California Bowl Game Ratings

CALIFORNIA STATE BOWL GAME RATINGS
Based on Freeman Computer Ratings

California football playoff brackets

Division I South
1. Westlake (Westlake Village), 12-0, 69.0
2. Upland, 12-0, 65.5
3. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita), 10-2, 65.4
4. San Clemente, 11-1, 65.3
5. Mission Viejo, 10-2, 62.7
6. Vista Murrieta (Murrieta), 7-5, 58.7
7. St. Bonaventure (Ventura), 10-2, 58.1
8. Oaks Christian (Westlake Village), 10-2, 58.1
9. Centennial (Corona), 11-1, 56.8
10. Rancho Cucamonga, 11-1, 55.7
Notes: The Pac-5 champion would normally be the choice for the Open Division bowl bid, but the strength of the Northern Division could change that thinking this year. Westlake is the No. 1 team in the state, according to MaxPreps, and gets the nod if it can get past Thousand Oaks (which it whacked in league play) and the winner of the Oaks Christian-St. Bonaventure game. The Division I bowl bid likely goes to the Pac-5 winner, but that may be difficult to justify if Upland wins the Inland Division and finishes undefeated. Should Santa Margarita, Mission Viejo or Tesoro win the Pac-5, it might be hard to justify selecting a team with two or more losses over an unbeaten champion. Should San Clemente win it all, the committee might be more likely to award the Tritons the Division I bid over Upland. However, it should cause some lively debate.

Division II South
1. Helix (La Mesa), 10-1, 54.2
2. Chaminade (West Hills), 10-2, 48.1
3. Cathedral Catholic (San Diego), 10-1, 45.3
4. Arroyo Grande, 11-1, 45.9
5. Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley), 12-0, 43.2
6. El Toro (Lake Forest), 11-1, 45.9
7. Tustin, 9-3, 45.4
8. La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad), 9-2, 42.2
9. Palm Springs, 12-0, 41.9
Notes: After a 21-14 loss to Eastlake to start the season, Helix hasn't been challenged since, winning every game by at least three touchdowns and usually by at least six. So the Division II bid is Helix's to lose, which at this point doesn't seem likely. Helix must watch out for Oceanside on the other side of the bracket, however. The Pirates have made a habit of winning section titles and could pull off the upset. Should Helix falter, the choice is a tossup between the winners of the Western, Central and Southwest Divisions of the Southern Section.

Division III South
1. Lompoc, 12-0, 47.4
2. Washington Union (Fresno), 11-0, 35.9
3. Valley Center, 10-1, 34.4
4. Madison (San Diego), 10-0-1, 34.0
5. Beckman (Irvine), 10-2, 32.0
6. Cabrillo (Lompoc), 10-2, 31.1
7. Santana (Santee), 10-1, 30.4
8. Corona del Mar (Newport Beach), 10-2, 30.0
9. Paraclete (Lancaster), 10-2, 28.9
10. Covina, 11-1, 26.3
Notes: The Central Section's best shot at receiving its first bowl game participant hinges on Lompoc's ability to win the Northwest Division in the Southern Section. Lompoc takes on Torrance this week, a team it has not played this season. The other two teams in the Northwest semifinals, Templeton and Cabrillo, lost badly to Lompoc at the end of the season, thus making this week's game the more interesting matchup in the division. A Lompoc loss, however, opens the door for likely Central Section Division IV champion Washington Union, which still must play a strong Coalinga team and either Mission Oak or Wasco in order to qualify. All other teams on the list have at least one loss. The winner of the San Diego Section Division IV championship could emerge as a possibility, but probably only if both Washington Union and Lompoc lose.

Division IV South
1. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth), 12-0, 33.8
2. Santa Fe Christian (Solana Beach), 10-1, 27.9
3. Boron, 9-2, 21.5
4. Rio Hondo Prep (Arcadia), 11-1, 19.7
5. Bishop Diego (Santa Barbara), 11-1, 17.5
6. Desert Christian (Lancaster), 9-2, 14.6
7. Christian (El Cajon), 8-3, 13.8
8. Parker (San Diego), 6-4-1, 6.5
9. Bishop's (La Jolla), 6-5, 3.0
Notes: Sierra Canyon is the overwhelming choice here as long as it qualifies. That was also the case last year, but the Trailblazers lost to Paraclete in the East Valley Division final and thus did not qualify. Those two are on a collision course again, although both must win semifinal games in order to set up the rematch of last year. A Sierra Canyon loss opens the door for Santa Fe Christian, which won the always rugged Coastal League in the San Diego Section. In fact, if Santa Fe Christian received the bid, it would be the third straight team from the Coastal League to reach the Division IV bowl game, joining Bishop's and Parker.

Division I North
1. De La Salle (Concord), 10-1, 61.9
2. Bellarmine (San Jose), 11-1, 58.9
3. Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove), 12-1, 53.9
4. Granite Bay, 11-2, 50.7
5. Serra (San Mateo), 10-2, 48.0
6. San Ramon Valley (Danville), 9-3, 41.7
7. Palo Alto, 19-2, 40.8
8. Pittsburg, 10-3, 36.9
9. Monte Vista (Danville), 8-4, 35.3
10. Menlo-Atherton, 9-3, 28.1
Notes: De La Salle crushed a solid Freedom team by a 70-7 margin in its first playoff game so it's safe to say the Spartans are the favorites the rest of the way. In a quest for their 20th straight section championship, the Spartans have already soundly beaten two of the other Division I combatants, Monte Vista and San Ramon Valley. De La Salle plays the last team to defeat it in a championship game, Pittsburg, which defeated the Spartans in the 1991 section finals. That fact might find its way into the pregame pep talk. It would be hard to fathom De La Salle not getting the Open Division bowl bid, especially considering its impressive showing last year. The Division I bowl bid will likely come down to either Bellarmine or Pleasant Grove, assuming those two teams both win section titles. Bellarmine gets the nod here since its only loss is a close defeat to De La Salle.

Division II North
1. Del Oro (Loomis), 12-1, 54.4
2. Folsom, 11-2, 47.8
3. Oakdale, 13-0, 46.9
4. Vacaville, 12-1, 45.7
5. Paradise, 11-1, 43.3
6. Los Gatos, 10-1-1, 38.5
7. Windsor, 12-0, 34.0
8. Pioneer (San Jose), 9-3, 28.5
9. Concord, 9-3, 27.8
10. Rancho Cotate (Rohnert Park), 9-3, 25.6
Notes: Make no mistake, the bowl game participant is coming out of the Sac-Joaquin Section. The problem for the committee will be which SJS division gets the bid. Both the SJS Division II and Division III teams qualify for the Division II state bowl game. Past practice has been to take the team from the larger division, but the best team in the Sac-Joaquin Section just might be Del Oro, which is playing Oakdale for the Division III championship. Meanwhile, defending state champion Folsom takes on Vacaville in the Division II final. A Vacaville win and a Del Oro victory likely puts Del Oro in the bowl game since its only loss is a three-point defeat to Westlake, the top-ranked team in the state. However a Folsom win and a Del Oro victory makes things tougher since the Bulldogs are the defending state champions. Is it possible the state committee takes both Del Oro and Folsom, should both teams win, with Del Oro playing in the Open Division? Not likely, considering De La Salle is the favorite to win its 20th straight North Coast Section championship. However, it is food for thought.

Division III North
1. Marin Catholic (Kentfield), 12-0, 45.9
2. Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa), 11-0-1, 44.2
3. Campolindo (Moraga), 12-0, 35.9
4. Palma (Salinas), 10-1-1, 34.3
5. Escalon, 13-0, 34.1
6. St. Ignatius (San Francisco), 5-6-1, 33.4
7. Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco), 7-5, 33.1
8. Encinal (Alameda), 32.5
9. Carmel, 12-0, 32.3
10. Salesian (Richmond), 11-0, 31.6
Notes: This is one of the tougher divisions to determine because the Sac-Joaquin, North Coast and Central Coast all have excellent candidates. Escalon is the defending state champion and could finish 14-0. Palma (Salinas) has traditionally competed in the Open Division in the CCS but chose to compete for the Division III title this year and thus qualifies for the Division III bowl game with a win. Then there are the three impressive teams left in the NCS - Marin Catholic, Cardinal Newman and Campolindo. If Marin Catholic wins it, expect it to get the bid since it has a win over CCS finalist St. Ignatius and SJS Division II finalist Vacaville. If Cardinal Newman wins, the choice will be a little tougher since it has a tie with Palma. That might open the door for an unbeaten Escalon. Campolindo can throw a wrench into the whole works, but would need to beat Cardinal Newman and Marin Catholic to qualify. A tall order, but those wins might be enough to put Campolindo in the bowl game.

Division IV North
1. Le Grand, 12-0, 23.9
2. Ferndale, 10-1, 20.0
3. Bradshaw Christian (Sacramento), 11-1, 12.1
4. Willows, 10-3, 9.5
5. Hoopa Valley (Hoopa), 8-3, 0.9
6. Modoc (Alturas), 10-3, -0.8
7. Tomales, 9-2-1, -2.1
Notes: Le Grand has finished its season with a Sac-Joaquin Section Division V championship and has the best shot at advancing to the Division IV bowl game. Ferndale, with a win in the North Coast Section Division IV playoffs, might get the nod over Le Grand, however, if it can win the section title. The Wildcats have a great history and bring an old-school approach to the game, using rugged defense and a relentless running game. However, the Wildcats are playing up a division in the North Coast Section and will have to first beat Fortuna and then possibly Salesian to qualify for the bowl game. If it does win those two games, Ferndale is the likely choice.

Editor's Note: Only bowl eligible teams listed.