The Tennessee Sports Writers Association released its high school football rankings for the preseason on Aug. 17.
Statewide rankings will be announced each Monday during the 2026 TSSAA football season
through the end of the BlueCross Bowl state championships in December. The high school football season is set to start with Thursday night games on Aug. 20 and continue Friday, Aug. 21 and Saturday, Aug. 22.The top 10 teams in each of the six Division I classifications and top 5 in three Division II classes were selected by TSWA members with first-place votes in parentheses and total points based on 10 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 10th-place vote.
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Schedule for Week 1 of Tennessee high school season
Tennessee high school football statewide preseason rankings for 2026 season
Division I
Class 1A
Others receiving 10 or more points: Memphis Middle College (21), Rockwood (11).
Class 2A
Others receiving 10 or more points: Happy Valley (20).
Class 3A
Others receiving 10 or more points: None.
Class 4A
Others receiving 10 or more points: White County (17), Gibbs (15).
Class 5A
Others receiving 10 or more points: Rhea County (27), Knoxville Halls (14), Lincoln County (12).
Class 6A
Others receiving 10 or more points: Lebanon (35).
Division II-A
Others receiving 10 or more points: Middle Tennessee Christian (16).
Division II-AA
Others receiving 10 or more points: Lausanne (13).
Division II-AAA
Others receiving 10 or more points: None.
Publications that participated in the voting include: The Tennessean in Nashville, Five Star Preps, the Knoxville News Sentinel, The Chattanooga Times Free Press, The Daily News Journal in Murfreesboro, The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Daily Memphian, The Mirror-Exchange in Milan, Union City Messenger, Main Street Nashville, Main Street Maury, Williamson Herald, Upper Cumberland Reporter, The Westmoreland News, The Wilson Post, Tri-Cities Sports, Johnson City Press/Kingsport Times News and WYSH-Radio.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Who are Tennessee high school football's No. 1 teams in first rankings of 2026?
