2nd Shutout Earns CSUN No. 9 Ranking

The Cal State Northridge football team has cracked the Division II Top 10 for only the second time in history, but players and coaches say that it is no cause for celebration.

“It’s way too early,” quarterback Rob Huffman said. “We haven’t proven anything yet. We haven’t played anyone yet.”

Northridge (2-0) is ranked ninth by the NCAA-sanctioned ranking committee, best among West Coast teams.

Both Matador victories have come by shutout, but CSUN’s opponents--Cal State Hayward (17-0) and San Francisco State (48-0)--are not exactly football powerhouses. The schools combined for only three wins last season.

Northridge Coach Bob Burt suggested that early season polls can poison a team’s thinking.

“It may taste good,” he said, “but if you swallow it, you’re gonna die.”

Northridge’s only other appearance in the rankings came two years ago in Burt’s first season as coach.

The Matadors were tied for eighth going into the last week of the regular season, then lost to Cal State Sacramento, 21-17, in a game that decided the Western Football Conference championship.

CSUN travels to play Sonoma State on Saturday.