D2 Top 15 Football Countdown Poll – #7 CALIFORNIA (PA)
After years in the cellar of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, California (PA) has found itself in a turn-around the past five years including three consecutive appearances in the national semifinals. However, last season included some early adversity as the Vulcans lost their first two games. They swiftly turned things around with a 8-game winning streak before losing in the PSAC championship game to Shippensburg. Yet, the Vulcan’s season allowed them to host the first round of the playoffs and they proceeded to tear through Super Regional 1, including avenging the loss to Shippensburg of just weeks prior. This season expect more of the same including CUP remaining SR1 champs.
The Vulcans return 18 starters this season including CDS second-team All-American Dan Jordan. The senior offensive lineman anchors one of the most veteran lines in the nation. Running the offense will be graduate student quarterback Josh Portis. He set new school records last season with 3,421 yards and 36 touchdown passes. The defense will be led by two-year starting junior linebacker Brett Diamond.
They start the season as they travel to GLIAC conference member, Saginaw Valley State. The Cardinals won this battle last year and it will again set the tone of the season for both teams. CUP then travels to PSAC East foes CW Post and East Stroudburg before their PSAC West schedule begins with Clarion and includes key contests with IUP and Edinboro.
D2 Sports Network predicts the CUP Vulcans will win the PSAC West race and the conference title game finishing the season with a record of 11-3 in the semifinals of the NCAA playoffs.
please note that C.W. Post is no longer a member of the Northeast-10 football conference; CWP is entering its 3rd season as an associate member of the PSAC, where it plays in the PSAC East. As applied in the PSAC, the term “conference schedule” is somewhat misleading, because it refers only to games against teams in one’s own half of the PSAC. For example, this season CWP has is scheduled to play Cal. U., Mercyhurst and Slippery Rock, all of whom are fellow members of the PSAC. However, since all three are members of the PSAC West, those games are not referred to as “conference games,” because they do not affect CWP’s standing in the PSAC East. Only games against fellow PSAC East teams count in the “conference” standings. It would be far less confusing if the PSAC would refer to the PSAC East and West as “divisions,” rather than “conferences.”
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