Column: DCTF Rankings Analysis

Now that the rankings have been revealed and the dust has settled, I want to dive deeper, comparing them to what I came out with earlier this year, and give you my thoughts on what I believe is accurate and where we seem to differ.

Being ranked 11th is generous, but not surprising

When I flipped open my Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine to page 311 to get my first look at the class 3A rankings, I would be remiss to say I was surprised to see the Yoemen ranked just outside of the top 10. Cameron was certainly not a top 20 team last year when the season came to and end, but that was last year. For a large majority of other 3A division one teams across the state, there is a good chance they would not even sniff the rankings. Simply put, Cameron is the number one football program in the division, and it’s hard to keep a giant down for very long.

Another key point to keep in mind is that Cameron is one of the largest schools in their division. There is a big difference between being a large 3A division one school and a small 4A division two school. The latter had been the case for the Yoemen before their move down in 2010.

Additionally, when you look at Cameron’s entire schedule, it sets up as favorable to win a large portion of their games.

The non-district schedule has the likes of Mexia, Gatesville, Giddings and Katy St. John XXIII.

Mexis, which returns 11 starters from a season ago, is predicted to finish second to last in 8-4A DII, Gatesville, whom has 10 starters returning, is predicted to finish last place in 5-4A DI, Giddings, which returns 12 starters, is predicted to finish second in 12-4A DII, and Katy St. John, with 13 returning starters, is predicted to win TAPPS division V district one.

This non-district schedule certainly does have its challenges, and will be tougher than most other 3A schools, but every game here should be winnable.

You combine that with a district that is not near as stout as previous years, and you have potential to win quite a few ball games. I do predict Rockdale, which is the preseason number three team in the state, to be Cameron’s toughest opponent out of all 10 games.

Where we agree

There are a few key points that both me and DCTF agree on. The first are the top two teams in the state. We both see Brock, out of region I, and Goliad, out of region IV, advancing to the state championship game late in December.

Additionally, we generally have a majority of the same teams included in the top 20. All but three of the teams in their poll were included in my poll, and that has been the norm since I started

doing my own rankings a few years ago.

Finally, we both see eye to eye on Franklin. The Lions are returning most of their top end talent in what appears to be a winnable region.

Where we differ

Firstly, we start with Rockdale. I have the Tigers at 15 while DCTF has them at three. I do believe Rockdale has potential to be really good again, but they had some heavy losses on both sides of the ball that are going to be tough to replace.

Another key difference in Edna in region IV. I have the Cowboys as the fourth-ranked team while DCTF does not have them included in their poll. That district is extremely tough with the likes of Goliad, Yoakum and Hallettsville - all top tier teams.

Additionally, I don’t agree with placing a team such as Kemp ahead and Malakoff in region two. Though Malakoff lost in the first round to Rockdale last season and Kemp advanced to the state semifinals, I would have had Malakoff as a 14-21 point favorite had they played a season ago.