Weekly Analysis · 2026 Week 8
Week 8 MFPI analysis: Tupelo High School leads the statewide rankings
What moved in the Week 8 Mississippi Football Power Index, computed from verified results through Oct 20.
The top of the statewide rankings
Tupelo High School (8-0) is No. 1 for the 8th straight published week. MFPI rating: increased 0.4 points to 97.1. In the latest window it beat Hernando High School (currently No. 19) 42-7 at home on Oct 15.
No. 2 Gulfport High School (6-1, 7A): ranking up 1 spot to No. 2 (from No. 3); rating increased 1.3 points to 95.2. It beat West Harrison High School (currently No. 57) 47-6 at home on Oct 16.
No. 3 Warren Central High School (7-0, 6A): ranking down 1 spot to No. 3 (from No. 2); rating decreased 0.2 points to 94.3. It beat Greenville High School (currently No. 100) 45-6 at home on Oct 16.
No. 4 D'Iberville High School (8-0, 7A): ranking unchanged at No. 4; rating increased 0.5 points to 93.2. It beat St. Martin High School (currently No. 18) 55-50 at home on Oct 16.
No. 5 Starkville High School (5-2, 7A): ranking up 3 spots to No. 5 (from No. 8); rating increased 1.0 points to 91.3. It beat Clinton High School (currently No. 35) 31-17 on the road on Oct 16.
| Rank | Team | Class | Record | MFPI | Rating change | Rank move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tupelo High School | 7A | 8-0 | 97.1 | +0.4 | — |
| 2 | Gulfport High School | 7A | 6-1 | 95.2 | +1.3 | +1 |
| 3 | Warren Central High School | 6A | 7-0 | 94.3 | -0.2 | -1 |
| 4 | D'Iberville High School | 7A | 8-0 | 93.2 | +0.5 | — |
| 5 | Starkville High School | 7A | 5-2 | 91.3 | +1.0 | +3 |
| 6 | Oxford High School | 7A | 6-1 | 91.1 | +1.1 | +3 |
| 7 | Pontotoc High School | 5A | 6-1 | 90.8 | +2.6 | +5 |
| 8 | Brandon High School | 7A | 5-2 | 90.4 | -1.3 | -3 |
| 9 | Desoto Central High School | 7A | 6-1 | 89.8 | -1.0 | -3 |
| 10 | Germantown High School | 7A | 4-4 | 89.5 | -0.1 | — |
Classification leaders
Class ranks are the statewide order filtered to one classification; MFPI never recalculates a separate class rating.
Every classification kept the same No. 1 team as the previous week.
| Class | No. 1 | Record | State rank | MFPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7A | Tupelo High School | 8-0 | 1 | 97.1 |
| 6A | Warren Central High School | 7-0 | 3 | 94.3 |
| 5A | Pontotoc High School | 6-1 | 7 | 90.8 |
| 4A | Louisville High School | 6-2 | 11 | 89.2 |
| 3A | Noxubee County High School | 6-2 | 26 | 82.1 |
| 2A | Heidelberg High School | 6-1 | 27 | 81.6 |
| 1A | Leflore County High School | 7-0 | 76 | 62.3 |
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.
Biloxi High School (+9.3 to 61.7, now No. 78) beat Harrison Central High School (currently No. 112) 30-14 on the road on Oct 16.
Lewisburg High School (+7.7 to 58.4, now No. 92) beat Southaven High School (currently No. 85) 28-7 at home on Oct 16.
Magee High School (+7.0 to 63.2, now No. 74) beat Raleigh High School (currently No. 52) 29-7 at home on Oct 16.
Franklin High School (+6.4 to 47.6, now No. 118) beat Hazlehurst High School (currently No. 77) 35-34 on the road on Oct 16.
Purvis High School (+6.1 to 44.7, now No. 125) beat Stone High School (currently No. 106) 21-14 at home on Oct 16.
The full list of movers is in the Week 8 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 (0-7, SOS percentile 100.0); Oxford High School (6-1, SOS percentile 99.6); Germantown High School (4-4, SOS percentile 99.1); Brandon High School (5-2, SOS percentile 98.7); Starkville High School (5-2, 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, +1.83, 5 up); H. W. Byers High School (5-12) (1A, +1.60, 4 up); Charleston High School (2A, +1.50, 5 up); Poplarville Jr Sr High School (4A, +1.43, 5 up); Laurel High School (5A, +1.33, 5 up).
Data notes and limitations
Snapshot generated October 20, 2026 at 11:20 AM Central with a cutoff of October 20 at 11:00 AM Central, formula MFPI-3.2.
871 of 892 game listings due by the cutoff had verified scores (97.7%); 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 8 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.