Hough entered the 2026 North Carolina high school football season as the reigning 8A state champion and the consensus No. 1 team in the state.
Three months later, nothing has changed.
The unbeaten Huskies from Cornelius (10-0) completed the regular season atop the NC Football News’ Fabulous 15 composite rankings, holding the No. 1 position from preseason through the final week without surrendering the top spot in any of the four ranking systems used in our calculations.
Hough will enter the NCHSAA playoffs Friday as a No. 1 seed looking to defend its 8A championship.
Providence Day, Weddington and Grimsley have emerged as the Huskies’ closest challengers in our statewide rankings, forming a clear top tier ahead of the rest of the field.
Providence Day (9-1), which competes in NCISAA Division I, finishes the regular season at No. 2. Unbeaten Weddington (10-0) and Grimsley (10-0), both competing in the NCHSAA’s 7A classification, round out the top four.
The Warriors reclaimed third place from the Whirlies this week after the two teams traded positions – or wound up tied – several times throughout the season.
These are the final NC Football News statewide rankings until the playoffs conclude in December.
NC High School Football Rankings 2026
Fabulous 15
| Rank | Change | Team (2026) | Class | Avg. | HSOT | CharObserv | MaxPreps | Massey | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | — | Hough (10-0) | 8A | 1.00 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | W, 49-0 at Hopewell |
| 2. | — | Providence Day (9-1) | Ind | 2.25 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | W, 37-0 at Charlotte Country Day |
| 3. | ▲1 | Weddington (10-0) | 7A | 3.25 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | Idle |
| 4. | ▼1 | Grimsley (10-0) | 7A | 3.50 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | W, 62-0 vs. Ben L. Smith |
| 5. | ▲4 | Mallard Creek (8-2) | 8A | 6.25 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 5 | W, 17-7 vs. Chambers |
| 6. | ▲1 | Lake Norman (10-0) | 7A | 6.50 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 6 | W, 56-17 at Mooresville |
| 7. | ▼1 | Millbrook (9-0-1) | 8A | 6.75 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | W, forfeit vs. Corinth Holders |
| 8. | ▼3 | Chambers (9-1) | 8A | 11.00 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 11 | L, 17-7 at Mallard Creek |
| 9. | ▲1 | Garner (8-2) | 7A | 12.50 | 16 | 12 | 8 | 14 | W, 51-28 vs. Fuquay-Varina |
| 10. | ▲3 | Crest (9-1) | 5A | 13.75 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 13 | W, 45-7 vs. Kings Mountain |
| 11. | ▼3 | Reagan (8-2) | 7A | 14.00 | 19 | 11 | 11 | 15 | L, 12-10 vs. East Forsyth |
| 12. | — | Rolesville (7-2-1) | 8A | 15.00 | 14 | 13 | 25 | 8 | W, 52-0 at Enloe |
| 13. | ▼2 | West Forsyth (8-2) | 8A | 15.25 | 11 | 24 | 14 | 12 | W, 43-0 at Parkland |
| T-14. | ▲2 | Cleveland (9-1) | 7A | 15.75 | 21 | 17 | 16 | 9 | W, 21-20 vs. Clayton |
| T-14. | — | J.H. Rose (10-0) | 6A | 15.75 | 17 | 16 | 20 | 10 | W, 53-0 vs. D.H. Conley |
Next Ten (Nos. 16-25)
| Rank | Change | Team (2026) | Class | Avg. | HSOT | CharObserv | Massey | MaxPreps | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16. | ▲3 | Jay M. Robinson (10-0) | 5A | 16.75 | 9 | 7 | 29 | 22 | W, 42-7 at North Cabarrus |
| T-17. | ▼2 | Hoggard (9-1) | 8A | 19.25 | 8 | 19 | 33 | 17 | W, 30-13 vs. Ashley |
| T-17. | ▲2 | Myers Park (7-3) | 8A | 19.25 | 15 | 26 | 13 | 23 | W, 35-0 vs. South Mecklenburg |
| T-19. | ▲2 | Cardinal Gibbons (7-3) | 7A | 19.50 | 26 | 25 | 9 | 18 | W, 43-7 vs. Cary |
| T-19. | ▼2 | Clayton (8-2) | 7A | 19.50 | 22 | 18 | 22 | 16 | L, 21-20 at Cleveland |
| 21. | ▼4 | A.L. Brown (10-0) | 7A | 20.50 | 26 | 10 | 18 | 28 | W, 34-21 vs. West Cabarrus |
| 22. | NEW | East Forsyth (7-3) | 7A | 21.00 | 18 | 26 | 21 | 19 | W, 12-10 at Reagan |
| 23. | ▼1 | Northside-Jacksonville (10-0) | 5A | 23.50 | 23 | 14 | 26 | 31 | W, 42-35 vs. Havelock |
| 24. | ▼1 | West Charlotte (5-4) | 8A | 23.75 | 26 | 26 | 23 | 20 | W, 33-19 vs. North Mecklenburg |
| 25. | ▼2 | Jacksonville (7-2) | 6A | 25.00 | 24 | 22 | 27 | 27 | W, 49-0 at White Oak |
Final Regular-Season Takeaways
- Hough earns its wire-to-wire No. 1 ranking: The unbeaten Huskies (10-0) backed up their lofty preseason expectations with one of the state’s most impressive résumés. Hough defeated South Carolina’s current No. 1 team, Northwestern, 15-10, handed Providence Day its only loss in a 30-3 rout and posted convincing victories over Cardinal Gibbons (35-10), Myers Park (35-0) and Mooresville (49-10). The Huskies currently sit No. 15 in MaxPreps’ national rankings, No. 16 in Massey and No. 18 in High School Football America’s national 300.
- Weddington reclaims No. 3: The Warriors (10-0) moved ahead of fellow unbeaten Grimsley (10-0) despite being idle last week. Grimsley routed Ben L. Smith 62-0 but slipped to fourth by the narrowest of margins, 3.25 to 3.50 in the composite average. The two teams are the top seeds in the 7A West playoff bracket and could eventually settle the debate on the field.
- Mallard Creek makes the biggest leap: The Mavericks (8-2) climbed four spots to No. 5 after defeating Chambers 17-7 in one of the regular season’s biggest showdowns. Chambers (9-1) dropped three places to eighth, creating a seven-position swing between the two 8A contenders.
- Crest cracks the Top 10: The defending 5A state champions climbed three places to No. 10 following a 45-7 victory over Kings Mountain. The Chargers (9-1) enter the Top 10 for the first time this season and are the highest-ranked team from any classification below 7A.
- Cleveland joins the Fabulous 15: The Rams (9-1) climbed two positions into a tie for 14th after edging previously unbeaten Clayton 21-20. The victory also helped Cleveland secure the No. 1 seed in the 7A East playoff bracket. Unbeaten J.H. Rose (10-0), the highest-ranked 6A program, shares the No. 14 spot.
- Winning doesn’t always mean climbing: Six teams fell in the rankings despite winning their regular-season finales, including West Forsyth (down two), Hoggard (down two) and unbeaten A.L. Brown (down four). The Wonders finished 10-0 but rank just 21st in the statewide composite.
From Preseason to Postseason: What Changed and What Didn’t?
Here is what the Fabulous 15 and Next Ten looked like heading into the season back in mid-August:
Preseason Fabulous 15
| Rank | Team (2026) | Class | Avg. |
| 1. | Hough (14-0) | 8A | 1.00 |
| 2. | Providence Day (13-0) | Ind | 2.50 |
| 3. | Grimsley (15-0) | 7A | 3.00 |
| 4. | Weddington (12-2) | 7A | 5.25 |
| 5. | Millbrook (13-1) | 8A | 6.50 |
| 6. | Cardinal Gibbons (12-2) | 7A | 7.50 |
| 7. | Mallard Creek (7-4) | 8A | 9.25 |
| 8. | Hoggard (12-1) | 8A | 11.00 |
| 9. | West Charlotte (10-3) | 8A | 11.75 |
| 10. | West Forsyth (10-3) | 8A | 15.50 |
| 11. | Rolesville (9-4) | 8A | 15.75 |
| T-12. | Crest (13-2) | 5A | 16.50 |
| T-12. | Southeast Raleigh (9-4) | 7A | 16.50 |
| 14. | Independence (10-3) | 7A | 16.75 |
| 15. | Clayton (12-3) | 7A | 17.00 |
Preseason Next Ten (Nos. 16-25)
| Rank | Team (2026) | Class | Avg. |
| 16. | Reagan (10-3) | 7A | 18.50 |
| 17. | Lake Norman (8-4) | 7A | 19.00 |
| T-18. | Cleveland (10-2) | 7A | 19.25 |
| T-18. | Myers Park (9-3) | 8A | 19.25 |
| 20. | Mooresville (9-3) | 7A | 19.75 |
| 21. | Garner (9-4) | 7A | 21.50 |
| 22. | Charlotte Christian (7-6) | Ind | 22.00 |
| 23. | East Forsyth (7-5) | 7A | 22.50 |
| 24. | Sun Valley (9-4) | 6A | 24.25 |
| 25. | Richmond Senior (9-3) | 7A | 24.50 |
Some observations now that we’ve reached the end of the regular season:
- Chambers makes the biggest leap: The Cougars (9-1) climbed an astonishing 32 positions, from No. 40 in the preseason to No. 8 entering the playoffs. Coming off a 5-7 campaign in 2025, Chambers was ranked as low as 50th by MaxPreps in August but emerged as one of the state’s top 8A contenders.
- The preseason Top 4 holds up: Hough, Providence Day, Grimsley and Weddington occupied the first four positions in August and remain the state’s four highest-ranked teams entering the postseason.
- Lake Norman and Garner exceed expectations: Lake Norman jumped 11 places, from No. 17 to No. 6, while completing an unbeaten 10-0 regular season. Garner climbed 12 spots, from No. 21 to No. 9, despite entering the playoffs with two losses. Both developed into statewide Top 10 teams after beginning the year outside the Fabulous 15.
- Several preseason favorites tumble: Cardinal Gibbons dropped from No. 6 to a tie for 19th, while West Charlotte fell from ninth to 24th. Southeast Raleigh experienced an even steeper decline, slipping from a tie for 12th to 28th. All three began the season in the Fabulous 15 but finished outside the Top 15.
- Unbeaten teams emerge from obscurity: J.H. Rose (10-0) and Northside-Jacksonville (10-0) weren’t even among the top 60 teams in our composite list back in August but finished the regular season tied for 14th and 23rd, respectively. Jay M. Robinson (10-0) also made a significant move, climbing 15 positions from No. 31 to No. 16.
- Preseason predictions prove surprisingly accurate: Nine of the original teams that started in our Fab 15 remain in the final regular-season Fabulous 15, including seven of the preseason Top 10. While several programs dramatically exceeded or fell short of expectations, the composite correctly identified the state’s four highest-ranked teams before the season began.
What is the Fabulous 15 and Next Ten?
We have nothing to hide with how we compile our Fabulous 15 and Next Ten rankings. Our method is pretty simple: use a composite of four of the most trusted ranking systems already out there.
Two of those systems employ human voters – HighSchoolOT’s Statewide 25 and the North Carolina Super 25 from the Charlotte Observer/News & Observer. The other two use computer models – MaxPreps and the Massey Ratings.
We take an average of where each school shows up in these four rankings and then create a composite list based on the best numbers – presto, the top 25 teams land in the Fabulous 15 and Next Ten! (Or in this case, the top 26 teams since we have ties this week).
Both Massey and MaxPreps rank every team in the state – there are more than 425 of them!
Since HighSchoolOT and the NC Super 25 stop at 25, we give each team that does not appear in these polls a ranking of “26” for our composite purposes.
What’s next for North Carolina high school football?
The race is on for state championships in both the NCHSAA and NCISAA. The first round of the state playoffs start this Friday. By mid-December, 11 state champions will be crowned– eight in the NCHSAA ranks and three in the NCISAA (including eight-man football!).
Here are ways you can follow all of the playoff action over the next six weeks:
- NCHSAA Playoff Bracket Hub
- NCISAA Football Playoffs Hub
- North Carolina High School Football Scoreboard
