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No playoffs on a national level for jucos
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SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - The NFL has the Super Bowl, Division I college football relies on the Bowl Championship Series and the rest of the NCAA determines a title winner through a playoff system.
But when the junior college football season comes to its conclusion, there is no nationally televised final. And players for top programs such as City College of San Francisco and the College of San Mateo are left to speculate at how well their teams would do against other powerhouses from around the country.
“You always wonder how your team matches up with the best in Florida or Texas or any of the other great teams,” CCSF quarterback Jeremiah Masoli said. “As a player, you dream about a game like that.”
Junior college football is divided into two main governing bodies, with the 72 California programs organized under the California Community College Athletic Association and approximately 70 teams throughout the rest of the country overseen by the National Junior College Athletic Association. The season ends when the two organizations play games to determine their own title winners and the national championship credentials of those teams are debated in chat rooms and blogs rather than determined on the field.
This uncertainty could be coming to an end, however. Members of both the CCCAA and NJCAA are entertaining early conversations about setting up a true championship game and the dialogue seems to be picking up steam. No concrete timeframe has been discussed.
“There’s some informal talks going on with coaches in our organization and coaches in their organization,” said David Eadie, the CCCAA’s director of marketing and communications. “We’re still in a very preliminary stage, but people definitely seem to be interested.”
Such a game is not unprecedented in JC football history, as top teams from both governing bodies played in the Junior Rose Bowl in Pasadena from 1946-67. But according to community college football historian Fred Baer, the best teams from NorCal were often excluded from the game because organizers worried fans would not make the trip to watch. And when the O.J. Simpson-led 1966 CCSF team went undefeated but was snubbed, the game began to lose some of its credibility.
Rams coach George Rush, a player on that 1966 team, would welcome another incarnation of the game.
“It would definitely be nice,” said Rush, whose team has won five mythical national championships in his 31 years at the helm. “It would probably take a lot of work, but it would be great for the kids.”
At CSM, Bulldogs coach Larry Owens said he would also support such an event.
“Anything that’s going to bring attention and exposure to these kids and to JC football is a good thing,” Owens said. “To me, we’re kind of hidden and that’s not right. There’s some great football being played.”
Crowning champs
Here are how other associations determine their titlists:
» NCAA FOOTBALL BOWL SUBDIVISION: Bowl Championship Series standings determine the two teams who play in the BCS national title game
» NCAA FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SUBDIVISION: 16 teams
» NCAA DIVISION II: 16 teams
» NCAA DIVISION III: 32 teams
» NAIA: 16 teams
» NJCAA: No national championship
Proving ground
Junior colleges such as CCSF and CSM offer a path to better opportunities for football players.
» MONDAY: The history behind CCSF and CSM
» TUESDAY: Junior college provides second chances
» TODAY: Plethora of teams means state stands alone
» THURSDAY: How do the big boys use jucos?
» FRIDAY: Making it all the way to the NFL
Comments from Examiner Readers
7:15 AM MST on Mon., Sep. 24, 2007 re: "Is this the beginning of the end?"
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6:11 PM MST on Fri., Sep. 21, 2007
re: "Bay Area schools only now tapping pipeline"
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Examiner Reader said:
Ryan for the Heisman! Go BC!
295 agree | 310 disagree
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nice Stadium but wheres the team? said:
Stanforrd lost their best hoops coach in the late 80's due to the school's inability to admit legitimate recruits that where academically eligible. now as i look at that joke of a football squad they run out there year in and year out i wonder why they dont recruit the best talent around. ccsf would give the cardinal a run for their money right now. jimmy vegas says ccsf (+7).
282 agree | 285 disagree
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moreNcsarecoming said:
Joe Ayoob...enough said. Loved Hawkins comment about the education at CCSF and Berkley. Same as usual or something like that. No wonder Stanford doesn't want JC players - or Berkley ones!
299 agree | 298 disagree
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Terps Who?? said:
Doesn't matter because on September 1, you go down to the Villanova Wildcats!!!
298 agree | 296 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Josh POrtis is by far the best option at QB for the Terps. I've seen all three throughout the summer and Steffy knows the offense more but is just plain limited in ability. Turner is a bookworm with signal calling but is only good on the field between the 20's. He can't complete drives. Portis has trumendous athletic ability and instincts and a trumendous arm for such a shifty signal caller. He is your long term solution to get Maryland where they need to go. Steffy and Turner guaruntee you a .500 mediocre season....bet that!
392 agree | 288 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I agree with the posters above. The implication that the ACC is superior at all, much less far superior to the Big East (as things currently stand), is completely BANANAS and undermines the credibility of this otherwise well written piece, IMHO. The ACC hasn't won a BCS game since 1999 whereas the Big East was 32-8 OOC last year and has won its past two BCS games.
336 agree | 219 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
So ACC teams are superior to Navy, while you imply that Big East teams are not? Navy would be ranked 8th or 9th in a nine-team Big East. Remember, Navy lost by 1 point to Boston College, and by 34 to Rutgers. Geeze...
267 agree | 259 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Let's forget for a second that I'm an angry Big East fan. Boston College, who finished second in the Atlantic Division of the ACC (right behind Wake) needed a last-second lucky turnover and field goal with no time left to beat Navy (BY ONE POINT!!!) in their bowl game this past year. Where do you get off saying "The ACC is filled with football teams superior to Navy's." ???
309 agree | 326 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
That comment about the ACC being better than the BE is ludicrous. How long does the BE have to be better before people wake up. Without going into top-bottom details wouldn't the fact that the BE top teams beat the ACC top teams in 2 bowl games last year be enough to spur you to at least do a little research? The ACC and Big 12 were clearly the worst 2 conferences last year - it is not even debateable. If you look at all OOC results and work your way from top to bottom (Sagarin rankings). The BE had a .500 winning @ against teams ranked in the top 47. For the ACC to reach a .500 winning % you have to include teams all the way down to 119! Please do a little research.
349 agree | 256 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I echo what the first poster said. What cave have you been living in for the past two years, Mr Snyder? Do you REALLY think the ACC is superior to the Big East in football? How much did John Swofford pay you to put that paragraph in there?
361 agree | 210 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
"The Atlantic Coast Conference is filled with football teams superior to Navy’s." Huh? If the Big East were a viable option, why wouldn't the ACC? Check out the Big East/ACC head-to-head match ups from last season.
354 agree | 328 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
As a Navy fan, i certainly dont want to be in a confernce with the likes of toledo, kent st, and buffalo. I'd rather hold the course were on right now..ask army, they bolted cusa........
285 agree | 257 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Airforce is that good?........since when????
301 agree | 260 disagree
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Andrew C. Dahmen said:
Army and Navy should join the Sun Belt conference, Army could join the MAC. It will not happen however what would be great is to have Air Force in the same conference as Army and Navy, the Sun Belt would work but Air Force is way to good.
312 agree | 285 disagree
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NIU Huskie said:
Navy should secure a tie-in with the MAC. MAC teams aren't that far away and there are two (Temple and Buffalo) that are closer than the Sun Belt schools. The Sun Belt's #2 school wouldn't be a very competitive or interesting (national TV crowd) game.
353 agree | 247 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
If the QB spot has consistency and the defensive backfield learns quickly, Navy will have an excellent year.
271 agree | 284 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
One potential short-term answer for Navy is a playing in a new bowl game in Baltimore in December of 2008. The Camden Yards Sports and Entertainment Commission considers Navy a prime candidate for the game, according to Wayne Edwards, the commission’s sports committee chairman. Sign an agreement with the Sun Belt for their 3'rd place team to play the Navy annually. Good deal for both.
428 agree | 311 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The Sun Belt would be perfect. The Navy and Sun Belt are recruiting comparable players today and have two bowl committments. 1) The New Orleans Bowl, 2) A second Bowl has been added effective 2009. The Sun Belt is making a major push to upgrade it conference. Over the next few years we will see an increased number of OOC wins. Sounds like a win-win situation.
261 agree | 368 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Kyle Barker from CCSF won't be going anywhere because he didn't make grades in the spring.
503 agree | 422 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Go Tigers
496 agree | 493 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I live locally and have been attending some of the practices. Josh Portis is the best fit for our offense I've watched this kid and he is everything folks have said he is. Go Terps.
555 agree | 455 disagree
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