Praise be the gridiron gods: High school football’s postseason structure bears no resemblance to the poll-driven college system.

That means must-win games for strong squads such as Westlake rarely come about before the playoffs. Sure, every contest can do more than propel a team toward a playoff berth. Victories strengthen morale in the locker room and validate decisions by the coaches. They build support in the community, and they cool down the seats in the coaches’ offices.

But come Friday at Chaparral Stadium, a triumph against Bowie would create something much more concrete than confidence. A Westlake win would give the Chaps the inside track on the district’s top Division I seed, and such a position looks particularly attractive considering what will lurk in the first round of the playoffs.

Let’s review how the UIL designs its playoff structure for each Class 5A district: Four teams qualify for the postseason from each district, with the two largest of that quartet competing in a Division I (once nominally called the “big school”) bracket. Bowie boasts the largest enrollment in 25-5A with 2,763 students, the official number that the UIL recognized in its latest realignment in 2008. Westlake ranked third with 2,449 students.

The second largest school? Akins, with 2,468. But we’re discussing playoff scenarios in this column, so enough about the Eagles.

Essentially, Bowie and the Chaps have squared off for the top Division I seed for the past two years. The Bulldogs beat Westlake en route to capturing the school’s first district title in 2007, and both teams tied with Pflugerville for the 25-5A championship a year ago. Because they beat Bowie at Burger Stadium a season ago, the Chaps opened the playoffs as the Division I top seed with a win against a young San Antonio Roosevelt squad while the second-seeded Bulldogs fell to powerful San Antonio Madison.

Speaking of Madison, 300-win coach Jim Streety has his unbeaten team ranked second in the state by The Associated Press. The Mavericks have the highest enrollment in District 26-5A, which matches up with 25-5A in the first round of the playoffs. Madison, which will be a Division I team if it reaches the postseason, would face a second-seeded Division I team by fulfilling expectations and winning 26-5A.

Madison will await its first playoff foe in that second week of November. By Friday night, all of District 25-5A will know that team’s identity.