De La Salle beat Mount Carmel...

...over the weekend for the first time since 1995. (I know; I called the school. And, no, I don't have a life.) Now if you don't have a calculator handy that was 22 years ago, or four years before any of Friday night's players were even born. So this is a big deal for the alma mater of the two Mayor Daleys, which is 5-2 on the year. And Mount Carmel, whom I saw play Loyola earlier in the season, is now 4-3. Huh?

But that's not all. Al Raby is 6-1, while Simeon is only 4-3. Wheaton North is now 6-1, but Wheaton Warrenville South is 1-6. Buffalo Grove is 6-1; Elk Grove Village is 0-7. St. Ignatius? 6-1. Brother Rice? 2-5. Carmel? 0-7. And Fremd is 1-6, and Grant and York are both 0-7. And that's not to mention all the schools that dropped football. This is some topsy-turvy year, isn't it?

On to the rankings. (MaxPreps was a little slow this week.) Naperville Central (5-2) was demoted in the Trib and MaxPreps after its 44-41 loss to archrival Naperville North (5-2). And in the Sun-Times, Nazareth (6-1) dropped out of the top ten after getting creamed by Marist, 42-0. Also in MaxPreps, Lake Zurich vaulted nine spots after blanking Stevenson (5-2), 28-0, and Marist supplanted Phillips (7-0) in the top ten after the Wildcats' unconvincing 42-28 victory over Raby. (Some might call that "taking care of business." Whatever.) Let's get to those rankings, shall we?

WEEK EIGHT (All teams undefeated unless otherwise noted.)

Tribune:

1. Lincoln-Way East
2. Maine South (6-1)
3. Prairie Ridge
4. Phillips
5. Loyola (6-1)
6. Glenbard West (6-1)
7. Marist
8. Homewood-Flossmoor (6-1)
9. Lake Zurich
10. Barrington

Sun-Times:

1. Lincoln-Way East
2. Prairie Ridge
3. Maine South (6-1)
4. Phillips
5. Loyola (6-1)
6. Marist
7. Glenbard West (6-1)
8. Lake Zurich
9. Homewood-Flossmoor (6-1)
10. Barrington

MaxPreps:

1. Lincoln-Way East
2. Prairie Ridge
3. Lake Zurich
4. Barrington
5. Maine South (6-1)
6. Homewood-Flossmoor (6-1)
7. Huntley (6-1)
8. Marist
9. Rochester
10. East St. Louis (6-1)

Before Week Seven, I predicted...

...that all seven of my Magnificent Seven programs would make the playoffs. But, going into Week Eight, I'm beginning to have my doubts.

First of all, Buffalo Grove (6-1) and Hersey (6-1), above, are still sure things, and Glenbrook South (5-2) is about as sure as you can get without being metaphysically sure. After that, however, things start to get a little dicey.

My remaining four teams, Thornton (4-3), LaSalle-Peru (4-3), Crystal Lake Central (4-3) and Stagg (4-3) all lost last Friday, making my generous prognostication of the previous week look positively Panglossian.

To be honest, six of my Mag 7 schools went down over the weekend. (It could have been all seven if Hersey hadn't played Buffalo Grove.) What, are you guys trying to make a liar out of me or something? I'm on your side!

This week Glenbrook South is at Evanston (4-3), Thornton hosts Bolingbrook (6-1), LaSalle-Peru travels to Rochelle (4-3), Crystal Lake Central is at home against Dundee-Crown (1-6) and Stagg is at Lincoln-Way West (5-2).

I'll say GBS beats the Wildkits, I like L-P's chances against Rochelle and CLC is an almost certain winner over Dundee-Crown. But the Raiders should be heavy favorites over Thornton as will Lincoln-Way West against Stagg.

So where will that leave us after Week Eight? Glenbrook South should improve to 6-2, while LaSalle-Peru and Crystal Lake Central could both be 5-3. That would make the Titans a lock for the playoffs and make the scenario look awfully rosy for the Cavaliers and the Tigers. But Thornton and Stagg could both drop to 4-4 making Week Nine a must-win for both. The Wildcats will host Lincoln-Way Central (6-1) in the season finale while Stagg is on the road at Moline (5-2). The Chargers of Palos Hills could still pull a rabbit out of its hat, but I'm having a hard time seeing a path to the playoffs for Thornton. That would turn my Magnificent Seven into a merely Oceanic Six, or a Secret Six, or a Sinister Six. (What else could I call them, the High-Achieving Half Dozen? The High-Class Half Dozen? The Heavenly Half Dozen? I don't like any of those either.)

Come on, Thornton! Don't force me into using a lesser Notable Numeral.

I can't make it to a game...

...this weekend but if I did I think it would be Hinsdale Central (5-1) at Glenbard West (5-1) on Saturday.

There are several other matchups that are interesting, including Nazareth (6-0) at Marist (6-0), Hoffman Estates (6-0) at Barrington (6-0), Lake Zurich (6-0) at Stevenson (5-1), and South Elgin (6-0) at Batavia (6-0), but you can't beat sitting under the sun at Duchon Field on a beautiful October afternoon, can you? (Even if the forecast calls for rain. Whatever.)

But what would really draw me out to leafy Glen Ellyn would be to see if the Red Devils could make it two in a row after ending the Hilltoppers' 18-game winning streak last year (above), and becoming the first West Suburban Silver team to best the Hitters since Lyons did so way back in 2010.

This year Hinsdale Central is ranked No. 15 in the Tribune and No. 18 in both the Sun-Times and MaxPreps. After dropping their opener to St. Xavier (OH), ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 26 in the nation by MaxPreps, the Red Devils have taken care of business against area opponents with a combined record of 13-17 by a combined score of 161-44. Here's their entire schedule so far (with home team in CAPS):

ST. XAVIER (6-0) 43, Hinsdale Central 14
HINSDALE CENTRAL 27, Willowbrook (5-1) 21
Hinsdale Central 21, OAK PARK AND RIVER FOREST (4-2) 13
HINSDALE CENTRAL 33, Downers Grove North (3-3) 3
Hinsdale Central 31, YORK (0-6) 7
HINSDALE CENTRAL 49, Proviso West (1-5) 0

Glenbard West, for its part, also lost the opener, to Maine South, before winning five in a row over teams with a combined record of 10-20 by a combined score of 204-30. Ranked No. 6 in the Trib, No. 7 in the Times and No. 27 in MaxPreps, the Hitters have to be considered the favorite here. Their 2017 schedule to date:

Maine South (5-1) 62, GLENBARD WEST 34
GLENBARD WEST 49, Proviso East (0-6) 0
Glenbard West 35, ADDISON TRAIL (2-4) 10
GLENBARD WEST 50, York (0-6) 3
Glenbard West 35, DOWNERS GROVE NORTH (3-3) 14
Glenbard West 35, LYONS (5-1) 3

And for you history buffs, here's the record between the two schools since 2004.

2016: HINSDALE CENTRAL 31, Glenbard West 30
2015: GLENBARD WEST 35, Hinsdale Central 24
2014: Glenbard West 42, HINSDALE CENTRAL 7
2013: GLENBARD WEST 37, Hinsdale Central 7
2012: Glenbard West 28, HINSDALE CENTRAL 23
2011: GLENBARD WEST 45, Hinsdale Central 14
2010: Glenbard West 28, HINSDALE CENTRAL 7
2009: GLENBARD WEST 28, Hinsdale Central 25
2008: Glenbard West 9, HINSDALE CENTRAL 0
2007: GLENBARD WEST 15, Hinsdale Central 13
2006: HINSDALE CENTRAL 26, Glenbard West 13
2005: Hinsdale Central 35, GLENBARD WEST 7
2004: HINSDALE CENTRAL 20, Glenbard West 13

Who wins this one? Like I said, the home team has to be the favorite, but as an old boss of mine used to say, "One never knows, do one."

Let's check in on my...

..."Magnificent Seven," shall we?

For starters, Buffalo Grove (6-0) is still, amazingly, undefeated after besting Elk Grove (0-6), 44-7. The Bison, above, must now face another one of my Mag 7 schools, Hersey (5-1), in Arlington Heights this Friday. But even if they lose, Buffalo Grove is still guaranteed a playoff berth and could very well end up with a 7-2 record if they beat Wheeling (1-5) in Week Eight. But what if these guys end up 8-1 or even 9-0? Wouldn't that be something?

Hersey (5-1) blanked Wheeling last Thursday, 35-0, to all but assure it of a postseason appearance. Even if they lose this week to Buffalo Grove, the Huskies face Prospect (1-5) in Week Nine which would give them at least six victories on the year. Like the Bison, Hersey is now playing for a good bracket seed.

Glenbrook South (5-1) also won last week, shutting out Niles West, 40-0. You would think that would seal the deal for the Titans, but they will likely run into a buzzsaw this Friday against Maine South (5-1), whom they haven't beaten since I was a little boy (or at least it seems that way). After that comes Evanston (3-3) on the road and New Trier (4-2) at home. I assume they can manufacture a win out of at least one of those two remaining games, but even at 5-4 GBS should make the playoffs. If nothing else, it's a heck of an improvement over last year's disastrous 1-8 finish.

Thornton (4-2) had a mixed week after they had to forfeit their Week One game against Andrew (5-1) but before defeating Thornwood (0-6), 12-8. (How many "Thorns" are there anyway?) The Wildcats have three tough remaining games -- all at home, at least -- against Lincoln-Way West (4-2), Bolingbrook (5-1) and Lincoln-Way Central (5-1). If Thornton can't find at least one victory in the last three weeks of the season they'll really wish they had that win over Andrew back. Wouldn't it be a bummer if that forfeit cost them a trip to the Dance?

LaSalle-Peru (4-2) took care of business against Ottawa (1-5), 17-7, and will face Geneseo (3-3) this week. That could be a tough game as the Maple Leafs always seem to go deep in the playoffs, don't they? But after another challenging opponent in Rochelle (4-2) -- on the road, no less -- the Cavaliers host Yorkville (1-5) in the regular season finale. That should give LP at least a 5-4 record, if not 6-3, and send them to the postseason for the first time since 2009.

Crystal Lake Central (4-2) took it on the chin against Jacobs (4-2) last week, 35-18, and have to travel to Huntley (5-1) this Friday for an almost certain defeat. That makes the Tigers' Week Seven matchup against Dundee-Crown (1-5) at home a must-win as they still have to play Cary-Grove (4-2) in the last game of the season. CLC should eke out a 5-4 record, though, and the opportunity to play a tenth game.

Finally, Stagg (4-2) fell to Lincoln-Way Central (5-1), 57-14, which really puts the pressure on this week's game against Sandburg (2-4). If the Chargers don't win and lose out to Lincoln-Way West (4-2) and Moline (4-2) -- a distinct possibility -- their impressive 4-1 start will have been all for naught. But I'm going to say that the Palos Hills squad defeats Pat Fitzgerald's alma mater this Friday. In fact, at this point I think all seven of my Mag 7 programs will be in the playoffs. Yeah, you read it here first.

Tom Petty, 1950-2017.

Boy am I dumb.

I didn't even realize or take the time to find out that Naperville Central played St. Edward (OH) last year. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Oh, well, now I know why this blog hasn't gone viral.

But at least I got the point spread right, without peeking at last year's result. And I was also right that the Redhawks would give the Eagles a game and make them work for the victory. In fact, the contest was much closer than the score would indicate. Central was even up, 24-20, in the fourth quarter and could have conceivably won or at least tied it in the last few minutes. Rather than calling a timeout on fourth and one with the ball at about midfield, the Redhawks ended up hurrying the snap and falling short of a first down on a quarterback keeper. (Lots of quarterback keepers in this game. What's up with that?) The Eagles then took over on downs and went on to score the go-ahead touchdown. (The last seven points were just icing on the cake.)

I'd say that the visiting team was clearly better, but Central quarterback Payton Thorne (above) provided enough big plays to keep the home team competitive. If St. Edward is really the third best team in Ohio and No. 41 in the country as a whole, then Illinois can't be too far off the pace. I still think the quality of high school football around here has declined somewhat, but I came away encouraged nonetheless.

On to the rankings. Not a lot changed this week, except that Lyons was dropped from both the Tribune's and the Sun-Times's top ten for losing to Glenbard West, 35-3. And Naperville Central also fell in both polls for the unpardonable sin of losing to a team that probably no one else in the state of Illinois could have beaten either. Finally, Nazareth was elevated to the No. 10 spot in Beth Long's poll, which is convenient as the Roadrunners travel to No. 6 Marist on Friday.

WEEK SEVEN (All teams undefeated unless otherwise noted.)

Tribune:

1. Lincoln-Way East
2. Maine South (5-1)
3. Prairie Ridge
4. Phillips
5. Loyola (5-1)
6. Glenbard West (5-1)
7. Marist
8. Naperville Central (5-1)
9. Homewood-Flossmoor (5-1)
10. Lake Zurich

Sun-Times:

1. Lincoln-Way East
2. Prairie Ridge
3. Maine South (5-1)
4. Phillips
5. Loyola (5-1)
6. Marist
7. Glenbard West (5-1)
8. Homewood-Flossmoor (5-1)
9. Lake Zurich
10. Nazareth

MaxPreps:

1. Lincoln-Way East
2. Prairie Ridge
3. Homewood-Flossmoor (5-1)
4. Maine South (5-1)
5. Naperville Central (5-1)
6. Huntley (5-1)
7. Barrington
8. East St. Louis (5-1)
9. Phillips
10. Rochester

The New Yorker cartoon of the day:

"This is the same music my fitness instructor plays for our abdominal crunches."