The last week of regular-season football is here: three issues from each class

CLASS 6A

• One of the four top seeds in the large-school bracket is up for grabs as Eden Prairie, ranked No. 4 in the class, heads to No. 3 Stillwater — and it's not the host Ponies who are most in need of a victory. Stillwater holds a 7-0 record and has likely locked up a top seed regardless of the outcome. Meanwhile, an Eden Prairie loss puts the Eagles (5-2) in danger of dropping behind Shakopee. The Sabers (5-2) defeated Eden Prairie already this season and will be favored against an improving Eagan squad. A year ago, the narrative regarding Stillwater's trip to Eden Prairie centered on the how the Ponies, a team in the weaker Maroon District, would compare to an Eagles team from the tougher Gold District. Eden Prairie won by a touchdown, but Stillwater battled well.
• No. 6 Centennial (5-2) visits No. 9 Woodbury (6-1) on Thursday with the winner likely earning one of the second seeds.
• No. 1 Maple Grove (7-0) seeks to cap an undefeated regular season with a victory against visiting Mounds View (2-5).

CLASS 5A

• If gaudy numbers make the matchup, Elk River at St. Francis is quite a matchup. It starts with 7-0 records and top-five Class 5A rankings for both teams, each from Section 7. The Elks are ranked third, St. Francis fourth. St. Francis' scoring average, 32.9 points per game, looks great except when compared to the Elks' 50.1. If contrasts make the matchup, this one qualifies again. On offense, the Elks will wield the power-T running game. Quarterback Cade Osterman has thrown only 17 passes this season. St. Francis quarterback Jaxon Skogquist throws nearly that many per game.
• Spring Lake Park (5-2) travels to No. 9 Armstrong (6-1) for another matchup of successful teams. Quarterback Brayden Talso and his raft of Spring Lake Park running backs will present their run-heavy attack to the Falcons, who have given up only eight rushing touchdowns this season. Spring Lake Park has scored 30.
• Class 5A has two other undefeated teams, No. 1 Mankato West and No. 2 St. Thomas Academy, both 7-0. Rival Mankato East (3-4) gets the last shot at Mankato West, and Tartan (2-5) is the last regular-season threat to St. Thomas Academy.

CLASS 4A

• Despite its 7-0 record and its perch atop Section 2, Marshall cannot let down its guard. Right behind is big, bad Hutchinson (6-1), the defending state champ and the ruffian of Class 4A. Marshall needs a victory over Belle Plaine to finish the season undefeated and maintain its position in the section. Hutchinson plays at Chisago Lakes.
• It's been a tumultuous season for Richfield, which started 3-0 before gunfire during the homecoming game cast the season into chaos. The Spartans have lost three of four since but could salvage the season and clinch the top seed in Section 5 with a victory over Breck coupled with an SMB loss to Providence Academy.
• Stewartville (Section 1), Simley (3), Fridley (4), Mound Westonka (6) and Grand Rapids (7) have clinched section titles. Rocori could slip past Becker in Section 8 with a victory over Big Lake and a Becker loss to Willmar.

CLASS 3A

• The top seeds in the two southernmost sections are still up for grabs, with both featuring a pair of 6-1 teams at the top. In Section 1, Rochester Lourdes could clinch the top seed over Cannon Falls, which it beat 24-22 on Sept. 30, with a victory over Lake City. Cannon Falls has a much more daunting task: The Bombers travel to Caledonia.
• Dassel-Cokato has the edge on Watertown-Mayer in Section 2, the spoils of beating the Royals 35-25 on Sept. 23. But the Chargers need to beat surging New London-Spicer — on the road — to maintain their hold on the top spot. Watertown-Mayer hosts two-win Glencoe-Silver Lake.
• Top-ranked Esko (7-0) travels to Duluth East (3-4) to take on a team from two classes above. That shouldn't faze the Eskomos. They defeated the Greyhounds 55-0 last year, setting the tone for the current season, in which they've given up only 20 points.

CLASS 2A

• OK, so none of top-10 teams in the state polls play one another. And drama is lacking in terms of individual sections as many teams are playing outside their section (and class). One such matchup brings No. 10 Rush City (7-0) to fellow Class 2A foe Moose Lake-Willow River (6-1). A team in Section 4, Rush City plays a regular-season schedule made up entirely of Section 7 teams ranging from Class 1A to 3A. Last year, Moose Lake-Willow River closed the regular season with a 40-6 victory against previously unbeaten Rush City. Each team averages about 35 points per game while giving up a little more than 10 points per game. This game presents an excellent playoff tuneup for both teams.
• No. 9 St. Clair/Mankato Loyola puts its perfect regular-season record on the line against Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop (6-1, Class 1A). With a victory, St. Clair/Mankato Loyola could leapfrog Blue Earth for the top seed in Section 2.
• Other 7-0 teams in action are Barnesville, Chatfield, Eden Valley-Watkins, Jackson County Central, Kimball Area and Minneapolis North.

CLASS 1A

• Section 5 boasts four programs ranked in the state's top 10 — No. 5 BOLD, No. 6 Minneota, No. 7 Lakeview and No. 9 Dawson-Boyd. All are 6-1, so it could lead to interesting section semifinal games. None of the ranked teams has had any problem with the teams from the bottom half of the section.
• Only four teams — Fillmore Central (Section 1), Lester Prairie (Section 2), Deer River (Section 7) and Mahnomen/Waubun (Section 8) — can run the regular-season table.
• Two intriguing quarterfinal matchups are developing, both rematches of regular-season games. Randolph and Kenyon-Wanamingo could meet again in Section 1; Randolph won the first meeting 12-6. Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons and United South Central could collide in Section 2; Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons won the first meeting 20-18.

NINE-MAN

• The top seven teams in the rankings remain unbeaten, and another six have only one loss. Those 13 teams are spread over six of the eight sections.
• Keep an eye on Section 3, where the word "upset" won't apply. The top five teams are either 5-2 (Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman, Hills-Beaver Creek and Mountain Lake Area) or 4-3 (Edgerton and Red Rock Central). Four of them allow between 16 and 17 points per game.
• Section 2 will pit Ortonville against Sleepy Eye St. Mary's, two 3-4 programs, in the quarterfinals. It should be one of the better first-round matchups.