Football is the only sport or activity in the wide array of things offered by the Illinois High School Association that requires qualification for the postseason.

It is one of many unique wrinkles that only the football season provides.

495 teams started the season with the hope of being one of the 256 teams invited to the postseason fracas. Some of those journeys to the field have been relatively smooth and have been locked up for a few weeks. Others could be waiting it out until the last minute.

Let’s walk through that journey that creates the field of 256 teams.

The first teams placed are conference champions.

There are 58 conferences in the state of Illinois that include teams that are eligible for the playoffs.

But all of them do not receive that automatic bid designation. The I

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