Oneida put itself into a desparate situation, where the playoffs are concerned, with a 29-7 loss at Harriman Friday night, while Scott High kept its playoff hopes alive with a 23-20 win over Livingston Academy.

With seven weeks in the books and only three remaining, the playoff picture is quickly becoming clear in Regions 2-A and 2-3A, though only few changes are occurring to what appeared to be the teams who would be making postseason appearances.

In Region 2-A, Coalfield, Harriman and Midway are all virtually assured of making the playoffs, with Coalfield the most likely team to claim the region championship.

Currently, Coalfield holds the top spot with a 3-0 region record and a 7-0 overall record. Harriman is second, with a 3-0 region record and a 5-2 overall record. Midway is third, with a 3-1 region record and a 5-2 overall record. Sunbright is fourth, with a 1-2 region record and a 4-3 overall record.

Oneida and Greenback are the teams on the bubble in Region 2-A, with the Cherokees climbing back into the playoff hunt by virtue of a surprisingly easy 48-6 win over Oakdale this week. While all three teams actually control their own destiny, Greenback would need a major upset of either Coalfield (Week 8) or Midway (Week 9) to maintain control of its destiny. Otherwise, it would need some help from other teams.

Assuming no major upsets the rest of the way — which would include Greenback beating Coalfield or Midway, Sunbright beating Coalfield or Oakdale beating Harriman — following is how it is likely to shake out:

Coalfield can clinch the region championship with a win over Harriman on October 20. The Yellow Jackets could also clinch the region championship if Midway defeats Harriman next week (assuming no upsets the rest of the way), as a Green Wave win over the Blue Devils, followed by a Harriman win over Coalfield, would leave the three teams tied in the region with one loss apiece. The first tiebreaker is the teams' overall record, which would be won by the 'Jackets. In that scenario, Midway would then claim second, assuming the 'Wave can defeat Gatlinburg-Pittman on Oct. 27. Harriman would slip to third and face a first-round road game. A Midway win over Harriman and a Blue Devil loss to Coalfield would give Midway second place outright, of course, and Coalfield first place outright. A Harriman win over Midway would assure the 'Devils of finishing no worse than second and the Green Wave third. Harriman and Coalfield would then meet in Week 9 with undefeated region records to decide the first and second spots. A Greenback win in either of the next two weeks, or a Sunbright win in Week 10, could throw a wrench into those possibilities.

If Sunbright defeats Oneida next week, the Tigers will be virtually assurred of finishing fourth in the region for a second consecutive season. The only way the Tigers would miss the playoffs would be an unlikely loss to Oakdale the following week, followed by a loss to Coalfield, and Greenback wins over Oneida and either Midway or Coalfield. For Oneida to make the playoffs outright, the Indians must defeat Sunbright next week and Greenback in Week 10. For Greenback to make the playoffs outright, the Cherokees must pull off an upset win over Coalfield or Midway, as well as defeat Oneida in Week 10. If Sunbright loses to Oneida, but the Indians lose to Greenback, a three-way tie would be created among the three teams, similar to last season. And, similar to last season, the Tigers would pull out the tiebreaker due to a better overall record, unless the Indians could pull out an unlikely win over York Institute in Week 9.

IN REGION 2-3A MEANWHILE, Fulton and Catholic are virtually assurred of finishing first and second, with next week's showdown in downtown Knoxville to determine the finishing order. Austin-East or Kingston will finish third. Scott High is the bubble team. Possible major upsets remaining would include Kingston over Catholic in Week 9 ,or Livingston over Fulton or Scott over Catholic in Week 10.

A Kingston-Scott County matchup next week, and a Kingston-Austin-East matchup on Oct. 27 are key to determining the finishing order in Region 2-3A.

If the Yellow Jackets defeat the Highlanders, they will be virtually assurred of making the playoffs in either the third or fourth position. A Week 10 showdown with the Roadrunners would then determine which of the two teams finished third. A Scott High win over Kingston, meanwhile, would leave Scott High in the playoff hunt. The Highlanders would then need to defeat Anderson County the following week to finish fourth in the region. A Scott High win over Kingston, but loss to Anderson County, would complicate the playoff situation. If Austin-East defeated Kingston, and Anderson County defeats Livingston Academy next week, a three-way tie would be created between 2-4 region teams: Scott, Kingston and Anderson County. With overall records thrown into the mix, Anderson County would be eliminated with at least six losses, while Scott and Kingston would likely finish 5-5. In that same scenario, if Kingston defeated Austin-East, they would be in regardless.

So, in a nutshell, the Indians can make the playoffs by defeating Sunbright and Greenback, or by defeating Sunbright and York Institute. The Highlanders can make the playoffs by defeating Kingston and Anderson County, or defeating Kingston and relying on an Austin-East win over the Yellow Jackets.