The 2026 high school football season might be the season of upsets.
That has been evident through the first two weeks of the season, as theUSA TODAY Sports Week 2 Super 25 shows.
The Midwest might be the perfect example of the upsets, as the No. 1 team from the preseason and Week 1 is no longer standing. That means a new No. 1 has emerged.
With that in mind, here are the top 15 teams in the Midwest as the region continues its kickoff of the 2026 season.
1. East St. Louis (East St. Louis, IL)
Record: 1-0
In an opening weekend full of upsets, East St. Louis, ranked No. 24 in this week's Super 25 national rankings, might have pulled off the biggest one. The Flyers trailed 23-14 with 1:33 left in the third quarter, but a pick-six by Florida commit Raheem Floyd with 2:56 to play sealed the 42-23
win for East St. Louis.
Next Game: Friday, Aug. 28, vs. American Heritage, 7 p.m. CT
2. Brownsburg (Brownsburg, IN)
Record: 1-0
The Bulldogs pushed their winning streak to 20 games in a row with a 48-25 season opener victory over Lawrence North. Brownsburg has not lost since Oct. 18, 2024.
Next Game: Friday, Aug. 28, vs. Rabun Gap-Nacoochee (GA), 7 p.m. CT
3. Trinity (Louisville, KY)
Record: 1-0
Trinity wanted to make a statement against No. 24 Anderson, and it sure did. The Shamrocks blew out their cross-state rival 59-13 to send a strong message and have ascended in the rankings in the Midwest.
Next Game: Friday, Aug. 28, vs. Christian Brothers (MO), 7 p.m. CT
4. Massillon Washington (OH)
Record: 1-0
The Tigers avenged a 2025 season-opening loss to Cleveland Glenville with a 31-18 win over the Tarblooders on Aug. 22, to open the 2026 season.
Next Game: Friday, Aug. 28, vs. Canton GlenOak, 7 p.m. CT
5. Millard South (Omaha, NE)
Record: 0-0
Led by transfer quarterback Trae Taylor — a Nebraska commit — the Patriots kick off the 2026 high school football season on Aug. 28 against rival Millard North.
Next Game: Friday, Aug. 28, vs. Millard North, at 7 p.m. CT
6. Bishop Watterson (Columbus, OH)
Record: 1-0
Bishop Watterson continued its 31-game winning streak dating back to 2023 with a dominant 35-0 win over Anthony Wayne.
Next Game: Friday, Aug. 28, vs. Pickerington Central, 7 p.m. CT
7. St. Edward (Lakewood, OH)
Record: 1-0
The Eagles opened the season with a close 15-12 victory over Olentangy Liberty (OH) by driving 80 yards in 11 plays to pull off the fourth-quarter comeback. A four-and-out on the ensuing drive helped them escape with the win.
Next Game: Friday, Aug. 28, vs. McKinley (OH), 7 p.m. CT
8. Mt. Carmel (Chicago, IL)
Record: 0-1
Mt. Carmel took a shocking 42-23 loss to East St. Louis to snap a 19-game winning streak for the Caravan in Week 1. To add injury to insult, Mt. Carmel saw starting quarterback Ryder Startz go down with an injury in the first half and not return.
Next Game: Friday, Aug. 28, vs. St. Joseph Regional (NJ), 7 p.m. CT
9. Big Walnut (Sunbury, OH)
Record: 1-0
The Golden Eagles jumped out to a dominating 25-0 lead and never looked back in the 32-7 win over Hilliard Bradley. Quarterback Eli Stumpf threw for 172 passing yards and two touchdowns in the win.
Next Game: Friday, Aug. 28, vs. Dublin Coffman (OH), 7 p.m. CT
10. Detroit Catholic Central (Detroit, MI)
Record: 0-0
Led by senior and Texas Tech commit Gideon Gash, Catholic Central will look to replace a senior-heavy team that avenged a state semifinal loss in 2024 to win the 2025 state championship. It opens the season in the Prep Kickoff Classic at Wayne State on Aug. 27 vs. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley.
Next Game: Thursday, Aug. 27, vs. Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, 4 p.m. CT
11. Avon (Avon, OH)
Record: 1-0
The back-to-back state champion Eagles squeaked out a 22-21 road win over St. Ignatius last week and will look to keep the ball rolling.
Next Game: Friday, Aug. 28, vs. Pine-Richland (PA), 7 p.m. CT
12. Anderson (Cincinnati, OH)
Record: 0-1
Anderson sees a massive drop in the rankings following a shocking 59-13 upset loss to Trinity (KY) in Week 1. However, the defending Ohio Division II state runner-up was without head coach Evan Dreyer, whom the OHSAA suspended for one game for violating offseason practice rules.
Next Game: Friday, Aug. 28, at West Clermont (OH), 7 p.m. CT
13. Cass Tech (Detroit, MI)
Record: 0-0
The Technicians are set to open the 2026 high school season with high expectations with a junior class that features seven of the top 20 players in the 2028 recruiting cycle, including quarterback Donald Tabron.
Next Game: Friday, Aug. 28, at Michigan City, 7 p.m. CT
14. Elder (Cincinnati, OH)
Record: 1-0
The quarterback-receiver duo of Kaden Estep and Andrew Lyman connected for four touchdowns in a dominant 35-3 win over Middletown in Week 1. A bigger test against Covington Catholic (KY) awaits this week.
Next Game: Friday, Aug. 28, at Covington Catholic (KY), 7 p.m. CT
15. Warren Central (Indianapolis, IN)
Record: 1-0
The Warriors scored 13 unanswered points in the second half to pull off the 20-14 win over Center Grove, marking the first time they've beaten their rivals in back-to-back games since a win streak between 2017 and 2019. Wide receiver Zechariah Wallace's jump ball touchdown catch with 1:11 left in the game proved to be the game-winner.
Next Game: Friday, Aug. 28, at Elkhart (IN), 7:30 p.m. CT
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: USA TODAY Sports Super 15 Midwest region football rankings, Week 2
