More than half the field – 141 teams – have already officially secured spots in the IHSA playoffs. The worry is largely gone for those teams.

But there’s still plenty of things to play for. Thirty-four teams can still complete the regular season undefeated and several more still have their sights on claiming conference championships.

Most of all, there’s seeding to consider. Teams that reach nine and eight wins are guaranteed opening-round home games with a large portion of seven-win teams getting that opportunity as well. So stacking as many wins as possible not only helps you stay close to home early on, but it also probably helps keep you away from the more daunting teams in the bracket for awhile.

Let’s look at a few of the Week 9 matchups of interest:

Mount Carmel (8-0) at Loyola (8-0), 1:30 p.m. Saturday: It almost seems fitting that the regular season that has seen nearly 2,000 games contested will be closed with the biggest matchup of the season. This was a calling-card game from the moment the schedules were released and neither of the two teams has disappointed in any way. The contest features a battle of two of the state’s top quarterbacks in Mount Carmel’s Blainey Dowling and Loyola’s Jake Stearney and will certainly feature some fireworks. Whomever wins this contest will likely lock in the No. 1 seed in their respective playoff bracket. Mount Carmel hopes to top the Class 7A bracket, while Loyola looks to lead the 8A bracket.

IC Catholic (7-1) at Wheaton St. Francis (8-0), 7:15 p.m. Friday: These two have been on a collision course among teams in the Metro Suburban. It’s a pivotal game for both teams, particularly for seeding. If IC Catholic drops a second game, it will be in the middle of the pack in its 3A bracket.

Morris (7-1) at Sycamore (8-0), 7 p.m. Friday: This game has a larger effect on Morris for seeding purposes because strangely it doesn’t appear that it matters whether Sycamore wins or loses in Week 9 to keep its hold on the top seed in the Class 5A bracket.

Kankakee (7-1) at Crete-Monee (6-2), 11 a.m. Saturday: These two programs have established themselves as the clear cream of the crop in the Southland Conference. The Kays have only recently claimed a few victories over the Warriors after years of trying to knock them off the top of the mountain. Both programs had some early-season missteps but both now appear to be poised for a big-time collision.

St. Charles North (7-1) at Batavia (6-2), 7 p.m. Friday: Early-season losses by both of these teams seem to be in the distant past. Both are playing very strong football right now. Batavia is the last hurdle to clear for the North Stars to claim the DuKane Conference without a loss, while the Bulldogs would happily take a share of it by earning the big win.

Other games of note: Marist at Brother Rice, 7 p.m. Friday; Downers Grove North at Lyons, Noon Saturday; Naperville North at Naperville Central, 7 p.m. Thursday; Niles Notre Dame at St. Rita, 7:30 p.m. Friday; Wauconda at Grayslake North, 7 p.m. Friday; Normal West at Centennial, 7 p.m. Friday; Routt at Greenfield, 7:30 p.m. Friday; Maroa-Forsyth at Athens, 7 p.m. Friday; Richmond-Burton at Rochelle, 7 p.m. Friday; Simeon vs. Lane, 1 p.m. Saturday.