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. 4 (+/- 0)
The Jackrabbits remain No. 4 in the State and in the Southern Section after defeating Leuzinger; their rating is a 60.7, well behind Corona Centennial (93.0 rating in No. 3 spot) so they will not go higher. The question is as they rack up Moore League wins, how much will those wins drop in the rankings as their strength of schedule falls? We will find out over the next few weeks.
Millikan: No. 48 (-1)
The Rams got a narrow overtime win but fell one spot in the rankings, in part because the CalPreps formula doesn’t seem to be all that fond of out-of-state opponents. Millikan would still be No. 8 in Division 4, a big jump from where they’ve been for many years.
Jordan: No. 95 (+9)
Another big jump for the Panthers as they move up a half a division, and are now No. 7 in Division 7–much higher than they’ve been in years, fitting as they’ve posted the first 4-0 win in school history. Jordan is on a bye this week.
Lakewood: No. 160 (-6)
The Lancers dropped six spots after a loss last week and would now be No. 8 in Division 11. Ironically they will probably go up next week with either a win or a loss because Poly is so highly-rated and the CalPreps formula relies so heavily on quality of opponent.
Compton: No. 182 (-12)
Compton continues to slide down after a second nonleague loss and would now be No. 14 in Division 12.
St. Anthony: No. 209 (-14)
The Saints dropped almost a full division despite winning their first game, because the win came against Wilson, currently ranked down at No. 255. The CalPreps rankings punish results of games against lower-ranked opponents whether the result is a win or a loss. St. Anthony would be in Division 14 if they make the playoffs now.
Wilson: No. 255 (+6)
The Bruins would be in Division 14
Cabrillo: No. 268 (+4)
The Jaguars would be in Division 14
