Saturday, January 31, 2015

New CIF Football Format

1/31/15

Yesterday, the CIF approved a new 13-division format for the state football championship.  This ensures that every 11-man section champion will get at least a regional bowl game.  Also, the divisions will be based on competitive equality and not by enrollment.  One division will have a play-in game for the Northern California regional bowl.  At this point, I do not know how they will work that out, or how they will decide "competitive equality".  That did not stop me from wondering what the regional bowl games would look like if the CIF did that this year.  This blog will provide one possibility.  Based solely on calpreps.com ratings, here is what the regional games would look like.

First what we need to know: The Northern California region is the Central Coast, North Coast, Northern, Oakland, Sac-Joaquin, and San Francisco sections.  The Southern California region is the Los Angeles, San Diego, and Southern sections.  Starting next year, the Central Section will be split between North and South. The Central Section Divisions I, III, and V champions will be in the North.  The Divisions II, IV, and VI champions will remain in the South.

Next what we must assume: For this blog, we are going to assume that all the higher-rated teams will choose to host, and not have the game at a neutral site, or have the opponents host.

Division Open Large
North: Folsom @ De La Salle (Concord)
South: Centennial (Corona)

Note: Normally, the lower-division would have the play-in game.  However, in this, I can see the top division having the play-in game.  I am sure the CIF would want to give the top team in the South a bye week.

Division 1A
North: Campolindo (Moraga) @ Grant (Sacramento)
South: Mission Viejo @ Oceanside

Division 1AA
North: Clayton Valley (Concord) @ Edison (Fresno)
South: El Capitan (Lakeside) @ Redlands East Valley (Redlands)

Division 2A
North: Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton) @ Enterprise (Redding)
South: Paso Robles @ Trabuco Hills (Mission Viejo)

Division 2AA
North: Sutter @ Oakdale
South: Crescenta Valley (La Crescenta) @ Ridgeview (Bakersfield)

Division 3A
North: Aptos @ Hanford
South: St. Augustine (San Diego) @ Narbonne (Los Angeles-Harbor City)

Division 3AA
North: Central Catholic (Modesto) @ St. Francis (Mountain View)
South: Palos Verdes (Palos Verdes Estates) @ Colony (Ontario)

Division 4A
North: McClymonds (Oakland) @ San Benito (Hollister)
South: Liberty (Madera) @ Palm Springs

Division 4AA
North: Salesian (Richmond) @ Justin-Siena (Napa)
South: Pomona @ Christian (El Cajon)

Division 5A
North: Terra Nova (Pacifica) @ Capital Christian (Sacramento)
South: Nipomo @ Bishop's (La Jolla)

Division 5AA
North: Winters @ Bear River (Grass Valley)
South: St. Margaret's (San Juan Capistrano) @ Hamilton (Los Angeles)

Division 6A
North: Maxwell @ Corcoran
South: Kennedy (Delano) @ Garden Grove

Division: 6AA
North: Stone Ridge Christian (Merced) @ Mission (San Francisco)
South: La Jolla Country Day (La Jolla) @ Los Angeles

Note: One source I read says all divisions will be based on "competitive equality". Another source says only two divisions will be based on "competitive equality" and the rest will be on enrollment.  I went with the first source for my model.  If it turns out that the second one is correct, then Mission (San Francisco) and Los Angeles would be placed in higher divisions.

Sources: Modesto Bee, sfgate blog, calpreps.com,

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

If I Was King of Sports #9- California High School Football Bowl Games

I know this is late, but my blog-writing time is limited, and I wanted to touch on this subject, anyway.
Currently, 18 out of 51 section champions move on to the regional championship games.  I do not think that is right, especially, because the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) uses a committee to decide who continues to play and whose seasons end.  There are undefeated teams who get no reward for their great seasons.  Sacred Heart Prep-Atherton, Liberty-Madera, Crescenta Valley-La Crescenta, and Bishop's-La Jolla were undefeated teams who did not get a chance to prove they were deserving of more football.  In addition, there is no championship for 8-man football.  That needs to change.  I will present a model for more football for these kids.  The CIF does not need to use my model.  They can come up with one of their own, but these kids need to be rewarded with another game.

My model uses a few bowl game series.  Once the teams are selected for the regional championship bowl games, I would take the remaining teams and put them in bowl games.  I would probably have them played the week of the regional bowl games.  There would be sites predetermined for these games.  In these games, it is not guaranteed that the north would play south.  There would also be games for the 8-man teams.  Finally, I am considering having consolation bowl games where the losers of the regional bowl games play each other.  If I do, the team with the fewer losses would host.  If the two teams have the same amount of losses, then the team rated higher by calpreps.com would host.

Rules for selection of extra bowl games
1) Section champions only.
2) If there are an odd number of section champions, the top rated runner-up, who is also a league champion, will get an at-large spot.  (This year, it is St. John Bosco of Bellflower).
3) Teams of the same section would not play each other (though, to try to get the games as fair as possible, I break my own rule here in one game).
4)  The games will not always be Northern California vs. Southern California.
5) I would try to keep the games fair by enrollment and by rating, but there is no guarantee.
6) Should a team not accept an invite for any reason, highest-rated available section runner-up can be used as an at-large.

Here are the bowl games

State Bowl (The ones that actually happened) (@ Carson, CA)
Open- De La Salle (Concord) vs. Centennial (Corona) (won by De La Salle)
I- Folsom vs. Oceanside (won by Folsom)
II- Clayton Valley (Concord) vs. Redlands East Valley (Redlands) (won by Redlands East Valley)
III-Campolindo (Moraga) vs. El Capitan (Lakeside) (won by Campolindo)
IV-Central Catholic (Modesto) vs. St. Margaret's (San Juan Capistrano (won by Central Catholic)

Bowl Games I Would Have If I Was King of Sports
Consolation Bowls (If I would decide to have them)
I- Edison (Fresno) @ Grant (Sacramento)
II- Oakdale @ Ridgeview (Bakersfield)
III-Paso Robles @ Sutter
IV- Christian (El Cajon) @ Capital Christian (Sacramento)
8-Man- Big Valley (Bieber) @ Mojave

Bay Area Bowls (Location would alternate between San Francisco and Oakland
SF vs. OAK: McClymonds (Oakland) vs. Mission (San Francisco)
NCS vs. CCS: Salesian (Richmond) vs. Terra Nova (Pacifica)
CCS vs. NCS (8-Man): Trinity Christian (Monterey) vs. Anderson Valley (Booneville)

Note: I read that the San Francisco and Oakland winners would play each other before the state bowl games were created.  I would like to bring that back.  If an Oakland team is chosen for the Regional Bowl Game, a North Coast team would play in its place.  If a San Francisco team is chosen, a Central Coast team would be chosen in its place.

Central Valley Bowl Games (Location would alternate between Fresno, Stockton, and Chico)
SS vs. SJS: Nipomo vs. Bear River (Grass Valley)
SD vs. CS: St. Augustine (San Diego) vs. Hanford
LA vs. NS: Los Angeles vs. Enterprise (Redding)
NCS vs. CS: Justin-Siena (Napa) vs. Liberty (Madera)
NS vs. SJS: Maxwell vs. Stone Ridge Christian (Merced)

Southern Section Bowl Games (I would alternate location between Anaheim and Riverside)
LA vs. SS: Hamilton-Los Angeles vs. Trabucco Hills (Mission Viejo)
CCS vs. SS: San Benito (Hollister) vs. Crescenta Valley (La Crescenta)
SS vs. SS: Colony (Ontario) vs. Mission Viejo
CCS vs. SS: St. Francis (Mountain View) vs. Garden Grove
SS vs. LA: St. John Bosco (Bellflower) vs. Narbonne (Los Angeles-Harbor City)

Small School Bowls (I would pick random hosts for this one)
My 8-Man State Championship: Kings Christian (Leemore) vs. Joshua Springs (Yucca Valley)
NS vs. CS: Winters vs. Corcoran
SD vs.CS: La Jolla Country Day vs. Kennedy (Delano)
SD vs. LA (8-Man): Borrego Springs vs. Fulton (Los Angeles-Van Nuys)

Medium School Bowls (I would pick random hosts for this one)
CCS vs. SS: Sacred Heart Prep (Atherton) vs. Palos Verdes (Palos Verdes Estates)
SS vs. CCS: Pomona vs. Aptos
SS vs. SD: Palm Springs vs. Bishop's (La Jolla)

Key
CS: Central Section
CCS: Central Coast Section
LA: Los Angeles Section
NCS: North Coast Section
NS: Northern Section
OAK: Oakland Section
SJS: Sac-Joaquin Section
SD: San Diego Section
SF: San Francisco Section
SS: Southern Section

Again, this is just my model.  I just wish that somehow, every section champion, at least the undefeated ones, get rewarded at least one extra game.  There have been discussions about adding more divisions to fit all the champions, but at this point, it is just talk.