The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.

Not only is the College of San Mateo football team off to a perfect 4-0 start, it has done so emphatically.

Through those four games, the Bulldogs have outscored their opponents 185-42 and are fifth in the state in points per game at 46.2.

This begs the question: Is CSM that good or have their opponents been that bad?

To CSM head coach Bret Pollack, it doesn’t matter.

“Who knows?” Pollack said. “I just know we’ve been better than the four teams we’ve played. We have to play six more teams to find out (how good we are).

“There are high expectations and guys are living up to those expectations.”

There is an indication the answer is “A” — the Bulldogs are just that good. In a 52-7 win over Delta Saturday, they were without five starters, including the quarterback who started the first two games, along with a front-line running back and several interior linemen.

And CSM has yet to skip a beat.

“We had five guys who hadn’t started, starting in that game (against Delta). The guys backing up are coming in and playing well and keeping the thing going straight,” Pollack said. “[Our season] hasn’t been injury free and we’re overcoming them, which speaks volumes about our depth.

“Every season you’re going to have adversity and how you handle that adversity determines (your success). This team has seen quite a bit of adversity and has done a good job of handling it.”

Post-season changes

At the end of last season, there was a lot of disappointment for CSM, which finished 10-1, but did not receive a berth into the Northern California championship game.

This year, there will be no politics in determining who is the best. Northern California got in line with Southern California and both sections will now use a four-team playoff to determine the Nor Cal and So Cal representatives in the state championship game.

There are now three, six-team “A” conferences. The winner of each conference, along with an at-large team, will play a pair of semifinal games and a title game to determine the Nor Cal champion and the North’s representative in the state title match.

“A group of coaches have been pushing for it for years,” Pollack said.

If the formula was in use last season, CSM would have been the No. 2 seed behind No. 1 Butte, with Fresno No. 3 and American River No. 4.

CSM made it case it should have been in the Nor Cal title game last year, with a 75-9 pasting of American River in the 2013 Bulldog Bowl.

Up next: at American River

Saturday’s tilt in the outskirts of Sacramento is a matchup of the No. 1 team in the state (CSM) against the No. 3 team in California (American River).

American River comes into the game with a 4-0 record as well and are averaging just under 30 points per game, while putting up 365 yards of offense per contest — 122 rushing and 243 passing — which is middle of the pack in the state.

“They’re a good, talented, well-coached team,” Pollack said.

Defensively, American River is giving up under 20 points per game and is an opportunistic defense. Its 10 interceptions is second in the state and it has scored four defensive touchdowns this season.

Over the last couple of seasons, American River has mirrored the rise of CSM. The Beavers were a solid program that has taken the next step and has become one of the state’s elite squads.

“They did a good job of building it,” Pollack said. “They recruit their base well. They’re doing it the right way.”