San Mateo, Riverside City and Saddleback pace JC Athletic Bureau poll going into final weekend

Previous Polls

SAN MATEO – Entering the final week of regular season play, College of San Mateo still holds a slight lead in the poll of California Community College football coaches conducted by the JC Athletic Bureau. The Bulldogs, with six first place votes, totaled 268 points this week, three ahead of No. 2 Riverside (with three first place votes) and ten ahead of No. 3 Saddleback (which received the two remaining top nods). The trio, all 9-0, are  the only unbeaten National (state championship) Division teams. That will change Saturday when Riverside visits Saddleback for the Southern League title. All three appear to have wrapped up state playoff berths.

CCCAA playoff pairings for National Division teams will be determined following Saturday’s finales. San Mateo has already clinched a fourth straight league championship and top Northern California RPI/seed for home field playoff game advantage. The Bulldogs must win, however, at rival and No. 8 San Francisco Saturday to avoid a Bay 6 title tie -- with Laney also in that mix. CCSF would get the league nod in a 2-way tie -- with CSM as regional at-large and top (RPI) seed.

   --The north’s other leagues have determined their top teams: No. 4 American River in the NorCal and No. 6 Fresno in the Valley. No. 7 Modesto is the leading candidate for the North at-large playoff berth, based upon RPI, followed by CCSF.

   --In the south, No. 17 Fullerton finishes at No. 11 Mt. San Antonio for the Central League title. Fullerton is on probation, ineligible for playoffs (from issues leading to the CCCAA listing its 2017 state title win over San Mateo as vacated). Central could have a 3-way second place tie. No. 5 Long Beach, 4-0 in Northern play after giving No. 9 Canyons its first league loss, 32-24, last week, hosts co-second place No. 10 Ventura (2018 state runner-up) on Saturday. A 3-way title tie is possible, with Canyons having  the tiebreaker to join Riverside, Saddleback, and the Central entry in the 4-team regionals on Nov. 23.

Saturday’s NATIONAL DIVISION finales 
NCFC: No. 1 San Mateo at #8 San Francisco; Feather River at #4 American River; #6 Fresno at West Hills; Delta at #7 Modesto; #18 Shasta at #12 Butte; #16 Laney at Chabot; #24 Sierra at Siskiyous.

SCFA: No. 2 Riverside at #3 Saddleback; #10 Ventura at #5 Long Beach; #9 Canyons at Bakersfield; #17 Fullerton at #11 Mt. San Antonio; #13 SD Mesa at Palomar; #20 Cerritos at #14 El Camino; Orange Coast at #22 Southwestern.

AMERICAN DIVISION
NCFC: Los Medanos at #19 Foothill; Hartnell at #23 Reedley; Monterey at Cabrillo; Merced at Gavilan.

SCFA: #21 San Bernardino at Desert; #25 Hancock at LA Harbor; Mt. San Jacinto at Citrus; Antelope Valley at Victor Valley Idle: Chaffey, West LA.  

(Fred Baer, JC Athletic Bureau)

CURRENT POLLS (Nov. 11)

*CCSIA, NorCal National and NorCal American polls not published due to lack of voters.