Pool D at the Men’s DI College 7s Championships may well be the most competitive at the tournament.

All four teams have shown flashes of brilliance. None is a favorite. Iowa may well be the most under-the-radar team. They won the Plate at the Big Ten Universities championship tournament, with their 33-12 loss to eventual champion Indiana perhaps the most impressive result. Led by David Ryberg, they have nothing to lose.

Cal Poly may have been playing 15s this spring, but they put together a series of good performances in the fall in 7s, finishing 3rd in the Battle in the Bay and the West Coast 7s. Max Tacket, Mikey Mitchell, Sean Gorman, and Mark Grzanich all have played well for the Mustangs, who are shifty with the ball in hand and not intimidated by any opponent.

Texas A&M could well win this pool. They won their Red River tournament before losing to North Texas a week later. Captain Alex Demblon said the team learned a good lesson about not taking any game lightly, event against teams they’d beaten before.

Since then, added Demblon, “we’ve been working on bonding as a team, and if we play together, with the right attitude as a group, tat’s going to be our strength. We have some talented younger players and we’ve been training hard.”

Unity is crucial in 7s. Arizona State Head Coach Gary Lane knows how important that is, but talent is useful, too. With the likes of Adam and Alex Sandstrom, Keenan Mayfield, and Ryan Spiwak, they have talent and unity. They’ve added a freshman in Trevor Cuicchi, who is a powerful runner who could well surprise defenses.

And while Pool D might not have its favorites, maybe Arizona State is the favorite. They have plans.

“We have our eyes on the prize,” said Lane, whose Sun Devils were runners-up in two qualifiers in the fall. “We played some great 7s in the fall, and we’ve got a good plan.”

So four teams, one of which won a qualifier, and three that came very close. All have played in some tough tournaments, have some power, some pace, and have been, as they often say, “working hard.”

So it probably comes down to polish and lack of mistakes. Maybe A&M and Iowa have the edge because they’ve been playing more 7s. But Cal Poly and Arizona State players know each other really well, and maybe that’s enough.