Texas tops the list of the best high school football states in the country

When it comes to determining national football rankings, among the best places to start when looking for the nation's best teams are the states of Texas, California and Florida. But which state, on the average, has the best teams?

Using the MaxPreps Freeman Rankings, Texas tops them all with a 55.8 average ranking. The average ranking is produced by taking the top 50 ranked teams in a state and averaging their computer rating. Texas comes out on top, but just barely. California is a close second with a 55.7 ranking. Florida is farther back at 50.2.

Here's a look at each of the top ten states with their average ranking, along with the current top 10 ranked teams in the state.

Texas 55.8
1. DeSoto 83.5
2. Allen 80.0
3. Coppell 65.7
4. Aledo 65.0
5. Smithson Valley (Spring Branch) 64.6
6. Horn (Mesquite) 63.9
7. Hendrickson (Pflugerville) 63.8
8. Carroll (Southlake) 62.9
9. Cedar Hill 61.3
10. Katy 61.3

California 55.7
1. St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 78.7
2. Serra (Gardena) 74.5
3. Alemany (Mission Hills) 71.2
4. De La Salle (Concord) 68.6
5. Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 68.5
6. Mission Viejo 68.2
7. Hart (Newhall) 67.0
8. Chaminade (West Hills) 65.3
9. Folsom 65.1
10. Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 63.0

Florida 50.2
1. Washington (Miami) 87.4
2. Central (Miami) 79.0
3. Manatee (Bradenton) 70.5
4. Miramar 63.4
5. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) 62.6
6. University (Fort Lauderdale) 61.2
7. Columbia (Lake City) 60.6
8. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville), 57.7
9. Apopka 56.3
10. Niceville 56.1

Ohio 48.8
1. Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati) 74.2
2. Colerain (Cincinnati) 71.8
3. St. Edward (Lakewood) 69.1
4. St. Xavier (Cincinnati) 67.8
5. Centerville 60.4
6. Central Catholic (Toledo) 59.8
7. Kenton 59.4
8. St. Ignatius (Cleveland) 59.1
9. Winton Woods (Cincinnati) 58.7
10. St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron) 56.1

Georgia 43.9
1. North Gwinnett (Suwanee), 70.3
2. Buford 62.5
3. Carrollton 60.9
4. Sandy Creek (Tyrone) 55.9
5. Colquitt County (Moultrie) 55.5
6. Norcross 53.9
7. Camden County (Kingsland) 52.4
8. Peachtree Ridge (Suwanee) 49.9
9. Lovett (Atlanta) 49.6
10. McEachern (Powder Springs) 49.5

Pennsylvania 42.3
1. Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia), 58.0
2. Archbishop Wood (Warminster) 55.4
3. Upper St. Clair 54.8
4. Cathedral Prep (Erie) 53.4
5. Wilson (West Lawn) 53.3
6. Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg) 53.0
7. Central Catholic (Pittsburgh) 52.0
8. West Allegheny (Imperial) 48.8
9. Coatesville 48.7
10. Parkland (Allentown) 48.1

Illinois 41.1
1. Mount Carmel (Chicago) 57.2
2. Lake Zurich 56.9
3. Montini (Lombard) 56.3
4. Joliet Catholic Academy 54.7
5. Central (Naperville), 51.7
6. Benet Academy (Lisle) 51.4
7. Loyola Academy (Wilmette) 50.5
8. Wheaton-Warrenville South (Wheaton) 49.1
9. Rochester 47.0
10. Glenbard West (Glen Ellyn), 46.5

Mississippi 40.7
1. Petal 62.8
2. Oxford 61.0
3. Picayune 57.0
4. Brandon 56.9
5. Oak Grove (Hattiesburg) 56.3
6. South Panola (Batesville) 51.9
7. Madison Central 51.8
8. Jackson Prep
9. Louisville 51.0
10. Olive Branch 49.5

Tennessee 40.1
1. Ensworth (Nashville) 66.8
2. Maryville 66.8
3. Montgomery Bell Academy (Nashville) 62.2
4. Blackman (Murfreesboro) 58.2
5. Oakland (Murfreesboro) 56.9
6. Fulton (Knoxville) 55.2
7. Siegel (Murfreesboro) 53.4
8. Brentwood Academy 52.1
9. Baylor (Chattanooga) 50.1
10. McCallie (Chattanooga) 48.8

Alabama 40.0
1. Hoover 65.8
2. Madison Academy 61.4
3. Muscle Shoals 54.7
4. McGill-Toolen (Mobile) 54.4
5. Spanish Fort 54.0
6. Vestavia Hills 50.8
7. Clay-Chalkville (Pinson) 49.8
8. Opelika 47.4
9. Murphy (Mobile) 46.0
10. Bessemer City 45.4