American River College quarterback Jihad Vercher drops back to pass on Sept. 19, 2015 against San Joaquin Delta College. ARC will host Delta in the Gridiron Classic Bowl Saturday. (Photos by Nicholas Corey)

After ending the regular season with a record of 7-3, the American River College football team will not be competing in the California Community College Athletic Association State Championship Playoffs this season.

Instead, ARC will host San Joaquin Delta College in the Gridiron Classic Bowl next Saturday. ARC beat Delta early this season by a score of 44-24.

The NorCal side of the state championship bracket will consist of Butte College, which beat ARC on a Hail Mary pass in week 10, versus the City of San Francisco Community College, which ARC beat on a game-winning field goal in week four, and Chabot College, which finished the season with a 8-2 record, versus the College of San Mateo, which beat ARC 42-10 in week five.

Following ARC’s 38-18 win over Sacramento City College Saturday, ARC’s head coach Jon Osterhout said that ARC deserved to be in the state championship playoffs.

“There’s definitely an argument to be made (that we should be in the playoffs),” Osterhout said. “In terms of having the best four teams in the playoffs to represent the North, I think American River College definitely has warrant to be considered and I think hopefully the committee will get it right tomorrow morning.”

Osterhout added that regardless of where ARC ends up next week the team is “going to love to come out here again and play another football game.”