Allow me to be just a little...

...crabby for a minute. Which of the following first round games do you think will be the biggest mismatch?

#16 Lane (5-3) at #1 Maine South (9-0)?

The Indians beat five losing teams this year to "earn" a postseason bid, none of whom made it into the top 300 in MaxPreps: Bogan (3-5, ranked 405 in MaxPreps), Chicago Vocational (2-6, 390), Dunbar (3-5, 322), Whitney Young (3-5, 406) and Curie (3-5, 317). Lane also gave up over 40 points in each of its three losses, to De La Salle, Glenbrook North and Simeon.

Don't be surprised if this "contest" has a running clock by the end of the first half.

 #15 Evanston (5-4) at #2 Loyola (8-1)?

The Wildkits opened their season with a 42-0 victory over Lincoln Park (2-6, 515). But that doesn't tell the whole story: the Lions were forced to forfeit the game at intermission because they didn’t have enough healthy players to play the second half.

The Wildkits went on to beat three more losing teams, Zion-Benton (2-7, 230), Maine East (3-6, 392) and Waukegan (2-7, 270) before defeating Niles West (5-4, 210) by a touchdown.

Last year, Loyola shutout Evanston twice, 40-0 in the regular season and 35-0 in the playoffs. Is this game really necessary?

#14 Niles West (5-4) at #3 Palatine (8-1)?

Before losing to Evanston in the last game of the regular season, the Wolves beat one winning team, Westinghouse (6-3, 332) and four losing teams, Niles North (4-5, 269), Maine West (1-8, 445), Highland Park (3-6, 256) and Waukegan (2-7, 270). In addition, Niles West hasn't won a game in over a month and lost their last four games.

Palatine, on the other hand, won their last eight games in a row -- including a 51-18 drubbing of playoff-bound Schaumburg last week -- after dropping their opener to Montini in overtime.

How about #14 Brother Rice (5-4) vs. #3 Mount Carmel (8-1)?

The Crusaders beat two winning teams this year, Shepard (6-3, 159) and Bishop McNamara (5-4, 164), and crosstown rival St. Rita (4-5, 42) in the first four weeks. Brother Rice then went 2-3, including victories over De La Salle (4-5, 226) and Leo (4-4, 262).

But the Crusaders already lost to Mount Carmel, 56-7, in Week Five. Do we really need to replay this game?

Finally, in 7A, #8 Downers Grove North (5-4) at #1 Batavia (9-0)?

The Trojans beat four losing teams, Lockport (1-8, 289), Morton (2-7, 345), Downers Grove South (4-5, 202) and York (0-9, 277), and a resurgent Oak Park River Forest (6-3, 110) in Week Four. North then lost their last three games, including the season finale to Glenbard West, 26-0.

I saw the second half of that last game and I have no trouble seeing another shutout tomorrow night against the Bulldogs.
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All right, enough of that. How about some upsets this weekend by a 5-4 team?

To paraphrase Rod Serling, I'll submit two for your consideration: #16 Elk Grove (5-4) over #1 Glenbard West (9-0) and #15 Jacobs (5-4) over #2 Rockford Boylan (9-0).

Am I crazy? Perhaps; but you just know there will be at least one upset in the first round.

Elk Grove defeated four losing teams this year, Highland Park (3-6, 256), Hoffman Estates (0-9, 363), Wheeling (3-6, 241) and Buffalo Grove (2-8, 303). But the Grenadiers did knock off Rolling Meadows (7-2, 38), and three of their four losses were to playoff teams: Palatine (8-1, 9), Conant (6-3, 39) and Prospect (6-3, 62).

Last year the Hilltoppers got upset in the second round by Lake Zurich. Might they go down in the first this year?

The other school I'll be watching out of the corner of my eye is Jacobs. They beat five losing teams this year, including Marmion (4-5, 103), Johnsburg (0-9, 411), McHenry (3-6, 153), Prairie Ridge (3-6, 131) and Dundee-Crown (3-6, 155). But the Golden Eagles' four losses all came at the hands of top-notch programs: Grayslake North (8-1, 34), Cary-Grove (9-0, 4), Huntley (6-3, 35) and Crystal Lake South (6-3, 43). What's more, head coach William Mitz is no neophyte:

Mitz coached for 28 seasons at Stevenson, where he amassed a career record of 197-98. He led the Patriots to the state playoffs for 21 consecutive seasons, a span during which his teams averaged 8 victories a year. And Stevenson was the Class 8A state runner up in 2002.

Jacobs already beat defending Class 6A champ Prairie Ridge. Can they defeat defending Class 7A champ Boylan, too?