JC Bowl Spillover Becomes Real Mess

There’s no pleasing everyone when it comes to bowl games. Not even by creating another bowl game.

The South County Bowl didn’t appear on any junior college football schedules at the start of the season because it didn’t exist.

It does now. But not everyone is bowled over with joy.

Southwestern is scheduled to host El Camino in the first South County Bowl on Dec. 4 at Chula Vista. The game is a last-minute matchup created this week by the state Commission on Athletics to replace the canceled McDonald’s Community College Bowl at Antelope Valley College.

Antelope Valley was to host its third consecutive McDonald’s Bowl, pitting Southwest against Southwestern on Dec. 4. But sponsors canceled the game this week after the COA reviewed and revised its bowl lineup, insisting El Camino--passed over during selection meetings--replace Southwest.

“It’s the first time in 30 years I’ve seen this happen,” said Brent Carder, football coach and athletic director at Antelope Valley. “Everyone here was excited about it. It was a bowl game people wanted to come and see.”

At issue is whether bowl organizers should have the final say in determining participants.

El Camino (7-3) successfully argued it deserved a berth over Southwest (6-4) based on a better record and higher ranking in the Southern California poll. The COA accommodated Southwest by admitting Moorpark (6-4), which will host the new Western State Conference Classic against Southwest on Dec. 4.

“It all boils down to our kids played 10 games and now they deserve to play an 11th,” said David Shannon, El Camino athletic director. “We lobbied with the [COA] and asked them to review the pairings and adjust them, and that’s what they did.”

Based on a power-rating system that considers criteria including strength of schedule and opponents’ records, El Camino is ranked seventh, Southwestern ninth and Southwest 13th. Yet, El Camino was excluded for the second consecutive year.

Last season, El Camino created the South Bay Bowl, and lost to Santa Monica, 71-67. This season, the school wasn’t about to host a hastily staged game. Nor should it have to, Shannon said.

“When you’re seventh in the polls and the other team is 13th, what does that mean?” Shannon said. “Everybody would like to have their teams in their [bowl] game, but it all boils down to, you have to qualify to get in that game. If you’re not going to use power ratings, you’re not going to use polls, what are you going to do?”

Shannon regretted cancellation of the McDonald’s Bowl. He said El Camino would have agreed to play at Antelope Valley.

Hernando Marroquin, a McDonald’s franchise owner in Lancaster, withdrew sponsorship because of the change of teams, Carder said. Marroquin was unavailable for comment.

Carder said organizers of the McDonald’s game simply were looking for the best possible matchup. Carder said he supported Marroquin’s decision.