California football Regional Bowl Games projections and information

Who's ready for Bowl season? And by that I mean California high school football bowl season.

Since the arrival of the State Championship Bowl Games in 2006, a new layer has been added on every two years. And 2012 is no different.

In 2006 the CIF introduced the State Championship Bowl Games with three divisions. In 2008 a fourth Open Division was added. And in 2010 the Bowl Games expanded from four games to a new five-game system, adding a game for the small schools.

Here we are in 2012 with a new twist as the CIF is rolling out the all-new Regional Football Championship Bowl Games.

So what is this you may ask? I'll try and break it down the best I can with projections on who will be playing in the games.

What does it all mean?

This year, instead of the section commissioners selecting five teams from the south and five teams from the north to go down to Carson to represent at the State Championship Bowl games, the commissioners will determine who plays in the Regional Bowl Games.
 
The commissioners will meet on Sunday to determine the pairings. Two teams from the north and two teams from the south will be paired in each of the five divisions and those teams will do battle in regional championship games. The winners of those contests (the NorCal and SoCal champions) will go on to play in the State Championship Bowl Games.

This means a total of 10 more teams, five from south and five from north, will have a chance to compete for a berth in a state title game. Is this perfect? No. Some teams will be left out without a chance to play because they did not get selected. But this is a big improvement.

How does a team get in?

The only qualifying criteria is a team has to win its section title, so nothing has changed in that regard. The commissioners will use these selection guidelines to help determine which teams get in, in no particular order:

- Won-loss record (total)
- Strength of schedule
- Head to head competition
- Common opponents
- Team accepts the bid (teams do not have to go if they don't want to)

Divisional breakdown

The northern schools will be comprised of member schools of the following sections: Central Coast, North Coast, Northern, Oakland, San Francisco and Sac-Joaquin. Southern schools will be comprised of member schools of the following sections: Central, Los Angeles, Southern and San Diego.

Here is how each division within the sections is classified into the Bowl Game divisions:

Open Division
Top two teams selected regardless of school enrollment.

Division I
North: CCS-Open, NCS-I, SJS-I, SJS-II
South: CS-I, LA-I, SD-I, SS-Inland, SS-Pac-5

Division II
North: CCS-I, CCS-II, NCS-II, NS-I, SF, SJS-III
South: CS-II, CS-III, LA-II, SD-II, SD-III, SS-Central, SS-Western, SS-Southwest, SS-Eastern, SS-Southeast,
SS-Northern

Division III
North: CCS-III, CCS-IV, NSC-III, NCS-IV, NCS-V, NS-II, NS-III, NS-IV, Oak, SJS-IV, SJS-V, SJS-VI
South: CS-IV, CS-V, CS-VI, SD-IV, SS-Southern, SS-East Valley, SS-Mid-Valley, SS-Northeast, SS-Northwest

Division IV
If a Division III section champion is within the D-IV enrollment of less than 500 students, it will be considered for the Division IV game as well as the Division III game.

Location and dates for the Regional Bowl Games

Schools can apply to host the game. But it is likely these games will be played at neutral sites. The location will be determined once the two schools have been selected.

All games will be played at 7:30 p.m.

Divisions I and IV will be played Friday, Dec. 7
Divisions Open, II, and III will be played Saturday, Dec. 8

Projections

These are determined by the MaxPreps Bowl Game Rankings, computer score projections for this week and other factors listed below.

OPEN DIVISION NORTH

De La Salle (Concord) vs. Folsom

De La Salle from the North Coast Section and Folsom from the Sac-Joaquin Section would both enter this game with perfect records. Folsom would have wins over Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills), Elk Grove and Buhach Colony (Atwater) on its resume. De La Salle would have impressive wins over Bellarmine (San Jose), Mullen (Denver), and Logan (Union City).

OPEN DIVISION SOUTH

Narbonne (Harbor City) vs. Vista Murrieta

Both these schools would come in with perfect 14-0 records. Narbonne from the L.A. City Section beat both Long Beach Poly and Mater Dei (Santa Ana), the Pac-5 finalists, and would have knocked off Crenshaw (Los Angeles) and Western Division finalist Serra (Gardena). Vista Murrieta would represent the Southern Section's Inland Division. The Broncos would have wins over ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) and Centennial (Corona) if they win out.

NORTH DIVISION I

Granite Bay vs. Bellarmine (San Jose)

Granite Bay from the Sac-Joaquin Section would have three loses total, but all three were out of the section. They would have wins over Del Oro (Loomis), Vacaville, Franklin (Elk Grove) and Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills). Bellarmine from the Central Coast Section would have one loss to De La Salle and would have wins over Serra (San Mateo) and St. Ignatius (San Francisco).

SOUTH DIVISION I

Mater Dei (Santa Ana) vs. Clovis North (Fresno)

Mater Dei from the Pac-5 Division would enter this contest with a 13-2 overall record. Mater Dei's two losses were against Narbonne and St. John Bosco (Bellflower). The Monarchs would have wins over Long Beach Poly and St. Bonaventure (Ventura). Clovis North from the Central Section would be 12-1 overall. The Broncos would have wins over Buhach Colony and Central (Fresno).

NORTH DIVISION II

Clayton Valley (Concord) vs. Oakdale

This is a difficult one. Enterprise (Redding) from the Northern Section has a slightly higher rank in this week's Bowl Game Rankings, but Oakdale from the Sac-Joaquin Section would only have one loss to a San Diego Section powerhouse. Enterprise has three total losses and has already wrapped up the Northern Section's D-I title. Clayton Valley from the North Coast Section would have one loss in Week 1 to Pittsburg.

SOUTH DIVISION II

Chaminade (West Hills) vs. Edison (Huntington Beach)

The winner of this weekend's section title game between Chaminade and Serra (Gardena, Calif.) should get one spot. Chaminade from the Western Division would have a 13-1 overall record. They would have two wins over Serra. It will be a toss up if both Edison from the Southwest Division and Oceanside (Calif.) from the San Diego Section win out. Edison's lone loss came to Mater Dei. That's why we think they get the bid.

NORTH DIVISION III

Marin Catholic (Kentfield) vs. Sutter

Marin Catholic from the North Coast Section should get one spot. The Wildcats would be 13-1 overall with their only loss coming to Vacaville. They have wins over Justin-Siena (Napa), St. Ignatius (San Francisco) and possibly El Cerrito. Sutter would be the lone representative from the Northern Section. The Huskies went 13-0 to win the NSCIF Division II title, and their resume includes wins over Enterprise (Redding) and West Valley (Cottonwood).

SOUTH DIVISION III

St. Augustine (San Diego) vs. Wasco

St. Augustine from the San Diego Section should get the bid here if it wins out, as that would equal a 12-1 record. Wasco from the Central Section would get strong consideration for the other spot, as it should finish the season with a perfect record. But I could see the committee taking Paraclete (Lancaster) from the Southern Section's Mid-Valley Division if it wins against Monrovia (Calif.).

NORTH DIVISION IV

Central Catholic (Modesto) vs. McClymonds (Oakland)

Central Catholic from the Sac-Joaquin Section has just less than 500 students and would get the bid with a win. Central Catholic's two losses came to Placer (Auburn) and Downey (Modesto, Calif.). McClymonds would be the first representative ever from the Oakland Section if it gets the bid. It would have three losses, though, and that could spell trouble.

SOUTH DIVISION IV

Santa Fe Christian (Solana Beach) vs. Mission Prep (San Luis Obispo)

Ontario Christian would be the favorite here, but it goes up against Rim of the World (Lake Arrowhead) this week, which is projected to win. In comes Santa Fe Christian from the San Diego Section and Mission Prep from the Southern Section's Northeast Division. Santa Fe Christian would have three losses that the committee could take into consideration when deciding if it gets in or not. Mission Prep would be 12-1 overall.