COLUMBUS, Ga. - High school football playoff calendars on both sides of the Chattahoochee are now set, and they run on different schedules. Georgia's state playoffs open Friday, Nov. 13, while Alabama's Class 6A plays its second round on Monday, Nov. 16. Central-Phenix City, the area's highest-seeded Alabama team, has a first-round bye and hosts a second-round game on that date.

The calendars matter for families planning travel and for fans deciding which stadium to visit. Georgia's rounds are one week apart, and Alabama's 6A rounds are Nov. 9 and Nov. 16. The dates below come from the two state associations and from Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reporting, and brackets can shift, so each school's athletics page has the final word on kickoff times.

Georgia: the GHSA calendar

According to the Georgia High School Association, the regular season ends Nov. 6 and the state football playoffs start with the first round on Nov. 13. Later rounds follow weekly, and the association lists state championship games for Dec. 15-16 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The association notes that dates are subject to change.

On the championship days, the association's schedule lists Class A at 10:30 a.m., Private at 1:30 p.m., AAAA at 5 p.m. and AAAAAA at 8 p.m. on Dec. 15. The AA, AAA, AAAAA and AAAAAAA games follow on Dec. 16 at 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are sold only through GoFan, and a ticket covers all games on a given day, according to the association. Fans should confirm kickoff times with the association before traveling.

Which Georgia teams are in the picture

The Ledger-Enquirer reported that Spencer beat Westover 21-18 on Monday, Nov. 2, at Odis Spencer Stadium to improve to 6-3 overall and 5-2 in Region 1. The Greenwave were ranked No. 21 in Class 4A by the GHSA, and the newspaper noted that the top 32 teams in each classification qualify for the state playoffs. Spencer's regular-season finale was against Columbus at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7, so the Nov. 7 result and the final rankings decide where it lands.

Other Columbus-area teams listed in the Ledger-Enquirer's late-October preview had records that left their paths less clear. Columbus High was 3-5 before its Oct. 30 game, and Hardaway was 0-8. Northside, at 6-2 before its Oct. 30 game at Newnan and a Nov. 2 game at Creekside, had one of the stronger records among the public schools in that report. This story does not project qualifiers, because the association had not published a bracket in the sources reviewed.

Alabama: Central-Phenix City and the 6A bracket

The Alabama High School Athletic Association published its brackets on Oct. 31 and said first-round games begin Friday, Nov. 6. For Class 6A, the association lists Round 1 on Nov. 9 and Round 2 on Nov. 16. Central-Phenix City (9-1) has a first-round bye and hosts the winner of Enterprise at Baker, a Round 1 game set for Nov. 9, according to the association's bracket and WAFF.

Opelika also appears in the 6A bracket, hosting Alma Bryant in a Nov. 9 first-round game. The winner of that game plays at Fairhope on Nov. 16, based on the bracket listing. Auburn, like Central-Phenix City, has a first-round bye and hosts a second-round game on Nov. 16.

Both the association and WAFF list the 6A round dates as Nov. 9 and Nov. 16. A Ledger-Enquirer report from Nov. 3 gave the Central-Phenix City home date as Nov. 13, so fans should confirm the date with the school before making plans. The association's bracket page is the official source.

Lower-classification Alabama and private-school games

Other Chattahoochee Valley programs opened their Alabama playoffs on Nov. 6 under the association's schedule, with the later rounds listed on its site. Russell County (7-3) was scheduled to play at McAdory (8-2), Glenwood (5-5) at St. Michael Catholic (6-4) in Class AA private, and Lee-Scott Academy (2-8) at Madison Academy (6-4). Eufaula (7-3) was scheduled to host Shelby County in 4A. The association did not list kickoff times for those games in the bracket article, though the Ledger-Enquirer gave 8 p.m. starts for Russell County and Glenwood.

Georgia's independent schools run their own bracket under the Georgia Independent Schools Association. The Ledger-Enquirer reported that St. Anne-Pacelli (6-4) was scheduled to visit First Presbyterian Day in Macon and Brookstone (5-5) was scheduled to host Strong Rock Christian at Mack Strong Stadium, both at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, in first-round games. Dates for later GIAA rounds were not available in the sources reviewed.

Where to get final information

• Georgia public schools: ghsa.net publishes brackets and the football calendar.
• Alabama public and private schools: ahsaa.com publishes brackets, and games are streamed on the NFHS Network, according to the association.
• Game times and tickets: check each school's athletics page, since the association's bracket article lists few kickoff times.
• Alabama's Playoff Game of the Week is scheduled to air on APT and WOTM-TV, according to the association.