Tag: multipliers

by Mike Pavlichko

St. Joseph-Metuchen, St. Thomas Aquinas retain multiplier status, as NJSIAA unveils 2026 list

To help non-publics find games against opponents who might not otherwise want to schedule them, the NJSIAA years ago began an incentive for public schools: the multiplier.

While it’s undergone various tweaks over the years, the intent was to reward public schools for playing tougher opponents, by giving them more points in the playoff qualification system than they would otherwise get.

The newest iteration gives teams extra OSI points for losses to certain schools deemed “multipliers.” While teams that play multipliers still get 100 percent of the opponent SI value for a win, they would get 80 percent for a win against a Category A school, 75 percent against Category B, and 70 percent against C and D schools.

For non-publics in Category A, B, and C, a loss to a non-multiplier would move them down to the D category. A second loss would mean loss of multiplier status entirely.

Category D teams lose that status with just one loss.

In the Big Central Conference, St. Joseph-Metuchen moves up from a Category D to a Category B multiplier, on the strength of an 8-2 campaign in 2026, which included an unbeaten regular season, with a win over North 2, Group 4 champion Phillipsburg in early October. Their only two losses were to Donovan Catholic in the regular season and Bergen Catholic in the Non-Public Group A first round.

St. Thomas Aquinas moves from a Category C to a Category D team. They will still be the same value (70%) as last year, but this year, one loss to a non-multiplier would eliminate them entirely, rather than two. The Trojans went 5-6 last season, with regular season losses to Catholic Memorial (MA), Paramus Catholic, Pope John and St. Joe’s-Metuchen (all multipliers), Sayreville (a non-multiplier), and a playoff loss to Immaculata.

The Spartans are not among this year’s multipliers.

Here are the Categories for the 2026 football season, as unveiled Wednesday afternoon by the NJSIAA in the 2026 Football Regulations, which are now published on its website and can be found here.

  • Category A (80%): Bergen Catholic, DePaul, Don Bosco Prep, St. Joseph-Montvale, St. Peter’s Prep
  • Category B (75%): Delbarton, Paramus Catholic, Red Bank Catholic, St. Joseph-Metuchen
  • Category C (70%): Pope John, St. Augustine, Seton Hall Prep
  • Category D (70%): Donovan Catholic, Holy Spirit, St. John Vianney, St. Thomas Aquinas

While the multiplier list still includes 16 teams, one dropped out, one new team is on the list, and there are some changes from last year:

  • St. Peter’s Prep started 2025 as a Category C multiplier, but moves up to Category A this season.
  • Pope John and St. Augustine both move down from Category B in 2025 to Category C this season.
  • Paramus Catholic and Red Bank Catholic both move up from Category C to Category B, while St. Joseph-Metuchen makes the jump to B from Category D.
  • St. Thomas Aquinas, St. John Vianney and Holy Spirit drop from Category C to Category D for 2025.
  • Donovan Catholic was not a multiplier last season, but joins the list in Category D this season.
  • Paul VI was a multiplier last year, but is not on the list this year.
by Mike Pavlichko

New Jersey’s 16 multipliers are down to 14, with two others knocked down to Category D

Through the first four weeks of the season, one of the 16 NJSIAA multiplier football teams has dropped out, and three others have dropped down to Category D status, meaning if they lose again, they also no longer will be multipliers.

Holy Spirit and Paul VI no longer are multipliers, while St. Augustine and St. John Vianney have slipped to Category D.

The NJSIAA’s multiplier rule assigns one of four categories to teams, based on an annual review prior to each season by the Football Committee, which according to the sport’s regulations, “relies on historical results against public schools.” No other criteria is printed and available publicly.

The idea from the beginning was to help the North Jersey parochials like Bergen Catholic or Delbarton that might have had trouble scheduling other New Jersey opponents to meet the minimum for playoff eligibility.

It started with power points, before the UPR system began in 2018, and has been tweaked over the years. It used to reward teams with extra points just for playing multipliers, but last year it was moved to the OSI part of the UPR equation, and no longer rewards teams for beating multipliers, but offers a boost for a loss.

But another wrinkle was added last year. Teams could lose multiplier status if they lost to a non-multiplier during the year. (Out-of-state competition does not count toward that demotion.)

The way it is now, teams get normal OSI value for a win, but instead of getting 50% of the SI value for a loss, if they lose to a multiplier in:

  • Category A = 80% SI value
  • Category B = 75% SI value
  • Category C = 70% SI value
  • Category D – 70% SI value

If any Category A, B or C multiplier loses to a non-multiplier, they move down to Category D. Any Category D multiplier who loses to a non-multiplier – whether they started the year there or were demoted there – is removed from the multiplier. Essentially, it means teams that start as A, B or C need two losses to non-multipliers to lose multiplier status, while those that start as a D only need to lose once to lose that status.

Some schools, in fact, play either no multipliers, or at least none the rest of the season, and are in no danger of even being demoted. Those include Bergen Catholic, DePaul, Don Bosco and St. Joe’s of Montvale – all in Category A – along with Delbarton and Pope John in Category B, and Paramus Catholic and St. Peter’s Prep in Category C.

Paul VI (2-2) started as a Category D, but lost to Pleasantville, 6-0, back on Friday, kicking them out of the multiplier category. That means that Timber Creek, which lost to the Eagles in Week 0, 34-8, will get just 50 percent of their SI value of the current 72.40 (36.20) for that defeat, rather than 70 percent, which would have been 50.68. (The SI values change each week based on each team’s ratings and game result.)

Holy Spirit (2-2) took a loss to Northern Highlands in the Battle at the Beach at Ocean City High School on August 28, then fell to Camden back on Friday, 28-14. The first loss knocked them down to Category D status, and the second eliminated them.

St. Augustine (3-1) won its first three games before falling to Winslow Friday at home, 19-6. That moves them from Category B to D, with four more non-multipliers on the schedule: at Mainland, at Lenape, home to Rancocas Valley and at Millville.

St. John Vianney (2-2) started the year as a Category C multiplier. They lost in Week Zero to Seton Hall Prep, 14-12, but the Pirates also are a multiplier, so they didn’t get dinged for that. But Friday’s loss at Point Pleasant Boro, 14-12, now has them in Category D with four games left against non-multipliers: at Manalapan, home to Howell, at Jackson Twp., and home to Wall.

In the Big Central, St. Thomas Aquinas is a Category C multiplier and St. Joseph-Metuchen is in Category D.

The Trojans are 3-1, their only loss coming to Catholic Memorial (MA), an out-of-state team, which doesn’t affect the multiplier. They only have three non-multiplier games left before the cutoff, since they also play Paramus Catholic and St. Joe’s-Metuchen. They have Elizabeth at home this week, are at Edison on October 10th, and visit Sayreville on Cutoff Weekend. Those teams would get 70 percent of Aquinas’ SI for a loss, normal value for a win, as long as St. Thomas wins at least two of those three games against the Minutemen, Eagles and Bombers.

The Falcons are 3-0, and only have the one multiplier matchup with St. Thomas Aquinas. They host Westfield this Saturday, are at North Brunswick October 3rd, host Phillipsburg October 11th, and close at home against Woodbridge on Saturday of Cutoff Weekend. If St. Joseph loses any of those public schools, they will lose multiplier status.

scientific calculator on wooden surface
by Mike Pavlichko

Notre Dame is first to lose multiplier status in first year of new NJSIAA four-tiered system

The NJSIAA’s new way of looking at multiplier schools has had its first team lose that status.

Notre Dame of Lawrenceville is no longer a mutliplier, after losing twice this season to non-multiplier schools.

The Fighting Irish beat Bridgewater-Raritan in their opener, 40-38, but then lost at Timber Creek by three, and 47-21 to Hopewell Valley last weekend.

Notre Dame was a Tier D multliplier, and with the NJSIAA shifting it to OSI from power points this year, worth 70 percent of the Strength Index (SI) value toward OSI. Non-multiplier teams are worth 50 percent for a loss.

Tier A, B and C multipliers get demoted to Tier D with any loss to a non-multiplier, and Tier D teams are removed from the mutliplier list with one loss. That means Tier A, B, and C are removed after two losses.

That means Notre Dame lost its status with that Week 1 loss at Timber Creek. And Bridgewater now will get only 50 percent of Notre Dame’s SI value come cutoff weekend, not 70 percent.

Timber Creek and Hopewell Valley wouldn’t be affected, because beating a mutliplier garners no extra points.

Two other teams are on the proverbial “multiplier hot seat.”

Tier B multiplier Donovan Catholic is 0-2. But their first loss was August 30th at St. Augustine, which is also a multiplier. So, that doesn’t hurt them. But, a loss last weekend to Point Pleasant Boro knocked them down to Tier D. One more loss, and the Griffins are no longer a multiplier. The face five public schools between now and cutoff weekend, and on that weekend, they visit powerhouse Toms River North.

Holy Spirit is a Tier C mutliplier. Their opening loss was to Millville on August 30th, 35-0, a tough way to get demoted to Tier D status; the Thunderbolts have the highest Strength Index value in the state at 102.20. One more loss to a non-multiplier sends them packing, too. They visit Camden (3-0) this Friday night, and have three more public school opponents before cutoff weekend, with fellow multiplier St. Augustine sandwiched in between.

Locally, St. Joseph of Metuchen (Tier D) is 2-0 on the year, while St. Thomas Aquinas (Tier B) is 2-1, that lone loss coming to an out-of-state opponent, which also does not affect multiplier status.

by Mike Pavlichko

“The Big Central in 2 Minutes” – Week 8: It’s Playoff Time!

Now that the playoffs are upon us, “The Big Central in Two Minutes” with veteran sportscaster Mike Pavlichko takes a look at teams that can do some damage in the postseason, the double-multiplier effect, and how we did with our preseason playoff projections.

Click below to listen to the Week Eight edition of “The Big Central in 2 Minutes”:

by Mike Pavlichko

NJSIAA still working on plan to account for COVID forfeits in power points and OSI formula

While COVID has not wreaked nearly the type of havoc on the high school football schedule in 2021 as it did last year, it still has the potential to make things messy when it comes to playoff qualification.

And for some teams, it could downright keep them out of the playoffs.

That said, the NJSIAA is in the process of devising a plan on how to handle those situations, according to sources.

One key issue is how to handle teams that only manage six games this season for one reason or another. In its 2021 football regulations, the NJSIAA set a seven-game minimum for calculating power points and OSI. But that could affect teams that had no choice in whether they meet the minimum, due to the continuing effect of COVID.

The NJSIAA’s football regulations state that “7 games will be the minimum number of games used when averaging both the Power Points and OSI totals for use in the UPR system. For instance, if your team only plays 6 games, then both the Power Points and OSI totals will be divided by 7 games for UPR purposes.”

That means a team that managed only six games will have a much lower power point average when dividing by seven instead of six.

But it doesn’t just affect the team that had to give up a game because of COVID, but also the team that was cancelled on.

And what about schools that had to cancel due to Ida, which flooded many communities, like Manville, Cranford and others in the Big Central?

Earlier this year, Piscataway had to cancel on Phillipsburg due to damage from Ida, but the Stateliners quickly found a replacement game in St. Joe’s of Montvale.

But last week, South River had to cancel a game last minute with St. Thomas Aquinas and the Trojans had no time to find a replacement.

Then there’s the question of how to deal with multipliers. St. Joseph-Metuchen had to cancel its scheduled game with Sayreville due to COVID. The Falcons are a “multiplier” team in power points. The NJSIAA needs to figure out how to account for that.

The Bombers should get credit for a win, but do they get the normal power points? Or the multiplier points?

All of those questions will need to be settled in the next week or two before we get to the final few weeks of the season.