Cedar Rapids Washington's stunning 26-10 victory over Xavier Friday night left everyone scrambling to adjust their Class 4A rankings this week and pick a new No.1 team for the polls.

It also shed new light on the playoffs that will start on Wednesday, Oct. 30.

Washington raised its record to 3-3, putting itself in the thick of the playoff chase. And although Xavier fell a few pegs in the seedings, the Saints are safely in the playoffs already at 5-1 with three games left in the regular season.

A total of 32 teams will make the Class 4A playoffs again this year, with 16 teams from the West and 16 from the East. The East is easy to figure right now, although a lot can change in the next three weeks:

East Top 8: Iowa City West (6-0), Pleasant Valley (6-0), Xavier (5-1), Bettendorf (5-1), Davenport Assumption (5-1), Iowa City High (5-1), Kennedy (4-2), Cedar Falls (4-2).

East Middle 8: Washington (3-3), Prairie (3-3), Clinton (3-3), Davenport Central (3-3), Muscatine (3-3), North Scott (3-3), Hempstead (3-3), Waterloo West (3-3).

East Bottom 8: Linn-Mar (2-4), Dubuque Wahlert (2-4), Jefferson (1-5), Burlington (1-5), Davenport North (1-5), Dubuque Senior (1-5), Waterloo
East (0-6), Davenport West (0-6).

The Top 8 teams in the East have all but mathematically clinched playoff berths. The Middle 8 teams are in good shape and likely need just one victory to clinch a playoff spot. The Bottom 8 teams have work to do.

There are 24 Class 4A teams in the East, consisting of 14 from the Mississippi Valley Conference and 10 from the Mississippi Athletic Conference. As it stands now, nine MVC teams and seven MAC teams would make the playoffs.

Ever since the IHSAA expanded the Class 4A playoffs to 32 teams, all teams with 4-5 records or better have made the field and a few 3-6 clubs have snuck in as well. That's good news for Kennedy, which already has its four wins, and good news for Washington and Prairie, which need just one more victory.

The 16 playoff teams from the East will be seeded 1 through 16, with No.1 facing No.16, No.2 facing No.15, etc., so the more you win, the better the seeding and the weaker your first-round opponent.

If Kennedy, for instance, wins its final three games and finishes 7-2, it might draw a team with a 4-5 record in the opening round. Conversely, if the Cougars lose their final three games and finish 4-5, they could draw a 7-2 club in the opening round and have to pull an upset to advance.

Linn-Mar could help itself immensely by beating Prairie Friday night, although that would hurt the Hawks. The Lions also have to face Iowa City High and Xavier, so they'll need to pull off some upsets to get in serious contention.

The Marion Indians are sitting in decent position with a 2-1 record in Class 3A District 6, where five teams are currently battling for four playoff spots. Solon and Maquoketa are 3-0 in District 6, while DeWitt Central and Benton Community are sitting at 2-2. Marion is in the middle at 2-1.

Marion could take a huge step toward the Class 3A playoffs with an upset victory at Solon Friday night. If the Indians lose, they'll likely have to defeat Clear Creek Amana and DeWitt Central in their final two games to make the playoffs with a 4-2 district mark, although a 3-3 record could do it.