September 12, 2025

Orange County Football Conference Announces New League Alignment

News Summary

The Orange County Football Conference has unveiled plans to restructure its league alignment, transitioning to 10 six-member leagues starting in the 2026 season. This reorganization aims to improve team competitiveness and resolve existing scheduling challenges. Coaches have welcomed the change as it promises a more balanced schedule and better matchups. The new alignment will base team placements on performance ratings, with a focus on creating equitable competition across the league. This initiative is expected to enhance rivalries and provide more engaging experiences for players and fans alike.

Orange County, CA – Orange County Football Conference Announces New League Alignment Starting in 2026

The Orange County Football Conference will restructure its competitive framework by reorganizing its 60 top teams into 10 six-member leagues, effective with the start of the 2026 football season. This change aims to address scheduling difficulties faced by current league teams and improve overall league competitiveness.

Ray Elliott, a committee member from El Dorado High, confirmed the new alignment on Thursday. This reorganization replaces the existing format, where there are currently 10 six-member leagues but the highly competitive Alpha League consists of only four top teams: Mission Viejo, Los Alamitos, Edison, and San Clemente.

The Alpha League’s four-team configuration has faced criticism due to the scheduling benefits it allows, which include seven nonleague game openings—two more than most schools in other divisions. In contrast, the new structure will permit teams in the Alpha League to revert to a more balanced schedule that includes just five nonleague games.

This adjustment has been met with approval from various coaches within the league. For instance, the coach of Los Alamitos highlighted the significance of alleviating current scheduling challenges that teams face in their attempt to organize nonleague games. Similarly, the coach of Mission Viejo acknowledged the difficulties involved in finding available teams for nonleague matchups, particularly given the limitations imposed under the current Alpha League arrangement.

Beginning with the 2026 and 2027 seasons, the teams will be categorized into their respective leagues based on their power ratings, which will be derived from HSratings.com, formerly known as Calpreps. The ratings for the upcoming 2025 season will play a critical role, with 65% of a team’s new league classification based on its performance during that year, while 35% will reflect their achievements from the 2024 season.

As part of this reorganization process, the conference plans to further evaluate the categorization of the nine lowest-rated programs in the county to adequately incorporate them into the new league setup.

Currently, the football-only conference includes a total of 69 member schools. The aim of this new league alignment is not just to enhance competition but to create a more equitable playing field amongst teams at varying levels of performance. This strategic restructuring is anticipated to foster better rivalries and provide more interesting matchups for players and fans alike.

In summary, the Orange County Football Conference’s new league alignment set to commence in 2026 seeks to provide a structured format that enhances scheduling flexibility and competitiveness among its teams. Coaches and committee members alike are hopeful that this change will address issues of the past and pave the way for a more balanced and exciting future for high school football in Orange County.