Our countdown to Week 0 games continues below, but this is officially the week that high school football in the Central Section starts. It's finally here, so let's have a look at the divisions most fans will be talking about.

Remember, Central Section rankings up tomorrow. And don't forget to follow me on Twitter, @zewing, for high school football updates on the go throughout the season.

Countdown to Week 0 in famous jersey numbers: Brett Favre

DIVISION III

Defending champ: Tehachapi

Overview: As usual, this promises to be a wide-open division. It's a great mix of good Sequoia League schools and some Yosemite League schools who usually are overmatched in league play. One who isn't is Hanford, which was the favorite all year last season until Tehachapi beat them in fog for the title. Expect those two teams to be right back at it this year, though the real team to beat might be Oakhurst-Yosemite, which has 13 returning starters and help from last year's 10-0 JV team. Of course, the Badgers won't be as well-tested as the other favorites come playoff time. And even though Clovis North has no seniors, I wouldn't count a Clovis school out of a D-III championship picture.

Where Kern County fits in: The Warriors are young, with just four returning starters on each side of the ball and minus their stud running backs and linebackers. But don't count them out; they'll improve throughout the year, and it'll take a hell of a game to knock them out come playoff time. Elsewhere, Ridgeview could make a splash, Foothill might be a peg down from a team that's made the semifinals three years running, and Highland, Golden Valley, South and the Delano schools are all worth keeping an eye on.

Surefire championship contenders: Oakhurst-Yosemite, Hanford, Tehachapi

A break or two away: Porterville, Ridgeview, Clovis North, Highland

Maybe next year: Dinuba, Foothill, Chavez, Delano, Hanford West, South, Golden Valley, Fresno, Madera South

Key games: Tehachapi at Garces, Sept. 11; Highland at Ridgeview, Sept. 11; Yosemite at Fresno-SJ Memorial, Sept. 11; Hanford at Yosemite, Sept. 18; Frontier at Tehachapi, Sept. 18; Ridgeview at Foothill, Sept. 18; Fresno at Clovis North, Sept. 18; Hanford at Visalia-Golden West, Oct. 16; Porterville at Tulare Union, Oct. 22; Taft at Tehachapi, Oct. 30; Chavez at Porterville, Oct. 30; Foothill at Highland, Oct. 30; Visalia-El Diamante at Hanford, Nov. 6; Dinuba at Yosemite, Nov. 6; Clovis North at Sanger, Nov. 6; Fresno-Edison at Clovis North, Nov. 12; South at Ridgeview, Nov. 13

DIVISION II

Defending champ: Tulare Union

Overview: The section's biggest division (by number of schools) looks like it might be a two-horse race again between Tulare Union, which is talking about state bowl games even though it lost its starting quarterback and running back, and Visalia-El Diamante, which has quickly become one of the section's most powerful programs. Fresno-Edison couldn't hang in the race last year, and though the Tigers could be a factor again, I'd look to experienced Fresno-Hoover or Fresno-San Joaquin Memorial as a spoiler first.

Where Kern County fits in: Most of the local schools will be big underdogs against most of those schools listed above. West High might give us a good indication of what the gap is when it plays El Diamante in Week 1. North earned a home game in the playoffs last year, but the Stars lost most of their stars (er, good players). Garces or Frontier might be the best suited to become this year's North: Do well in your league, get a good seed and see what kind of a run you can make. East would love to have a playoff game of any sort.

Surefire championship contenders: Tulare Union, Visalia-El Diamante

A break or two away: Fresno-San Joaquin Memorial, Fresno-Hoover, Fresno-Edison, Frontier, Garces

Maybe next year: North, Fresno-Sunnyside, Visalia-Redwood, Visalia-Mt. Whitney, Lemoore, West, Visalia-Golden West, Porterville-Monache, Reedley, East, Tulare Western

DIVISION I

Defending champ: Clovis West

Overview: There's two leagues in the Fresno area and two in the Bakersfield area that make up all 11 teams in this rivalry. The Tri-River Athletic Conference is the deepest (at least until Bakersfield combines its Division I teams into one league next year), so let's start there: Clovis West, Clovis-Buchanan and Clovis East are the perennial contenders there and they split the league title last year, all going 4-1. All three made the section semifinals, and Clovis West beat Clovis East for the section title. There's no reason to expect those teams not to be back in the fold, other than maybe the fact that CW is breaking in yet another new coaching staff. Fresno-Bullard, from the County/Metro Athletic Conference, was the other semifinalist last year and brings back 13 returning starters.

Where Kern County fits in: There's reason to hope this will be more like 2007, when Bakersfield won the title and Centennial was in the semifinals, than 2008, when all three Kern teams that qualified were knocked out in the first round, two of them convincingly so. So who will be the main challenger to Bullard and TRAC teams? Take your pick. Bakersfield, Stockdale and Liberty all return lots of key pieces from league-championship teams, and Centennial ought to be much improved, at least to the point of making a postseason appearance. Other than that, the southern Valley might be waiting for reinforcements in the form of a Frontier or Independence, once those schools get big enough for D-I.

Surefire championship contenders: Bullard, Clovis West, Buchanan, Bakersfield

A break or two away: Stockdale, Liberty, Clovis East

Maybe next year: Centennial, Clovis, Fresno-Central, Madera

Key games: Liberty at Clovis West, Sept. 4; Clovis East at Redlands East Valley, Sept. 11; Canyon at Bakersfield, Sept. 11; Stockdale at Bakersfield, Sept. 18; Liberty at Centennial, Sept. 18; Bakersfield at Buchanan, Sept. 25; Corona-Centennial at Clovis West, Sept. 25; Clovis East at Bullard, Sept. 25; Stockdale at Clovis, Sept. 25; Bullard at Clovis West, Oct. 2; Bakersfield at Liberty, Oct. 2; Centennial at Stockdale, Oct. 2; Bakersfield at Centennial, Oct. 9; Clovis West at Buchanan, Oct. 23; Clovis East vs. Clovis West, Oct. 30; Buchanan at Clovis East, Nov. 6

HS FOOTBALL PREVIEW INDEX
July 29: Lighthouse Christian, Maricopa, Immanuel Christian
July 30: Mojave, Boron
July 31: Desert, Rosamond
Aug. 1: Frazier Mountain, Kern Valley
Aug. 3: California City, Burroughs
Aug. 4: McFarland, Robert F. Kennedy
Aug. 5: Delano
Aug. 6: Cesar Chavez
Aug. 7: Shafter
Aug. 8: Wasco
Aug. 10: Arvin
Aug. 11: Taft
Aug. 12: Bakersfield Christian
Aug. 13: Tehachapi
Aug. 14: Independence and Mira Monte
Aug. 15: East
Aug. 17: Highland
Aug. 18: Foothill
Aug. 19: Golden Valley
Aug. 20: Garces
Aug. 21: Liberty
Aug. 22: Bakersfield High
Aug. 23: Ridgeview
Aug. 24: Frontier
Aug. 25: Centennial
Aug. 26: South
Aug. 27: West
Aug. 28: North
Aug. 29: Stockdale
Aug. 30: Central Section, small schools

TOMORROW: The end of the preseason — and the beginning of Week 0 coverage