Unbeaten Mt. San Antonio tops final regular-season coaches football poll as playoffs take center stage

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SAN MATEO – Mt. San Antonio College finished regular season play as the only National (state championship) Division unbeaten team at 10-0 and leads the JC Athletic Bureau poll of California Community College Football Coaches Association members heading into the postseason. The Mounties received 15 first-place votes in the final regular season poll and totaled 397 points. Defending state champion Riverside City College (9-1) received the remaining first-place nod and totaled 380 points for the runner-up spot, ahead of 2-time reigning Northern California champion College of San Mateo (9-1), with 369 points. The top three spots remain unchanged this week, while positions 4 through 9 shuffled.

Those top three teams also pace the seedings for the 3C2A state championships, which get underway Saturday (Nov. 30) with region semifinal games. The SoCal pairings have Mt. SAC hosting ninth-ranked  El Camino (7-3), which is seeded fourth. Riverside entertains state No. 8 San Diego Mesa (8-2), which garnered the region’s at-large bid and No. 3 seed. In the north, it will be state No. 10 American River (7-3) at San Mateo and sixth-ranked Fresno City College (8-2) at No. 5 Modesto JC (8-2). Higher seeds host region finals on Dec. 7. The north champion will host the 2024 state title game.

Riverside and San Mateo have split in the last two state final meetings, with Riverside winning, 24-21 on a 2023 game-ending field goal. Three of the four playoff openers will be rematches of 2024 season contests. Mt. SAC did not meet any of the playoff teams during its 10-0 season run. In the south, only Riverside has faced playoff teams. The Mounties defeated SD Mesa -- in a 62-41 shootout that decided the Southern League title on Nov. 9 -- and El Camino, 70-45, in a non-league contest.

All four NorCal teams have played each other. San Mateo and Modesto went 2-1 against the field, with CSM losing only at Modesto, 23-20, and Modesto falling to American River, 31-20. Fresno and ARC each went 1-2. The Rams beat American River -- but lost to Modesto, 31-27, in what proved to be the Valley League title decider. ARC has won five straight since losing its last two non-league contests with Fresno and CSM.

The only top ten ranked teams not in the playoffs are No. 4 Butte (9-1) and No. 7 Golden West, which were chosen to host regional bowl games. Golden West’s 22-7 non-league loss to Mesa was a difference maker in the south at-large team selection.

The American Division has region sponsored championship bowls. Chaffey (8-2) visits No. 19 ranked Pasadena CC (10-0) in the south, on Nov. 30, and No. 25 De Anza (10-0) plays at No. 24 Monterey Peninsula (10-0) in the north on Dec. 7. The latter is the USA’s only match-up of 10-0 JC/CC football teams.

The final 2024 poll will be released after the 3C2A state championship. 

(Fred Baer, JC Athletic Bureau)

*No CCCSIA poll for Nov. 25 due to a lack of votes