What we learned in Week 6: Top conferences likely to feel benefits of strong slates

A couple of facts before we begin.

• Just 45 teams remain undefeated in Illinois through six weeks of play.

• A collective group of 116 teams have less than two losses on the campaign at this point.

• Only 198 teams find themselves above the .500 mark through six weeks.

• 44 teams have already accumulated six losses and are effectively eliminated from chasing down one of the 256 postseason placements. 447 teams at least have some small chance of qualifying.

Let’s take a look at some of the biggest storylines of Week 6:

York stands alone atop the West Suburban Silver race

York is the last standing undefeated member of what has proved to be a wild season in the West Suburban Silver.

The Dukes toppled the only other remaining undefeated team in Glenbard West on Friday, leaving them as the only team in the league that has officially clinched their bid to the playoffs.

They won’t be the last. Due to a spectacular performance by the league in nonconference games, every team in the Silver has at least three wins except for one, Proviso West.

Like any deep league, the teams in the middle of the pack are already in scramble mode because the losses are starting to stack up.

But even though a pair of teams sitting at the .500 mark, Hinsdale Central and Oak Park-River Forest, look to be in serious peril of making the field, they may have an outcome play out that would have them still in the postseason and it would largely be thanks to the league they reside in.

If four-win at-large teams are needed to fill the 256-team playoff field, members of the Silver are all over the list of teams with extremely high playoff points.

Benet gets back in the hunt

Benet’s win over Niles Notre Dame was a bit of a surprise and it also dropped the very short list of teams in the CCL/ESCC with less than two losses to just three with Loyola (6-0), Mt. Carmel (6-0) and Joliet Catholic (5-1) residing on that exclusive list.

It was an important win for Benet in the grand scheme of things. The Redwings were able to get back to the .500 mark with the victory. They step out of the league this week for an odd Week 7 nonconference out-of-state opponent against South Bend St. Joseph from Indiana, a team that currently has a 2-5 record.

A win would still likely need the Redwings winning a game over either Joliet Catholic or Nazareth to get in the field. It could possibly set up a win-and-in showdown with Nazareth in Week 9. Although, Nazareth would be a prime candidate for an at-large berth as a four-win team if that scenario does arise.

CPL squads providing very little clarity

One of the different wrinkles this season is the alignment of the Chicago Public League.

In years past, the CPL would conduct the opening round of the City Playoffs in Week 9 of the regular season and schools would not know who their Week 9 opposition was until the conclusion of Week 8.

That process was changed this season with all teams getting a full nine-week regular season with the CPL playoff bracket being pushed into the postseason.

It was believed that might lead to a lot more clarity as to what schools might qualify for the IHSA playoffs. But it really hasn’t.

Of the 52 CPL schools eligible for playoff consideration, just seven have less than two losses at this stage.

Two of the seven CPL conferences that are playoff eligible have no teams with less than two losses, which certainly sets up a scenario with considerable chaos the last two weeks.

Twenty-Four CPL teams are currently projected to qualify for the playoffs, but based on the current situation, that number could fluctuate wildly in either direction.