The Heart of America (HOA) is a Division I-AA men's college rugby conference that expanded to 12 teams for the 2025-2026 season. It operates under the College Rugby Association of America (CRAA) and is made up of schools from the middle part of the USA—Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri.
The conference plays its 15s season in the fall but enters its champion in the CRAA D1AA postseason in the spring.
Spartanburg, SC— The College Rugby Association of America (CRAA) has announced the complete fixture lineup for the 2025 CRAA Fall Classic, returning to Spartanburg, SC, on December 6–7, 2025.
The event will once again be hosted at the Louis P. Howell Athletic Complex at the University of South Carolina Upstate, in partnership with OneSpartanburg, Inc.
Saturday at the Westwick Rugby Complex in Lawrence, Kans. the Heart of America welcomed 11 of its 12 teams to play in an all-encompassing day of rugby.
Iowa and Iowa State, who played to a tight 24-22 result earlier in the season, will meet again, this time for the Heart of America title.
Defending champs Iowa State lost that 24-22 game to the Hawkeyes, but Saturday they defeated Oklahoma 59-12 to advance to the final.
We're entering the playoff period for most fall-playing D1AA conferences and some crucial playoff-deciding regular season games, and fans have a much better idea of who could challenge for a major championship.
Big developments in the Heart of America as newcomers UHSP did Oklahoma a huge favor with a 28-17 defeat of previously 2-1 Kansas State.
