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.
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.
Kansas defeated rivals Kansas State 47-26 over the weekend to put the Jayhawks in the driver's seat in the Heart of America South.
It was a wild weekend in the Heart of America with three very close games and still an ongoing question as to which team will end up on top this fall.
In a thrilling in-state rivalry clash, the University of Iowa edged out Iowa State 24–22 in a back-and-forth contest marked by tough defense, heavy collisions, gusty winds, and multiple lead changes in the final minutes.
This was a Heart of America Conference game and with Iowa State being the defending champs, it was expected to be tough sledding for the Hawkeyes.
