NEW RANKINGS - Canyons Football Continues to Rise in Latest Polls

College of the Canyons football group photo from game at Palomar College on Sept. 21, 2024.

September 24, 2024

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director

College of the Canyons football continues to rise in both statewide football polls after back-to-back road wins vs. ranked opponents.

Canyons (2-1) is the No. 11 ranked team in the state according to the JC Athletic Bureau Head Coaches poll. The Cougars are also regarded as the No. 12 team in the California Community College Sports Information Association (CCCSIA) poll released Sept. 24.

The Cougars churned out a season-high 338 yards of total offense while once again featuring a shut-down defensive performance and garnering 12 points off the foot of freshman kicker Luis Rodriguez in getting the better of No. 24 Palomar College by a 26-7 final score in week three.

Saturday's victory over Palomar comes on the heels of COC's impressive 29-13 road win over then No. 5 ranked Fullerton College in week two.

Mt. San Antonio College (3-0) holds the No. 1 spot in both polls with the rest of the state's top-five varying slightly.

The coaches poll features Mt. SAC followed by Butte College (3-0), Modesto College (3-0), Fresno City College (3-0) and San Diego Mesa College (3-0) across the first five spots. Riverside City College (2-1) is in the No. 6 spot.

The CCCSIA poll sees Mt. SAC, Modesto, Riverside, Butte and San Mateo (2-1) at the top. San Diego Mesa is the No. 6 team in that ranking.

Both polls include seven of the Cougars' 2024 opponents in Ventura College (No. 9 both polls), Fullerton (No. 10 in both polls), Bakersfield College (No. 13/15), Citrus College (No. 15/18), Allan Hancock College (No. 16/14), Moorpark College (No.20/21) and El Camino College (No.24/22).

Ventura, Bakersfield, Allan Hancock, Moorpark and El Camino all reside alongside Canyons in the highly competitive SCFA National Division, Northern League, which begins conference play in week four.

No. 11/12 Canyons will host Santa Barbara City College (1-2) at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28 at Cougar Stadium.

That game will be live streamed to fans free of charge via YouTube on the Cougars Sports Network through a broadcast partnership with SoCalCollegeSports.com.

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

—Photo by Dylan Stewart/1550 Sports