I know you're waiting with baited breath or on pins and needles -- or something like that -- so here we go:
Welcome to Frankie B's projected Pac-5 Football Playoff bracket, 2009 version!
Before I get started, these notes:
*I'm awarding Newport Harbor (6-4), the candidate from the Sunset League, with the division's one at-large bid over Loyola (4-6) from the Serra League and St. John Bosco (5-5) from the Trinity League.
Newport's record is better than each of those other teams, and the Sailors have a non-league win over Loyola while Loyola counters with a non-league win against the Braves.
So Newport it is . . .
*Newport's at-large inclusion means there are four Sunset League teams in the bracket. And no teams from the same league can meet before the semifinals, so there must be a Sunset League team in each "pod" of four teams, which will keeping the bracketing from being done on a "true" seeding basis.
*The Moore League also has four entries (albeit, as a whole, not as strong as those the Sunset is represented by), so the above rules apply to it, as well.
Are you all stretched, loose and ready to go?
OK . . . check my next blog entry for the upper bracket projections in the Pac-5!
I think the PAC-5 playoff seedings will look like this:
#1 Edison vs. #16 Millikan
#8 Dana Hills vs. #9 Orange Lutheran
#5 Bishop Amat vs. #12 Fountain Valley
#4 Lakewood vs. #13 Mater Dei
#2 Mission Viejo vs. #15 Newport Harbor
#7 S.O. Notre Dame vs. #10 Long Beach Poly
#6 Los Alamitos vs. #11 Long Beach Wilson
#3 Servite vs. #14 San Clemente
I like your match ups. Seems very fair and the correct way to choose the teams, but I know the CIF office,in Los Alamitos, can be biased sometimes against certain schools. I don't look for them to be fair with Poly. They probably will match up #10 Poly with Mission Viejo #2. It won't be the first time when they try to make it difficult for Poly football.(CIF game referees have been ridiculous against Poly for years)
The CIF office is all about taking care of Orange County and rich private high schools. Unfortunately, things aren't played on a "Level Playing Field" not even football.