Rustlers set to open 2024 season at Bakersfield; ranked No. 8 in state preseason poll

HUNTINGTON BEACH – The 2024 Golden West College football season officially kicks off on Saturday (Sep. 7) when the Rustlers head north to take on Bakersfield College in a 5 p.m. non-conference game at Memorial Stadium.

The game will be live streamed by the BC Athletic Department online.

Golden West has won the last six meetings with Bakersfield dating back to the 2015 season, including last year's 48-23 season-opening rout at home. The Rustlers jumped out to a 31-0 lead late in the second quarter and were never threatened.

GWC head coach Nick Mitchell returns for his 19^th year with the program and is coming off another solid season in 2023. The Rustlers compiled an 8-3 overall record and finished second in the National Central Division with a 6-1 mark. Golden West was a win away from qualifying for the state playoffs but competed in a postseason bowl game.

Mitchell's 2023 squad won seven straight games during the season, including career victory No. 100 on the road at Cerritos College.

Now in 2024, the Rustlers will once again compete in the one of the toughest conferences in the nation. The Rustlers will be tested early. After this Saturday's match up in Bakersfield, GWC will host defending state champion Riverside City College on Sep. 14 at noon.

The Rustlers' 2024 home schedule also includes contests against San Diego Mesa College (Sep. 21), Orange Coast College in the rivalry Battle of the Bell game (Oct. 17), San Bernardino Valley College (Oct. 26), and Cerritos College (Nov. 9) in the regular-season home finale.

Golden West opens National Central Division play on Sep. 28 at East Los Angeles College. Other key meetings on the road include Nov. 2 at nearby Long Beach City College and a Nov. 16 game at Mt. San Antonio College to close out the regular-season schedule.

Preseason State Poll
Golden West is ranked No. 8 in the California Community College Football Coached Association Preseason State Poll that was released earlier this week by the JC Athletic Bureau.  The Rustlers' Week 2 opponent, Riverside, is listed at No. 1 with Mt. SAC checking in at No. 3.

Other GWC ranked opponents to start the season include No. 12 San Diego Mesa, No. 13 Citrus, No. 17 Bakersfield, No. 18 Cerritos, and No. 23 Long Beach.

The Rustlers ended the 2023 season ranked No. 9 in the final CCCFCA state poll.