10 California Regional Bowl matchups we wish would have happened

For the first time in the seven-year history of the CIF Bowl Games, regional playoffs will be held in both the north and the south to determine the contestants for the final five bowl games.

Between 2006 and 2011, the CIF Selection Committee chose the teams for the Bowl Games based on a number of factors, including overall record and strength of schedule. The choices have not been easy and some have come with criticism from fans who felt that their team had been overlooked.

But what if the CIF had held regional playoffs from the very start? Here's a look at 10 Regional Bowl matchups we would like to have seen during the first six years of the CIF Bowl Championships.

Top 10 Regional Bowl matchups we'd have liked to see

10. Sutter vs. Central Catholic (Modesto), 2007
Sutter went undefeated in 2007 (12-0), led by junior quarterback Jon Garcia who earned first team All-Northern Section honors. Sutter's junior group had never lost a game at any level and the undefeated team was the latest in a line of talented teams for coach Scott Turner, who ranks as one of the winningest coaches in Northern Section history. Central Catholic, under legendary coach Mike Glines, actually had a loss (St. Mary's) and a tie (Cardinal Newman) on its record, but its overall strength of schedule won out over Sutter's unblemished record. Central Catholic lost to St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 35-21 in the Bowl Game. To ensure there was no difficult decision for the committee to make in 2008, Sutter and Central Catholic scheduled a game in Sutter, which Central Catholic won 30-28 on a late field goal. That win was the first in Roger Canepa's career as head coach at Central Catholic. The loss was the last in Turner's career as his team won its remaining games and claimed the Northern Section championship. Turner retired at the conclusion of the season.



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9. Foothill (Palo Cedro) vs. Novato, 2007
Utilizing the Spread Option Offense for the first time, Foothill posted the best season in school history and had, what many Northern Section pundits believe, one of the greatest seasons in section history in going 12-0. However Novato was one game better at 13-0 with some signature wins over Foothill (Pleasanton) and Marin Catholic (Kentfield). The committee went with Novato, which lost to Oceanside 28-14 in the Division II Bowl Game. Foothill and Novato played a regular-season game two seasons later with Novato winning 20-14 in Palo Cedro.

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8. Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) vs. St. Bonaventure (Ventura), 2008
Two years after going 15-0 and winning the Division III Bowl Game, Oaks Christian was in position to play in another Bowl Game. Coach Bill Redell's team was star-studded with Nick Montana, son of NFL great Joe Montana, at quarterback and future Gatorade National Player of the Year Malcolm Jones at running back. The team finished 14-0 and won the Southern Section Northwest Division championship. However, another Ventura County team from down Highway 101, St. Bonaventure, was selected for the Division III Bowl. The Seraphs had one loss on their schedule, to Long Beach Poly, but their overall schedule was deemed tougher than Oaks Christian's. Additionally, Long Beach Poly, the lone loss for St. Bonaventure, was undefeated and chosen to play in the Division I Bowl Game. St. Bonaventure went on to handily defeat Cardinal Newman 28-6.

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7. Tulare Union vs. Cathedral Catholic (San Diego), 2008
Winner of the Central Section Division II playoffs, Tulare Union went 13-0 in 2008 and had one of the state's top running backs in Jontell Reedom, who rushed for 2,273 yards and 39 touchdowns. Cathedral Catholic, however, was equally impressive. Like Tulare Union, Cathedral Catholic scored more than 600 points on the season and it also had an outstanding running back in Tyler Gaffney. The future Stanford Cardinal ran for 2,880 yards and 48 touchdowns on the season, but saved his best for last by rushing for 337 yards and five touchdowns in Cathedral Catholics' 37-34 win over St. Mary's in the Division II Bowl Game.

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6. Westlake (Westlake Village) vs. Servite, 2009
Westlake was starting to develop a powerhouse in the latter part of the decade and the 2009 team proved to be one of Jim Benkert's best, finishing 14-0 with Nick Isham leading the way at quarterback. However Westlake had the misfortune of winning the Northwest Division championship, not the Pac-5 championship. Servite, which had lost to Edison (Huntington Beach) during the regular season, won the Pac-5, avenging the loss to Edison in the division finals. The Friars got the nod for the bowl game and defeated Rocklin 33-30 in the state final.

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5. St. Mary's (Stockton) vs. Casa Roble (Orangevale), Whitney (Rocklin) or Encinal (Alameda), 2008
St. Mary's had two losses during the regular season in 2008, falling to Bellarmine (San Jose) and Central Catholic (Modesto). Meanwhile Casa Roble (Orangevale), Whitney (Rocklin) and Encinal (Alameda) all went undefeated at 13-0 on the season. However while those three teams all won lower-division section championships, St. Mary's blasted Pleasant Grove 36-14 in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I championship game. The win in the higher division made up for the two losses and put the Rams in the aforementioned State Bowl Game against Cathedral Catholic.

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4. Centennial (Corona) vs. Long Beach Poly, 2007
Centennial and Long Beach Poly both finished the regular season with one loss. Poly fell to Birmingham (Lake Balboa) 20-7 early in the season while Centennial lost a barnburner to Mater Dei 51-37. Poly ended up winning the Pac-5 championship, but didn't have to get through Mater Dei to win it. Instead, Long Beach Poly defeated Crespi 13-3 to claim the title. Centennial was much more impressive in winning the Inland Division, and it also had a 41-20 win over Crespi early in the season. Centennial went on to lose to De La Salle 37-31 in the Division I Bowl game. Both Centennial and Long Beach Poly qualified for the bowl games the following season with Centennial defeating De La Salle in the Open Division Game and Poly losing to Grant in the Division I final.



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3. Bakersfield, Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) vs. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita), 2011
Santa Margarita won the 2011 Division I Bowl Game in the final seconds over Bellarmine (San Jose), but it didn't even finish in first place in the Trinity League. In fact it lost twice in league play, falling to Mater Dei and Servite. Bakersfield and Vista Murrieta, however, both finished undefeated. But here's the catch: Vista Murrieta, in winning the Inland Division title, had five forfeit losses on its record. Officially, Vista Murrieta was 9-5, not 14-0. Meanwhile, Bakersfield was 13-0, but played in the Central Section, which was viewed to be much less challenging than the Pac-5 Division in the Southern Section. Thus when Santa Margarita won the Pac-5, it was chosen for the Division I Bowl Game instead of either of the other two undefeated teams.

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2. Mission Bay (San Diego) vs. Serra (Gardena), 2009
Led by All-American Dillon Baxter, Mission Bay went 13-0 on the season and won the San Diego Section Division IV championship. Baxter was a one-man wrecking crew, rushing for 2,974 yards and 50 touchdowns and throwing for 1,922 yards and 25 scores. However the selection committee went with Serra, a team that featured future college All-Americans Robert Woods and Marqise Lee, along with quarterback Conner Preston, who threw for 3,437 yards. Serra finished the regular season 14-0, but most importantly it had an impressive 42-41 win over Oaks Christian on its resume. Serra beat Marin Catholic, 24-20 in the Division III Bowl Game. Baxter, Woods and Lee all ended up at USC, although Baxter was later dismissed from the team.

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1. Grant (Sacramento) vs. De La Salle (Concord), 2006
Perhaps no choice by the state playoff committee was more scrutinized than the selection of De La Salle over Grant in 2006. Grant went 13-0 in winning the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II championship, beating Union Mine (El Dorado) 50-0 in the championship game and racking up six shutouts during the season. De La Salle, meanwhile, was De La Salle, winning its 15th-straight North Coast Section championship and going undefeated at 13-0 in the process. However the Spartans weren't necessarily overpowering during the regular season and the defense gave up more than 200 points by season's end. Nevertheless, De La Salle won a Division I section title and Grant won at a lower level in the Sac-Joaquin Section. De La Salle's strength of schedule won out and it went on to lose to Canyon (Canyon Country) 27-13 in the first Division I Bowl Game. Grant and De La Salle made efforts to play each other in the following seasons, but no game ever came to fruition. In 2008, the Pacers did gain the respect they felt was lacking in 2006 by playing in the Open Division Bowl Game and defeating Long Beach Poly 25-20.