What's Up With Wills? Breaking Down The Brackets

Editor's Note: VYPE columnist Todd Wills offers his insights and opinions -- whether you asked for them or not -- on area high school sports and pop culture every Monday on VYPE.com/collincounty and VYPE.com/greaterdallas. The story lines for this year's playoffs are as good as ever. Euless Trinity looks bored. Can the Trojans turn it on? Allen looks like a state-title contender, but will the Eagles get out of the first round? Plano has the best player in the 5A playoffs, Rex Burkhead, but is that enough to win a state championship? Can the Wildcats' defense stop first-round opponent Duncanville? The best four teams in 5A Division I are in Region I together -- Trinity, Plano, Allen and Odessa Permian. The current playoff system doesn't work. Skyline is back and playing well. Lake Highlands is surging and could be the surprise team in 5A Division II. Southlake Carroll, which taught everyone to play quarterback, plays Colleyville Heritage in the first round. Heritage is the state's best 7-on-7 team. Told you adding Carter and Longview to 4A would turn the playoff brackets upside, down. Put them in Region II and suddenly with Highland Park and Waco Midway and other strong teams, this will be like winning an SEC Tournament. Yep, it doesn't get much better than the Texas High School football playoffs. GAME OF THE WEEK - Colleyville Heritage (9-1) vs. Southlake Carroll (7-2), 10 a.m., Texas Stadium Colleyville Heritage, the world's great 7-on-7 program, has once again put up an impressive regular season. The Panthers reward? A first-round game against Carroll. On paper, it would appear this is Colleyville's game to take. The Panthers have the more experienced quarterback, Steven Hill, who has passed for 2,888 yards and 27 touchdowns. Carroll is Carroll, I don't care if the Dragons have lost two games. The Dragons just need consistent quarterback play from David Piland and a decent game running the ball with Tommy Avers. It's hard to imagine Carroll losing this game, and we don't want it for coach Hal Wasson, so let's take the Dragons, 42-35. HOT TEAMS Euless Trinity. Let's finish out this year's regular season with the undefeated teams. The Trojans went 10-0, and even though the defending champs didn't exactly impress in a 20-10 win over Hurst L.D. Bell, this is still the team to beat in 5A. Rockwall-Heath. Kudos to Mickey Moss and company for their overtime victory over Highland Park, lifting Heath to a 10-regular season. It will be interesting to see what Heath can do in the playoffs after a huge win. Carter. A great 10-0 season for the Cowboys, who get Bryan Adams in the first round. A super third round matchup is on the way between two teams that dropped from 5A to 4A, Carter and Longview. VYPE HOT TEN TEAMS Each week we will rank the area teams in order of who has the best chance to win a state championship: 1. Euless Trinity (10-0). The Trojans aren't roaring into the postseason. 2. Carter (10-0). Tough bracket awaits with Longview, Highland Park and Waco Midway. 3. Everman (10-0). Just win baby -- get past Aledo in Round 2 and the state semis are there.. 4. Allen (9-1). Can the Eagles get past South Grand Prairie in the first round? 5. Plano (9-1). The Wildcats could get a rematch with Trinity in the second round. 6. Highland Park (9-1). Can the Scots get past Waco Midway in the third round. 7. Rockwall-Heath (9-1). Real nice team. Can it get past Ennis in Round 3? 8. Wylie (8-2). Wylie lost by 10 combined points to Plano and Allen. 9. Prosper (9-1). Prosper, not Celina, 3A's best team in the area. 10. Ennis (9-1) Is this the Harrells' year? VYPE HOT 10 TOPICS -- ONLINE 1. Let's break down the brackets, starting with 5A Division I Region I. It's difficult not to go with Euless Trinity here. The Trojans are one of two undefeated teams along with Odessa Permian. Mojo is a nice story but won't get past Allen in the third round. Trinity will beat Martin, setting up a rematch of last year's state semifinal against Plano. The Trojans should have won that game, and then Plano should have, facing third-and-2 at the Trojans 5 in overtime. Trinity comes into this one the better all-around team. Plano has the better offense. The x-factor is Rex Burkhead. He wasn't healthy last year against Trinity, so the Trojans haven't seen the real Superman. Now, Plano has to get past Duncanville first. Duncanville has a proven state championship coach in Jeff Dicus. I'll pick Trinity and Allen to meet in Round 4. Give me Allen to win that game and go to the state semifinals. 2. OK, on to 5A Division I Region II. First off, Allen and Plano have to look at this bracket and be sick they're not still here. They would be far and away the favorites to reach the Region II final. In fact, it would be a cinch. Instead, we have the weakest Division I Region II in recent memory. It's hard to pick a favorite here. Is it Skyline (9-1), looking to take the next step? Is it Garland (9-1), which has been a surprise team. How about a 5-5 DeSoto team making noise? Reluctantly, I'll go with Round Rock Stony Point (9-1) to get out of Region II. Give me North Shore in Division I Region III and give me Converse Judson (8-2) in Region IV. 3. Wow, 5A Division I is example No. 1 of why we should just re-seed the playoffs and get rid of the regional system. The four best teams in 5A Division I, and the state for that matter, are in Region I -- Trinity, Allen, Plano and Odessa Permian. I'm picking Allen to win this super-regional and finally win a state title. 4. Let's break down 5A Division II Region I. Abilene (10-0) is the favorite here. Colleyville Heritage and Southlake Carroll are interesting teams. Cedar Hill and Hebron too. My pick in Division II Region I is 8-2 Wylie. Just think with QB Jerod Monk and a great defense that the Pirates are the best team in Region I. 5. OK, 5A Division II. There are three one-loss teams here -- Copperas Cove (9-1) and Klein Oak (7-1) and Cy Creek (7-1). Klein Oak might have the best team. Lake Highlands (8-2) is the sentimental pick. Garland Naaman Forest (8-2) is an interesting team. I'll lean toward Klein Oak, with Lake Highlands being my second pick. In Region III, I'll go with Beaumont West Brook (6-1). In Region IV, I'll take Pflugerville (8-2) in Region IV. I'll pick Klein Oak to win the Division II state title. 6. Quick run through of 4A Division I. I'm tempted to go with Denton Guyer (8-2) in Region I. They are hot, hot, hot. Wolforth Frenship is 10-0. Region II is a bear with four great teams: Carter (10-0), Longview (8-2), Highland Park (9-1) and Waco Midway (9-1). Carter is the sentimental pick. Midway is the most complete team. Region III goes to Friendswood (7-1). Region IV goes to Lake Travis. Give me Midway over Lake Travis in the state title game. 7. OK, 4A Division II. Everman will win Region I, but will have to beat Aledo and Wichita Falls Rider to do it. That's pretty tough. Denison (10-0) will win Region II beating Ennis to get to the state semifinals. Ennis will beat Rockwall-Health in the quarterfinals. Region III foes to Dayton (8-1). Dripping Springs will win Region IV. Denison will win the Division II state title. 8. A state semifinal game between Abilene Wylie (8-2) and Prosper will be a classic in 3A Division I. Actually they should re-seed the teams in the semifinals. If that happened, this would be the state final. 9. Now 3A Division II is strong with Liberty Hill, West-Orange Stark and Bridgeport the undefeated teams. Celina is an afterthought at 7-3. I'll take West-Orange Stark for the state championship. 10. The team to watch in 2A Division II is 9-1 Caddo Mills, who got crushed by eventual state champion Farmersville in last year's playoffs. Look for Caddo Mills to be motivated by that and reach the state finals. THE RANDOMNESS THAT IS ME 1. No Cowboys this week. Quite a relief. No question that the New York Giants are the best team in the NFL, sorry Tennessee Titans, after taking it to Philadelphia on Sunday night. Another game that only helps the Cowboys, who need the Giants to 14-2 and beat the Redskins and the Eagles but lose when they come to Dallas. 2. I'm listening to Colin Cowherd and Trent Dilfer talk about how good the New England Patriots are, even without Tom Brady. Are you kidding me? Did they see the Colts-Patriots game last week? The Patriots are a fading team that beat another fading team, Buffalo, at home on Sunday. The NFC has replaced the AFC has the better conference and there are 10 or 11 teams that are better than New England. 3. "Friday Night Lights" rebounded in a big way last Wednesday on the 101 -- that's on DIRECTIV of course. First, we have John "Todd Maronovich" McCoy as the newest main player on the scene -- the freshman kid with the way too overbearing father who finds trouble this week, mainly because he gets hooked up with Riggins. McCoy's emergence, and his stealing the QB1 job away from Sarcecen had helped old Matt move on to other things (I don't want to give too much away here." It's also a great episode for Landry, who can really be funny, and Street has a great moment too with his new baby. Oh, and Riggins' brother Billy is still a moron. 4. Unfortunately "Chuck" was pre-empted this week by "Saturday Night Live." It's painful for me on two fronts, missing Yvonne on TV this week, and also having "Saturday Night Live" takes its place. If there's one TV show I disdain it's "Saturday Night Live," especially during the political season. Very disrespectful. 5. I love Journey, and I love cheesy songs like "Faithfully," but this new song the band has out -- without Steve Perry no less -- is brutal. The song is titled "After All These Years," and I wish the great Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain, who co-wrote the band's new album, hadn't done this one song after all these years. First of all, Journey without Perry is like a Chili's cheeseburger without chili on it (and by the way, why did Brinker take the Terlingua Pride of the menu?) and all of Journey's power ballads were great because of Perry's insanely great voice. And second, Journey put out like three great power ballads -- "Faithfully," "Open Arms" and "Send Her My Love." And I guess "Who's Crying Now" is pretty good. So isn't that about the limit for any band?