BC and playoffs: down to one game
By Evans On Sports
The wild finish to Saturday night's BC at Cerritos game, when the Falcons pulled out an amazing 27-21 win on a 97-yard return of a blocked field goal on the game's final play, means BC is in a must-win game next Saturday at home vs. Canyons in order to have any chance at earning a berth in the Southern California playoffs.
With a 7-2 overall record, BC is assured of a postseason game. But the Renegades rightfully would prefer a playoff game. This year, the former eight-team playoff format for Southern California JC teams was cut to four teams, which makes things dicey with several contenders for the four spots.
The BC loss to Cerritos gives Cerritos the inside track at the National Northern Conference's top seed in the playoffs. Cerritos, BC and College of the Canyons (which beat Ventura 37-24 Saturday) all 3-1 records in NNC play, and Cerritos has head-to-head wins over both BC and Canyons. A win by Cerritos over Hancock in its season finale would seem to ensure the Falcons as the NNC's top seed.
The BC-Canyons winner will then be fighting for playoff survival. The winner likely gets in, the loser would settle for a bowl game, but not a playoff spot. Of course if Cerritos was upset by Hancock, the BC-Canyons winner would win the outright NNC title and get a playoff berth.
BC will head into next week's regular season finale beat up physically. Several players were banged up before the Cerritos game, and others were hobbling afterwards.
Prediction on the playoffs:
Mount SAC as the top seed (still unbeaten this year after beating Fullerton 27-23 on Saturday).
Saddleback, which lost to BC 41-24 in Week 2 and lost to Mount SAC 33-31 on a last-play Mounties TD, will probably be seeded No. 2 if it beats Fullerton in next Saturday's finale. I fugure a Fullerton win would propel Cerritos (which has losses to Saddleback and Ventura) into the No. 2 spot; the BC-Canyons winner would then battle Saddleback and Fullerton for the final two playoff spots.
A Fullerton win over Saddleback could propel Mount SAC, Saddleback and Fullerton (all members of the National Southern Conference) into three of the four playoff spots, with Cerritos the probable final qualifier. That would leave BC and Canyons out.
But again, a BC win over Canyons strengthens BC's bid because it has a win over Saddleback and only a last-second loss to Cerritos as blemishes to its record.
But it all hinges on the Gades (as beat up physically as they are) being able to defeat Canyons.
We'll see how it plays out.
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