With computer ratings determining postseason qualification and seeding in the Sac-Joaquin Section, teams from the area are seeking out tougher opponents to improve their chances — even if means taking a few more losses.

Strength of schedule matters more now that there are less spots available to vie for those section pennants. Last year, the SJS pared playoff brackets down to eight teams while introducing one-off bowl games for the schools ranked Nos. 9-16 by MaxPreps in each division. Only league champions earn automatic berths.

For some teams, it’s not just about boosting their ratings. They’re building early-season calluses to better prepare for league play and beyond.

That’s the case for Ripon, which aims to reach its potential with a promising junior class joining the talented and now-ripened seniors.

Last year, Ripon’s class of 2027, which never lost in the lower levels, coasted to wins against its four non-league opponents. Ripon did not fare as well venturing into the deep waters of the Trans Valley League, going 1-5.

Lesson learned.

Now in his second year as head coach, Cole Williams cleared the slate and lined up four higher-division schools coming off postseason appearances.

“They’ll let us know as a team where we are pretty early,” Williams said. “I’m a firm believer in in going out to play the best and the biggest to test yourself. The TVL is understood to be a tough league. Well, let’s go play tough opponents and get ready for it.”

First up on Aug. 28 is a visit from Livermore, which finished 9-2 last year after nearly taking down top-seeded Campolindo in the first round of the North Coast Section playoffs.

Tough match-ups follow with SJS mid-division power Placer and Division II Tracy, both on the road. Tracy brings back much of its top players while welcoming youth talent from its 10-0 JV squad. Ripon also faces SJS bowl-qualifying Pitman.

Lathrop has also scheduled Tracy.

Low MaxPreps ratings led to the Spartans missing the playoffs in 2021 and 2022 despite 6-4 finishes. They’ve since gone after Valley Oak League teams, and following early losses to Patterson, Lathrop went on to win Western Athletic Conference titles and reach the SJS Division V semifinal the past two years.

Lathrop has replaced Patterson with Tracy and dropped Old River Rivalry foe Mountain House in favor of Golden Valley, which is expected to be improved.

“It’s big to get (Tracy) on the schedule,” first-year Lathrop coach Justin Muschott said. “We know it’s going to be a huge battle. It’s good to face those types of teams. We felt we needed to schedule up with these teams to better prepare us. With their athletes and the system they run, we know it’s going to be a challenge.”

The Spartans will see a familiar face across the field on Sept. 4 when they face Sierra for a fourth straight year. Ryan Teicheira, Lathrop’s coach the past five seasons, is back with his alma mater, which hasn’t registered a winning record since 2019.

Lathrop will be the Timberwolves’ biggest test before the VOL, but the Sept. 4 reunion is not on their radar yet.

“It’ll be fun, but we’re going to be focused on the Orestimba scrimmage and our Week (Zero) game against Enochs,” Teicheira said.

Across town, East Union added some umph to its schedule after blowing out four non-league opponents last year. The Lancers will tangle with traditional power Placer, which they beat 58-25 in the first round of the 2025 playoffs.

Typically outnumbered, Ripon Christian has added larger schools to its non-league lineup that already included recent state champions Calaveras and Summerville of the Mother Lode League.

After its opener at Summerville, the Knights are hosting an Stagg team (8-3 in 2025) led by one of the section’s top returning rushers in senior Darnell Holmes. They’ll wrap up their pre-league schedule in Woodland against Pioneer (7-4).

“Getting that 100th win in non-league would be great, but it’s going to be hard,” said Ripon Christian coach Phil Grams, who has a career 98-29 record. “We’re still trying to figure out what Summerville and Stagg have because they’re going through a coaching change, but Calaveras and Pioneer are going to be really good again."

When it comes to matching up against top competition, no one from the area has done it like Manteca.

Since claiming their last SJS Division II title in 2022, the Buffaloes grappled with in-section heavyweights such as Granite Bay, Rocklin and St. Mary’s. They cast a wider net the past two years, snaring big NorCal fish such as Cardinal Newman and Marin Catholic.

“Anybody, anywhere, anytime,” as Buffaloes coach Mark Varnum always says.

His team is sure to be battle tested by the time it begins a second consecutive VOL title defense.

The Buffs tangle with three out-of-area schools that are among the best in their sections, and a Chavez (Stockton) program on the rise following an undefeated regular season

Up first is St. Francis out of the Central Coast Section. Manteca has some history with the Lancers from Mountain View, who downed Campiotti’s 2017 Buffaloes in a NorCal Bowl Game on the way to a state championship.

The Buffaloes will then face Buchanan of Clovis and two weeks later cap their pre-league run against Chico, the second-ranked team from the Northern Section.

Only the Chavez game on Sept. 11 will be at Guss Schmiedt Field, and Manteca will celebrate its 100th year of football.

“A lot of teams around here are not going to play us, and we’re not going to play Modesto public schools,” Varnum said. “We have to go out and find the heavy hitters. Chico won their section last year, St. Francis is a private-school power, Buchanan is big time and Chavez was 10-0 last year. We don’t shy away from anybody.”