until next week. But usually our projections are pretty close.

Now, for argument's sake....

Here is how the projected playoff pairings shake out, through Week 7 using current standings (keeping in mind, of course, that power ratings ARE being used this season to determine half of the playoff qualifiers):

Class 5A
(8) Evanston at (1, 1N) Sheridan
(5) Natrona County at (4, 2S) Green River
(6) Rock Springs at (3, 2N) Gillette
(7) Cheyenne Central at (2, 1S) Cheyenne East
Class 4A
(8) Jackson at (1, 1E) Douglas
(5) Worland at (4, 2W) Powell
(6) Lander at (3, 2E) Buffalo
(7) Torrington at (2, 1W) Cody
Class 3A
(8) Thermopolis at (1, 1E) Glenrock
(5) Lovell at (4, 2W) Pinedale
(6) Wright at (3, 2E) Moorcroft
(7) Mountain View at (2, 1W) Kemmerer
Class 2A
(8) Rocky Mountain at (1, 1E) Burns
(5) Lingle at (4, 2W) Wind River
(6) Greybull at (3, 2E) Lusk
(7) Riverside at (2, 1W) Big Horn
Class 1A
(8) Upton at (1, 1W) Burlington
(5) Shoshoni at (4, 2E) Hulett
(6) Guernsey at (3, 2W) Cokeville
(7) Normative Services at (2, 1E) Southeast

In 2009, though, power ratings are disappearing, and the top four teams from each conference will take the playoff seeds based on conference record. IF that system were in place now, here's what the projected playoffs would look like, based on current standings:

Class 5A 2009 version
(4S) Rock Springs at (1N) Sheridan
(3N) Natrona County at (2S) Green River
(3S) Cheyenne Central at (2N) Gillette
(4N) Kelly Walsh at (1S) Cheyenne East
Class 4A 2009 version
(4W) Worland at (1E) Douglas
(3E) Torrington at (2W) Powell
(3W) Lander at (2E) Buffalo
(4E) Wheatland at (1W) Cody
Class 3A 2009 version
(4W) Big Piney at (1E) Glenrock
(3E) Lovell at (2W) Pinedale
(3W) Mountain View at (2E) Moorcroft
(4E) Wright at (1W) Kemmerer
Class 2A 2009 version
(4W) Greybull at (1E) Burns
(3E) Lingle at (2W) Wind River
(3W) Riverside at (2E) Lusk
(4E) Pine Bluffs at (1W) Big Horn
Class 1A 2009 version
(4E) Upton/Normative Services at (1W) Burlington
(3W) Shoshoni at (2E) Hulett
(3E) Guernsey at (2W) Cokeville
(4W) Hanna at (1E) Southeast

Which system looks better to you?

(Also, it's worth noting that in 5A, 4A, 3A and 1A this year, the conferences are unbalanced. That won't be the case when the conferences are restructured next year.)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend -- and don't forget state cross country and regional volleyball are set for next weekend, as well. I may be making some of my patented fearless predictions if I remember to do so.... :)

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

I was right, you know.

The future is now.

I was just wrong about where.

Right now, the future is in Douglas, which dispatched old-guard Buffalo 21-14 in overtime thanks to a huge second-half comeback.

And the old guard is still proving to have some life in the 5A South, where Cheyenne East topped upstart Green River to win the conference championship.

So, first mad props to Douglas, which handed Buffalo its first conference loss since conferences were brought back in 2005. And they did it with offense -- 444 yards, most of it in big bunches -- and some key plays in crunch time. The defense wasn't too shabby, either, holding the Bison to 178 rushing yards and negative passing yards (actually, negative passing yard, as in minus-1). This is a big win for Douglas, not only for what it gives them this season -- home-field advantage throughout the playoffs -- but for the confidence it'll give them for every subsequent time they meet the Bison on the field.

Second mad props to Cheyenne East, which proved its demise was only a figment of my imagination by knocking off Green River. Don't know much about this one -- only the final, 26-14 -- so if you know what happened in Cheyenne on Friday, comment below with some thoughts.

Third mad props to Worland, which showed it has shaken off its usual October curse by beating Jackson. The victory was huge for the Warriors, who essentially sealed a playoff spot with the victory. But it looks like nail-biting time for the Broncs. In Class 4A, the seventh, eighth and ninth seeds are separated by only 0.07 power ratings points. According to our projections right now, Torrington is the seven seed with a PR of 26.15, Jackson is eighth at 26.14, and Rawlins is ninth at 26.08. All three teams can just make it easy on themselves and win next week; otherwise, there will be some serious scoreboard-watching at this time next week.

Fourth mad props to Lusk, which proved why it's unbeaten by taking care of Southeast. The game was close throughout, but the Tigers took care of business in the second half, scoring all 20 of their points in the final 24 minutes. Playing tough with the game on the line -- that's not a bad trend for the Tigers to keep going.

Fifth mad props to Mountain View, which beat up on Wheatland 21-12. Who are these Buffalos?! So much for that rough start. Mountain View is a new team. They've won two in a row and have a winnable game with the Bridger Valley Bowl next week. They could be one of the hottest teams in 3A by the time the playoffs start. Of course, they're almost guaranteed to face Kemmerer in the first round of the playoffs... and Kemmerer has been a buzzsaw.

Sixth mad props to Normative Services, which pasted Wyoming Indian 50-14. In the process, the Wolves slipped into serious playoff contention. With one victory, NSI is now seventh in the 1A power rankings thanks to a relatively high strength of schedule. The Wolves have already proven they can play with any team -- now, they've actually proven they can beat them, too. And a wolf with confidence can be pretty fierce.

Seventh mad props to Hill City, S.D., which beat Upton.

As for the rest of the week:

It was the week of overtime. Three games (Rock Springs-Laramie, Douglas-Buffalo and Moorcroft-Wright) went into overtime, and oddly enough, the team that went on offense first won all three games. So much for that whole thing about wanting to go on defense first....

And all three were critical games, too. In addition to the Douglas-Buffalo game (see above), the Laramie loss basically locked the Plainsmen out of the playoffs and made the Tigers' postseason seat much, much more secure. And Moorcroft's victory over Wright not only assured them of a home playoff game in the first round, it also assured Glenrock of the 3A East championship and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Burlington, Sheridan and Big Horn also copped conference championships on Friday, leaving just three titles -- 4A West, 2A East and 1A East -- undecided. You'll see more on this later next week; check back here for detailed playoff projections, seedings, who could go where, who's in, who's out, who needs to win and who needs some help....

With that, here are the projected playoff pairings, based on current Week 7 standings, through early Friday (these ones will look different from the ones you'll see in Saturday morning's paper due to some late scores coming in after our print deadline; also, I'm still missing a pair of out-of-state games from Friday, which could affect Class 4A and Class 2A, but probably not all that much):

Class 5A
(8) Evanston at (1, 1N) Sheridan
(5) Natrona County at (4, 2S) Green River
(6) Rock Springs at (3, 2N) Gillette
(7) Cheyenne Central at (2, 1S) Cheyenne East

Class 4A
(8) Jackson at (1, 1E) Douglas
(5) Worland at (4, 2W) Powell
(6) Lander at (3, 2E) Buffalo
(7) Torrington at (2, 1W) Cody

Class 3A
(8) Thermopolis at (1, 1E) Glenrock
(5) Lovell at (4, 2W) Pinedale
(6) Wright at (3, 2E) Moorcroft
(7) Mountain View at (2, 1W) Kemmerer

Class 2A
(8) Rocky Mountain at (1, 1E) Burns
(5) Lingle at (4, 2W) Wind River
(6) Greybull at (3, 2E) Lusk
(7) Riverside at (2, 1W) Big Horn

Class 1A
(8) Upton at (1, 1W) Burlington
(5) Shoshoni at (4, 2E) Hulett
(6) Guernsey at (3, 2W) Cokeville
(7) Normative Services at (2, 1E) Southeast

So what stuck out to you in the Week 7 madness? Comment below with your thoughts.

This week: 21-7 (75 percent) (without Meeteetse-West Yellowstone, Mont.). This year: 166-56 (75 percent).

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

There are no "ifs" in Friday's game between Green River and Cheyenne East.

The winner is the conference champion. Period. End of discussion.

It's not always common that two teams play each other with such clear-cut consequences spelled out for them.

Sure, at some point in the season, every conference has a "conference championship game," but for the conference championship game to be so clearly defined -- and without any "if" games to follow -- is fairly unusual.

Both teams have proven they deserve to be at this point. They each have only one loss this season, and they're both unbeaten in 5A South Conference play.

East is the team of the mid-2000s, the three-time championship game qualifiers and now the defending state champion. And the Thunderbirds are playing at home.

Green River is the team with the expectations, the team of the future finally coming to fruition. They're the ones looking to replicate what East has already done.

Well, to put it succinctly, the future is now. I'll take the Wolves to win the game and take the conference championship back home -- and to never say "if" along the way.

Here are the rest of my picks, with bolded schools as projected winners:

Week 7
Thursday
Class 3A
Lyman at Big Piney: Somebody has to win. Right? Either way, the Punchers have shown more flashes of brilliance than the Eagles this fall.

Class 1A
Dubois at Cokeville: The Panthers are beatable; that got proven last week. But I guarantee you, no 1A teams are raising their hands to volunteer to play Cokeville in the playoffs.

Friday
Class 5A
Cheyenne Central at Sheridan: The Broncs are on a five-game winning streak, something they haven't done since 1996. And winning on Friday would make the streak six in a row -- something not done since the glorious streak of 30 in a row in 1990-93.
Gillette at Riverton: It'd be easy for Gillette to overlook the Wolverines. If they do, the Wolverines will make them pay. But don't count on the Camels overlooking anyone, either.
Laramie at Rock Springs: Rock Springs doesn't want to be the last team out of the 5A playoffs. At home, they'll make sure they're not.
Natrona County at Kelly Walsh: But I do anticipate KW putting up more of a fight than they did last year.

Class 4A
Buffalo at Douglas: The Bison haven't lost a conference game in three-plus years, but this could be the toughest test of them all. Even so, I think the Bison have too much firepower for the Bearcats.
Lander at Cody: Cody got about the best loss possible last week -- disappointing enough to be motivating, close enough to be encouraging.
Torrington at Rawlins: The way 4A has gone this year, two conference victories might not be enough for the Trailblazers to make the postseason -- which means winning out is imperative. BTW, Torrington plays Newcastle next week.
Worland at Jackson: The Broncs are firmly on the playoff bubble and need some victories now to maintain any hope of defending their championship.

Class 3A
Glenrock at Newcastle: A victory alone won't be enough for the Herders to take the conference crown, because....
Moorcroft at Wright: ... Wright has to lose, as well. In a fortunate twist for the Herders -- and for the Wolves, too, who can wrap up a home playoff game with a win -- I think the dominoes will fall this way.
Thermopolis at Kemmerer: The Rangers are on a roll right now, and I don't see anything stopping for the rest of October.

Class 2A
Big Horn at Rocky Mountain: All the Rams need for a conference championship is a victory right here. Count on Big Horn playing up to the challenge.
Sundance at Pine Bluffs: Pine Bluffs almost broke the 0-fer last week -- and that alone might be enough to motivate them to do it this week.
Tongue River at Greybull: The Eagles gave Riverside a scare last week, so this is by no means a walkover for the ever-improving Buffaloes.
Wind River at Riverside: You know how sometimes I say, 'If I could be at just one game during the week...'? Well, this week, that's this game. I think the Cougars win as pretty much everyone expects them to do, but I think the Rebels have enough pride and enough offensive weapons to make this one awfully hard on the boys from Pavillion.

Class 1A
Shoshoni at Burlington: Cokeville hangover? I don't think so. But don't look past the Wranglers, who have won four straight and look to be getting better every week.
Wyoming Indian at Normative Services: Deep down, I still think the Wolves have something good going. And in 1A, I think two victories is enough to get to the postseason. But they need to prove it....

Interclass
Burns at Guernsey: The Broncs are really looking good on both sides of the ball. They'll keep that trend going.
Lingle at Hanna: If the Doggers want to start thinking ahead, they can go ahead and start scouting Wind River right now for that first-round playoff game....
Lovell at Powell: This is another one of those intriguing games that could go either way, but I think the Panthers just have a little too much depth.
Pinedale at Saratoga: The Wranglers got a pretty rude wake-up call last week from Kemmerer. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise.
Southeast at Lusk: Another game of the week possibility right here. It's the 5-1 Cyclones against the 6-0 Tigers, and it's about as big as a non-conference game can get. The two teams look fairly even on paper... so I made this my "coin flip game of the week."
Star Valley at Evanston: A victory here would all but assure the Red Devils of a spot in the 5A playoffs -- and a loss could be just as damaging, given the right circumstances.
Wheatland at Mountain View: Situation critical in Wheatland -- the Bulldogs need, need, need this one to maintain hope of a playoff berth.

Interstate
Upton at Hill City, S.D.: While Upton isn't quite on the 1A playoff bubble, a win would certainly help the Bobcats breathe a lot easier.

Six-man
West Yellowstone, Mont., at Meeteetse: Making the playoffs won't come down to this game -- but pulling the upset sure would help the Longhorns as they head down the stretch.

There are my picks for the second-to-last week of the regular season. What do you think? Who's ready to pull an upset this week? Post a comment below and let me know who to watch for in Week 7.

By the way, here's how the conference championship races break down this week:

5A North: Sheridan wins the title with a Kelly Walsh loss.
5A South: Look above. The East-Green River winner is the champ.
4A East: The Buffalo-Douglas winner is the champ.
4A West: Crown can't be claimed this week.
3A East: Glenrock wins the title with a victory and a Wright loss.
3A West: Kemmerer's already won the thing.
2A East: Crown can't be claimed this week.
2A West: Big Horn wins the title with a victory.
1A East: Crown can't be claimed this week.
1A West: Burlington wins the title with a victory.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com  

Here is this week's Trio, trying to look as good as possible as we head into the final stages of the fall season.

VOLLEYBALL: Volleybowl. The annual rivalry game between Natrona County and Kelly Walsh always takes on a little extra meaning in the volleyball version, simply because both teams are usually pretty good. That's the case again this year, as the Trojans' only West Conference loss has come courtesy of the unbeaten-in-league-play Fillies.

GIRLS SWIMMING: 4A North Regional, Riverton. I just want to see by how much Gillette wins. The Camels look unstoppable this year, but the scary part is they look unstoppable for about three or four more years to come, too.

CROSS COUNTRY: 4A East Regional, Cheyenne. Given how often Wyoming teams leave the state for their cross country fix, regional meets are the best -- and sometimes, the only -- gauge for possible state meet success. With all the teams in Wyoming scheduled to stay in Wyoming the next two weeks, the best teams and individuals will undisputedly be sorted out. The most intrigue rests in Cheyenne, though, where any of the half-dozen teams in attendance could come out on top.

There are three events I'm watching closely this weekend. How about you? What's got your attention? Post a comment below.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Here are five teams that are starting to hit their peaks at the right time of the year, in no particular order:

1. Top-ranked volleyball teams: It was a good week to be one of the top-ranked teams in the Star-Tribune's volleyball poll. Combined, Natrona County (2-0), Wheatland (1-0), Big Horn (1-0) and Cokeville (3-0) went 7-0 in their seven matches. Together, they lost only one game all weekend.

2. Cheyenne girls swimming: Central and East finished 1-2 at the Rawlins Invitational on Saturday. Central had the most points -- 388 to East's 290 -- but East had more event winners -- seven to Central's four.

3. Burns football: The Broncs won two games in a span of four days, topping Sundance 47-6 on Friday and Saratoga 46-0 on Monday.

4. Kelly Walsh girls swimming: The Fish Bowl is always a big pride meter for the Casper swimming teams. This year, it was the Trojans that came out on top. And that's momentum KW can carry into regionals next week.

5. Snow: For the first time this fall, we all got reminded who's in charge for real. Snow moved a bunch of events around and caused a few to be canceled. Be careful out there.

Additions? Post yours below.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Don't know what Kemmerer's helmet looks like?

Wonder no more.

Two Web sites have taken care of the Wyoming high school football helmets angle.

The first is the Wyoming High School Football Helmet Project, put together by J.T. Cattelan.

The second is MG Helmets, which devotes a portion of their site to Wyoming high schools.

If you have a few minutes, check them out. Of course, if you're like me, you'll need more than just a few minutes to really appreciate them.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

When I talked to Burlington coach Mike Aagard tonight after his team's 7-6 victory over Cokeville, he noted that he wasn't sure if Burlington had ever beaten Cokeville before now.

Well, I looked. And Coach Aagard, here's your answer:

Friday's victory was indeed Burlington's first victory over Cokeville. Ever.

It's not like the Panthers and Huskies are old rivals or anything, though. Friday's meeting was only the ninth time the two teams had played ever played each other -- including five meetings in the playoffs.

Why the big deal? Well, as far as 1A West football is concerned, Cokeville is the standard. The Panthers' reputation is well known, which makes them the target for all the 1A West teams year in and year out.

And beating Cokeville in a conference game? Well, that's worthy of mad props. Whether Burlington's victory was a permanent passing of the torch or a one-year aberration remains to be seen....

Second mad props go to Powell, 19-14 winners over Jackson in Jackson. I've said it before and I'll say it again, simply because the same overriding theme of the 4A West keeps repeating itself: This conference is full of parity. Look at the evidence from Friday alone: Powell tops Jackson; Star Valley nearly upsets Lander; Cody almost knocks off 5A No. 1 Sheridan. Whoever wins this league -- or maybe, even moreso, the team that finishes second and earns that hosting duty in the first round -- will have earned their spot, no doubt about it.

And... that's all my Humble Pie this week. Yeah, really. I only missed two games. Through nearly four years of picking, missing only two games is a regular-season record for me. Suddenly, I couldn't care less about the snow, the cold and the sadness I feel about the death of summer. Yay, new record!

Outside my misses, there were some pretty interesting things that popped up on Friday:

It was a tough week to be a loser. Out of all 28 11-man games this week, no loser scored more than 18 points (that was Cody in its 19-18 loss to Sheridan). Only eight of the 28 losers broke into double digits, and there were nine shutouts -- including five of the six losing teams from Class 3A. Was it just the snow and cold slowing everyone down to NFL Films speed? Or did every single defense in the state take the sudden resurgence of offensive firepower last week personally?

So far, only one conference championship has been claimed outright, and that's Kemmerer in the 3A West. The Rangers pasted Pinedale 40-0 today to earn the top spot there. Six of the remaining nine conference championships can be claimed next week; the 4A West, 2A East and 1A East races, though, are guaranteed to go into Week 8.

With that, I'll take my leave -- but not before posting the projected playoff pairings, posted as if the regular season ended right now:

Projected playoff pairings: Through Week 6 games using current standings.

Class 5A
(8) Evanston at (1) Sheridan
(5) Natrona County at (4) Green River
(7) Rock Springs at (2) Cheyenne East
(6) Cheyenne Central at (3) Gillette

Class 4A
(8) Rawlins at (1) Buffalo
(5) Powell at (4) Lander
(7) Jackson at (2) Cody
(6) Worland at (3) Douglas

Class 3A
(8) Newcastle at (1) Glenrock
(5) Lovell at (4) Pinedale
(7) Thermopolis at (2) Kemmerer
(6) Wright at (2) Moorcroft

Class 2A
(8) Greybull at (1) Burns
(5) Lingle at (4) Wind River
(7) Rocky Mountain at (2) Big Horn
(6) Riverside at (3) Lusk

Class 1A
(8) Hanna at (1) Burlington
(5) Shoshoni at (4) Hulett
(7) Upton at (2) Southeast
(6) Guernsey at (3) Cokeville

This week: 28-2 (93 percent). This year: 145-49 (75 percent).

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

KW MOVES UP TODAY'S VOLLEYBALL TIME: Saturday's Kelly Walsh volleyball game times against Star Valley have been moved up. Games will start at 9 a.m. with the varsity game scheduled for an 11:30 a.m. start. 

KW, NC SKIP GILLETTE: The Natrona County and Kelly Walsh girls swimming teams will not be traveling to Gillette on Saturday to participate in the Gillette Invitational.

RIVERTON CANCELS XC: The Berry Bryant/Kyle Johnson Invitational cross country meet on Friday in Riverton was canceled.

If you know of any more postponements or cancellations, please e-mail sports@trib.com

Hey, 3A West:

How did it get to this point?

Week 5 has come and gone, and three of your five teams are still winless?

Wha... wha... hmmm.... uhhh... oooohh... ummmm...

Speechless is about the only way to describe it -- and even if I had much to say, I couldn't, because it's hard to talk when your jaw is on the floor.

But I'll try:

For several years, the 3A West teams (Big Piney, Pinedale, Kemmerer, Mountain View and Lyman) have been hallmarks of consistency. Between them, they've won 12 state championships in the past 15 years, and every team except Pinedale has at least one state title in that span.

But this year, the 3A West has been getting the attention for the wrong reasons. 

Take a look at the WHSAA power ratings -- right now, there are two West Conference teams and six East Conference teams slated to make the playoffs.

Thankfully, this week, at least one of the three winless teams will garner a victory. It's guaranteed, as Mountain View travels up the road to play Big Piney.

Next week, Lyman's at Big Piney (and Mountain View hosts 4A Wheatland), while in Week 8, Lyman hosts Mountain View (and Big Piney travels to 1A stud Cokeville).

Here's the scary part: If Mountain View, Big Piney and Lyman go 1-1 against each other the next two weeks, they could ALL miss the playoffs. Only Kemmerer and Pinedale would move on, and all six 3A East teams would qualify for a playoff bracket that would have been completely unfathomable at the beginning of the season.

This week, I'll take Mountain View to win over Big Piney. And I'll take a pair of pliers to get my tongue untwisted and a tire jack to get my jaw up from off the ground.

Here are the rest of this week's picks. Projected winners are in bold, and projected non-winners can shove it right back in my face if they so choose today. ... :)

Friday
Class 5A
Cheyenne East at Rock Springs: Rock Springs' improvement is notable, and winning this game could be a huge breakthrough.... And it could happen. For now, the safe money's on the T-Birds. But we'll see.
Evanston at Cheyenne Central: No one has had a tougher first five games than the Indians, and the record shows it. Hopefully for Central, so will the improvement.
Green River at Laramie: With East next week and the Trona Bowl in Week 8, this could be a landmine game if the Wolves aren't careful. My bet is the Wolves will be plenty careful.
Kelly Walsh at Gillette: The Camels are darn near unbeatable at home.
Riverton at Natrona County: NC needs some victories to set themselves up for the postseason. And they don't need me to tell them that.

Class 4A
Powell at Jackson: This could be the best game in the state, not only this week but this season. Then again, it seems like every 4A West game this season has that potential. I'll take the Broncs at home in a tiny upset.
Star Valley at Lander: The Tiger train is officially back on track.
Torrington at Douglas: I can't decide if this will be a 49-35 shootout-type or a 6-0 defensive stalemate.... Either way, I think the Bearcats have the firepower to win it.
Wheatland at Buffalo: These Bison guys are pretty decent.

Class 3A
Glenrock at Moorcroft: Even with all the improvement Moorcroft has shown this fall, I still think it's Glenrock-Kemmerer on Nov. 15....
Kemmerer at Pinedale: Even with all the improvement Pinedale has shown this fall, I still think it's Glenrock-Kemmerer on Nov. 15....
Lyman at Wright: Can the Eagles snap their slump? Maybe... but bus lag and the Panthers are a tough combination to overcome.
Newcastle at Lovell: I knew the Bulldogs would be there. Now, they're quickly becoming the team that no one wants to see on their side of the 3A playoff bracket. 

Class 2A
Burns at Sundance: Odd side note: Sundance is the only common opponent that second-ranked Burns and top-ranked Big Horn have this season. So if nothing else, this should be a good gauge to see how Burns stacks up to Big Horn.
Greybull at Big Horn: Speaking of the Rams, they're pretty good -- although they know they have company at the top of 2A. No resting on their laurels here.
Lingle at Pine Bluffs: If the Hornets are going to get on some kind of season-saving roll, it has to start now. But I'm afraid it might be too late. Prove me wrong, PB... I won't mind. :)
Lusk at Saratoga: The Tigers have Southeast and Burns up after this week, so they can't afford to slip up here in what's sure to be an emotional game.
Riverside at Tongue River: Don't count out the Rebels. They're going to be one of those teams no one wants to play in the first round of the playoffs.
Wind River at Rocky Mountain: If there's such a thing as a "good loss," the Cougars had it last week. They've proven they can play with anyone in 2A, and they may not lose again.

Class 1A
Cokeville at Burlington: You can basically crown the winner of this game the conference champion. Both the Panthers and Huskies are undefeated in conference play; every other team has at least two conference losses.
Guernsey at Hulett: I said here back in, like, June that this would be the game the Red Devils would have to win to prove they belong. With what may end up being a first-round home playoff game on the line, I think Hulett will break through and prove they deserve it.
Hanna at Shoshoni: Shoshoni is quietly moving up the 1A ranks. Don't look now, but the Wranglers have won three in a row (including a sub-11 man game last week against Midwest).
Normative Services at Southeast: The Cyclones' defense has turned it on, giving up only 20 points combined in their past four games. That'll continue.
Wyoming Indian at Dubois: The Chiefs should be rested and ready for this one after the bye last week.

Interclass
Sheridan at Cody: Combined, these two teams are 8-0 this year against other Wyoming teams -- and 0-3 against Montana teams.
Thermopolis at Worland: Both teams are teetering on the edge of playoff oblivion, so count on high adrenaline for a game that will mean a ton for the power ratings. That, and Thermopolis hasn't beaten Worland since 1998.

Interstate
Rawlins at Moffat County, Colo.: Rawlins has lost 10 straight in this series dating back to 1990.

Six-man
Roberts, Mont., at Meeteetse: The road only gets harder for the Longhorns from here on out.

Off: Upton.

Monday bonus pick
Class 2A
Saratoga at Burns: The circumstances for why this game is where it is are sad and unfortunate. Hopefully, playing the game will ease some of the sadness.

Picks. Discuss. Right? Wrong? Other?

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

This week's list, in no particular order:

1. Gillette boys tennis: The Camels won their third straight tennis title, playing off the strength of a sweep of all three doubles championships to claim another trophy.

2. Jackson girls tennis: While we're at it, the Jackson girls won the key matches they needed to win and secured their first state girls tennis championship in a decade.

3. Meeteetse football: Check out the Longhorns -- they got a huge conference victory last week and improved to 2-2 in conference play. Three more huge games await...

4. Gillette cross country: One more quick nod to the Camels and, specifically, Dominick Robinson. The senior set a new course record at the Centerra Invitational in Loveland, breaking the 16-minute mark to help the Camels finish fourth in a huge field.

5. Burlington football: The Huskies were creeping up on everyone in 1A -- and then they quit with the creeping and just marched right on in. Beating defending 2A champion Riverside 19-13 last week helped put the Huskies among 1A's short list of favorites with a big home game against Cokeville looming on Friday.

There's my five. Add to the list if you'd like by commenting below.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Welcome, offense. How we've missed you here in Wyoming this year. It's great to have you back.

It was so nice of you to finally show up. You helped 14 teams of 11-man football score more than 30 points this week. And three losers in Class 5A scored more than 20 points. It was rather refreshing to see, for once.

And with that, first mad props to Cheyenne East, which took care of Cheyenne Central 37-34 in the highest scoring Capital Bowl ever (tied with 1978, in which Central beat East 37-34 in triple OT). Don't know anything about this game other than the final score, so can anyone fill me in? This was a huge win for the T-Birds, who remained unbeaten in South Conference play with Rock Springs next week and a rather ominous-looking showdown with Green River coming in Week 7.

Second mad props to Lingle, which put up 50 points in its victory over Guernsey. Yep, 50. Alan Hill was a monster, running for 229 yards, three touchdowns and, with the way things were going for him on Friday, probably a date with Guernsey's homecoming queen, too. After proving they can play defense, the Doggers have proven they know how to play offense, too.

Third mad props belong to Burlington, which topped Riverside 19-13. Speaking of big games, how about the Huskies' Spencer Flores? He scored all three of Burlington's touchdowns, including the game-winner in the fourth quarter. That type of game is not really unexpected from Mr. Flores; he just put it together when his team needed it most.

Fourth mad props go out to Greybull, which topped Rocky Mountain 19-12 there in Greybull. The Buffs had a big night on the ground, running for 307 yards. Any time you can run for your area code, you're doing something right (especially in upper central Michigan; not so much in New Jersey).

Fifth mad props go to Meeteetse, which beat three schools on Friday in topping Grass Range-Winnett-Roy, Mont., for a conference victory. Another big game here; Quinn Stossel scored all four of the Longhorns' touchdowns, and they all came in the first half. This was a key victory for the Longhorns, who were in danger of falling out of the playoff race. With this win, they're right back in it -- and repping Wyoming well in Montana.

Sixth mad props to Wright, which bucked the big offense trend and went old school in its 6-0 victory over Newcastle. Duncan Jones scored the only TD of the game in the third quarter, and from there the Panthers did what they had to do to earn an important East Conference victory. The playoff race is becoming a bit clearer in a crowded East, and the Panthers are right in the thick of it.

Seventh mad props go to Gillette, which edged out Natrona County 15-13 and helped clear up the order at the top of the 5A North. The Camels made all the big plays and limited what Natrona wanted to do offensively, and did so without the state's leading rusher, Logan Pokallus, in the lineup. The Camels are back -- and if they can beat Kelly Walsh and Riverton the next two weeks, they'll be at home in the playoffs.

Eighth mad props go to Rock Springs, 30-16 winners over Jackson. This is another game I don't know much about, other than the final, but it IS Rock Springs' second win in a row. And heading into a stretch of three straight conference games to end the season, that can't be a bad trend to start.

Plenty of other cool stuff happened this week -- Cody stayed unbeaten in the 4A West, Glenrock again broke the 400-yard rushing barrier, Pinedale nipped Mountain View to set up an interesting 3A West and Big Horn beat Wind River in a battle of unbeatens.

And, unfortunately, we were once again reminded of how suddenly life can be taken from us. I can't imagine the heartache felt in the Saratoga/Encampment communities right now with the death of Mitchell Birch. Sports always become secondary when something like this happens, not only for the teams themselves but for everyone who hears the story. And as it should be. Please take a moment sometime this weekend to appreciate the moments that make life so much fun -- and be thankful you're still here to enjoy them. And please keep the families of Mitchell, Dubois' Delbert Madrid and Wright's Brittany Rentas in your thoughts all season long.

Feel free to add your thoughts below on any of the Week 5 goings-on.

This week: 20-8 (71 percent). This year: 117-47 (71 percent).

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Today's Class 2A East Conference football game between Saratoga and Burns, scheduled to take place in Burns, has been postponed to Oct. 13.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Technically, the 2A West Conference champion won't be decided on Friday.

But let's get real. Of course it will.

The big 2A game of the week, Big Horn at Wind River, has conference championship game written all over it.

Big Horn and Wind River are both 4-0, and Wind River has the early edge in the conference standings only because the Cougars have played more conference games than the Rams (2-0 to 1-0).

You can trace Big Horn's success back several years. The program is rock solid and even changing coaches didn't affect the Rams' dynasty this fall.

You can trace Wind River's success back to Week 1, when a lenghth-of-the-field interception for a touchdown on the final play of the game against Pinedale gave the Cougars a victory and, more importantly, confidence.

Together, these two teams have outscored their opponents 283-33. They've both been tested -- Wind River in Week 1 against Pinedale, Big Horn two weeks ago against Moorcroft -- and they both passed those tests like champions.

This week, my pick goes Big Horn's way. But either way, don't kid yourself: This game will be for the conference championship when it's all said and done.

That said, here are the rest of this week's picks, with projected winners in bold and projected losers still finding a soft spot in my heart:

Thursday
Class 1A
Hulett at Normative Services: The Wolves are notoriously slow starters, but it's getting late in the season to do anything now....

Friday
Class 5A
Cheyenne East at Cheyenne Central: In a slight upset, I'll take the Indians. No real reason, just a hunch.
Kelly Walsh at Green River: KW has a schedule you wouldn't wish on anyone for the last four weeks of their season: at GR; at Gillette; home vs. Natrona; at Sheridan.
Laramie at Evanston: Quite honestly, I think whoever loses this game might be out of the loop come playoff time. And it could be either team. I'll take the Red Devils because of home field.
Natrona County at Gillette: Huge game, huge implications. I think it'll be close.... with some big-yardage play in the fourth quarter turning it the Mustangs' way.
Sheridan at Riverton: But don't underestimate a hyped-up team ready to take it to an old ally.

Class 4A
Buffalo at Torrington: I still think Torrington's got something good going -- but Buffalo is just way, way, way too tough.
Cody at Worland: The Broncs control their own destiny in the West; look for them to hold onto that ability for as long as possible.
Lander at Douglas: Check this out: I don't think Lander will win consecutive games in the regular season... and I think they'll finish 4-4 and make the playoffs easily.
Rawlins at Wheatland: Don't jump off the Bulldogs' bandwagon just yet.
Star Valley at Powell: Hey, who knows? If the West has proven anything this year, it's proven unpredictability. I still like Powell at home, though.

Class 3A
Lovell at Lyman: Rough season for the Eagles won't get any easier with the surging Bulldogs coming to town.
Pinedale at Mountain View: Yup... the Wranglers look legit.
Thermopolis at Glenrock: With Moorcroft looming next week, the Herders need to make sure their focus is on the team at hand.
Wright at Newcastle: Huge game for playoff seeding, power ratings and all that fun stuff. And right now, Newcastle needs this game more than Wright does.

Class 2A
Rocky Mountain at Greybull: Game of the week potential right here. There's a lot of parity in the middle of the 2A West, and this game could easily go either way.
Saratoga at Burns: Can't we just get to Week 8 and Lusk-Burns already?
Tongue River at Lusk: Can't we just get to Week 8 and Lusk-Burns already?

Class 1A
Cokeville at Hanna: The Panthers just keep looking stronger and stronger. Of course, their opponents have a combined 8-21 record, and their toughest games are yet to come.
Dubois vs. Upton, at Casper: Both teams have struggled offensively, so one big play from either side might be all it takes to bust this game open.

Interclass
Burlington at Riverside: Last week proved that Riverside is ready for anything.
Guernsey at Lingle: It's odd to think these two teams won't be playing each other next year. Last one goes to the Vikings.
Moorcroft at Sundance: It's a rivalry game, so weird stuff is expected, but I'm still going to lean the Wolves' way.
Pine Bluffs at Southeast: On paper, this looks like a mismatch, but this one could be closer than you think.
Rock Springs at Jackson: Jackson has a nice little nine-game home winning streak going. The last team to win AT Jackson? Rock Springs, of course.

Six-man
Grass Range-Winnett-Roy, Mont., at Meeteetse: If you've got to combine three schools to get a football team... maybe you're stretched a bit too thin. Or maybe you have the depth of three schools. Uh, oh.

Saturday
Class 3A
Big Piney at Kemmerer: So I hear this Kemmerer team is pretty good or something....

There are this week's thoughts. If you think I've goofed somewhere, make a comment below and contribute some original thoughts to the conversation.

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com

Given the fallout/debate that has centered around the WHSAA's classification decisions this week, I give you the special edition of the Sports Goulash Trio:

1. Cheyenne South High School -- coming in 2010

2. The new Casper high school -- coming sometime

3. The new Gillette high school -- coming eventually

Add these three new high schools, and suddenly reclassification is a little bit easier.

Think about it: Three Cheyenne high schools at about 1300-1350 students apiece; three Casper high schools at about 1100-1200 students apiece; two Gillette high schools at about 1000-1100 students apiece.

Suddenly, Rock Springs is the biggest high school in the state at about 1350. And a little bit of parity finally enters the Class 4A fold.

With three new schools, a 16-school Class 4A and a 16-school Class 3A looks incredibly feasible.

Can't you see it? Gillette North, Gillette South, Sheridan and Casper Mountain HS hanging out in a Northeast Conference; Cheyenne East, Cheyenne Central, Cheyenne South and Laramie tucked together in the Southeast; Rock Springs, Green River, Evanston and Star Valley hanging out in the Southwest Conference; and Riverton, Cody, Kelly Walsh and Natrona County together in the Northwest.

Sweet.

But this type of stuff moves slow. This glorious combination of smaller, more equitable schools won't happen for a long, long time -- probably not for at least another 8-10 years.

It's nice to dream of the system that works for everybody. And it's idealistic to think all it would take to fix the problems inherent in the discussions now is three new high schools. After all, by the time this happens, there will probably be a new set of problems popping up that we can't even imagine right now.

But isn't it nice to think about this system? And how well it would work? And how it would get everyone to sit back and actually enjoy a conference alignment for once?

Ahhhh.....

Posted by patrick.schmiedt@trib.com