COLLEGE FOOTBALL TODAY : Cal State Northridge vs. Sonoma State

At Sonoma State, 1 p.m.

Northridge Coach Bob Burt could have drawn a worse opponent for his coaching debut. Sonoma State has won only 9 of 42 games in five years under Coach Tony Kehl. Northridge defeated Sonoma, 40-14, last season, but the Cossacks reportedly had the best recruiting year in school history. Sonoma has seven starters back on offense, including quarterback John Mefferd and receivers Darrin Phillips, Aaron Turner and Jerry Morrison. Mefferd started seven games last season and passed for 1,151 yards and five touchdowns. Morrison’s 36 receptions for 391 yards led the team. Mike Henry (6-0, 240) had 17 1/2 quarterback sacks as a defensive end last season. He has been moved to inside linebacker. Last year, Northridge temporarily abandoned its run-and-shoot offense and let Mike Kane run Sonoma into the ground, rushing for 147 yards. He gained 481 all season . Quarterback Chris Parker missed the Sonoma game with an ankle injury last year, but still set school single-season records for passes attempted (424), completed (232) and total offense (2,773). His prime target will be Chris Moore, who caught 41 passes for 321 yards and 4 touchdowns last year. Nose tackle Darrell McIntyre (6-0, 240), an all-conference defensive end in ‘85, leads the defense. Reggie Wauls (6-2, 215) is back at linebacker after leading the Matadors last season in tackles. Top newcomers on defense are strong safety Billy Ward (6-0, 205), a transfer from San Diego State, and tackle Dester Stowers (6-3, 250), a transfer from Pasadena City College.

Moorpark vs. Harbor At Harbor College, Wilmington, 7:30 p.m.

On Moorpark’s first offensive possession, you may want to watch Harbor’s defense. As far as watching the Moorpark offense, Seahawk defenders may do enough for everybody. Last season, it went like this: Moorpark takes the field. No huddle. Quarterback Ken Lutz, now at San Jose, took the first snap of the game and lateraled to wide receiver Paul Davis. Davis fired a 62-yard pass to receiver Dan Russell. Harbor’s defense, amazed and confused, watched the ball sail toward the end zone. Touchdown. Elapsed time: Oh, say, six seconds. Harbor became the first of many victims of Moorpark’s “no-huddle” offense, which will make a slight return this season. That single play may have taken the wind out of Harbor’s sails. The Seahawks went 3-8, their worst record ever. This season, Coach George Swade’s team is a little wiser. Said Moorpark Coach Jim Bittner: “They’re also faster. They are a very quick team. They’re also a lot like us in that they don’t have much depth.” Moorpark, which was 8-3 last season and shared the Western State Conference title with Glendale, will use tonight’s game as a test for its three quarterbacks. “It’s hard to tell in practice or a scrimmage what guy is going to come through under pressure,” Bittner said. Competing for the spot will be Steve Haddad, a transfer from Pierce where he led the Brahmas to a 31-28 win over Moorpark, Dan Nagelmann (Thousand Oaks High) and Steve Armstrong, who in 1984 led Agoura High to the Desert Mountain Conference championship. Armstrong sat out last season after deciding that Army football--and life at West Point--was not his canteen cup of tea. Watch for Moorpark’s offense to operate mostly to the right side where it returns tackle Matt Hickman (6-5, 285), tight end Kyle Opp and guard Blane Wingle, a second team all-conference selection last year.

Cal Lutheran vs. San Francisco State

At Mount Clef Stadium, 2 p.m.

The Kingsmen, who have a 6-1-1 advantage in the series with the Gators, came from behind for a 28-24 win in San Francisco last year. In 1984, Cal Lutheran won, 38-13, at home. San Francisco State is coming off a 69-6 loss to Wichita State last Saturday. Gator starting quarterback Jimmy Rudy suffered a shoulder injury in the game and is not expected to play against Cal Lutheran. Kingsmen Coach Bob Shoup said his team, for the most part, is healthy, but offensive lineman Andy Dickerson (knee) is not expected to play. Cal Lutheran’s defense has been bolstered by junior college transfers Terry Rowe, David Moore, Russell Patterson and Oscar Williams, and the defense is much quicker than last year’s group, Shoup said. In the off-season, Cal Lutheran also added defensive tackle John Hynes, a transfer from Indiana. All five players will start. Junior quarterback Tom Bonds, who threw for 2,427 yards last season, will lead the offense.

Valley vs. Ventura

Ventura College, 7:30 p.m.

For a team that lost 10 of 11 starters on defense, Valley enters its season-opening game with unusual optimism. Of course, it’s also unusual for a team to get 17 transfers from its rival school, Pierce, which won three straight Southern California Conference championships before disbanding its program in June. At least six of the Pierce transfers will start tonight. Josh Davis could be the seventh if he wins a four-man battle at quarterback. Coach Chuck Ferrero said he won’t name a starter until game time. The Monarchs, who were 8-2 and rated 18th in the state and 11th in the Southland poll of sports information directors last season, also have two transfers from Cal Lutheran and former Canyon High standout Joe Zacharia, who moves from nose guard to linebacker. Said Ferrero: “We’ve got a chance to be a good football team. We have a lot of new guys on the defensive side of the ball, and even though they have a lot of talent and size, they’ve still got to mold together.” After tonight’s game against Ventura, which was 6-4 and finished third in the Western State Conference last season, Ferrero won’t consider his players transfers. “The final analysis is that Saturday night, it won’t matter where they came from. They will be judged by their performance at that time.”