With the new playoff format last year, the number question we got at every practice we went to was about playoff divisions. With that in mind we’re going to track where teams stand each week in the CalPreps rankings, which are used to determine the CIF Southern Section’s playoff divisions at the end of the year.
No team will know what playoff division they’re going to be in until that last day of the year–but following the rankings gives a good ballpark. This is not an exact science since not every team in the rankings makes the playoffs, and there’s no set number of teams in Division 1–if it’s a four team bracket versus an eight team bracket (which it was in 2021) that will change how many teams are taken off the top before the 16-team brackets Division 2-14 are assembled.
We are doing these projections based on an eight-team Division 1–remember the top three Moore League teams qualify for the playoffs, while anyone else has to apply for an at-large. St. Anthony is in the Del Rey League, where they’d need to finish in the top two to get an automatic qualifier for the playoffs.
A final reminder that these are not our rankings but the rankings taken from CalPreps.com’s power rankings–these are the numbers used to assemble CIF-SS playoff Divisions at the end of the year. You can see the whole list here.
Remember, these numbers will go up and down a lot this year–wins will move them up, losses will move them down. We’ll keep you updated and break down what the weekly changes mean.
Long Beach Poly: No. 9 (+4)
The Jackrabbits’ decisive win over Serra (giving up just one field goal to the higher-ranked Cavaliers) helped give them a big boost in the ratings. They’re now No. 9 in the Southern Section and No. 10 in the state. With this position they’d be No. 1 in Division 2 with an eight-team Division 1. The Jackrabbits have a huge test this Friday against No. 4 Mission Viejo–with a win there it’s hard to imagine Poly being left out of Division 1 again this year. The Diablos trail only Bosco, Mater Dei, and Corona Centennial.
Millikan: No. 54 (-18)
The Rams’ loss to a lower-ranked Cathedral team in a thriller last week drops them a whole Division in the rankings as they’re now No. 54, preparing to host No. 65 St. Francis. The Rams would be No. 14 in Division 4 if the playoffs started today.
Jordan: No. 116 (+10)
The Panthers jumped up 10 spots after their win over Peninsula to improve to 2-0 this season. They’re the third-highest ranked team in the Moore League and in a great position to move up if they beat Fairfax this week on Thursday. Currently they’d be No. 12 in Division 8.
Compton: No. 137 (+8)
With their 2-0 record to start the year the Tarbabes are moving up and are almost a full division higher than where they started the year. Currently they would be No. 1 in Division 10 if the playoffs started today.
Lakewood: No. 147 (+30)
The Lancers were the second-biggest positive movers of the week after a nice win over San Dimas. Lakewood would be No. 12 in Division 10 if the playoffs started today.
St. Anthony: No. 163 (-30)
The Saints have begun to slide down in a big way after an 0-2 start, and dropped almost two full divisions after a decisive loss against Mayfair. They play No. 140 Dominguez this week. Currently St. Anthony would be No. 11 in Division 11.
Wilson: No. 259 (-10)
The Bruins would be in Division 14
Cabrillo: No. 280 (+41)
The Jaguars would be in Division 14 and are the biggest positive movers of the week, and the biggest positive movers of the year thanks to their 2-0 start.
