Weekly Analysis · 2026 Week 4
Week 4 MFPI analysis: Tupelo High School leads the statewide rankings
What moved in the Week 4 Mississippi Football Power Index, computed from verified results through Sep 22.
The top of the statewide rankings
Tupelo High School (4-0) is No. 1 for the 4th straight published week. MFPI rating: increased 3.1 points to 96.2. In the latest window it beat Oxford High School (currently No. 12) 56-17 at home on Sep 18.
No. 2 D'Iberville High School (4-0, 7A): ranking unchanged at No. 2; rating increased 1.7 points to 94.3. It beat Pascagoula High School (currently No. 73) 24-0 on the road on Sep 18.
No. 3 Warren Central High School (4-0, 6A): ranking up 1 spot to No. 3 (from No. 4); rating increased 2.9 points to 92.2. It beat Vicksburg High School (currently No. 85) 45-3 on the road on Sep 18.
No. 4 Starkville High School (4-0, 7A): ranking down 1 spot to No. 4 (from No. 3); rating decreased 0.4 points to 91.9. It beat Louisville High School (currently No. 18) 20-16 on the road on Sep 18.
No. 5 Gulfport High School (2-1, 7A): ranking up 1 spot to No. 5 (from No. 6); rating increased 3.3 points to 90.9. It lost to Petal High School (currently No. 14) 39-40 on the road on Sep 18.
| Rank | Team | Class | Record | MFPI | Rating change | Rank move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tupelo High School | 7A | 4-0 | 96.2 | +3.1 | — |
| 2 | D'Iberville High School | 7A | 4-0 | 94.3 | +1.7 | — |
| 3 | Warren Central High School | 6A | 4-0 | 92.2 | +2.9 | +1 |
| 4 | Starkville High School | 7A | 4-0 | 91.9 | -0.4 | -1 |
| 5 | Gulfport High School | 7A | 2-1 | 90.9 | +3.3 | +1 |
| 6 | Germantown High School | 7A | 2-2 | 88.8 | +2.9 | +3 |
| 7 | Brandon High School | 7A | 3-1 | 88.5 | +4.7 | +6 |
| 8 | Poplarville Jr Sr High School | 4A | 4-0 | 88.0 | +1.5 | — |
| 9 | Oak Grove High School | 7A | 2-1 | 87.8 | +0.1 | -4 |
| 10 | St. Martin High School | 7A | 4-0 | 86.3 | +2.1 | +2 |
Classification leaders
Class ranks are the statewide order filtered to one classification; MFPI never recalculates a separate class rating.
Class 5A: Pontotoc High School replaced Brookhaven High School at No. 1. Class 2A: East Webster High School replaced Scott Central Attendance Center at No. 1.
| Class | No. 1 | Record | State rank | MFPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7A | Tupelo High School | 4-0 | 1 | 96.2 |
| 6A | Warren Central High School | 4-0 | 3 | 92.2 |
| 5A | Pontotoc High School | 3-0 | 17 | 83.0 |
| 4A | Poplarville Jr Sr High School | 4-0 | 8 | 88.0 |
| 3A | Noxubee County High School | 4-0 | 34 | 76.4 |
| 2A | East Webster High School | 4-0 | 61 | 67.2 |
| 1A | Leflore County High School | 4-0 | 31 | 77.1 |
Results that raised ratings most
The largest rating increases among teams with a verified result in this window. A rating can also move without a game, because every opponent's rating is re-solved each week.
Simmons High School (+25.6 to 71.9, now No. 42) beat Port Gibson High School (currently No. 114) 32-6 at home on Sep 18.
Northeast Jones High School (+14.9 to 43.4, now No. 135) beat Lawrence County High School (currently No. 195) 43-14 on the road on Sep 18.
Callaway High School (+13.7 to 50.2, now No. 112) beat Terry High School (currently No. 45) 7-6 on the road on Sep 18.
Lake High School (+13.2 to 53.8, now No. 98) beat Choctaw Central (currently No. 134) 20-14 at home on Sep 18.
Forest Hill High School (+13.2 to 32.4, now No. 164) lost to Canton Public High School (currently No. 47) 19-42 at home on Sep 17.
The full list of movers is in the Week 4 risers and fallers in the MFPI analysis.
Schedule strength
MFPI strength of schedule is the average current rating of every completed opponent, expressed as a statewide percentile (100 is the strongest schedule in this week's field, not a perfect grade). The five strongest schedules: Vicksburg High School (0-4, SOS percentile 100.0); Oak Grove High School (2-1, SOS percentile 99.5); Stone High School (1-2, SOS percentile 99.1); Germantown High School (2-2, SOS percentile 98.6); Brandon High School (3-1, SOS percentile 98.2).
Teams that have played furthest above their own classification (average class steps up, games up in class): Okolona High School (1A, +2.67, 3 up); Poplarville Jr Sr High School (4A, +2.00, 4 up); Kosciusko Senior High School (4A, +2.00, 4 up); Calhoun City High School (1A, +2.00, 4 up); Velma Jackson High School (2A, +2.00, 4 up).
Data notes and limitations
Snapshot generated September 22, 2026 at 11:19 AM Central with a cutoff of September 22 at 11:00 AM Central, formula MFPI-3.2.
458 of 465 game listings due by the cutoff had verified scores (98.5%); the rest count as unavailable, never as losses or 0-0 results.
Cleveland Central High School had no linked results in this snapshot because the score feed lists the school under a different name. The link has been confirmed and applies from the next weekly run; until then its rating is provisional and does not reflect its games.
No verified results were linked to Northside High School for this cutoff. Their ratings are provisional and rest on class, media and neutral inputs; their positions should not be read as the product of games.
Houston High School is credited with two games on Sep 11 in this snapshot. One of them was played by a same-named out-of-state school; that game is removed from Houston High School's record from the next weekly run, which also affects its opponents.
Opponent ranks in this article are the opponent's rank in this snapshot, not its rank on the day the game was played, unless a sentence says otherwise.
Sources
- MHSAA official score center (schedules and scores)
- MHSAA 2025-27 football classifications and regions
- Statewide media rankings used for the Media Rank inputs
- MFPI Week 4 rankings archive
- MFPI methodology
Limitations
- Generated from the published snapshot; no games after the cutoff are included.
- Media Rank and Media Strength of Schedule contribute 20% of every rating; MFPI's own score-based model contributes 80%.
- No player, injury, coaching or game-narrative information is used or implied.