No calculators, slide rules or complicated formulas were necessary to comprehend either side of the Class C playoff equation.

Teams in the Campbell and Little Ten conferences played a round-robin schedule that produced a definite pecking order. Regular-season champions Lisbon and Foxcroft both went undefeated. Each runner-up absorbed one loss, the third-place teams sustained two, and the fourth-place squads dropped three, tripped up in every case by the teams directly above them.

Will that make for a predictable playoff?

It’s not likely. Even though the regular-season results ultimately followed conventional wisdom, most of those games were decided by one big offensive play, a defensive counter-punch or a crucial turnover in the red zone. The degree of separation was limited, at most.

In the West, Boothbay begins its quest for a third consecutive Class C championship on the road tonight at Jay, which enjoyed its most successful regular season in seven years. The unbeaten Greyhounds host Livermore Falls, which hasn’t journeyed to the playoffs since 1999.

Here’s a closer look at this weekend’s four match-ups:

Western Class C

No. 3 Boothbay (7-2) at No. 2 Jay (8-1), Tonight, 7 p.m.

Until Sept. 19, Jay admittedly hadn’t done much to meet heightened expectations.

The trend dated back to last season, when QB Justin Wells enjoyed a breakout second half and the Tigers put-together a pass-happy winning streak against Oak Hill, Traip and Madison. Then a 47-7 loss to rival Livermore Falls let the air out of the balloon.

“We definitely turned the corner,” said Jay coach Mark Bonnevie. “Then we ran into a brick wall.”

After ripping Buckfield/Dirigo to christen the promising 2003 campaign, Jay fell flat once again, falling at home to Lisbon. And there was little time for the Tigers to feel sorry for themselves with the reigning champs coming to town.

Jay unleashed its frustrations in a rain-soaked, 12-8 win and hasn’t experienced defeat since.

“We’ve won seven games in a row. Nobody anywhere expected us to go 8-1,” said defensive captain Shawn Jacques.

Nobody anywhere expects to deny the Seahawks their yards. Combine the misdirection of the double-wing offense with the biggest offensive line in the league, and Boothbay has a recipe for virtually guaranteed forward progress.

What a defense can do, and what the Tigers accomplished in the remnants of a hurricane seven weeks ago, is make Boothbay grind it out and hope that the odds of a turnover or costly penalty catch up with the Seahawks. Boothbay churned out 397 yards in that game, but a fumble, an interception and a fourth-quarter goal-line stand sealed their fate in a 12-8 loss.

Wells shook off the elements and performed precisely as he has for the last season-and-a-half for Jay. The junior completed 70 percent of his passes, two for touchdowns to Austin Ouellette and Ryan Dipompo. On a dry field, breakaway threat Marc Kelvey will provide a viable long-distance option.

The Tigers aren’t as apt to play power football as is Boothbay, but Jay is capable of moving the chains the old-fashioned way. Ouellette and Kyle Richards operate behind a senior-dominated front five anchored by 235-pound A.J. Nelson.

That previous journey to Jay excepted, Boothbay’s offense has performed at an incredible clip. The Seahawks scored at least 55 points in four of their nine games. Only the other three Western C playoff teams held Boothbay beneath the 40-point plateau.

Four different backs Jon Farrin, Jake Hodgdon, Justin Wood and D.J. Holcomb have topped the century mark at least once this season. Holcomb has 14 TDs. Boothbay also can air it out with QB Ryan Babcock and TE Mike Norton showing the way.

Jay successfully stacked the line of scrimmage in its September triumph. Nelson is Jay’s primary run-stuffer, and Jacques covers an inordinate amount of territory from his safety position.

No. 4 Liv. Falls (6-3) at No. 1 Lisbon (9-0), Saturday, 12:30 p.m.

There will be no mysteries at Thompson Field. Lisbon must stop Livermore Falls junior RB Brad Bryant, who has amassed over 1,500 yards. The Andies need to stop the Greyhounds’ senior tandem of John Tefft and Tony Walker, who have combined for more than that total.

Both sides chalked up their usual yards in the regular-season meeting on Oct. 18. Bryant’s were made less damaging, however, as Derek Roy and Walker each sacked Livermore Falls QB Dane Hanson twice and the Greyhounds played the down-and-distance game to perfection on both sides in a 22-6 victory.

It was the last true test of an admittedly unlikely unbeaten Campbell Conference campaign for Lisbon, which last won a state title in 1997.

“We looked at Boothbay, Winthrop and Jay and figured we would be fighting with Livermore Falls for the fourth spot,” said Lisbon coach Dick Mynahan, whose team lost in the semifinals last fall.

Injuries took care of Winthrop, and the Greyhounds took care of the rest on the field. Lisbon won at Jay in its second game and has allowed only two touchdowns since beating Boothbay in Week 5.

Lisbon’s offense isn’t fancy. Walker gets the tough yardage up the middle, while Tefft and Roy make most of the east-to-west progress. Chris Kates scored two TDs on quarterback sneaks last time against Livermore.

Together, they are adept at eating up time. Bryant scored Livermore Falls’ lone touchdown against Lisbon with over six minutes remaining in the game, but the Andies never again enjoyed possession.

While the Greyhounds have opened eyes by winning with only eight seniors and two juniors on their roster, the Andies are even younger. Livermore Falls started the year with five seniors and finished last week’s 26-6 loss at Jay with three. TE/LB Matt Belmonte was already out when FB/DB Chuck Drake left the game at halftime due to injury.

Drake is one of the Andies’ toughest run-stoppers along with Garrett Young, Matt Brochu and Tom Durrell.

“Lisbon’s a tough team. We’ll look at it like a new season, and hopefully we learned something,” said Livermore Falls coach Brad Bishop.

Eastern Class C

No. 4 Maine Central (6-3) at No. 1 Foxcroft (9-0), Tonight, 7 p.m.

MCI provided one of the Ponies’ toughest tests back on Sept. 5, limiting Foxcroft to one offensive TD in a 19-6 victory. Bobby Gilbert scored on a fumble return and Lincoln Robinson ran back an interception to spark the reigning regional champs.

QB Josh Withee threw for 193 yards and three TDs last week in beating Dexter, 55-6, and earning his father and head coach, Paul, his 100th career win. Withee’s top receivers are Greg Perry and Matt Earnest, with Gilbert gaining a bulk of the rushing yards.

MCI’s Jonathan Smith, a transfer from Pennsylvania who is being pursued by several NCAA Division I programs, has rushed for 1,135 yards.

No. 3 Bucksport (7-2) at No. 2 Stearns (8-1), Tonight, 7 p.m.

Stearns tripped Bucksport in their previous meeting, 21-20. Both teams feature a balanced backfield. QB Derek DiFrederico, TB Matt Wark and FB Craig Cullen lead Stearns. RBs Chris Woodman and Nick Tymoczko carry the load for the Bucks, with John Harvey providing a short-yardage threat.