The month of October is set to kick off for Illinois high school football this week, and several ranked teams will face off in what should be an exiting slate of games in the Land of Lincoln.

This week features four ranked matchups Friday evening and a handful of other tough tests for top-25 teams in the Illinois On3 Massey Ratings.

The On3 Massey Ratings — which were officially used during the BCS era and have generated college high school sports team rankings since 1995 — rank sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule and margin of victory.

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Below are the On3 Massey Ratings predictions for each game featuring a top-25 program in Illinois:

Top Illinois High School Football Games – Oct. 4

No. 2 Lincoln-Way East at Neuqua Valley
Massey Ratings Prediction: 42-7 Lincoln-Way East

No. 3 Chicago Mount Carmel at No. 21 Brother Rice
Mount Carmel heads on the road this week as the state’s No. 3 team, boasting a top-3 offense and defense in Illinois. The Caravan have rattled off four consecutive wins, and their stout defense is headlined by top-150 junior EDGE Braeden Jones. Mount Carme, will take on a Brother Rice squad that has been up and down throughout 2024. Both Crusaders wins have been blowouts — while their three losses have each come by one score to No. 12 Marist, No. 6 St. Rita and No. 5 Loyola Academy. Mount Carmel won last year’s matchup with Brother Rice 42-7.
Massey Ratings Prediction: 42-19 Mount Carmel

No. 16 Geneva Community at No. 4 Batavia
Geneva Community is still undefeated on the year after beating Glenbard North 38-21 last Friday. The Vikings have yet to play anyone in the Illinois top 50 this year, so this week’s test at Batavia could be a significant resume booster. However, it will be a steep test at that. Batavia is 5-0 with wins over No. 17 St. Charles North, Glenbard West and Wheaton North. The Bulldogs have the No. 4 offense and No. 7 defense in Illinois. Batavia beat Geneva 21-18 last season.
Massey Ratings Prediction: 42-20 Batavia

No. 5 Loyola Academy at St. Ignatius
Massey Ratings Prediction: 41-14

No. 14 Nazareth Academy at No. 6 St. Rita
The Nazareth Roadrunners will take on one of the best squads in the state this weekend, hoping to add their second ranked win of the season. Last week, Nazareth beat No. 20 Joliet Catholic 16-13. It was the second ranked opponent the Roadrunners had played this year, having lost 56-33 to No. 3 Chicago Mount Carmel in September. St. Rita will likely not make it easy for Nazareth to earn another big win, however. The Mustangs are 4-1, their lone loss also coming to Chicago Mount Carmel. St. Rita has wins over No. 24 Carl Sandburg, No. 21 Brother Rice and previously ranked St. Francis. These two teams last played in 2022 — a 33-10 St. Rita victory.
Massey Ratings Prediction: 28-14 St. Rita

No. 8 Barrington at Fremd
Massey Ratings Prediction: 38-25 Barrington

No. 9 Downers Grove North at No. 11 York Comm
Downers Grove North and York Comm is a battle of unbeatens this Friday. Downers Grove North scored at least 42 points in its first four games. Incredible wind gusts helped keep the Trojans to just 28 points last weekend in a 21-point win. On the flip side, will be York’s first ranked opponent of the season. The Dukes have the No. 10 offense and No. 15 defense in the state of Illinois. York beat Downers Grove North 33-21 last year.
Massey Ratings Prediction: 21-20 York

River Forest at No. 10 Lyons
Massey Ratings Prediction: 42-7 Lyons

Providence Catholic at No. 12 Marist
Massey Ratings Prediction: 34-16 Marist

No. 13 Naperville Central at Lockport Township
Massey Ratings Prediction: 22-21 Naperville Central

No. 15 Prairie Ridge at Dundee-crown
Massey Ratings Prediction: 42-6 Prairie Ridge

St Charles East at No. 17 St Charles North
Massey Ratings Prediction: 43-14 St Charles North

No. 18 Oswego at Bolingbrook
Massey Ratings Prediction: 28-19 Oswego

Waukegan at No. 19 Libertyville
Massey Ratings Prediction: 48-7 Libertyville

No. 20 Joliet Catholic Academy at Notre Dame College Prep
Massey Ratings Prediction: 35-7 Joliet

No. 22 Edwardsville at Alton
Massey Ratings Prediction: 47-6 Edwardsville

No. 23 Fenwick at St. Laurence
Massey Ratings Prediction: 28-21 Fenwick

No. 24 Carl Sandburg at Lincoln-Way Central
Massey Ratings Prediction: 28-27 Lincoln-Way Central

Top Illinois High School Football Games – Oct. 5

Belleville-West at No. 1 East St. Louis
Massey Ratings Prediction: 49-6 East St. Louis

Hampshire at No. 7 Cary-Grove
Massey Ratings Prediction: 42-7 Cary-Grove

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