Clovis West-Edison football games have always attracted strong local interest but, perhaps, never more than Friday's showdown at Sunnyside.

Rankings on the local and state levels have stoked this fire.

The Golden Eagles are No. 1 in the Central Section and No. 2 in Division I South for the CIF State Championship Bowl Games. The Tigers are No. 6 in the section and No. 7 in Division II South for the bowls.

Unfortunately, Friday's loser will be virtually eliminated from bowl contention. It's hardly fair, but it's reality: Central Section schools -- as opposed to the more heavily advertised Southern California schools -- probably have to go unbeaten to receive bowl consideration. It's done on an invitation basis -- a state selection committee matching three teams from the South with three teams from the North.

What's also important to note is the selection committee will only evaluate teams who won section titles. So it's impossible for both Clovis West and Edison to go because, for section playoff purposes, they'll both compete in Division I.

The difference is state bowls are divided into three divisions; section playoffs are split into five divisions.