From expanded football playoffs to board changes, IHSA schools approved sweeping by-law amendments with statewide impact. Officials say the expansion will improve scheduling and long-term stability and moves regular-season games up one week. Photo: Sentinel /Clark Brooks Structural changes to high school football in Illinois will benefit teams around the state. Quality programs can schedule games against top-tier opponents like Byron and Unity without the potential loss affecting playoff eligibility. BLOOMINGTON - Friday nights in October are about to mean a little more to a lot more Illinois high school football teams next fall. Illinois high school football will see its largest postseason field in state history beginning in 2026, after member schools approved a sweeping expansion of the IHSA football playoffs. The change reshapes not just who gets in, but how schools schedule, compete and stay invested long after the first losses of the season. I...