NJ football: Who is the state's best public school team?

Piscataway may not get a chance to prove on the field that it is the state’s best public school football team.

With Thanksgiving Day contests and the NJSIAA’s inaugural bowl games remaining, Ramapo is still the state’s best public school squad, according to the latest USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey Top 20 rankings.

Undefeated and reigning North 1 Group III champion Ramapo is ranked third in the state, behind non-public powers Bergen Catholic (No. 1) and St. Joseph of Montvale (No. 2), while undefeated and reigning North 2 Group V champion Piscataway is ranked fourth.

Should Piscataway (Franklin on Thanksgiving Day and Ridgewood in a bowl game) and Ramapo (Summit in a bowl game) win their remaining contests, Ramapo will likely end the year one spot ahead of Piscataway in the final Top 20 rankings.

READ: USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey's complete Top 20 statewide rankings

Piscataway, which has outscored the opposition by a combined 285-14 margin in the first half of games and has allowed just 67 points all season, is one of five undefeated public schools ranked in USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey’s Top 20.

The others include Haddonfield, Williamstown, Hillside and Hasbrouck Heights, all of which may also like to stake claim that they are New Jersey’s best public school team.

Piscataway (11-0) and Ramapo (12-0) can each make strong arguments that they are New Jersey’s best public school team at this late juncture of the season.

Piscataway (101.5) has a higher Born Power Index rating than Ramapo (99.9) and has played a schedule comprised entirely of Group V opponents, while Ramapo’s slate – including two meetings apiece with Sparta and River Dell (one each in the regular season and postseason) – features eight Group III foes and four Group IV schools.

Each team has defeated a reigning sectional champion, with Ramapo besting Wayne Hills and Piscataway beating Sayreville.

Piscataway has defeated five schools – Union City, Sayreville, Ridge, South Brunswick and Westfield – that are or have been ranked in USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey’s Top 20 this season including two schools (Sayreville and Union City) that are currently ranked. Ramapo has defeated one school (Wayne Hills) that is currently ranked.

On paper, Ramapo appears to have the edge over Piscataway in several strength-of-schedule categories, which may explain in part why Ramapo entered the playoffs with a better United Power Ranking and Power Point Ranking than Piscataway.

Piscataway, however, has the edge in several statistical categories over Ramapo, which some could attribute to a disparity in schedules.

Ramapo has faced 10 playoff qualifiers (including River Dell and Sparta twice), while Piscataway has faced seven (including Bridgewater-Raritan twice).

Ramapo’s opponents have a combined .624 winning percentage (78-47), while Piscataway’s foes have a combined .472 winning percentage (51-57).

Ramapo has faced seven schools with winning records (including River Dell and Sparta twice), while Piscataway has faced three teams with marks above .500.

Piscataway has scored 63 touchdowns to Ramapo’s 57.

Piscataway is averaging 39 points per game to Ramapo’s 35.8.

Piscataway has allowed 6.1 points per game to Ramapo’s 13.7.

Ramapo is more balanced offensively, averaging 241 passing yards and 170 rushing yards per game, to Piscataway’s 89.3 passing yards and 246 rushing yards per game.

With neither school having a common opponent and competing in different Groups, the Top 20 voting process is obviously subjective.

USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey is made up of the Asbury Park Press, the Courier Post, the Daily Record, the Daily Journal, MyCentralJersey.com (Home News Tribune and Courier News) and NorthJersey.com.

Eight reporters from across the network vote in the poll, which considers teams from all six of the state’s leagues including the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, the North Jersey Super Football Conference, the West Jersey Football League and the Shore Conference.

The Top 20 rankings appear online every Monday at MyCentralJersey.com and in print every Tuesday in the Home News Tribune and Courier News.