All three divisions in the Western State Conference start their 2017 conference contests tonight. Through non-conference play a slew of teams have emerged as favorites, but all races look to be competitive.
WSC North
Ventura College (15-5) are looking to claim their 27th straight WSC North crown. The Pirates may face one of their stiffest tests in recent memory in 2017, with four of their five conference mates coming into conference play with records above .500. According to the Massey Ratings, the Pirates are still the favorites and are power ranked #12 in the State and #1 in the entire WSC.
Moorpark College (12-6) looks to possibly have the best shot at taking down the kings. The scrappy Raiders are power ranked #29 in the State and have gone 7-3 since the beginning of December. Unfortunately for them, one of those three losses was to Ventura. Allan Hancock College (11-5) meanwhile got off to one of it's best starts in recent memory. The Bulldogs won seven straight to start off December, and recently snapped a three game slide with a pair of wins over Bakersfield and LA Pierce. Cuesta College (11-7) will begin conference play having gone just 3-4 in their last seven, while Santa Barbara City College (10-6) has won three straight and gone 7-2 since the start of December.
WSC South
The Western State Conference South Division looks to be a two horse race in the form of Santa Monica College (12-8) and Bakersfield College (10-7). The Corsairs are power rated #24 in the State, while the Renegades check in at #32. Santa Monica heads into conference action with wins in three of it's last four games and six of it's last eight. Bakersfield meanwhile has gone 10-2 since the end of November and after starting off 0-5, and own a quality win over Mt. San Jacinto College.
WSC East
Los Angeles Valley College (13-5) appears to be the favorite to take home the first ever WSC East Championship, but Glendale College (12-6) which is having one of it's best starts in recent years could be lurking. The Monarchs are power ranked #16 in the State and have played the second toughest non-conference schedule in the entire WSC. Valley boasts pre-conference quality wins over Ventura (twice), Mt. San Jacinto, Orange Coast, and Santa Rosa. While the Vaqueros lack that signature win, they head into conference contests having won six of their last eight.
