Thirteen California state bowl games here we come?

Americans evidently can't get enough of their football. Even at the high school level.

A proposal is gaining steam among California Interscholastic Federation commissioners that would add eight state bowl football title games, reward all section champions and largely do away from the current handpicked system.

The proposal would place 48 section champions into regional championships to create 24 regional title games from the North and South. As they do presently, the commissioners would choose the top team from each region to advance directly to a state open division title game.

The winners from the regional games would then face off the following week, giving California 13 state champions. The state bowl title games would be played likely at least three sites on the same Friday and Saturday. Currently, five state Bowl titles games are played annually over two days the the StubHub Center in Carson (Los Angeles County).

The contract for StubHub ends in December and the CIF is taking bids for possible multiple sites if the proposal is approved. Five main games that feature top drawing power will likely be packaged together.

The season will not be extended under the proposal, which has been in the works for months, said CIF Associate Executive Director Ron Nocetti. The 10 state commissioners will discuss the pros and cons of the plan in Ontario (San Bernardino County) Oct. 27, and could be put to a vote as early as Jan. 30-31 in San Jose.

If passed then, it could be implemented as soon as 2015. Why the proposed change?

"I think right now the commissioners are finding it harder and harder to leave deserving championship teams out of the regional championships," Nocetti said.

The regional title games would not be enrollment based, but considered upon competitive equity, according to Nocetti. There will also be a second open division game based on enrollment of 1,250 and fewer.

In a mock-up version from last season, the second open game would have pitted Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton) and Central Catholic (Modesto) in the North and Crenshaw (Los Angeles) and Christian (El Cajon, Calif.) in the South.

Click here to see CIF proposal and mock pairings if implemented last season

The one complaint Nocetti is hearing most about the proposal is that it would water down state championships and make them less meaningful.

By comparison, Texas has 10 state title games (21 if counting TAPPs, the state's private school federation), Florida nine and New Jersey 24.

"I don't think that's the case at all," he said. "I just see the best teams in the state getting to play each other. ... In other state championship sports, we have teams advancing to regional finals that lose in even section finals or semifinals. Many championship football teams don't even have that chance to advance." "

The proposed divisions  are: open large, 1AA, 1A, 2AA, 2A, 3AA, 3A, 4AA, 4A, 5AA, 5A, 6AA and open small.

The proposal answers at least a couple of complaints to the current system.

* Three champions from the Central Section (Divisions I, III and V) would be moved to the North. All of Central Section have always been lumped in with the South. This move is to even up the brackets.

* Sections will be able to advance non-section championship teams from an open division. Currently, only the Central Coast and San Diego section puts together open divisions. Opponents of that CCS format note that all of the section's top teams are placed in one tournament and only one may advance to regionals. Under the proposed plan, a finalist that loses can advance in a lower division.

This is great news for Division I North Coast Section teams which have lost 22 consecutive years to juggernaut De La Salle (Concord, Calif.).

Nocetti thinks more sections might go to an open division playoff format if the proposal is passed.