Candidates are nearly finalized for California Bowl Game Ratings

CALIFORNIA STATE BOWL GAME RATINGS
Based on Freeman Computer Ratings
Editor's note: Only Bowl-eligible teams are considered

California football playoff brackets

Division I South
1. Westlake (Westlake Village), 13-0, 70.1
2. San Clemente, 12-1, 67.9
3. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita), 11-2, 66.4
4. Vista Murrieta (Murrieta), 8-5, 64.5
5. Oaks Christian (Westlake Village), 11-2, 61.3
6. Centennial (Corona), 12-1, 60.7
7. Bakersfield, 12-0, 52.6
8. Narbonne (Harbor City), 10-3, 52.2
9. Poway, 11-0-1, 47.8
10. Carson, 8-5, 42.9

Notes: The question might be, is there a way for an undefeated Bakersfield team to reach one of the bowl games? A Westlake loss to Oaks Christian and a Bakersfield win over Bullard would make the Drillers the only unbeaten team left among the qualifying teams. If Santa Margarita wins the Pac-5 and Vista Murrieta wins the Inland, in this scenario, then the committee would have to bypass an unbeaten team to select two two-loss teams, perhaps Oaks Christian and Santa Margarita, to play in the Open and Division I bowl games. That would be a tough call, but not unprecedented. Canyon of Canyon Country was a two-loss team, was named the Southern California Division I rep (prior to the advent of the Open division) and went on to win the first Division I Bowl Game against De La Salle. The Central Section has never had a representative in the bowl games and Bakersfield is one of the more storied programs in California history. If Westlake and San Clemente and Centennial (Corona) all win, the waters become muddier, although Westlake looks like a definite choice for the Open Division.

Division II South
1. Helix (La Mesa), 11-1, 56.0
2. Arroyo Grande, 12-1, 48.5
3. El Toro (Lake Forest), 12-1, 47.4
4. Oceanside, 9-2-1, 46.7
5. Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley), 13-0, 46.4
6. Tustin, 10-3, 46.1
7. Cathedral Catholic (San Diego), 11-1, 45.9
8. Culver City, 10-3, 45.7
9. Summit (Fontana), 12-1, 45.7
10. Palm Springs, 13-0, 42.7

Notes: Helix is the favorite, but there are plenty of good choices should Helix fall in its championship match against Oceanside. El Toro, Rancho Verde and Arroyo Grande would all have good arguments should they win their respective Southern Section divisions.

Division III South
1. Lompoc, 13-0, 50.0
2. Washington Union (Fresno), 12-0, 41.0
3. Valley Center, 11-1, 37.5
4. Cabrillo (Lompoc), 11-2, 34.6
5. Beckman (Irvine), 11-2, 34.4
6. Santana (Santee), 11-1, 32.1
7. Corona del Mar (Newport Beach), 11-2, 31.6
8. Paraclete (Lancaster), 11-2, 29.3
9. Wasco, 11-1, 26.4
10. Monrovia, 10-3, 26.1

Notes: This could be the most interesting division of them all since Lompoc, Washington Union and even Valley Center have legitimate claims to a bowl berth. Lompoc plays nearby Cabrillo in a division championship game and is heavily favored. A win likely locks up the berth for Lompoc. However, Washington Union could become the first Central Section bowl representative if it gets past Wasco and Lompoc falls. Valley Center likely needs a loss by Lompoc and Washington Union, along with a win over Santana, to get in.

Division IV South
1. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth), 13-0, 36.6
2. Santa Fe Christian (Solana Beach), 11-1, 28.4
3. Rio Hondo Prep (Arcadia), 12-1, 24.5
4. Desert Christian (Lancaster), 10-2, 17.7
5. Christian (El Cajon), 9-3, 16.0

Notes: Sierra Canyon earns the berth here with a win over Paraclete this week. Easier said than done, though, since Paraclete defeated Sierra Canyon in last year's playoffs. If Sierra Canyon loses, look for Santa Fe Christian to earn the nod if it defeats Christian (El Cajon). The winner of the Rio Hondo Prep-Desert Christian game gets in if Sierra Canyon and Sante Fe Christian both fall.

Division I North
1. De La Salle (Concord), 11-1, 63.4
2. Bellarmine (San Jose), 12-1, 61.7*
3. Granite Bay, 12-2, 54.3*
4. Serra (San Mateo), 11-2, 48.5
5. San Ramon Valley (Danville), 10-3, 43.3

Notes: The three-headed monster of De La Salle, Bellarmine and Pleasant Grove was reduced to two after Pleasant Grove's loss to Granite Bay in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division I final. All that needs to happen to wrap up this division is to have De La Salle win the North Coast Section Division I championship this week, which has been a safe bet the past 20 years. A Spartan victory puts De La Salle in the Open Division and Bellarmine in the Division I bowl game.

* denotes season is complete

Division II North
1. Del Oro (Loomis), 13-1, 56.6*
2. Vacaville, 13-1, 49.5*
3. Paradise, 11-1, 43.3*
4. Los Gatos, 11-1-1, 39.9*
5. Windsor, 13-0, 36.3
6. Concord, 10-3, 29.4
7. Mission (San Francisco), 9-3, -13.2*

Notes: A team from a lower division might usually not get the same consideration as that from a higher division, but that won't be the case with Sac-Joaquin Section Division III champion Del Oro. The Golden Eagles' only loss is to Westlake, the top team in the Southern California Division I rankings, while Vacaville, the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II champ, has a loss to Marin Catholic, the top team in the NorCal Division III rankings. There appears to be a big gap between Vacaville and the next five teams on the list, leaving it up to Sac-Joaquin Section commissioner Pete Saco who he will make the pitch for when it comes to choosing the Division II bowl representative.

Division III North
1. Marin Catholic (Kentfield), 13-0, 49.7
2. Campolindo (Moraga), 13-0, 40.9
3. Palma (Salinas), 11-1-1, 37.3*
4. St. Ignatius (San Francisco), 6-6-1, 36.7*
5. Salesian (Richmond), 12-0, 35.5
6. Hilmar, 12-2, 34.5*
7. Orland, 11-1, 30.3*
8. McClymonds (Oakland), 10-2, 7.5*

Notes: Any intrigue in this division ended with Cardinal Newman's loss to Campolindo in the North Coast Section Division III semifinals and Escalon's loss to Hilmar in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV championship game. Escalon would have been undefeated and it was the defending champion, giving it an excellent argument for returning to the state finals. A Cardinal Newman win over Campolindo and a subsequent win over Marin Catholic in the finals would have put it in the mix along with Central Coast Section Division IV champion Palma, a team it tied early in the season. But those two losses eliminated the Sac-Joaquin Section and the Central Coast Section from the debate. The winner of the Marin Catholic-Campolindo game gets the nod here since they are both undefeated and none of the other contenders can match that claim.

Division IV North
1. Ferndale, 11-1, 24.9
2. Le Grand, 12-0, 24.0*
3. Bradshaw Christian (Sacramento), 11-1, 12.1*
4. Willows, 10-3, 9.5*
5. Hoopa Valley (Hoopa), 9-3, 5.8
6. Modoc (Alturas), 10-3, -0.9*

Notes: Ferndale got past a tough test last week with a win over Fortuna in a redux of the annual "Milk Can Game." Ferndale and Fortuna had never met in the playoffs, which is not entirely surprising since Fortuna at one time had more than 1,000 students (currently 807) and Ferndale has just 155. The fact that Ferndale plays in a higher division than its enrollment is reason enough to expect that the Wildcats would get the Division IV bowl berth should they win in this week's North Coast Section final. However, Ferndale's opponent is Salesian, a team that does not qualify for the Division IV bowl game due to an enrollment of more than 500 students. The Pride are undefeated on the season and come into the game as the No. 1 seed. Should Ferndale falter, Le Grand is the choice.