From the 162nd meeting between Edward Little and Lewiston to the 74th renewal of the Jay-Livermore Falls rivalry, Week 9 of the high school football season promises plenty of emotion, pageantry and excitement. One thing it doesn’t promise is a win-or-go-home battle for survival.

Often times, the cherry on the rivalry weekend sundae has been the fact that the playoff lives of one or both teams hang in the balance. We’ll have none of that this week, although playoff seedings will be on the line in the EL-Lewiston and Jay-Livermore Falls contests.

We’ll get into how the outcome of the Jay-Livermore Falls game will impact the Campbell Conference playoffs later. As for the Pine Tree Conference playoffs, Edward Little may be on the outside looking in, but it can still have a say in how things shape up next week. Lewiston needs a win tonight to clinch the third seed in the PTC. If there are no upsets involving the other three playoff teams, then the tournament order is set, with Lawrence the top seed and Lewiston drawing second-seeded Bangor in next week’s semifinals.

A Lewiston loss and a Messalonskee win over Lawrence would push the Blue Devils back to the fourth seed, behind Messalonskee, and send them to Fairfield to face Lawrence. Losses by both Lewiston and Messalonskee and a Bangor win over Oxford Hills would require a coin flip between Lewiston and Messalonskee, with the winner getting the third seed. A Lewiston loss, Messalonskee win, Brunswick loss (to Mt. Ararat) and a Mt. Blue loss (to Skowhegan) would also drop Lewiston to the No. 4 spot.

In Class B, Cape Elizabeth and Mountain Valley aren’t renewing a longtime rivalry, but don’t worry about a lack of intensity because the two teams will be battling for home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Here’s a closer look at the biggest games:

EL (4-3) at Lewiston (5-2), Today, 7 p.m.

The game’s traditional Saturday afternoon kickoff was moved to tonight to avoid the threat of rain and a possible postponement that would hurt the Lewiston’s playoff preparation. The Blue Devils have won the last three meetings and are 85-64-12 overall.

The Red Eddies were left high and dry out of the PTC playoffs, but still can make their season by making their rival’s playoff bracket a little tougher. Senior QB Troy Barnies powers a balanced offense that will test the Devils with his strong arm and an ability to break a long run. The EL offensive line is a little banged up, but the Eddies will try to match Lewiston’s vaunted running game with their own all-conference caliber runner, Jon Demers. And don’t overlook the fact that, coming off their bye week, they’ve had two weeks to prepare for the Blue Devils.

The Blue Devils looked hungry during last Saturday’s impressive 38-14 thumping of Brunswick. Not surprisingly, Jared Turcotte put up the big numbers, but Matt Letourneau and Wesley Myers also made some big runs, and QB Mason Giroux put on a solid passing performance. The defense, led by Frank Sawyer, Adrien Fundis and Alex Lafreniere, has forced three turnovers in each of the last two games.

Cape Elizabeth (8-0) at Mountain Valley (8-0), Today, 7 p.m.

Hosmer Field should be packed for the biggest non-playoff game it has seen in awhile. At stake is the Campbell Conference’s regular season crown and, more importantly, home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Capers may have the most balanced offense Mountain Valley’s stifling defense has faced all season. QB Jim Bump has a big target to throw to in 6-foot-3 tight end Tom Emerson and a tough running back to hand it to in Sean Meagher. The Cape defense, coming off its third shutout of the season, a 31-0 blanking of Poland, is of the bend-but-don’t-break variety.

This may be the Falcons’ best opportunity to exhibit their most balanced offense in some time. QB Andy Shorey tossed a pair of TD passes to Dean McCrillis in last week’s monsoon, while Devin Roberts added an 85-yard kickoff return. The Capers will need to limit Roberts’ and Justin Staires’ big-play opportunities out of the backfield and on special teams.

The 31-0 whipping of Lake Region was the Falcons’ sixth-shutout of the season. The fearsome front of Shorey, Kyle Dow, Steve Lizotte and Thaddeus Bennett leads a unit that has given up two touchdowns all season.

Jay (5-3) at Livermore Falls (6-2), Today, 7 p.m.

Jay leads the all-time series, 38-34-1, but Livermore Falls broke a three-game losing streak and clinched a playoff spot last year with a 19-0 win.

Both teams are already in the Campbell Conference playoffs this year, but there’s still a lot on the table aside from rivalry bragging rights. The Tigers are ensconced as the fourth seed and will travel to top-seeded Lisbon next week. The Andies know they will face Boothbay in the other semifinal, but they need a win tonight or a Boothbay loss to Old Orchard Beach to clinch home field advantage.

Fans packing Griffin Field can expect both teams to grind it out, and whoever can impose their physical will first may have the edge. Jay may be the fresher of the two teams after a power outage limited them to one half of football in their 26-0 shutout of Madison. The Tigers still managed to gain a gaudy 246 rushing yards, led by Nick Bourassa and Trevor McCourt. The duo still couldn’t match Mark O’Shea’s production in the Andies’ 34-12 victory over Traip. The senior halfback tallied 241 yards and four TDs, while Mike Nichols shared the load with 127 yards and a score.

Today’s other games (kickoff at 7 p.m. except where noted)

• Mt. Blue (3-4) at Skowhegan (2-5). It’s hard to believe neither team will be tuning up for the playoffs or fighting for a berth when they renew their rivalry. The Cougars have been beset by injuries and lackluster effort while losing to Messalonskee and Bangor by a combined score of 79-21 the last two weeks.

• Oxford Hills (0-7) at Bangor (6-1). The Vikings suffered perhaps the toughest loss of their winless season last week by dropping an 8-7 decision to Mt. Ararat. Bangor needs a win and some help to leapfrog Lawrence for the No. 1 seed in the PTC playoffs.

• Poland (1-7) at Gray-New Gloucester (3-5). Patriots coach Hank Girardin has said he wants his team to be the “best of the worst”, i.e., the top team among the Campbell Conference’s playoff non-contenders. A four-win season capped by their Route 26 rivals could give them that distinction.

• Fryeburg (1-7) at Lake Region (0-8). Long-time rivals battle to determine who will be in the Campbell Conference basement.

• Traip (2-6) at Dirigo (3-5), 3 p.m. The Cougars hope to top off the most successful season in their second incarnation with a win. The Rangers had their two-game winning streak snapped by Livermore Falls last week.

Saturday’s game

• Winthrop (4-4) at Lisbon (8-0), 12:30 p.m. Ramblers were eliminated from playoff picture with Monday’s loss to Boothbay. Greyhounds have already secured the top seed.