In conjunction with the weekly Student Sports FAB 50 national football rankings, West Regional rankings are produced. To aide with the ranking process each week in terms of which teams may be FAB 50 worthy and to keep track of the next teams in line to go in, Top 20 regional rankings are produced for the East, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and the West. Student Sports ranks 100 teams each week.
California traditionally dominates the West and this week there are 11 California teams in the West Region Top 20. De La Salle of Concord is the No. 1 team in the West and since the The Student Sports FAB 50 and regional rankings match our weekly state top 25, it’s not surprising where the other teams fall in the West Region.
Often times, the most interesting aspect is not the actual regional rankings themselves but the actual amount of teams from the power states (California, Texas, Florida, Ohio, etc.) in each respective region. In the West, between 9-11 California teams is the norm. Anything less than seven is low and anything more than 12 means a down year in the other Western states.
Overall, California has a strong group of teams, but really not many considered national top 25 worthy. Ten years ago, California dominated in big interregional matchups, but lately California has lost some of its luster among the Big 3 football states. In fact, De La Salle hasn’t fared well on the road back East in recent years, only to see the Spartans cream the supposed SoCal powerhouse in a CIF Bowl Game the past four seasons.
De La Salle’s dominance in the CIF Bowl Game actually hurts the state’s chances to crown a mythical national champion until the next time De La Salle schedules and beats a team from Florida or a top 5 nationally ranked unit from another state.
