Can Bishop Gorman still contend for a high school football national title?

Bishop Gorman’s pursuit of a fifth mythical national title suffered a setback on Saturday when the Gaels, who had held the No. 1 spot in MaxPreps’ national rankings, fell to Christopher Columbus of Florida 33‑28 in an ESPN2‑televised contest. The loss dropped Gorman to No. 8 in both the MaxPreps and USA Today polls, removing the momentum the program needed to seize a national championship this season. Despite the defeat, the unpredictability of high‑school football means the Gaels remain capable of climbing back into the elite tier. Four conditions must be met for Gorman to stay in contention for a national crown. First, Gorman must win every remaining game. Another loss would send the team further down the rankings. The Gaels open their comeback bid at 7 p.m. MT on Friday against Lone Peak of Utah, a program absent from the MaxPreps top‑100. On Sept. 18 they face Mater Dei of California, which sits at No. 12 in the USA Today poll and No. 15 in MaxPreps and represents the final regular‑season test against a highly ranked opponent. After those matchups, Gorman will close the regular season with games against 5A/4A private and charter schools before entering the playoffs. Second, Gorman hopes to capture the Overtime Nationals tournament. When the 2026 schedule was first released, a placeholder for the Overtime Nationals appeared at the bottom of the graphic before the schedule was withdrawn and reissued. A Rivals report earlier this year indicated the event will expand from a single‑game showdown to a four‑team national tournament featuring the country’s top squads. Gorman is expected to join the field in December after the Open Division state title game. Success there would allow the Gaels to add two more victories over nationally ranked opponents—potentially from Florida, Arizona or other states—and improve their standing in the polls. Last year’s tournament saw St. Frances Academy of Maryland defeat Utah’s Corner Canyon 37‑20 in the championship; St. Frances, currently No. 2 in MaxPreps and No. 3 in USA Today, could return for another run. Third, the teams presently ahead of Gorman must lose. The Gaels’ most recent national title in 2023 arrived after then‑top‑ranked Mater Dei dropped a game, propelling Gorman to No. 1. For a repeat, each squad currently ranked above Gorman would need to falter. In the MaxPreps list those teams are St. Thomas Aquinas (Florida), St. Frances Academy, IMG Academy (Florida), Santa Margarita (California), Buford (Georgia), Columbus and Sierra Canyon (California). The USA Today ranking substitutes St. Thomas Aquinas, IMG Academy, St. Frances Academy, Buford, Santa Margarita, Columbus and Centennial of Corona, California. Columbus, which leapt from No. 100 to No. 6 in MaxPreps, will meet St. Thomas Aquinas this Friday. Santa Margarita, Sierra Canyon and Centennial are slated to face other top‑ranked California foes during the regular season and the CIF‑Southern Section Division I postseason. Fourth, Gorman’s out‑of‑state opponents must finish the season with strong résumés. The strength of schedule factors into the final rankings, so the Gaels need each non‑conference foe to end the year highly ranked. If Columbus, for example, drops several late‑season games to unranked teams, the Saturday loss will appear more damaging. Lone Peak, which fell to IMG Academy 59‑3 on August 21, is presently unranked; however, a Gorman victory on Friday followed by a Lone Peak run to the Utah 6A title game would reframe that win as a quality result. Additionally, St. John Bosco and Mater Dei are set to clash on Oct. 30, after which both squads will encounter elite opponents in Trinity League play and the postseason, a scenario that should keep them inside the national top‑25. Meeting these four benchmarks would keep Bishop Gorman alive in the race for a high‑school football national title.