City Section Playoffs Include Two Winless Teams

Gardena and Westchester, both 0-10, qualified for the football playoffs under computer rankings used by the City Section.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Football

City Section Playoffs Include Two Winless Teams

Live Poll

Should high school playoffs be open to teams with zero wins?

The City Section released its football playoff pairings, which include Gardena at No. 16 in Division II and Westchester at No. 6 in Division III, both of which finished the regular season 0-10. Brackets were set strictly by computer rankings under rules adopted by the section's football coaches.

Why it matters

Strength of schedule allowed the winless teams into the field, prompting City Section coaches to consider a proposal that would bar winless teams from qualifying for the playoffs in future seasons.

The City Section placed both 0-10 teams into playoff brackets solely on computer rankings, with Gardena at No. 16 in Division II and Westchester at No. 6 in Division III. It is not yet known whether the coaches' proposed rule will be adopted or how it would be applied to future seasons.

The players

City Section

The City Section is the governing body of high school athletics in the Los Angeles area, and it adopted the computer-ranking rules used to set this year's football brackets.

The details

Gardena plays in the Marine League and Westchester in the Western League, both of which carry difficult nonleague schedules that helped their computer ratings. Football coaches, including a committee chairman from Eagle Rock, are considering a new proposal to prevent winless teams from qualifying for the playoffs.

The City Section released the playoff pairings on November 3, 2026.

Season Trajectory

The City Section's computer-ranking rules, which weigh strength of schedule, allowed two teams with no wins into the playoff field this year. Coaches are now weighing a proposal that would change how future brackets are set.

Fans and fantasy managers should note that Gardena and Westchester are both 0-10 but now play in the playoffs under the City Section's computer rankings. Any proposal banning winless teams would change how future seasons' brackets are built.

The takeaway

Strength-of-schedule formulas can reward difficult schedules even when results are poor, so the rules that set playoff fields deserve close review. Readers following local football should watch for the coaches' vote on the proposed change.