It’s prediction time.

The CIF Southern Section football playoffs begin this week with some games on Thursday and a full slate Friday.

Who is going to survive and advance over the next few weeks? We will give it a shot for all 14 playoff divisions, including how San Gabriel Valley teams will fare.

OK, let’s go.

DIVISION 1

Top seeds: 1. Mater Dei (10-0), St. John Bosco (9-1), 2. Orange Lutheran (7-3), 4. Mission Viejo (10-0)

Quick look: No doubt Mater Dei is the clear favorite, but can see Corona Centennial knocking off undefeated Mission Viejo in the first round and meeting the Monarchs in the semifinals, which would be a rematch of Mater Dei’s 42-25 season-opening win over Centennial. I like Orange Lutheran to beat St. John Bosco after a 28-24 loss to them during Trinity League play. But again, Mater Dei all day.

Final four: Mater Dei, Centennial, St. John Bosco, Orange Lutheran

Champion: Mater Dei over Orange Lutheran

DIVISION 2

Top seeds: 1. Murrieta Valley (8-2), 2. Newbury Park (10-0), 3. Serra (7-3), 4. San Juan Hills (9-1)

Quick look: Top seed Murrieta Valley beat Rancho Cucamonga in the season opener and should beat the Cougars again in the first round, especially with the Cougars dealing with some suspensions that came out of their game against Damien in Week 10. Murrieta Valley is tested, with its losses to Servite and Corona Centennial, and it beat every other opponent comfortably. Damien beat Ranch Cucamonga to win the Baseline League title and has a tough first-rounder against San Clemente. We like Damien to advance, but its season ends against No. 2 Newbury Park in the quarterfinals. Serra has a shot against Newbury Park, but we like the top two seeds to advance to the finals.

Final four: Murrieta Valley, Oaks Hills, Serra, Newbury Park

Champion: Newbury Park over Murrieta Valley

DIVISION 3

Top seeds: 1. Simi Valley (9-1), 2. Villa Park (7-3), 3. Edison (6-4), 4. Tustin (9-1)

Quick look: Epsilon League champion La Habra has looked so good winning nine straight since a season-opening loss to Upland. We like the Highlanders over Mira Costa in the first round, though Mira Costa is one of two teams to knock off Damien. La Habra should bow out against top seed Simi Valley in round two. This is a wide-open division. Undefeated Bonita (10-0) has to travel to Angelus League champion Cathedral (9-1) in the first round, and we think the Bearcats will pull off the victory. The Bearcats can compete with any team in this division, but Edison, from the Alpha League, in the second round is as far as they go.

Final four: Simi Valley, Long Beach Millikan, Edison, Chino Hills

Champion: Edison over Simi Valley

DIVISION 4

Top seeds: 1. St. Bonaventure (6-4), 2. El Modena (8-2), 3. Oxnard Pacifica (6-4), 4. Capistrano Valley (8-2)

Quick look: Charter Oak (8-2) has had a great season, but has a tough opener at home against Apple Valley. Could be Black Friday for the Chargers. Could also be Black Friday for undefeated Northview (10-0), which has to travel to face Long Beach Poly, a team that has played a superior schedule and a team that nearly knocked off Serra in nonleague play. Northview won’t go down without a brawl, but it’s hard to imagine the Vikings advancing. St. Paul is battle tested for this division and has a favorable draw, taking on Thousand Oaks (6-4) in the first round. We think St. Paul wins and will advance to eventually meet Long Beach Poly in a mammoth semifinal, but will come up short. St. Bonaventure is a solid No. 1 seed from a tough league and should reach the championship game. But just like Long Beach Poly did in 2021, when it won the Division 4 title, we expect their youth and talent to win out when all is said and done.

Final four: St. Bonaventure, Apple Valley, St. Paul, Long Beach Poly

Champion: Long Beach Poly over St. Paul

DIVISION 5

Top seeds: 1. Huntington Beach (6-4), 2. Palos Verdes, 3. Moorpark (7-2), 4. La Serna (7-3)

Quick look: La Serna is not the same team it was earlier in the season when it was blown out by Damien and lost to Crean Lutheran 20-0. They battled Edison to a 32-21 loss before tearing through the Del Rio League to earn the No. 4 seed. The Lancers won the Division 4 title last season, but will their youth be good enough here? They face Troy (9-1) in the first round and we expect them to win and get to the semifinals against Huntington Beach. They will have a shot, but too much to expect the Lancers to repeat last year’s dream season.

Final four: Huntington Beach, La Serna, Moorpark, Mayfair

Champion: Huntington Beach over Moorpark

DIVISION 6

Top seeds: 1. Muir (8-2), 2. Dana Hills (8-2), 3. Hart (8-2), 4. Murrieta Mesa (4-6)

Quick look: The shocker will be undefeated Schurr (10-0) knocking off top seed Muir in the first round. But the team to watch is St. Francis (3-7), which started 0-6 but rallied to finish third in the Angelus League and fell into a favorable playoff division. St. Francis will beat Calabasas and Schurr in the first two rounds and go on to win the championship, beating Hart in an epic final. We like San Dimas to beat Aliso Niguel in the first round and Glendora will lose to Agoura.

Final four: St. Francis, Murrieta Mesa, Hart, Dana Hills

Champion: St. Francis over Hart

DIVISION 7

Top seeds: 1. West Torrance (8-2), 2. Citrus Valley (3-6), 3. Warren (3-7), 4. Vista del Lago (8-2)

Quick look: Rio Hondo Prep (8-1) won Division 9 last season and has to take on undefeated Ramona (10-0) in the first round. The Kares can win that game, as Ramona hasn’t played a tough schedule. But expecting the Kares, a true small school, to perform miracles again in a much tougher division is unreasonable. The size and strength will eventually get to them. The Kares lose in the second round to Vista del Lago from the tough Ivy League, and Vista del Lago will go on to win it all.

Final four: West Torrance, Vista del Lago, Warren, Yucaipa

Champion: Vista del Lago over Yucaipa

DIVISION 8

Top seeds: 1. Beckman (9-1), 2. Segerstrom (7-3), 3. Los Osos (7-3), 4. Serrano (6-3)

Quick look: There are no SGV teams in Division 8, but there are some teams who shouldn’t be there like St. Pius X-St. Matthias (1-9), who got an at-large from the tough Angelus League and played St. Paul to a close 29-20 loss. The Warriors can go the distance in this division. Having played other heavyweights like Crean Lutheran and Newbury Park, St. Pius X-St. Matthias won’t be intimidated by anyone here.

Final four: Beckman, Rancho Christian, Salesian, St. Pius X-St. Matthias

Champion: St. Pius X-St. Matthias over Beckman

DIVISION 9

Top seeds: 1. Highland (6-4), 2. Great Oak (4-6), 3. Long Beach Wilson (6-4), 4. Quartz Hill (7-3)

Quick look: We like Covina (8-2) to knock off Village Christian (4-6) in the first round and sneak past Long Beach Wilson to reach the semifinals, but the road ends there. We like Sonora (5-5) to beat Alemany (5-4) and believe Monrovia (8-2) will come up short against Burbank (8-2) in a thriller. A team to watch is Quartz Hill. It beat Hart early in the season and played Lancaster to a close 7-0 loss.

Final four: Highland, Quartz Hill, Covina, St. Genevieve

Champion: Quartz Hill over St. Genevieve

DIVISION 10

Top seeds: 1. Long Beach St. Anthony (5-5), 2. San Marcos (6-3-1), 3. South Pasadena (8-2), 4. Brentwood (6-3)

Quick look: South Hills drew a tough assignment in the first round, facing No. 1 St. Anthony, a team that has already beat No. 4 Brentwood and played Summit, a team from Division 5, to a close 13-9 loss. South Hills will go down, but look for La Canada (8-2) to beat Pacifica (5-5) and Rio Hondo League champ South Pasadena (8-2) to knock off Patriot. In fact, we like South Pasadena to reach the semifinals. Chino is the sleeper here and will knock off No. 2 seed San Marcos and make a run to the title game.

Final four: St. Anthony, Brentwood, South Pasadena, Chino.

Champion: St. Anthony over Chino

DIVISION 11

Top seeds: 1. Don Lugo (5-5), 2. Santa Fe (7-3), 3. Los Amigos (10-0), 4. Baldwin Park (5-5)

Quick look: Area teams Santa Fe and Baldwin Park are both seeded and both playing well going into the playoffs. Baldwin Park QB Jake Garcia and Santa Fe running back Devin Clark are headliners in this division. Baldwin Park will have to go through Colton and probably Big Bear on the road to reach the semifinals, but we see them getting there to meet Don Lugo and winning. We also like El Rancho to beat Bell Gardens and knock off undefeated Los Amigos to reach the semifinals, where they get a rematch against Santa Fe after a 21-14 loss to the Chiefs in Del Rio League play. What a fun division. Take Santa Fe to win it all.

Final four: Don Lugo, Baldwin Park, El Rancho, Santa Fe

Champion: Santa Fe over Baldwin Park

DIVISION 12

Top seeds: 1. Mary Star of the Sea (8-2), 2. Rim of the World (6-4), 3. Canyon Springs (8-2), 4. Palmdale (5-5)

Quick look: We love unseeded Wilson (8-1) and the backfield of Dominic Ezeonye and Derek Ochoa. They have blown everyone out since a season-opening loss to Los Altos, and when you can pound the ball in the lower divisions you have a great chance. Mary Star is a legitimate top seed and played St. Bonaventure close. Wilson needs to get by Rim of the World in the semifinals, but we think it can before coming up short in the finals.

Final four: Mary Star, Palmdale, Canyon Springs, Wilson

Champion: May Star over Wilson

DIVISION 13

Top seeds: 1. Gahr (5-5), 2. San Marino (5-5), 3. Lynwood (6-4), 4. Anaheim (8-2)

Quick look: La Puente (9-1), Nogales (6-4), South El Monte (7-3), El Monte (6-4) and Pasadena (4-6) join No. 2 seed San Marino (5-5) in this division loaded with SGV teams. Pasadena hung tough with Burbank and beat Burroughs in league play. It has the talent to reach the finals. San Marino will win its first game, but doesn’t have the depth to go all the way. Nogales has quarterback Tyler Lewis, and he’s good enough to lead them to the title game. La Puente lost some key players and may go out in the first round. South El Monte has a good road to the semis.

Final four: Gahr, Nogales, South El Monte, Pasadena

Champion: Pasadena over Nogales

DIVISION 14

Top seeds: 1. Nordhoff (7-3), 2. Pioneer (5-5), 3. Arroyo (5-5), 4. Costa Mesa (7-3)

Quick look: Pioneer and Arroyo are both seeded teams from the San Gabriel Valley, but we like unseeded Duarte (9-1), which beat La Puente in the final week of the regular season to win the Miramonte League title. Duarte will beat Sierra Vista in the first round and we like it to knock off Nordhoff in the second round too and make a title run. We like Arroyo making it to the semifinals, where it will come up short against Pioneer. SGV teams have performed well in lower divisions in recent years and it may happen again.

Final four: Duarte, Desert Christian Academy, Arroyo, Pioneer

Champion: Duarte over Pioneer

— Fred Robledo