By Gabe Camarillo
Happy Week 9 of the high school football season!
Three weeks remain before playoff brackets are unveiled, but why wait that long to see them?
Under the new playoff system that uses CalPreps.com computer ratings to place teams in divisions and seed them, you could know where your team is headed before October 28th.
This article does the work for you, combing through the latest up-to-date Central Section rankings on CalPreps.com and placing them in order, Division I through Division VI.
Here, you will find where every postseason-eligible team is currently placed. Five things to know before you read the ESPN Fresno Week 9 high school football playoff projections.
1. First, a refresher — teams can move up and down one division from their base. The base divisions can be found here: https://cifcs.org/sports/CS_FB_Divisions.pdf
2. Teams can ask to move up a division, but they cannot ask to move down from the division they’re placed in. There will be 12 teams in Division I unless a lower-ranked team asks to be placed in the top division.
3. The projections are strictly based on the CalPreps.com computers, base divisions, and tiebreakers — nothing else. The Central Section will use CalPreps.com when they make the brackets in November and not human opinion. So, these projections — not predictions — will be void of human opinion as well.
4. The new rule this year for tiebreakers: it’s no longer when teams are within two rating points but within three seeding places. Whether it’s on the CalPreps.com website or in the bracket, if teams are within three seeds of each other, then tiebreakers like head-to-head and record against common opponents come into play.
5. Lastly, teams must win at least three games to qualify for playoffs.
For full transparency, here is the link to the CalPreps rankings (click under ‘Central Section’):
http://www.calpreps.com/2023/ratings/
PROJECTED BRACKETS UPDATED AS OF 10/10/23, 3:00 P.M. PST
Division I
12 Garces at 5 Frontier (winner at No. 4 Sanger)
11 St. Joseph at 6 Clovis West (winner at No. 3 Liberty)
10 Arroyo Grande at 7 Clovis (winner at No. 2 Clovis East)
9 Hanford at 8 Central (winner at No. 1 Clovis North)
- Clovis North
- Clovis East
- Liberty (Bakersfield)
- Sanger
- Frontier
- Clovis West
- Clovis
- Central
- Hanford
- Arroyo Grande
- St. Joseph
- Garces*
* Garces must win one of the remaining three games to qualify for postseason: at Bakersfield Christian, home vs. Centennial, and at Stockdale
Division II
16 Madera at 1 Central Valley Christian
9 Tehachapi at 8 Kingsburg
12 Lompoc at 5 Redwood
13 Sunnyside at 4 Centennial
11 Bullard at 6 Bakersfield Christian
14 San Luis Obispo at 3 Buchanan
10 Bakersfield at 7 Tulare Union
15 Dinuba at 2 Lemoore
- Central Valley Christian
- Lemoore
- Buchanan*
- Centennial
- Redwood
- Bakersfield Christian
- Tulare Union
- Kingsburg
- Tehachapi
- Bakersfield
- Bullard**
- Lompoc
- Sunnyside
- San Luis Obispo
- Dinuba
- Madera
San Joaquin Memorial is one spot out
* Buchanan must beat one of the remaining three opponents to qualify for postseason: Clovis, Clovis North, and Clovis East.
** Bullard must beat one of the remaining three opponents to qualify for postseason: San Joaquin Memorial, Sanger, and Edison.
Division III
16 Golden West at 1 Mission Prep
9 Stockdale at 8 Kerman
12 Mt. Whitney at 5 Washington Union
13 Templeton at 4 Kennedy
11 Tulare Western at 6 Garza
14 Independence at 3 Mission Oak
10 Pioneer Valley at 7 Porterville
15 Highland at 2 Atascadero
- Mission Prep
- Atascadero
- Mission Oak
- Kennedy
- Washington Union
- Garza
- Porterville
- Kerman
- Stockdale
- Pioneer Valley
- Tulare Western *
- Mt. Whitney
- Templeton
- Independence
- Highland **
- Golden West ***
Ridgeview is one spot out
* Tulare Western must win one of the remaining three games to qualify for postseason: at Hanford, at Lemoore, and at Tulare Union.
** Highland must beat one of the remaining three opponents to qualify for postseason: Bakersfield, Bakersfield Christian, and Ridgeview
*** Golden West has to win TWO of the next three games to qualify: at Porterville, home vs. Redwood, and home vs. El Diamante.
Division IV
16 Delano at 1 Shafter
9 Golden Valley at 8 Sierra Pacific
12 Santa Ynez at 5 Coalinga
13 Santa Maria at 4 Torres
11 Morro Bay at 6 Caruthers
14 Nipomo at 3 Exeter
10 Liberty (Madera) at 7 McLane
15 Chavez at 2 Dos Palos
- Shafter
- Dos Palos
- Exeter
- Torres
- Coalinga
- Caruthers
- McLane
- Sierra Pacific
- Golden Valley
- Liberty (Madera)
- Morro Bay
- Santa Ynez
- Santa Maria
- Nipomo
- Chavez
- Delano
South Bakersfield is one spot out
Division V
16 Taft at 1 Bishop
9 Arvin at 8 Wasco
12 North Bakersfield at 5 Mendota
13 Selma at 4 Roosevelt
11 Strathmore at 6 Immanuel
14 Monache at 3 Chowchilla
10 Boron at 7 Corcoran
15 Woodlake at 2 Orosi
- Bishop
- Orosi
- Chowchilla
- Roosevelt
- Mendota
- Immanuel
- Corcoran
- Wasco
- Arvin
- Boron
- Strathmore
- North Bakersfield
- Selma
- Monache
- Woodlake
- Taft
Sanger West two spots out
Division VI
16 Granite Hills at 1 Firebaugh
9 Kern Valley at 8 McFarland
12 Foothill at 5 Lindsay
13 Parlier at 4 Orange Cove
11 Yosemite at 6 Rosamond
14 Tranquility at 3 Avenal
10 Riverdale at 7 Minarets
15 California City at 2 Fowler
- Firebaugh
- Fowler
- Avenal
- Orange Cove
- Lindsay
- Rosamond
- Minarets
- McFarland
- Kern Valley
- Riverdale
- Yosemite
- Foothill
- Parlier
- Tranquility
- California City
- Granite Hills
Farmersville one spot out
Winless teams were left out of Division VI playoff projections until they win once. These teams must win their remaining games to qualify for postseason play:
– Cabrillo must win out against Carpinteria, Atascadero, and Morro Bay.
– Mira Monte must win out against Del Oro, Arvin, and Foothill.
– Madera South must first win against McLane on Friday.
– Hanford West must first win against Kerman on Friday.
