The Official Unbiased Top Ten week 9

Cross Bones

All-Conference
Aug 19, 2001
53,504
4,600
113
1. ESL (7-1) - After a 54-0 Thanos-ing of Alton and fourth straight week of giving up zero points has the pollsters wondering about the schedule. That is fair, but they found no reason to supplant ESL as they've shown no deficiencies in the armor. Flyers travel up to the northern portion of Naperville to face the upstart Huskies and stop by Fat Rosie's for some enchiladas.

2. LWE (8-0) - Griffins climb a spot after they steamroll another SWSC rival in the Porters hailing out of Lockport. Media built this one up as a top matchup, but they were putting their bias on display as the Porters were 4-3 coming in with zero wins against a team with a winning record*. East did what they were supposed to do in a 40-0 win.

3. Loyola (8-0) - Ramblers fall slightly after a good, but confusing win over fellow TOUTT member, ICCP. In the end Loyola stood victorious outpacing the Knights 45-35 in a game that saw them give up 35 points in the 1st half, but also shut out the opponent in the second half while scoring 24 of their own, and downright dominating. I have questions however, how would the Ramblers defense do against an offense like ESL's or MC's? Big game coming up Friday.

4. Hersey (8-0) - THE week is finally here where we get a test for Hersey and Prospect as they face each other. This will determine where one, both, or neither team stays in the TOUTT. This better be on streaming or Marquee.

5. Rice (6-2) - Made minced meat of DePaul Prep and is gearing up for the Fisticuffs for Pulaski against Marist which should provide a final test before the playoffs.

6. Prospect (8-0) - The Mid-Suburban East conference championship is Friday against Hersey. These two teams have put up almost identical numbers with Prospect scoring 28 more points and allowing 24 more points over 8 weeks. They are separated by four points.

7. MC (6-2) - Took care of business against a JCA that was surging and had a stout D (ayoo). Caravan managed to hang 42 up and hold the Hillmen to 14. MC may need a win this Friday against Loyola to avoid having to play in the Opening Round of the playoffs.

8. Bolingbrook (7-1) - Raiders secure a portion (at least) of their 2nd straight SWP West championship with a win over a solid Plainfield North 46-14. Raiders defense continues to be superb as Plainfield managed to score on a pick 6 and against the reserves. After early season offensive struggles Raiders are moving the ball through the air and on the ground.

9. Oswego (7-1) - Panthers got the 40-14 win over conference rival The Nook again without the services of their top offensive threat. Hopefully he returns for the playoffs. Oswego faces their in town nemesis Oswego East this Friday for what should be test before getting a week off in the Opening Round.

10. ICCP (7-1) - There were a lot of questions surrounding the Knights game with Loyola, "Would the starters play?", "Would the Knights be competitive?", "Could they spring a massive upset or would it even be an upset?". Starters played, and they were competitive... it also looked as though they may spring the upset--in the first half. ICCP played out of their mind on offense scoring 35 first half points against what all indicators say is a top tier defense. I've now seen the Knights three times (Iggy, Benet, and LA) and I think they are actually in between what we saw in the 1st and 2nd halves Friday. And that's good enough to keep them in for now. JCA up next


* LWW lost to Kankakee on the field but was awarded a forfeit due to an ineligible player being used
 

pjjp

All-Conference
Aug 26, 2001
5,823
3,096
113
Watched some of the 1st half of the Brook/PN game. That Raider defense is good. Looks like one of their best ever.
 
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Cross Bones

All-Conference
Aug 19, 2001
53,504
4,600
113
Watched some of the 1st half of the Brook/PN game. That Raider defense is good. Looks like one of their best ever.
Its up there in terms of results for sure. A team hasnt had a scoring drive for more than 25 yards, give or take, since week 1 except PN's last drive TD on the backups. And two of the TDs were against the O and STs plus a safety.
 

80sRambler

Senior
Oct 28, 2022
403
468
63
Scratching my head a little big on ICCP being only at 10 while Ramblers retain a top 3 spot. But then remembered that the list must reflect the full season of work and not just the latest game. Nice work as always.
 
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Cross Bones

All-Conference
Aug 19, 2001
53,504
4,600
113
Scratching my head a little big on ICCP being only at 10 while Ramblers retain a top 3 spot. But then remembered that the list must reflect the full season of work and not just the latest game. Nice work as always.
Indeed but I do prioritize the more recent work. I just think we saw two conflicting things out of IC Friday night. QB was dropping dimes on WRs in the 1st half, 2nd half QB was basically running for his life. I tried to split the difference.
 

Silver Rain

All-Conference
Jun 6, 2022
1,508
1,579
78
A Marist upset of Brother Rice has been brewing throughout the season, a season that has been defined by upsets or near upsets. Even MOB gives a nod to the possibility.
 
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DirtySixThirty

Sophomore
Aug 20, 2026
276
128
43
This week, I'll offer you my top ten with a best and worst game for each team.

1. Loyola
Best game: Defeated St. Ignatius 38-7
Worst game: Defeated Cathedral (IN) 33-19

2. Lincoln-Way East
Best game: Defeated Brother Rice 22-21
Worst game: Defeated Kankakee 22-14

3. Brother Rice
Best game: Defeated Mt. Carmel 35-24
Worst game: Defeated Notre Dame 63-28

4. East St. Louis
Best game: Defeated Mt. Carmel 42-23
Worst game: Lost to American Heritage (FL) 35-28

5. Mt. Carmel
Best game: Defeated Nazareth 35-7
Worst game: Lost to East St. Louis 42-23

6. Immaculate Conception
Best game: Lost to Loyola 45-35
Worst game: Defeated St. Laurence 28-12 (not a knock on Laurence, but the second string gave up two quick touchdowns in the fourth quarter and gave up consecutive onside kicks)

7. St. Ignatius
Best game: Defeated St. Rita 42-16
Worst game: Lost to Loyola 38-7

8. Homewood-Flossmoor
Best game: Defeated Bolingbrook 31-0
Worst game: Lost to Lincoln-Way Central 38-27

9. Bolingbrook
Best game: Defeated Oswego 21-7
Worst game: Lost to Homewood-Flossmoor 31-0

10. Oswego
Best game: Defeated Geneva 44-42
Worst game: Lost to Bolingbrook 21-7
 
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PowerI66

Senior
Jul 10, 2025
925
783
93
3. Brother Rice
Best game: Defeated Mt. Carmel 35-24
Worst game: Defeated Notre Dame 63-28
Magnify Rick Moranis GIF
 

DirtySixThirty

Sophomore
Aug 20, 2026
276
128
43
Rice win was best. You likely don’t want to hear my thoughts on LA’s worst.
For some of these teams, I couldn't truly find a bad game, so I tried to pick the worst good game. I went with Cathedral because it was closer than their conference games, and I don't tend to think of Indiana as having the same caliber of teams as we do.
 

80sRambler

Senior
Oct 28, 2022
403
468
63
For some of these teams, I couldn't truly find a bad game, so I tried to pick the worst good game. I went with Cathedral because it was closer than their conference games, and I don't tend to think of Indiana as having the same caliber of teams as we do.
Cathedral was early in season. Was never really in doubt. Was Ok, not terrible.
 

McCaravan

All-American
Feb 1, 2016
5,344
8,329
113
This week, I'll offer you my top ten with a best and worst game for each team.

1. Loyola
Best game: Defeated St. Ignatius 38-7
Worst game: Defeated Cathedral (IN) 33-19

2. Lincoln-Way East
Best game: Defeated Brother Rice 22-21
Worst game: Defeated Kankakee 22-14

3. Brother Rice
Best game: Defeated Mt. Carmel 35-24
Worst game: Defeated Notre Dame 63-28

4. East St. Louis
Best game: Defeated Mt. Carmel 42-23
Worst game: Lost to American Heritage (FL) 35-28

5. Mt. Carmel
Best game: Defeated Nazareth 35-7
Worst game: Lost to East St. Louis 42-23

6. Immaculate Conception
Best game: Lost to Loyola 45-35
Worst game: Defeated St. Laurence 28-12 (not a knock on Laurence, but the second string gave up two quick touchdowns in the fourth quarter and gave up consecutive onside kicks)

7. St. Ignatius
Best game: Defeated St. Rita 42-16
Worst game: Lost to Loyola 38-7

8. Homewood-Flossmoor
Best game: Defeated Bolingbrook 31-0
Worst game: Lost to Lincoln-Way Central 38-27

9. Bolingbrook
Best game: Defeated Oswego 21-7
Worst game: Lost to Homewood-Flossmoor 31-0

10. Oswego
Best game: Defeated Geneva 44-42
Worst game: Lost to Bolingbrook 21-7
Respectfully MC best win was vs St. Joes when they erased a 29 point 1st half deficit. They put 56 on Marist, 49 on PC and 42 on JCA....I thought the Naz win was a very basic vanilla performance by MC after two tough games to open the season.

Worst loss was vs BR and most MC fans will agree. MC blew leads in both games but losing to ESL in the opener especially with MC having to pivot from their game plan when their original starting QB went down and with ESL having so much talent it didn't surprise many, I certainly was not. But I feel that MC was the better team vs. Rice but Rice just played a better, more disciplined game that night while MC shot themselves in the foot with untimely and unnecessary penalties and giving Rice great field position numerous times on kickoffs.
 
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4Afan

All-Conference
Sep 15, 2001
4,756
4,238
113
Yeah, just using the game where a team gave up the most points may not be the best benchmark for a worst game.
 
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eagles2k3!

Sophomore
Aug 29, 2025
170
131
43
This week, I'll offer you my top ten with a best and worst game for each team.

1. Loyola
Best game: Defeated St. Ignatius 38-7
Worst game: Defeated Cathedral (IN) 33-19

2. Lincoln-Way East
Best game: Defeated Brother Rice 22-21
Worst game: Defeated Kankakee 22-14

3. Brother Rice
Best game: Defeated Mt. Carmel 35-24
Worst game: Defeated Notre Dame 63-28

4. East St. Louis
Best game: Defeated Mt. Carmel 42-23
Worst game: Lost to American Heritage (FL) 35-28

5. Mt. Carmel
Best game: Defeated Nazareth 35-7
Worst game: Lost to East St. Louis 42-23

6. Immaculate Conception
Best game: Lost to Loyola 45-35
Worst game: Defeated St. Laurence 28-12 (not a knock on Laurence, but the second string gave up two quick touchdowns in the fourth quarter and gave up consecutive onside kicks)

7. St. Ignatius
Best game: Defeated St. Rita 42-16
Worst game: Lost to Loyola 38-7

8. Homewood-Flossmoor
Best game: Defeated Bolingbrook 31-0
Worst game: Lost to Lincoln-Way Central 38-27

9. Bolingbrook
Best game: Defeated Oswego 21-7
Worst game: Lost to Homewood-Flossmoor 31-0

10. Oswego
Best game: Defeated Geneva 44-42
Worst game: Lost to Bolingbrook 21-7
I think you’re missing Hersey. I’d slot them in at 6 or 7.
 
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eagles2k3!

Sophomore
Aug 29, 2025
170
131
43
1. ESL (7-1) - After a 54-0 Thanos-ing of Alton and fourth straight week of giving up zero points has the pollsters wondering about the schedule. That is fair, but they found no reason to supplant ESL as they've shown no deficiencies in the armor. Flyers travel up to the northern portion of Naperville to face the upstart Huskies and stop by Fat Rosie's for some enchiladas.

2. LWE (8-0) - Griffins climb a spot after they steamroll another SWSC rival in the Porters hailing out of Lockport. Media built this one up as a top matchup, but they were putting their bias on display as the Porters were 4-3 coming in with zero wins against a team with a winning record*. East did what they were supposed to do in a 40-0 win.

3. Loyola (8-0) - Ramblers fall slightly after a good, but confusing win over fellow TOUTT member, ICCP. In the end Loyola stood victorious outpacing the Knights 45-35 in a game that saw them give up 35 points in the 1st half, but also shut out the opponent in the second half while scoring 24 of their own, and downright dominating. I have questions however, how would the Ramblers defense do against an offense like ESL's or MC's? Big game coming up Friday.

4. Hersey (8-0) - THE week is finally here where we get a test for Hersey and Prospect as they face each other. This will determine where one, both, or neither team stays in the TOUTT. This better be on streaming or Marquee.

5. Rice (6-2) - Made minced meat of DePaul Prep and is gearing up for the Fisticuffs for Pulaski against Marist which should provide a final test before the playoffs.

6. Prospect (8-0) - The Mid-Suburban East conference championship is Friday against Hersey. These two teams have put up almost identical numbers with Prospect scoring 28 more points and allowing 24 more points over 8 weeks. They are separated by four points.

7. MC (6-2) - Took care of business against a JCA that was surging and had a stout D (ayoo). Caravan managed to hang 42 up and hold the Hillmen to 14. MC may need a win this Friday against Loyola to avoid having to play in the Opening Round of the playoffs.

8. Bolingbrook (7-1) - Raiders secure a portion (at least) of their 2nd straight SWP West championship with a win over a solid Plainfield North 46-14. Raiders defense continues to be superb as Plainfield managed to score on a pick 6 and against the reserves. After early season offensive struggles Raiders are moving the ball through the air and on the ground.

9. Oswego (7-1) - Panthers got the 40-14 win over conference rival The Nook again without the services of their top offensive threat. Hopefully he returns for the playoffs. Oswego faces their in town nemesis Oswego East this Friday for what should be test before getting a week off in the Opening Round.

10. ICCP (7-1) - There were a lot of questions surrounding the Knights game with Loyola, "Would the starters play?", "Would the Knights be competitive?", "Could they spring a massive upset or would it even be an upset?". Starters played, and they were competitive... it also looked as though they may spring the upset--in the first half. ICCP played out of their mind on offense scoring 35 first half points against what all indicators say is a top tier defense. I've now seen the Knights three times (Iggy, Benet, and LA) and I think they are actually in between what we saw in the 1st and 2nd halves Friday. And that's good enough to keep them in for now. JCA up next


* LWW lost to Kankakee on the field but was awarded a forfeit due to an ineligible player being used
Solid. Although I still think you have prospect too high. I don’t see them being in the top ten. I got Hersey by 28 on Friday night.
 

Cross Bones

All-Conference
Aug 19, 2001
53,504
4,600
113
This week, I'll offer you my top ten with a best and worst game for each team.

1. Loyola
Best game: Defeated St. Ignatius 38-7
Worst game: Defeated Cathedral (IN) 33-19

2. Lincoln-Way East
Best game: Defeated Brother Rice 22-21
Worst game: Defeated Kankakee 22-14

3. Brother Rice
Best game: Defeated Mt. Carmel 35-24
Worst game: Defeated Notre Dame 63-28

4. East St. Louis
Best game: Defeated Mt. Carmel 42-23
Worst game: Lost to American Heritage (FL) 35-28

5. Mt. Carmel
Best game: Defeated Nazareth 35-7
Worst game: Lost to East St. Louis 42-23

6. Immaculate Conception
Best game: Lost to Loyola 45-35
Worst game: Defeated St. Laurence 28-12 (not a knock on Laurence, but the second string gave up two quick touchdowns in the fourth quarter and gave up consecutive onside kicks)

7. St. Ignatius
Best game: Defeated St. Rita 42-16
Worst game: Lost to Loyola 38-7

8. Homewood-Flossmoor
Best game: Defeated Bolingbrook 31-0
Worst game: Lost to Lincoln-Way Central 38-27

9. Bolingbrook
Best game: Defeated Oswego 21-7
Worst game: Lost to Homewood-Flossmoor 31-0

10. Oswego
Best game: Defeated Geneva 44-42
Worst game: Lost to Bolingbrook 21-7
For Loyola I'd probably say Rice was the best win.

I'd also push back on Iggy. I am just not convinced that the triple option is as hard to defend as some people make it seem. I predict an early playoff exit.
Respectfully MC best win was vs St. Joes when they erased a 29 point 1st half deficit. They put 56 on Marist, 49 on PC and 42 on JCA....I thought the Naz win was a very basic vanilla performance by MC after two tough games to open the season.

Worst loss was vs BR and most MC fans will agree. MC blew leads in both games but losing to ESL in the opener especially with MC having to pivot from their game plan when their original starting QB went down and with ESL having so much talent it didn't surprise many, I certainly was not. But I feel that MC was the better team vs. Rice but Rice just played a better, more disciplined game that night while MC shot themselves in the foot with untimely and unnecessary penalties and giving Rice great field position numerous times on kickoffs.
St. Joe's might be the best and worst game for MC.
Solid. Although I still think you have prospect too high. I don’t see them being in the top ten. I got Hersey by 28 on Friday night.
I get it. Honestly I am still on a limb with both Hersey and Prospect. It's hard to really have much distinction between them when the results against the same competition has been so similar. I really did the math, they are separated by a grand total of 4 points between points scored and given up.
 

eagles2k3!

Sophomore
Aug 29, 2025
170
131
43
I don't know about 28, but I agree with both of your ranking suggestions.

I think prospects best win is Fremd who is not the same team without JOB. I don’t think they’ve played anyone else who is good.

hersey on the other hand has beaten everyone handily. I think the difference to me is how badly they beat up on Barrington. Barrington may have started 0-4 but the only bad loss is Hersey 38-7. I don’t think Barrington is as bad as their record shows. They were right there with LT and have had a ton of injuries. I don’t think we’ve seen the best of nawrot yet. This game will be huge.
I'm still skeptical of the competition that Hersey and Prospect have faced. Perhaps the winner of their game can be on next week's list.
I said Hersey by 28, if they beat prospect by that much I think I would slot them in at 6,7.
 

refreff01

Freshman
Sep 2, 2025
67
59
18
1,2,4 and 5 do not have a bad game. Maybe the MC score v ESL was uglier than the faithful would like but there were circumstances behind that can be easily explained.

The ESL loss in FL was a bad one.
 

jha618

All-Conference
Jan 1, 2018
3,560
4,162
113
1,2,4 and 5 do not have a bad game. Maybe the MC score v ESL was uglier than the faithful would like but there were circumstances behind that can be easily explained.

The ESL loss in FL was a bad one.
Huh? They lost by 7 in OT on the road to a team ranked top 70 in the country? How is that a bad loss?

MC lost by 19 to ESL and 11 to BR. Im confused on your definition of bad game.
 

Cross Bones

All-Conference
Aug 19, 2001
53,504
4,600
113
Huh? They lost by 7 in OT on the road to a team ranked top 70 in the country? How is that a bad loss?

MC lost by 19 to ESL and 11 to BR. Im confused on your definition of bad game.
Its not "a" bad game, it's ESL's worst game this year.
 

nonA91745

Redshirt
May 17, 2026
17
13
3
That and the fact that they couldn’t cover or catch IC Receivers when their QB had time to throw
You forgot the asterisk followed “in the first half”and “thoroughly silenced in the 2nd”

And outside of Bowen I don’t think people understand how elite a few of those wr’s are…nor how capable their qb is surprisingly (to the uninitiated) able to deliver them the ball
 

CCL65

Junior
Oct 28, 2015
647
313
51
You forgot the asterisk followed “in the first half”and “thoroughly silenced in the 2nd”

And outside of Bowen I don’t think people understand how elite a few of those wr’s are…nor how capable their qb is surprisingly (to the uninitiated) able to deliver them the ball
Right. He had much less time to throw in the second half as the little guys were just worn down. But hey, that’s why they have a class system in the playoffs. Roster size and players size factor in when evaluating a team and LA has both. That’s just another thing that makes them the favorite in my opinion to win 8A
 

nonA91745

Redshirt
May 17, 2026
17
13
3
Right. He had much less time to throw in the second half as the little guys were just worn down. But hey, that’s why they have a class system in the playoffs. Roster size and players size factor in when evaluating a team and LA has both. That’s just another thing that makes them the favorite in my opinion to win 8A
I hear you with the depth / 2 way thing which is a huge thing no doubt vs any team let alone Loyola.

That said it doesn’t explain away the complete blanking of a few much better athletes than the ones covering them. Getting worn down as a 2 way player is a grind and imo mostly happens on the defensive side of the ball more than offensively. Maybe others feel differently about that.

honestly it doesn’t matter. IC was and is impressive and have a very good chance of adding more hardware to their case end of November.
 
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