Three weeks have passed since our last Women’s DII College rankings, and it’s time for some changes. While Winona has done nothing to warrant a drop in the Top 20, Notre Dame College has done more to claim the top spot.

Falcons coach Mark Andrade insisted that his team was better and stronger this year, but how big was the improvement? Huge. The first gauge surfaced during Notre Dame College’s 109-0 win over USA Rugby DII champion Mary Washington. Last weekend, the South Euclid, Ohio, team put up a valiant fight against DI champion Penn State, making a late comeback in the 41-17 loss. With the exception of PSU’s early-September game against Norwich, the match was by far Penn State’s most competitive this season.

Winona is at the top of its game, too, and squashing the Minnesota competition as per usual, but it’s Notre Dame College’s eagerness to challenge itself outside its conference, outside its division, that has propelled the Falcons to the top.

We’re always impressed when teams throw in tough friendlies during league season, which is one reason Appalachian State bumped up one spot after its 34-27 loss to South DI power North Carolina. There are a bunch of circumstances surrounding that game, but a win is a win, no matter which purpose the friendly served.

Ithaca jumped up a spot, but its two wins against DI Buffalo and Syracuse were a function of the conference. The DI teams compete against each other and several DII sides in the name of logistics, but Ithaca proved it was the best team in both divisions, handily.

National semifinalist Florida International destroyed DI Florida State 78-0, and therefore gained three spots in the rankings. The highly anticipated match against Florida Atlantic University was cancelled due to weather, but we’re keeping an eye on the latter.

There are two additions to the Top 20: Excelsior leader Colgate, which has played a couple of close games but is still 5-0; and Utah State, which is emerging as the strongest team in Rocky Mountain. The team has had to fight for its undefeated record, beating Mesa State 13-10 and Utah Valley 20-19, but has been finding its way to the wins.

As previously explained, those idle teams are suffering in the rankings, simply because of the activity around the country. But some intersquad sessions have been recorded and the West Coast tournament season is approaching.

Both Mary Washington – understandably – and Lee University made the biggest drops. The latter lost a surprising 42-17 match to unranked Middle Tennessee. We could see a couple of these surprises from Lee this year, whether wins or losses.

"I really don't know where we are this year," Lee coach Mike Freake wrote. "Our forwards are experienced and are looking good with some powerful ballcarriers. We have a lot of athleticism in the backs but not a lot of experience. Now that we have moved to SIRC we should have a much more competitive matrix in the spring, and I think anything could happen. But we have a very happy, settled group of players and I suspect they will surprise me again."