The final round of football playoffs concludes at the sectional level this week in California, and the CIF Bowl Committee will meet Sunday to determine which 18 teams advance to the regional playoffs.
MaxPreps isn't going to wait until Sunday to speculate which teams will be selected. A total of 16 teams, two from the North and two from the South, will be chosen to play in regional games in Divisions I, II, III and IV. Only one team from the North and one team from the South will be chosen for the Open Division and they will advance straight to the Open Division Bowl Game.
See the most recent California Bowl Game rankingsSoCal Open Division
Centennial is an underdog against St. John Bosco in the Pac 5 final.
Photo by Steven Silva
The winner of the Pac 5 Division is usually regarded as the favorite here, but it's no guarantee. The Los Angeles City Section has been chosen for this spot and
Centennial (Corona) has twice represented the Inland Division. However, Centennial is now in the Pac 5 and will play St. John Bosco in the Pac 5 title game Saturday at Angel Stadium. While the Pac 5 has always been very strong, it is even stronger this year with the inclusion of teams like Centennial and the Mission League. St. John Bosco, meanwhile, has been ranked as the top team in the Southern California Division I rankings for nearly the entire season.
Sleepers: It's hard to believe that the winner of the
Oceanside-
Helix (La Mesa) San Diego Section Open Division title game will claim this spot due to the dominance of the Pac 5 this year.
Most Likely Scenario: St. John Bosco is projected to beat Centennial 40-34 according to the MaxPreps computer projections. That makes St. John Bosco the most likely Open Division candidate.
SoCal Division I
Johnny Arzola and Oceanside have an outside shot at the Open Division spot but would look solid for a Division I slot if they beat Helix.
Photo by Kirt Winter
Oceanside has won two state bowl games in its history, however it is predicted to lose to Helix 24-21 in the San Diego Section Open Division final. Nevertheless, the Pirates would be undefeated if they beat Helix and would be the favorite to claim one of the regional playoff spots. Vista Murrieta has won nine straight games since beginning the year 2-2, upsetting Upland last week to reach the West Valley Division championship game against
Mission Viejo. Vista Murrieta is predicted to win a tight one 22-21.
Sleepers: The winner of the
Liberty (Bakersfield) -
Edison (Fresno) Central Section Division I title game could get one of the regional bids if Helix were to beat Oceanside. Helix has two losses, as does Liberty, while Edison has only one. An Edison win and a Helix victory could open the door for a Central Section team to reach the SoCal Division I regional.
Most Likely Scenario: Oceanside defeats Helix and Vista Murrieta edges Mission Viejo to create an Oceanside-Vista Murrieta showdown in the SoCal Division I regional.
SoCal Division II
Alonzo Anderson and Redlands East Valley will have to beat Poly (Riverside) to stay as a frontrunner.
Photo by Jeanine Brock
San Clemente is favored by a score of 35-26 to defeat an upstart
Trabuco Hills (Mission Viejo) team that knocked off defending state champion Corona del Mar (Newport Beach) in the second round. Meanwhile, Redlands East Valley is favored by a similar score of 35-28 over undeafeted
Poly (Riverside). A total of nine different sectional divisions make up the Division II playoffs in Southern California, so choosing a favorite won't be easy. However, San Clemente and Redlands East Valley have been ranked near the top of the SoCal Division II rankings most of the season.
Sleepers:
Crescenta Valley (La Crescenta) is undefeated heading into the Southeast Division final and Poly (Riverside) is also unbeaten. If San Clemente and Redlands East Valley both lose, those two teams could be chosen.
Ridgeview (Bakersfield) could have a chance since it is ranked ahead of both Crescenta Valley and Poly, however it does have one loss.
Most Likely Scenario: San Clemente defeats Trabuco Hills and Redlands East Valley tops Poly, creating a San Clemente-Redlands East Valley Division II regional game.
SoCal Division III
Paso Robles is a favorite for a Division III bowl bid, but must first win the Northern Division.
Photo by Joe Davila
El Capitan already has wins over three San Diego Section finalists - Helix, Mater Dei Catholic and Madison. It is also a 34-14 favorite to beat
Rancho Bernardo (San Diego). The other selection will most likely come from the Northern Division championship game. At least four teams from the Northern Division have been ranked in the Top 10 of the Division III bowl rankings all season long. Paso Robles has one loss compared to Newbury Park's two and it is favored to win 38-35. However, Paso Robles' one loss is to Atascadero, the team
Newbury Park defeated last week to reach the final.
Sleepers:
Hanford of the Central Section has an outside shot of reaching the regional playoffs, but it would need El Capitan to lose. Likewise,
Bishop's (La Jolla) and
Liberty (Madera) are both undefeated and could be in line for consideration, but the favored teams would have to lose in order for these teams to be considered.
Most Likely Scenario: El Capitan defeats Rancho Bernardo and Paso Robles edges Newbury Park to create an El Capitan-Paso Robles Division III regional playoff matchup.
SoCal Division IV
Grace Brethren can finish 14-0 with a win this weekend, but that still might not be enough to get into a regional bowl.
Photo by Jace Kessler
Christian missed out on a chance to play in the Division IV regionals last year because it did not play in a division that qualified it for the Division IV playoffs. Realignment of the state divisions this year opened the door for Christian to qualify and it has made the most of it by going undefeated. Central Valley Christian has the best chance of representing the Central Section, but will have to beat an undefeated Liberty (Madera) team to do it.
Sleepers: It's hard to believe the winner of the
Grace Brethren (Simi Valley) vs.
St. Margaret's (San Juan Capistrano) game in the East Valley Division championship tilt won't be in consideration. Both teams are 13-0. The playoff committee will have to weigh whether or not to give the Central Section a team or pit two undefeated teams in the regional playoffs.
Most Likely Scenario: Christian defeats Hoover (San Diego) and Central Valley Christian defeats Liberty (Madera) to set up a Christian-Central Valley Christian Division IV matchup.
See the next page for NorCal predictions
