Big Central Schedule for Cutoff Weekend:  Many games will determine top seeds, home games, and whether the bubble bursts

It went by so fast.

Here we are, with Cutoff Weekend upon us, and dozens of Big Central teams all have different end goals this week – getting a top seed, a first round home game, or just getting in to the field of 16 – but the main objective is the same as it always is: win.

That’s the only thing anyone can control this week. Although many will be scoreboard watching.

Central Jersey Sports Radio will continue with its playoff analysis this week – presented by Dayton Collision, Route 130 in South Brunswick – but as of this moment, our count shows the following:

• 22 teams are believed to have clinched a playoff berth, or have a very strong shot at qualifying, even if nothing else went their way this weekend.
• Four teams with a chance at a top two finish, and a top-seed in their section: Elizabeth, Phillipsburg, Old Bridge, Cranford. There may be others that are extreme longshots.
• 11 teams “on the bubble” – meaning they may be in the top 16 or not heading into this weekend, but are not assured of making it.

These numbers could change as we do a deeper dive evaluation of playoff scenarios for every Big Central team in the running, and we’ll have those out now through Friday.

Below is a look at the Week Eight/Cutoff Weekend schedule in the Big Central Conference:

THURSDAY SCHEDULE

• East Brunswick (3-5) at North Brunswick (1-7)

FRIDAY SCHEDULE

• 6:00 PM
  • Somerville (5-3) at #1 Elizabeth (8-0) (Follow Alec Crouthamel on Twitter for updates)
  • Watchung Hills (4-4) at #6 Bridgewater-Raritan (6-2)
  • St. Joseph-Metuchen (3-4) at St. Thomas Aquinas (5-3)
  • Franklin (3-5) at Woodbridge (5-3)
  • Perth Amboy (6-2) at South Plainfield (4-4)
  • South Brunswick (3-5) at Colonia (2-6)
  • Scotch Plains-Fanwood (2-6) at New Brunswick (0-8)
  • Hillsborough (1-7) at Montgomery (5-3)
  • Roselle Park (4-4) at Roselle (0-7)
  • Sussex Tech (0-7) at Bound Brook (2-6)
• 6:30 PM
  • #2 Old Bridge (7-1) at #3 Ridge (5-2)
  • Governor Livingston (4-4) at New Providence (6-1)
  • South Hunterdon (5-3) at Lyndhurst (2-6)
• 7 PM
  • Hunterdon Central (1-7) at #4 Phillipsburg (5-2)
  • #5 Piscataway (7-1) at #8 Sayreville (6-2) (LISTEN LIVE on CJSR)
  • #10 Hillside (7-1) at #7 Cranford (7-0)
  • Edison (2-6) at #9 Rahway (7-1)
  • Metuchen (3-4) at Highland Park (7-1) (Follow Marcus Borden on Twitter for updates)
  • Monroe (4-4) at Carteret (4-4)
  • Union (5-3) at Linden (3-4)
  • Brearley (5-3) at North Plainfield (4-4)
  • Manville (5-3) at Dayton (6-2)
  • JP Stevens (2-6) at Middlesex (1-6)
  • Voorhees (2-6) at North Hunterdon (0-8)
  • South River (1-7) at Spotswood (3-5)
  • JFK (0-8) at A.L. Johnson (5-2)
  • Secaucus (0-7) at Dunellen (1-6)

SATURDAY SCHEDULE

• Plainfield (2-5) at Westfield (1-7), 1 pm
• Bernards (6-2) at Summit (6-2), 1 pm
• Delaware Valley (6-2) at Belvidere (7-1), 1:30 pm