Some Fridays rearrange the rankings. This one told us a little more about the teams already near the top.

Carrollton took a matchup between ranked teams and effectively ended it before halftime. Creekside didn’t just beat Langston Hughes; the Seminoles handed a proud program its first shutout since 2018. And at Gainesville, Milton erased a 16-point deficit before Ryan Jung settled a 46-46 game with a 47-yard field goal in the final minute.

The playoffs are close enough now that these games carry more than another number in the win column. Region titles are being won. Undefeated seasons are getting harder to protect. And a few teams that spent September building résumés are about to find out what those résumés are worth.

Here are the High School On SI Georgia Top 25 state rankings for Oct. 26.

Unless noted, no statewide television broadcast has been announced for the next game.

1. Buford

Record: 8-0
Previous ranking: 1

DJ Hunter spread 20 completions among 10 receivers and threw three touchdown passes as Buford shut out Mill Creek 40-0, another reminder that the Wolves don’t need one player to carry the offense. Discovery visits Friday with Buford two wins from an unbeaten regular season.

Next: vs. Discovery, Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

2. Carrollton

Record: 9-0
Previous ranking: 2

Carrollton put 52 points on Westlake before halftime in a 66-27 win, with CJ Cipher throwing seven touchdown passes and Keaires Miller catching four of them. The Trojans have already clinched the region and can finish the regular season unbeaten against East Coweta.

Next: vs. East Coweta, Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

3. Newton

Record: 8-0
Previous ranking: 3

Newton got the weekend off after its comeback against Grayson made it the only team in Georgia history to beat five Top-10 opponents in one regular season. Archer is next as Newton continues chasing its first region championship since 2016.

Next: vs. Archer, Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

4. Thomas County Central

Record: 8-0
Previous ranking: 4

Thomas County Central was idle after reaching 8-0 with a 63-7 win over Tift County. Coffee brings a 7-1 record and Bobby Reynolds, fresh off a 307-yard rushing night, to Thomasville for the Yellow Jackets’ biggest remaining regular-season test.

Next: vs. Coffee, Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

5. Sandy Creek

Record: 8-0
Previous ranking: 5

Caleb Hill ran for 119 yards and two touchdowns as Sandy Creek beat Hampton 34-7, extending the program’s 23-game winning streak and securing the region title. McDonough stands between the Patriots and another unbeaten regular season.

Next: vs. McDonough, Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

6. Creekside

Record: 7-1
Previous ranking: 6

Creekside’s fifth consecutive shutout may have been its best yet: Hughes finished with minus-44 rushing yards and 15 total yards in a 23-0 loss, its first shutout since 2018. Northside-Columbus comes next before the Seminoles finish the regular season against Woodward Academy.

Next: vs. Northside-Columbus, Monday, Nov. 2, 7:30 p.m.

7. Valdosta

Record: 8-0
Previous ranking: 7

Valdosta followed its 52-point win over Colquitt County by hanging on to beat Camden County, keeping its unbeaten season intact. Now the Wildcats head to Lowndes with two 8-0 rivals sharing the field and control of the region at stake.

Next: at Lowndes, Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

8. Lowndes

Record: 8-0
Previous ranking: 8

Lowndes pulled away from Richmond Hill for a 36-15 win and remains unbeaten as it heads into the game its schedule has been building toward. Valdosta visits Martin Stadium Friday with both teams still perfect.

Next: vs. Valdosta, Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

9. Lee County

Record: 8-1
Previous ranking: 9

Lee County ran for 585 yards in a 49-14 win over Tift County, with Cohen Lawson throwing for 304 yards and Dominique Ball scoring three rushing touchdowns. The Trojans get a week to reset before closing the regular season against Houston County.

Next: vs. Houston County, Friday, Nov. 6, 7:30 p.m.

10. Toombs County

Record: 8-0
Previous ranking: 10

Donterrius Mincey scored four times on only seven carries as Toombs County beat Johnson-Savannah 62-0 and reached 8-0 for the first time since 1995. That unbeaten record gets its biggest late-season test Friday when undefeated Appling County comes to Lyons.

Next: vs. Appling County, Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

11. Cartersville

Record: 8-0
Previous ranking: 11

Cartersville was off after spending the first eight games making blowouts feel routine, including 50-0 over Cass and 60-0 over Allatoona in its last two outings. Seven-win Dalton offers a different kind of challenge Friday, with the region championship on the line.

Next: vs. Dalton, Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.
TV/Stream: GPB

12. Blessed Trinity

Record: 8-0
Previous ranking: 12

Blessed Trinity had the weekend off with wins over Milton and Marist already anchoring an unbeaten résumé. Chattahoochee visits Friday before the Titans close the regular season at Cambridge.

Next: vs. Chattahoochee, Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

13. Milton

Record: 7-1
Previous ranking: 16

Milton trailed Gainesville 30-14 in the second quarter before fighting back, and Ryan Jung’s 47-yard field goal with 58 seconds left broke a 46-46 tie. Riverwood is next before the Eagles finish against Roswell with the region title still within reach.

Next: at Riverwood, Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

14. Brookwood

Record: 7-1
Previous ranking: 13

Brookwood has spent two Fridays idle, but the 50-24 road win over North Gwinnett that preceded the break still carries plenty of weight. The Broncos finally return at Berkmar before closing against Peachtree Ridge.

Next: at Berkmar, Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

15. North Gwinnett

Record: 7-1
Previous ranking: 14

North Gwinnett responded to its first loss by beating Peachtree Ridge 39-18, with Banks Halcomb rushing for 114 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries. Norcross is next in a Region 7 race where almost everybody has already taken a punch.

Next: at Norcross, Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

16. Jackson County

Record: 8-0
Previous ranking: 18

Daylan Maxwell needed only 11 carries to produce 154 yards and three touchdowns in Jackson County’s 56-0 win over Cedar Shoals. Clarke Central’s 7-1 record should better reflect the unbeaten Panthers Friday.

Next: at Clarke Central, Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

17. Troup County

Record: 8-0
Previous ranking: 19

Troup scored four touchdowns in the first quarter and rolled past Upson-Lee 64-21, with freshman Tristian Moss adding 117 rushing yards. Howard is the last obstacle before the regular-season finale everyone can see coming: undefeated Troup against undefeated Peach County.

Next: at Howard, Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

18. Gainesville

Record: 6-3
Previous ranking: 17

Gainesville lost Kharim Hughley to an injury in the second quarter and still pushed Milton to the final minute, with backup Cooper Papka completing 17 of 18 passes in a 49-46 loss. Lanier is next as the Red Elephants try to regroup before the postseason.

Next: at Lanier, Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

19. Peach County

Record: 8-0
Previous ranking: 23

Ashton Barton rushed for 218 yards and three touchdowns as Peach County piled up 655 yards in a 48-12 win over Howard. Baldwin comes next, and one more win would keep the undefeated showdown with Troup alive in the regular-season finale.

Next: at Baldwin, Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

20. Coffee

Record: 7-1
Previous ranking: 20

Coffee completed zero passes Friday night and still turned a 7-3 halftime deficit into a 37-7 victory, largely because Bobby Reynolds ran for 307 yards and LJ Devine added three rushing touchdowns. That ground game now gets Thomas County Central, one of the state’s biggest measuring-stick games of the week.

Next: at Thomas County Central, Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

21. North Oconee

Record: 8-1
Previous ranking: 21

North Oconee led East Forsyth 44-0 by halftime in a 51-7 win, extending its winning streak to six games since the loss to Jackson County. Jefferson should offer much more resistance Friday, with postseason positioning at stake.

Next: at Jefferson, Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

22. Benedictine

Record: 7-1
Previous ranking: 22

Stanley Smart Jr. scored four rushing touchdowns as Benedictine shut out Wayne County 50-0, the Cadets’ seventh consecutive win since their opening loss to Toombs County. Groves comes first Thursday, but Ware County waits in the regular-season finale.

Next: vs. Groves, Thursday, Oct. 29, 7:30 p.m.

23. Tucker

Record: 8-0
Previous ranking: 25

Tucker reached 8-0 with a 41-2 win over Banneker, giving the Tigers their best start since 2012. Lithonia visits Friday for an unbeaten Tucker-Mays matchup that could cap the regular season.

Next: vs. Lithonia, Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

24. Westlake

Record: 6-2
Previous ranking: 15

Westlake ran into Carrollton at full speed and fell behind 52-13 by halftime in a 66-27 loss. The Lions’ two defeats have come against unbeaten Carrollton and Newton, and Friday against Northgate offers a chance to get their footing back before the playoffs.

Next: at Northgate, Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

25. East Paulding

Record: 8-0
Previous ranking: Not ranked

Bode Spence completed 14 of 15 passes for 292 yards and five touchdowns as East Paulding beat Alexander 45-13 and reached 8-0 for the first time since 2012. South Paulding comes next with the Raiders now playing for something bigger than finally getting noticed.

Next: vs. South Paulding, Friday, Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.

Dropped Out

Langston Hughes — previously No. 24

Hughes had won five straight before Creekside held the Panthers to 15 total yards in a 23-0 loss. The Panthers remain close to the Top 25, but East Paulding’s undefeated season earns the final spot this week.