De La Salle the most likely D1 bowl candidate

Zero.

That's the number of times since 1991 that De La Salle (Concord) HASN'T won the North Coast Section Division I championship. It's also the number of times De La Salle HASN'T been chosen to play in the CIF Bowl Games, whether it is the open division or Division I.

So when trying to figure out which teams will be favored to play in the Division I bowl game, the conversation has to start with the Spartans. That's not to say that De La Salle is a lock for the Division I game, however. The Spartans could beat out the other candidates and earn a spot in the Open Division game, which they've played in, and won, once. The Spartans have also played in the Division I game three times, winning one of them.

The Spartans appear to be stronger than they've been the past couple of seasons, thanks to an improved passing game and a staunch defense. After struggling early in the season last year (en route to a win in the Open Division game against Crenshaw), De La Salle has shown no such signs this year. The closest game has been a 28-14 win over highly regarded Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas).

So De La Salle seems like the odds on choice for the Division I spot. But what happens if the Spartans get the Open Division bid? Who replaces the Spartans in the Division I game?

Meanwhile in Southern California, the new CIF parameters for selecting bowl game opponents has cleared up who the most likely candidates will be, however it also created more likely candidates.

In the past, the Pac-5 Division winner figured to gain a berth in the bowl games, but that winner was not always a Division I team. Last year Servite won the Pac-5, but the Friars played in the Division II game.

This year, the Pac-5 winner will be eligible for the Division I game (or the Open Division, if chosen) regardless of the school's enrollment. The Northern Division and the Inland Division are the other two Southern Section Divisions that make up the Southern California portion of the Division I bowl games along with the San Diego Section Division I, Los Angeles City Section Division I and the Central Section Division I.

Here's a look at the top contenders from each section:

NORTH
Central Coast Section Open/Division I - The qualifiers here aren't known until the teams declare for open play at the section level, however the members of the West Catholic Athletic League usually turn out to be the favorites. That being the case, look for last year's Division I runner-up Bellarmine (San Jose) or Valley Christian (San Jose) to gain the nod. Both teams are 4-0 and have yet to be challenged. The teams will play on Oct. 22 in a game that figures to be a preview of CCS Open Division final. It would be hard to choose a team from the CCS Division I since it is considered a step down from the Open Division.

North Coast Section Division I - This is the domain of the De La Salle Spartans, who haven't lost a section playoff game since 1991. De La Salle's 18 straight section titles is a state record according to Cal-Hi Sports.

Sac-Joaquin Section Division I - The most likely candidates here include Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove), Franklin (Elk Grove) and Napa. All are 5-0 and could go undefeated into the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I finals. Most of the top Sac-Joaquin Section teams are in Division II, however, thus it might be difficult to get a qualifier from the Sac-Joaquin Section. Going undefeated, however, will make it hard for the bowl committee to ignore.

SOUTH
Southern Section Pac-5 Division - Servite (Anaheim) qualified as the Division II bowl participant last year and won the state championship. The Friars are favored to win the Pac-5 again this year and would be the choice for the Division I bowl game, assuming they are not chosen for the Open Division.

However the Pac-5 is an extremely tough division and no one is going to hand Servite the title. Lakewood, Mission Viejo, Alemany (Mission Hills), JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano) and Bishop Amat (La Puente) are all undefeated and capable of pulling off the upset.

Southern Section Northern Division - Westlake (Westlake Village) is the clear candidate here as it won the title last year and has won 18 straight games. The Warriors also knocked off Northern Division contender Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 31-12 last week. Oaks Christian also defeated St. Bonaventure (Ventura) two weeks prior, 33-32, to further establish Westlake as the team to beat. Valencia, Canyon (Canyon Country) and Palos Verdes (Palos Verdes Estates) are the only other unbeaten teams in the division.

Southern Section Inland Division - Centennial (Corona) has reached the CIF bowl games twice, winning in 2008 and falling to De La Salle in 2007. Last year the Huskies lost in the section finals to Chaparral, but they are one of two undefeated teams in the division, along with Norco.

San Diego Section Division I - Four teams are still undefeated here, including Torrey Pines (San Diego) and Grossmont (El Cajon), who have both been impressive on defense. Torrey Pines has allowed just 18 points in building a 4-0 record while Grossmont has given up 28 in also amassing a 4-0 mark.

Los Angeles City Section Division I - Crenshaw (Los Angeles) was the surprise pick for the Open Division game last year, but has already absorbed two losses early in the season. The Cougars could still win the City Section championship, but being selected to the CIF Bowl Games will be more difficult now that they are saddled with two defeats.