SAN MATEO — Top-ranked Butte College (10-0) will face the 11th-ranked J.C. football team in the state instead of No. 4 College of San Mateo (9-1) next week in the Northern California title game.
Even with a 61-0 loss on its ledger to City College of San Francisco — a team that Butte and CSM both defeated — the current format granted the second bid in the state playoffs to Fresno City College (7-3), which became the champion of the Valley Conference after No. 7 American River (8-2) lost its regular-season finale.
“From Day 1, the guys understood the rules,” said CSM coach Bret Pollack, whose Bulldogs were stopped on the last play from the 2-yard line as time ran out in a 28-20 loss at Butte three weeks ago during their NorCal Conference showdown. “We had to win our league — and we didn’t win our league. Butte beat us, so Butte goes. … If they had changed the format in the middle, then I’d have a problem. But we knew the rules of engagement, and unfortunately we came up short against Butte.”
Southern California will decide its champion using a two-week, four-team playoff system. Pollack, who is on the competition committee, wants a similar format implemented in Northern California.
That would mean realigning the top 18 teams into three geographical hubs, with the Peninsula/Bay Area on its own. The trio of conference champions, plus a wild card, would fill the slots for a four-team playoff.
“Whether that is embraced, it remains to be seen,” Pollack said. “You’re getting rid of a middle ground, you’re getting rid of a comfort zone. You’re getting rid of, ‘I can live in this middle area and play you, not having it count, and still win a championship.’ But we are adamant we don’t want one with 12 teams.”
It hurts that West Valley is rumored to be dropping its program, which would leave Northern California with only 32 J.C. football teams.
“This is isn’t about haves and have nots, it’s about math,” Pollack said. “How do we realign? And the problem is the NorCal folks and the Valley folks do not want a playoff if there’s only 12 of us. And rightfully so. If you’re Butte, why would you want to play us? You already beat us.”
This time around, CSM will have to settle for a matchup with American River in today’s Bulldog Bowl at College Heights Stadium in San Mateo. Kickoff is at 1 p.m.
The Bulldogs have the No. 1 rushing offense in the state, churning out 326 yards per game on the ground.
American River, which lost to CCSF in last year’s Northern California title game and missed out on another shot at the state championship with its hiccup last week, has the No. 2 rushing defense in the state (84.4 ypg).
Sounds like the battle in the trenches will decide this bowl game.
“Being physical, playing our style of football, not turning the ball and putting our defense in a bad position — that’s been our key all year long,” Pollack said. “That’s the recipe.”
“And all those yards come inside the tackles,” Pollack said. “Those aren’t coming out on the perimeter. Those are tough-earned yards. He’s been very durable and saved his best for the best.”
“Nothing serious, but it’s probably a one-week or two-week injury and we’re at the end of the road,” Pollack said. “He’ll be back next year for us.”
Right guard Dominick Jackson (6-6, 310), a verbal commit to Alabama, was the highest-rated offensive lineman in the conference.
Other CSM players who made the list: Naufahu, LG Semisi Mataele (Menlo-Atherton), RT Semisi Mataele on offense; DL Trevor Kelly and a trio of defensive backs — Bryant Hayes, Sam Atoe and DeShane Hines — on defense.
“I don’t know if you’ll ever see those numbers again in junior college because they’ve raised the ante again, which is good,” Pollack said. “They’ve raised the core GPA component and they’ve reduced some of the transferable units that you can use, so they’ve made it harder to transfer. I’m OK with that because I think it’s going to hit everybody equally, and I think we’re more prepared for that than some of the others. …
“That’s the game that nobody sees. Sitting in English every day. Sitting in math every day. I wish more people would pay to go see that, because they would actually get the results that society wants in the classroom.”
Email Vytas Mazeika at vmazeika@dailynewsgroup.com; follow him at Twitter.com/dailynewsvytas.
