CIF bowl series gets a face-lift

When Roger Canepa kept parochial powers St. Mary's and Cardinal Newman on the schedule, there was no mistaking the message. He was telling prep football rivals that Central Catholic would continue to be a program pursuing a state title.

Those odds have improved following an overhaul of the California Interscholastic Federation's state bowl series, a five-game festival that determines state champions.

The old formula used enrollment to put schools in divisions, but that is now in the hands of section commissioners. The Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 champion is eligible for the D-1 Bowl, for example.

Division 2 and 3 champs are eligible for the D-2 Bowl, and champions from the section's three smallest divisions are eligible for D-3 — or even the Small School Bowl.

A selection committee also will decide the NorCal team for the Open Bowl, which pits the state's top two teams with no regard to school size.

The enrollment formula restricted Central to Division 3, but now it is eligible for a Small School Bowl bid should it win the section. There would be far less competition for that bid, compared to a D-3 berth.

Central also would get a bounce in the selection process, since Cardinal Newman has been elevated to D-2 and St. Mary's is already in that group. Even a split with those larger schools would benefit Central.

None of that matters unless Central wins the section, and it's been an uncharacteristic three years since the Raiders hoisted a pennant. Central's last section title was in 2007, when the Raiders were the NorCal team in the D-3 bowl and lost 35-21 to St. Bonaventure 35-21.

Key for Central is a schedule no small school in the top half of the state can equal. It will be bolstered if the Raiders win the section Division 4 crown, beating schools with up to three times their enrollment.

That's the formula Modesto Christian used for a Small School bid last year. Its 61-40 upset of Placer sealed the Crusaders' spot in a state bowl. MC won the state Small School Bowl two weeks later, knocking off Francis Parker of San Diego 44-40.

If there is another football power that scored an off-season "win" by virtue of the bowl overhaul, it could be Escalon. Not only does the format drop Escalon from D-2 to D-3, it won't have to worry about Cardinal Newman as a rival for a bowl bid.

The Cougars have a host of returners, including junior running back Josh Miguel (882 yards rushing, 217 yards receiving), and also will benefit from a rugged playoff schedule.

Much like Central, though, none of it matters without a section title: Before any team can even be considered for a bowl bid, it must have captured a section championship.

While Central and Escalon would be eligible for different bowls, they would be in the same section playoff bracket. That bracket also could include a Valley Oak League team like Sonora and a Sacramento power such as Whitney, so winning is far from certain for either program.