High school football: Next week's No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown headlines top 10 games of the 2026 season

Bosco vs. Gorman at the top of the list but the schedule is loaded with marquee matchups throughout the fall.

Thumbnail image of this articles writer: Zack Poff
By
Aug 14, 2026, 10:00am
High school football is already underway in a few states while the majority will kick off in the next few weeks. Before the season hits its stride, we are zoning in on the biggest games of the 2026 season. 

There are some huge out-of-state matchups but none bigger than No. 1 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) heading 250 miles east to face No. 2 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) on Aug. 21. This will be the 16th matchup between the top two ranked teams since 2000. 

This game kicks off our MaxPreps Game of the Week series and will be streamed free on the MaxPreps YouTube channel at 7 p.m. PT. 

Another marquee matchup that will have serious implications on who finishes No. 1 in the MaxPreps Top 25 takes place Nov. 13 between No. 4 St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, Md.) and No. 5 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.). 

The top two teams in Texas open the season against each other when No. 18 Allen hosts No. 10 Duncanville on Aug. 28 in another MaxPreps Game of the Week matchup. This will be the fourth meeting since 2016 with Duncanville winning two of the last three, including a 31-9 win in last year's Conference 6A Division 1 semifinals. 

Another showdown slated for the MaxPreps Game of the Week spotlight will be St. Joseph Regional (Montvale) making the road trip to Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey) in a rematch of New Jersey's 2025 Non-Public A state championship game on Sept. 25. St. Joseph Regional won the title game meeting last season.

Read on for a look at the biggest games of the 2026 season. While several programs could have been featured multiple times, we are featuring each team just once on the list in order to spread the wealth.
1. No. 1 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) at No. 2 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.)
When: Aug. 21 Where: Fertitta Field
* MaxPreps Game of the Week | Streaming on MaxPreps YouTube channel

When: Nov. 13 Where: Under Armour Stadium

3. No. 10 Duncanville (Texas) at No. 18 Allen (Texas)
When: Aug. 28 Where: Eagle Stadium
* MaxPreps Game of the Week | Streaming on the NFHS Network

When: Aug. 29 Where: Brian Piccolo Memorial Stadium

When: Aug. 28 Where: Husky Stadium

When: Aug. 20 Where: Heywood Stadium

When: Aug. 27 Where: Heritage Field

When: Aug. 29 Where: Jim Wall Stadium 

When: Sept. 25 Where: Granatell Stadium
* MaxPreps Game of the Week | Streaming on the NFHS Network

When: Aug. 22 Where: Clyde C. Jordan Stadium

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