There's one more AP high school football poll before the final one at the conclusion of the season.

I'll post my votes in the final regular season poll below, but at this point, who cares? We don't need the opinions of 10 sports writers from around the state to generate conversation now. The playoffs are here and everything worth talking about will be settled between the lines.

Some random Round 1 thoughts...

Most intriguging first round matchup: Flowery Branch at Stephens County. 

These two met in Week 1, with Stephens coming out on top, 28-25. Since then, Flowery Branch has shown marked improvement, winning nine straight before falling last week to Gainesville with the Region 7-AAA title on the line. Despite being the second best team in the region, the Falcons are stuck with the region's No. 3 seed and a first round road trip, since the subregion winners are guaranteed the top two seeds in 7-AAA.

The Indians will benefit from the presence of Ren Teasley, their leading rusher this year who missed the first game with the Falcons due to an injury. Stephens County finished in a three-way tie for first place in 8-AAA, losing to No. 1 seed Eastside and defeating No. 3 seed Hart County. It's supposed to be a down year for the Indians in terms of talent, but they still placed nine on the 8-AAA All-Region team, and Travis Noland was named the region's coach of the year.

Still, few would deny that the Falcons have the talent to win this one, especially considering the growth shown throughout the season by Connor Shaw. Remember, even though he's in his third year as a starter, this is his first season under center.

Biggest first-round locks:

A: Wilcox County over Seminole County. Lots can change over the course of a season. Here's one thing that hasn't - Wilcox is still 40 points better than Seminole. That was the margin of victory when they played in the season opener and Friday's result should be similar.

AA: Calhoun over Banks County. I hate typing that. I really do. Even for somebody trying to remain objective, it's hard not to root for the Banks Countys of the world. My favorite sports movies of all-time are Rocky and Rudy, for cryin' out loud. I like the underdog, and that tag fits the Leopards well. But Banks County, in its first playoff appearance in more than a decade, is running up against the Buford of Region 7-AA. Calhoun has won eight straight region titles, has advanced to at least the second round of the playoffs seven straight years, and has college prospects all over the field - none bigger than 300-pound Purdue commit Eric McDaniel. Last week they knocked off the No. 2 team in the state, Pepperell. The Leopards earned their spot in 8-AA's top four and are to be commended for their accomplishments. But the truth is, 8-AA isn't as tough as most other AA regions, and the Leopards' run ends Friday.

AAA: Carver-Columbus over Crisp County. Despite two losses, I've still got Carver among AAA's elite, and Crisp County has struggled to stay competitive down the stretch, dropping three straight. Two of those losses came to very good teams (Cairo and Peach County), but they weren't close (combined 76-13) and Carver's a very good team, too.

AAAA:  Westside-Macon over Glynn Academy. This one would be Westside-Macon over whoever. Glynn (5-5) just happens to be the victim-in-waiting. Nobody has even pushed Westside this year. The Seminoles have five shutouts and haven't given up more than seven points in any game so far.

AAAAA: Lowndes over Luella. See above. Lowndes is battle-tested, and has proven its worth with wins over Northside-Warner Robins, Peachtree Ridge, Ware County, Tift County, Valdosta and Coffee.

What are they made of: Gainesville defense vs. Zach Mettenberger

Maybe it's not fair to heap so much focus on one player, but that's what happens when you're one of the highest-rated quarterbacks in the country and committed to the state's flagship university. Mettenberger, Oconee County's strong-armed senior quarterback, will be hounded by a Gainesville defense that averages three sacks per contest. It's a chance for the Red Elephants to prove that they can fluster even the most highly touted individual player, and a chance for Mettenberger to prove that he won't be flustered.

Onto this week's votes. See the official poll here.

Class A

1. Emanuel County Institute

2. Wilcox County

3. Lincoln County

4. Brookstone

5. Bremen

6. Savannah Christian

7. Miller County

8. Clinch County

9. Turner County

10. Wesleyan

Class AA

1. Buford

2. Charlton County

3. Brooks County

4. Jefferson

5. Calhoun

6. Pepperell

7. McIntosh County Academy

8. Appling County

9. Henry County

10. Dublin

Class AAA

1. Cairo

2. Baldwin

3. Dunwoody

4. Carver-Columbus

5. Gainesville

6. St. Pius X

7. La Grange

8. Jackson

9. Peach County

10. Eastside

Class AAAA

1. Westside-Macon

2. Sandy Creek

3. Marist

4. Tucker

5. Sequoyah

6. Evans

7. Statesboro

8. North Clayton

9. Clarke Central

10. Loganville

Class AAAAA

1. Lowndes

2. Camden County

3. Northside-Warner Robins

4. Newnan

5. Grayson

6. Stephenson

7. Walton

8. Etowah

9. Peachtree Ridge

10. Lassiter