It's another week before the Florida High School Athletic Association kicks off its statewide football playoffs.

But for Windermere Prep and 15 other FHSAA schools within the Sunshine State Athletic Conference the postseason began with a bang last week. SSAC playoff crowds are smaller, as are its rosters and most of its players. Media mentions are minimal.

But for teams in SSAC championship contention, including undefeated Windermere Prep, Orlando Christian Prep and Legacy Charter, it's a pretty big deal.

That was clear as Windermere Prep's 18 players — every one with a dirtied jersey — jubilantly formed a homefield huddle around coach Jacob Doss after time expired on a 57-14 opening round victory over Boca Raton Christian last week.

Doss congratulated his 9-0 team, talked about Friday's second round, and heaped special praise on several players, including Jewei Dang, a junior boarding school student from China who ran downfield on kickoff coverage to experience the first football play of his life.

"For all intents and purposes this is a state championship," Doss later said of the 32-team SSAC, which is one of several independent leagues comprised of FHSAA schools that opted to depart district play in recent years. "Having a championship to play for is one of the huge positives."

The FHSAA wants some of their 70-some independents back. It spent more than a year developing a new playoff plan for 2017 and beyond, in part to lure back some of the schools who fled districts to form leagues of their own.

FHSAA administrator Frank Beasley predicted the revision could bring back 30-plus independents because it lets Class 1A through 4A schools dictate their own regular season schedules. Playoff berths will be determined by a points system based on win-loss records and wins by opponents.

The North Florida Football Conference announced that its nine members will maintain their scheduling ties while signing up for the new FHSAA system. There has been talk that schools from a 12-team conference in South Florida could do the same.

No such talk is coming out of the nine-year-old SSAC, which has proved to be a good fit for schools that rely heavily on inexperienced players.

"I've not heard of any of our schools saying they're leaving and going back," said SSAC league president Stuart Weiss, the football coach for International Community School of Winter Park. "I think what the FHSAA is doing is going to end up helping small schools and I commend them for that. But we're going to remain independent and do our thing."

Schools must soon make a choice.

"We're out of that conversation altogether," said Central Florida Christian Academy coach Chris Cook. "There's no way we could go into that FHSAA 2A private school league. When I go from offense to defense sometimes nobody comes off the field."

Cook and other SSAC coaches say their league offers a level playing field for schools that want to offer football but don't want to get in over their heads against powerhouses that welcome transfer talent and dominate FHSAA play.

A for instance is Jacksonville Trinity Christian, winner of three consecutive Class 3A state championships and a pipeline for major college talent.

The SSAC, by contrast, has very few bluechippers but proven parity. It has had a different champion in each of its eight years of existence.

"This league, at least you know you have a shot. You have a fair chance," said OCP (6-2) coach Guershom Demosthenes, whose 25-player team is home vs. St. Edward's (5-3) of Vero Beach in a Friday 7 p.m. conference quarterfinal.

Orangewood Christian was a 3A district member for four seasons (2011-14) before opting out to join the SSAC. Rams coach Bill Gierke said it was an uphill battle against district rivals like The First Academy and Melbourne Central Catholic.

"I'm looking across the field at 60 players and I'm suiting up 24. That was an impossible situation and in my opinion got to the point where it was unsafe," Gierke said.

Windermere Prep won the SSAC with a 10-0 record two years ago and has a chance to be its first two-time champion. It hosts a 4:30 quarterfinal against Legacy Charter (6-3) of Ocoee on Friday. The semifinals are next week and the conference's Florida Bowl championship game is Saturday, Nov. 19, at Master's Academy.

If Windermere Prep signs up for FHSAA contention, it would likely be placed in a 3A region with the likes of TFA, MCC and Ocala Trinity Catholic.

Ryan Swoboda, a 265-pound senior offensive tackle and defensive end who dwarfs most of the SSAC players he faces, is a 6-foot-10 center for a Windermere Prep basketball program that won the FHSAA's 3A basketball championship last year. Swoboda, who picked up a major college football scholarship offer from USF this week, said he wishes the Lakers could have played football against natural rivals like undefeated TFA or neighboring Foundation Academy, an FHSAA 2A playoff team.

"Everyone on this team would want to go play those schools," Swoboda said. "I grew up with those guys. I think we have players who could definitely compete. The only difference is they have more numbers (players). We've got eight guys who don't come off the field."

Doss knows numbers matter more in football than in basketball.

"We have not made a decision yet," he said. "I really like what the FHSAA has done. It's a cool plan they have. But right now I think that would be a stretch for us. We're going to wait until after the season ends and look at this whole global picture."