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Steamboat Springs — Technically, the Class 3A football playoffs start in a week.

But as far as the Western Slope League goes, the playoffs might as well start at 7 p.m. today in Glenwood Springs when the Demons welcome the Sailors.

Because they’re the top two teams in the league, the winner would be the league champion. The winner also could — and probably should — garner a top three seed in the playoffs.

“This is a good one,” Steam­boat coach Aaron Finch said. “It’s one of those key ones. There are certain games like Palisade and Glenwood, who has two league championships and a state championship. With Glenwood, you just don’t see teams lose that many seniors that talented and come back and have a year like they’re having.”

Before the season, many outside of Glenwood thought the Demons might have a down year. With 17 seniors leaving the program, including last season’s 3A Player of the Year, quarterback Dakota Stonehouse, observers wouldn’t have turned their heads at a losing record.

But coach Rocky Whitworth and the Demons are 6-3 overall and 6-1 in league play. Led by quarterback Luke Jacob (677 yards passing, 794 rushing) and running back Tyler Thulson (609 yards rushing), the Demons have gone from afterthought to full-on contender.

“The deal for us is just the kids took it upon themselves,” Whitworth said about the lack of a down season. “They’ve taken it upon themselves to stay with doing the best they can — to be competitive. As coaches, we’re still evolving. We’re still trying to get them into the right positions. We’re changing as the season goes on.”

Considering playoff implications, the game doesn’t get much bigger. Steamboat (9-0, 7-0) essentially could wrap up a top three seed in the playoffs with a win. Looking at last season, when Glenwood and Palisade battled for the top spot out of the league, a Glenwood win gave the team the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs. The loss relegated Palisade to a sixth seed and a first-round loss.

Add in that Glenwood’s potential playoff life is at stake. A loss would drop Glenwood into a three-way tie for second place with Palisade and Delta. With only three guaranteed spots in the playoffs from the league, Glenwood could potentially have to bank on Wild Card points to earn a spot. A win, however, would guarantee a playoff spot.

“I’m not sure how the tiebreaker works,” Whitworth said. “I leave that up to the athletic director. Honestly, I’m not sure how it will work. We’re just looking at (today) as the only thing that matters.”

Steamboat has secured a playoff spot.

When it comes to play on the field, Glenwood has become more of a running team than it was the past couple of seasons. But this might be a matchup that comes down to defenses.

Glenwood probably has the best defensive line and core of linebackers Steamboat has seen all season. If Glenwood can neutralize a dangerous Steamboat offense, the game could turn into a low-scoring slugfest.

“They’re big, fast and athletic,” Finch said. Giving quarterback Austin Hinder “time will be a challenge. Finding space to run is going to be a challenge.”

But if Steamboat needs any extra motivation, the team just has to look at last year’s regular-season-ending loss to Glenwood.

There, the Demons outplayed the Sailors in every part of the game, reaching an easy 47-0 win.

“I hope they never forget a game like that where we embarrassed ourselves and let a good team embarrass us,” Finch said. “The reality is you don’t forget. They came up here and stuck it to us. They did a good job of it. Some of that feeling we have is to let them know we’re a little better than last year.”