There's no doubt that we have to rank Cal as #1. The Bears won just about every 7s game they played all season, and the team that beat them, UCLA, way back in the fall, fell victim to Cal later on.

 

Similarly, we have to put Kutztown at #2 because they lost to Cal in overtime, and played a ton of 7s tournaments, most of which they won. They only really had the hiccup in Las Vegas (which was a million years ago) and in their first outing against AIC.

 

Lindenwood were USA Rugby champions, and we put them at #3. Now, #4 is tough. In 7s you often have a situation where team A beats team B who beats team C who beats team A. That didn't quite happen with Davenport and Central Washington. While we suspect CWU might be a better team than Davenport, in the end, Davenport takes #4, CWU #5, and then Utah and then St. Mary's.

 

This is a straight shot of five teams from the USA Rugby Championships. It's based on observation. While the best two teams in the country were playing in scenic Chester, Pa., overall the stronger field of teams was in Denver. They played better 7s, they had, overall, tougher competition, and we also had more consolation games with which to judge them.

 

Arizona looked a shade sharper than AIC, and fitness plays a role here - AIC is a talented team, but were beaten down by dry air at altitude. If the late-season Arizona team plays the late-season AIC team, we think Arizona wins ... barely.

 

Navy over Life is a choice made on the preponderance of the evidence. Navy beat Temple, Air Force, and Kutztown (!), before losing a tough game to Life. Life beat Alabama and Clemson, but lost to Indiana and were got thumped by Cal. Despite Life beating Navy, overall we think Navy played better and more consistently.

 

Further down, you might see a surprise or two. We pick teams that lost close games to tough opponents (Bowling Green), and teams that showed flashes (we really liked Mississippi State, and if they had another month of work they'd be way up there). James Madison won the USA Rugby DII championship, and in looking at their performances again, we realize why we ranked them earlier in the season. They play really good 7s, and in fact, #21 is a bit harsh on them. They could well be better than several teams in the teens.

 

Finally, Air Force was a bit of a disappointment in the CRC, but we're cutting them some slack since they had graduate on the Thursday before. Yes, yes, everyone has obstacles. But we know Air Force is better than they showed in Chester.