California High School Football Top 25 State Rankings - Dec. 2

All the section champions have been crowned. Now it's time for the CIF State Bowl Game Championships.
CIF BOWL BRACKETS | All 15 brackets here
First regional play takes place this week, with the winners from the South and North playing Dec. 12-13 all scheduled for either Saddleback College, Buena Park High School Stadium or Fullerton Union High School District Stadium.
The crazy, upside down world of the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs turned out an emphatic championship in Santa Margarita, a shockingly lopsided winn over previous No. 1 Corona Centennal, 42-7.
- CIF BRACKETS | All 10 section playoff results
Santa Margarita has earned the No. 1 spot heading into regionals, though the Eagles won't play next until Dec. 13 when it takes on new No. 2 De La Salle for the CIF State Open Division finals.
- SECTIONS CHAMPIONSHIPS | Scores, updates, highlights
For this late in the season, there were a number of movement among the Top 25 rankings.
CALIFORNIA’S TOP 25 FOOTBALL RANKINGS (DEC. 2, 2025)
No. 1 Santa Margarita (10-3, LW #2)

Last week: Beat Corona Centennial, 42-7
Next: Dec. 13 vs. De La Salle at Saddleback College
2. De La Salle (12-0, LW #3)

Last week: Idle
Next: Dec. 13 vs. Santa Margarita at Saddleback College
No. 3 Corona Centennial (11-2, LW rank #1)
Last week: Lost to Santa Margarita, 42-7
Season over
4. Mater Dei (8-3, LW #4)
Season over
5. Sierra Canyon (10-1, LW #5)
Season over
6. St. John Bosco (9-2, LW #6)
Season over
7. Mission Viejo (9-2, LW #7)
Season over
8. Folsom (12-1, LW #8)

Last week: Beat Oak Ridge, 21-14
Next: Friday vs. Riordan
9. Los Alamitos (12-2, LW #9)
Last week: Bean San Clemente, 33-20
Next: Friday vs. Cathedral Catholic
10. Riordan (12-0, LW #10)
Last week: Idle
Next: Friday at Folsom
11. Orange Lutheran (3-9, LW #11)
Season over
12. Servite (6-5, LW #12)
Season over
13. Cathedral Catholic (12-2, LW #16)
Last week: Beat Carlsbad, 20-16
Next: Friday at Los Alamitos
14. Pittsburg (12-2, LW #17)
Last week: Beat Cardinal Newman, 42-17
Next: Saturday vs. Central East
15. San Clemente (9-5, LW #13)
Last week: Lost to Los Alamitos, 33-20
Season over
16. Oxnard Pacifica (14-0, LW #18)
Last week: Beat Palos Verdes, 20-10
Next: Saturday at Granite Hills
17. Carlsbad (10-2, LW #15)
Last week: Lost to Cathedral Catholic, 20-16
Season over
18. Central East (12-1, LW #19)
Last week: Idle
Next: Saturday at Pittsburg
19. Granite Hills (10-4, LW NR)
Last week: Beat Lincoln
Next: Saturday vs. Oxnard Pacifica
20. Lincoln-San Diego (10-3, LW #14)
Last week: Lost to Granite Hills, 41-29
Season over
21. Leuzinger (10-2, LW #21)
Season over
22. Murrieta Valley (9-4, LW #22)
Season over
23. St. Mary’s-Stockton (11-2, LW 24)
Last week: Beat Granite Bay, 38-24
Next: Friday vs. Serra
24. Serra (10-4, LW NR)
Last week: Beat Los Gatos, 28-21
Next: Friday at St. Mary's
25. Oak Ridge (9-4, LW 23)
Last week: Lost to Folsom, 21-14
Season over

Mitch Stephens is a senior editor at SBLive Sports for California, a state he's covered high school sports since 1984. He won multiple CNPA and CPSWA writing awards with the Contra Costa Times, San Francisco Chronicle and MaxPreps.com before joining the SBLive staff in 2022. He's covered the beat nationally since 2007, profiling such athletes as Derrick Henry, Paige Bueckers, Patrick Mahomes, Sabrina Ionescu, Jayson Tatum, Chiney Ogwumike, Jeremy Lin and Najee Harris as preps. You can reach him at mitch@scorebooklive.com.
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