Weekly Analysis · 2026 Week 6
Week 6 MFPI analysis: Tupelo High School leads the statewide rankings
What moved in the Week 6 Mississippi Football Power Index, computed from verified results through Oct 6.
The top of the statewide rankings
Tupelo High School (6-0) is No. 1 for the 6th straight published week. MFPI rating: increased 1.4 points to 97.1. In the latest window it beat Hartfield Academy (not in the MHSAA ranking) 49-7 on the road on Oct 2.
No. 2 D'Iberville High School (6-0, 7A): ranking unchanged at No. 2; rating increased 1.0 points to 95.6. It beat West Harrison High School (currently No. 45) 45-7 at home on Oct 1.
No. 3 Warren Central High School (5-0, 6A): ranking unchanged at No. 3; rating increased 0.1 points to 92.8. It had no verified result in this window.
No. 4 Brandon High School (5-1, 7A): ranking up 4 spots to No. 4 (from No. 8); rating increased 2.5 points to 91.7. It beat Northwest Rankin High School (currently No. 42) 34-14 at home on Oct 2.
No. 5 Starkville High School (4-1, 7A): ranking down 1 spot to No. 5 (from No. 4); rating decreased 0.1 points to 91.2. It had no verified result in this window.
| Rank | Team | Class | Record | MFPI | Rating change | Rank move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tupelo High School | 7A | 6-0 | 97.1 | +1.4 | — |
| 2 | D'Iberville High School | 7A | 6-0 | 95.6 | +1.0 | — |
| 3 | Warren Central High School | 6A | 5-0 | 92.8 | +0.1 | — |
| 4 | Brandon High School | 7A | 5-1 | 91.7 | +2.5 | +4 |
| 5 | Starkville High School | 7A | 4-1 | 91.2 | -0.1 | -1 |
| 6 | Oxford High School | 7A | 5-1 | 90.1 | +0.4 | +1 |
| 7 | Desoto Central High School | 7A | 4-1 | 89.3 | +1.5 | +5 |
| 8 | Gulfport High School | 7A | 4-1 | 89.3 | -1.7 | -3 |
| 9 | Poplarville Jr Sr High School | 4A | 6-0 | 89.1 | -1.0 | -3 |
| 10 | South Panola High School | 6A | 2-3 | 87.9 | -1.2 | -1 |
Classification leaders
Class ranks are the statewide order filtered to one classification; MFPI never recalculates a separate class rating.
Class 1A: Simmons High School replaced Leflore County High School at No. 1.
| Class | No. 1 | Record | State rank | MFPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7A | Tupelo High School | 6-0 | 1 | 97.1 |
| 6A | Warren Central High School | 5-0 | 3 | 92.8 |
| 5A | Pontotoc High School | 4-1 | 14 | 85.7 |
| 4A | Poplarville Jr Sr High School | 6-0 | 9 | 89.1 |
| 3A | Noxubee County High School | 5-1 | 24 | 82.4 |
| 2A | Heidelberg High School | 4-1 | 35 | 78.9 |
| 1A | Simmons High School | 3-1 | 75 | 62.5 |
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.
Newton County High School (+12.1 to 60.4, now No. 87) beat Northeast Lauderdale High School (currently No. 168) 42-7 at home on Oct 2.
Kemper County High School (+11.9 to 69.5, now No. 53) beat East Webster High School (currently No. 63) 45-20 at home on Oct 2.
Morton High School (+11.0 to 80.0, now No. 29) beat Richland High School (currently No. 93) 49-20 on the road on Oct 2.
Independence High School (+9.5 to 53.7, now No. 101) beat Holly Springs High School (currently No. 177) 42-6 on the road on Oct 1.
Strayhorn High School (+8.5 to 24.1, now No. 187) beat Coffeeville High School (currently No. 194) 35-8 at home on Oct 1.
The full list of movers is in the Week 6 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: West Point High School (0-5, SOS percentile 100.0); Oxford High School (5-1, SOS percentile 99.6); West Harrison High School (2-4, SOS percentile 99.1); Madison Central High School (2-4, SOS percentile 98.7); Brandon High School (5-1, 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, +2.20, 5 up); Charleston High School (2A, +2.00, 5 up); H. W. Byers High School (5-12) (1A, +2.00, 4 up); Lumberton High School (1A, +1.80, 5 up); Poplarville Jr Sr High School (4A, +1.67, 5 up).
Data notes and limitations
Snapshot generated October 6, 2026 at 11:22 AM Central with a cutoff of October 6 at 11:00 AM Central, formula MFPI-3.2.
663 of 675 game listings due by the cutoff had verified scores (98.2%); the rest count as unavailable, never as losses or 0-0 results.
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 6 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.