“Playoffs? Don’t talk about playoffs. Are you kidding me.”

Former NFL coach Jim Mora was more than reluctant to discuss his team’s playoff possibilities, but as we wind down the regular season schedule, we’re more than curious to know the playoff possibilities of Chenango County’s six football teams:

• Bainbridge-Guilford – The phrase “in control of their own destiny” is overused, but appropriate here. The Bobcats are on a five-game winning streak with division matchups against Oxford and Delhi remaining. A win over Oxford this week sends B-G back to the playoffs for a second straight year. A loss, and the Bobcats can still make the playoffs with a win over Delhi. If they win both contests, what comes is the school’s first Class D division championship and one of two top seeds.

• Greene – There are two roads to a playoff berth for the Trojans. One is convoluted, so we’ll tackle the second, and easier one, first. Playoff option number two for the Trojans requires that they win their final division games, and Walton must lose to either UV-Edmeston or Unatego. Number one in a nutshell: Chenango Valley, not even a Class C school, needs to lose its final two regular season games; Oxford needs to defeat either B-G or Seton Catholic Central; and Groton must lose at least one of its final two games – both would be better. Seems like a Greene needs a lot of teams to lose for it to “win.”

• Norwich – It was reported in other media outlets earlier this week that Norwich is a lock for the Class B playoffs. With one division game remaining – next Saturday against Chenango Valley – the worst NHS can do is tie for second-place. NHS does appear a lock for the playoffs, regardless of divisional game results the next two weeks. One scenario has the Purple is a three-way tie with CV and Oneonta. Based on the Kelly-Redmond Points System, the Warriors would win the division title. The tie-breaker for second place would fall to the Tornado as head-to-head play breaks second-place deadlocks.

• Oxford – Oxford has one path to a playoff appearance, and for starters, it must win its final two division games. Right now, the Blackhawks are two games behind Delhi and B-G in the standings, but has a date against the Bobcats tonight. Oxford coach Mike Chrystie has crunched the numbers, and believes his team has the inside track to a playoff spot with back-to-back wins over B-G and Seton Catholic Central, and a Bobcats loss to Delhi next weekend.

• Sherburne-Earlville – The Marauders were eliminated from Section III postseason consideration after losing by shutout to Sauquoit Valley last Friday. A victory would have meant a first-round matchup against a division champion.

• UV-Edmeston is in the midst of a 16-game losing streak, and while out of any playoff mix, looks to end that skein over the final three weeks of the season.

Greene (4-1, 5-1) at Chenango Forks (4-0, 6-0), Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

Saturday’s matchup has the makings of a tremendous battle, and the first matchup between the two schools since Forks defeated the Trojans in 1986.

The Trojans, through six weeks of play, are the highest scoring team in Section IV averaging 38.2 points per game. The Blue Devils, by contrast, have the top scoring defense allowing a paltry 3.8 points per game. Until last week’s 21-14 win over Chenango Valley last week, Forks had allowed just nine points and had three shutouts under its belt. “They’re a tough team that can hurt you in a lot of ways,” said Greene coach Jeff Paske in summing up Chenango Forks. “They don’t do a lot of stuff, but what they do, they do it very well. If you give any of their guys space, they have the opportunity to go the distance on any play.”

Tie-breaking scenarios for a playoff spot are on the unfavorable side for Greene, although a win over Chenango Forks would clinch at least a tie for the Division V championship. It would be Greene’s third division title in four years, and the school’s first back-to-back championship. “One of our goals at the start of the season was to be a division champion and go back-to-back,” Paske said. “We can do that on Saturday. Of course, we’re facing a formidable foe.”

Chenango Forks has a little bit of history on its side as well. The Blue Devils have toiled predominately in the Class B ranks since the Section IV Football Conference was formed. Still, the fact remains, no Class C team has beaten them since a Walton turned the trick in 1993. And Greene’s last victory over Chenango Forks? Try 1983.

“Our guys are ready for the challenge,” Paske said. “We know they play great defense, and we have a pretty good defense, too. Chenango Valley had some success moving the ball. If we can get guys in the right position to make plays, we could put some points up.”

Bainbridge-Guilford (4-0, 5-1) at Oxford (2-2, 3-3), Friday, 7 p.m.

As documented above, tonight’s game has critical playoff implications. It’s a sudden-death scenario for the Blackhawks, who cannot lose the remainder of the regular season. The Bobcats, meanwhile, need to win one of their final two games to reach the postseason. “The way we’ve played the last couple of weeks, we’ve played ourselves into a playoff scenario,” said Oxford coach Mike Chrystie. “You play the season for these types of games.”