Playoff Picture: Division I football

The path to winning the East and the West Conferences begin now in Division I.

This weekend, Exeter and Nashua North and Portsmouth and Bishop Guertin faceoff in matchups of current playoff teams, while Dover faces Alvirne, Nashua South takes on Winnacunnet and Spaulding faces Keene.

And that's just the beginning. North and Portsmouth then play next week, while South plays at Exeter and at Portsmouth over the next two weeks, and then hosts Dover in Week 9. Bishop Guertin will also play at Exeter in Week 8.

The top two from each conference will be the top two seeds in the playoffs, while the next two best teams, regardless of conference, will advance to the postseason.

Here’s a look at how Division I would look if the playoffs started this week.

East/West Cluster

East Conference

1. x-Portsmouth (4-1), 10.80
2. x-Exeter (4-1), 10.00
3. Dover (3-2), 9.20
4. Winnacunnet (1-4), 2.40
5. Spaulding (0-5), 0.00

West Conference

1. x-Bishop Guertin (4-1), 10.80
2. x-Nashua North (4-1), 10.40
3. Nashua South (3-2), 6.80
4. Keene (1-4), 3.60
5. Alvirne (1-4), 2.00

Playoff teams: Bishop Guertin, Exeter, Nashua North, Portsmouth.

Quarterfinals: No. 4 Exeter at No. 1 Bishop Guertin; No. 3 Nashua North at No. 2 Portsmouth.

Scenarios: Another week, another upset rearranges the playoff field. Exeter's loss to Portsmouth has the Blue Hawks tumbling down to the fourth seed in the cluster, while the Clippers and Bishop Guertin are tied for the top seed. North falls to No. 3 despite beating Winnacunnet by 20 points. This week's games could be playoff previews.

Games to watch this week: Exeter at Nashua North, Friday, 7 p.m.; Nashua South at Winnacunnet, Friday, 7 p.m.; Portsmouth at Bishop Guertin, Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

North/South Cluster

North Conference

1. x-Bedford (5-0), 14.80
2. x-Goffstown (4-1), 9.60
3. Manchester Central (3-2), 6.80
4. Concord (1-4), 2.00
5. Manchester Memorial (0-5), 0.00

South Conference

1. x-Merrimack (4-1), 11.20
2. x-Salem (4-1), 10.80
3. Pinkerton (2-3), 4.80
4. Londonderry (1-4), 2.40
5. Timberlane (1-4), 2.00

Playoff teams: Bedford, Goffstown, Merrimack, Salem.

Quarterfinal matchups: No. 4 Goffstown at No. 1 Bedford; No. 3 Salem at No. 2 Merrimack.

Scenarios: Same four teams in the field, with Merrimack's win over Salem causing the two to switch spots in the South Conference.

Games to watch this week: Pinkerton at Timberlane, Friday, 6:30 p.m.; Bedford at Manchester Central, Friday, 7 p.m.; Goffstown at Concord, Friday, 7 p.m.