Football: Darren Cooper's projections for the non-public playoff brackets

Let’s project some seeds, and some problems.

The road to MetLife Stadium starts in two weeks with the New Jersey non-public football playoffs. New Jersey divides the non-public schools into two different groups, with the big schools in Non-Public A and smaller schools in Non-Public B.

There are still two weeks left in the regular season for non-public teams. Public school playoffs start a week earlier because they need five rounds to crown a champion, while the non-publics only need four.

The Non-Public A and B state finals are scheduled for MetLife Stadium on Tuesday, Nov. 28. They don't usually play on a Tuesday night, but the Jets and Giants have home games on Thanksgiving weekend, so the schedule was shifted back. Some Non-Public B contenders could have games on Thanksgiving, Nov. 23, so I'm interested to see how the NJSIAA handles that.

Unlike the public schools, which are seeded by a computer formula, the non-public schools are seeded by a committee of New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association league officials. I’d tell you who they are all, but I don’t know. The chairman is NJSIAA football chairman/director Greg Bailey, and trust me when I tell you Greg knows as much New Jersey football as anyone.

Non-public teams also have the ability to ‘opt out’ of entering the playoffs. This is important, as you will see. With the wide range of skill levels, a lot of teams don’t want to enter because of safety concerns and the fear of a lopsided loss.

I looked things over and made a bunch of phone calls to see who may be opting out. Here is how I see the seeds turning out in each group

NON-PUBLIC A

In Non-Public A, we’re looking at a possible 13-team bracket.

Camden Catholic opted out last year and will do so again this year. St. John Vianney is also opting out. Hudson Catholic competed last year but had to cancel its football season midway through because of low numbers.

Right now, I am projecting a 13-team bracket, which means the top three teams get a bye.

1. Bergen Catholic (6-1)

Remaining schedule: at St. Peter’s Prep, at Paramus Catholic

The Crusaders are the two-time defending champions. They beat St. Joseph last weekend and have wins over DePaul, Don Bosco and Seton Hall Prep. Even if they lose one of the next two games, they are still the top seed.

2. St. Joseph (Montvale) (5-2)

Remaining schedule: vs. Seton Hall Prep, at Delbarton

The Green Knights' best win is over Don Bosco in a game that was halted because of bad weather in the second half. They beat St. Peter’s Prep, and only lost to Bergen Catholic by five. Basically, the Green Knights are locked into the No. 2 seed for now, but it’s not set in stone. They have to beat Seton Hall Prep, and then we will see about Delbarton.

3. Delbarton (6-1)

Remaining schedule: vs. DePaul, vs. St. Joseph (Montvale)

Delbarton and St. Joe's probably can’t pass Bergen Catholic for the No. 1 seed, unless the Crusaders completely fall apart. But I think the Green Wave probably can get the No. 2 seed if they beat St. Joe's in the regular season finale. Does it matter? It does. You want to be one of the top two seeds because you get to play at home in the semifinals.

4. Pope John (7-2)

Remaining schedule: at St. Joseph (Metuchen) on Oct. 28

One of the Lions wins came by forfeit over Hudson Catholic. The Lions can’t get higher than this because they got whipped pretty good by Delbarton, but they have wins over a lot of teams behind them, including Immaculata, Seton Hall Prep and Paramus Catholic. I think they are basically stuck at No. 4. Even if Delbarton beats St. Joe's, Pope John probably doesn’t have the resume to rise to the No. 3 seed over the Green Knights.

5. Don Bosco (3-4)

Remaining schedule: vs. Paramus Catholic, at DePaul

The Ironmen will be the toughest team for the committee to seed. They were for me. They have two wins in a row over St. Peter’s Prep and Seton Hall Prep, but got beat convincingly by Bergen Catholic. They need to win their next two games, or at least beat Paramus Catholic. A 5-4 Don Bosco team is definitely the No. 5 seed, but things could get wonky if the Ironmen are 4-5. If they lose to DePaul, I think Bosco could slide all the way back to No. 7.

6. Donovan Catholic (6-1)

Remaining schedule: at Middletown South, vs. Red Bank Catholic

Props to Donovan Catholic for playing St. Joe’s the last two years. They had an early lead on the Green Knights in Montvale this year before getting knocked around. This is the perfect spot for the Griffins. They have a good win over St. Augustine Prep, and this seed would give them get a first-round home game and then potentially a shot at St. Joe's or Delbarton in the quarterfinals.

7. St. Augustine Prep (6-2)

Remaining schedule: at Lenape on Oct. 20

The Hermits are another team that’s tough to place. They have to line up behind Donovan Catholic because they lost to them, and they lost to a good Millville team, but they did beat Holy Spirit, a contender in Non-Public B. That’s the best win for any of the teams remaining.

8. Notre Dame (8-0)

Remaining schedule: vs. Hopewell Valley on Oct. 20

What does the committee do with the only unbeaten team in Non-Public A (if the Irish beat 6-1 Hopewell Valley)? Notre Dame doesn’t play the same type of schedule as the non-publics in North Jersey, but does being 8-0 trump Seton Hall Prep and/or St. Peter’s Prep? My instinct is the committee will want to reward them for their good record with a first-round home game, but not make it easy. Right behind them is ...

9.  Seton Hall Prep (2-5)

Remaining schedule: at St. Joseph (Montvale), vs. St. Peter’s Prep

The Pirates have a good chance to move up in the next two weeks. If they beat St. Joe's and St. Peters, they could rise all the way up to No. 5 or 6, depending on other results. But for now, I slot them here at No. 9 because it lets the committee show it’s not rewarding a team with a losing record, but is also giving them a first-round game they can win. Seton Hall Prep would love to be No. 9 right now.

10. St. Peter’s Prep (1-6)

Remaining schedule: vs. Bergen Catholic, at Seton Hall Prep

Let’s assume a loss to Bergen Catholic this week, but the Seton Hall Prep game could be a swing game. If the Marauders lose both, man, I don’t know what the committee will do. How do they not make a 1-8 team the No. 13 or 14 seed? But would Delbarton (or whoever the No. 3 seed is) think its fair to have to play them in the first round? Heck no. They have to be higher than that.

11. Paramus Catholic (3-5)

Remaining schedule: at Don Bosco, vs. Bergen Catholic

The Paladins have lost four in a row. They were competitive with DePaul, Seton Hall Prep and St. Peter's Prep, but lost them all. They have to be behind St. Peter's (at least for now) because of that loss. Again though, the Paladins could move up with a win over Don Bosco or Bergen Catholic. In fact, if they win both, they could go all the way to No. 4 or 5, but that’s a big ask.

12. St. Joseph (Metuchen) (5-2)

Remaining schedule: vs. Summit, at Pope John

The Falcons have won four in a row, but their schedule is mostly against public schools. They lost to two 4-4 teams in Somerville and Union. Its best win is over Watchung Hills, a Group 5 playoff team. This team is all right. They get the nod over Paul VI because its best win is better than Paul VI’s best win.

13. Paul VI (6-1)

Remaining schedule: at Triton, at Camden Catholic (Thanksgiving)

The Eagles lost to Non-Public B contender St. Thomas Aquinas badly in Week 0. They’ve actually played a good schedule of quality public school teams, and their best win is over Group 3 power Seneca by a point.

NON-PUBLIC B

From my phone calls, it looks like Non-Public B will only have six teams.

The four "independent" schools in Non-Public B are out. That’s Pingry, Morristown Beard, Newark Academy and Montclair Kimberley Academy. Immaculate Conception (Montclair) dropped football this season after competing in the playoffs last year.

Gloucester Catholic will be opting out. Bishop Eustace has had to forfeit games this season because of numbers. They’re out. The AD at Holy Cross was great. The Lancers are 3-4, but he said they're not entering but feel good about next year. Same thing for St. Joseph Academy, the Wildcats are 0-8 and won’t join this year, but probably next year. Morris Catholic is 0-8 and has only scored 27 points all season.

So that leaves six. Yes, perhaps the NJSIAA should consider combining the two classes in the future.

And there's another problem: Three of the six teams have games on Thanksgiving and the NJSIAA really doesn’t want to get caught in a mess with a team playing on Thanksgiving and a few days later for a state title. Hypothetically, the Non-Public B playoffs could start on Nov. 4 and end on Nov. 18 (you only need three rounds), but then you don’t get a game at MetLife Stadium.

Here are my projected seeds for Non-Public B.

1. Red Bank Catholic (6-1)

Remaining schedule: at Toms River North, at Donovan Catholic

The Caseys are a lock for the top seed. They were in the finals last year and won the title in 2021. They hung in there with Bergen Catholic in Week 0, and that carries some weight.

2. DePaul (3-4)

Remaining schedule: at Delbarton, vs. Don Bosco

With two games to play, it’s all out there for DePaul. I think if the Spartans win one of these two games, they get the No. 2 seed. Lose both, and then I have some questions. The resume isn’t that great. One win came by forfeit, and they have two wins over Non-Public A teams and they are the defending champs. Reputation carries a lot of weight here, but I could also see DePaul at No. 3 or even No. 4. You have to win some games, and DePaul has only won two right now.

3. St. Thomas Aquinas (8-0)

Remaining schedule: at Edison, at Immaculata (Thanksgiving)

The Trojans have only allowed 34 points all season. They beat Paul VI in the season opener and that’s a good win. They also beat a good Hillside team. Head to head, are they better than DePaul? Probably not, but if they’re 9-0 ,they may have a good case for the 2 seed.

4. Holy Spirit (6-1)

Remaining schedule: vs. Kingsway, at Atlantic City (Thanksgiving)

Flip a coin between Immaculata and Holy Spirit. I'm putting Holy Spirit here because it played St. Augustine tough in a 14-0 loss, and beat Group 5 playoff team Washington Township. That’s a smidge better than Immaculata's resume.

5. Immaculata (6-1)

Remaining schedule: at Weequahic, vs. St. John Vianney, vs St. Thomas Aquinas (Thanksgiving)

As an aside, one of the most interesting games of the year is Immaculata playing Weequahic this weekend. Weequahic has clobbered everyone it has played by about 60 points each. Two things here: Immaculata got beat pretty good by Pope John (forgivable), and also plays St. Thomas Aquinas on Thanksgiving, so the committee will probably try to keep them away from each other in the bracket.

6. St. Mary (4-4)

Remaining schedule: vs. New Milford, at Albertus Magnus (N.Y.)

It has been years since the Gaels have competed in the playoffs, and even if they get beat by a good Non-Public B team, they should be proud for getting here. They are showing signs of life after several years of being down. I’ll tell you something else though, don’t be surprised if the committee makes DePaul the No. 3 seed just to set up the geographical first round game, as opposed to having a team make a long road trip. Yes, the committee really does think of things like that.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ football: Projecting the non-public playoff brackets