The USA Rugby Men's DII College National Playoffs kick off in a little over two weeks, and while we don't have the official bracket, we know who will definitely enter the big dance.
The conference champions will definitely be part of it all, which is 13 teams at the very least. Every year we see at-large bids, usually awarded to conferences that do well in the national payoffs.
Taking into account competitive conferences and conferences that do well in the playoffs historically, it would be reasonable to expect Rugby Northeast, Great Midwest, NEWCRC, and the MARC to possibly provide additional seeds. Some other conferences such as the Deep South and even the Tri-State might be required to play in a play-in game before the Round of 16.
(In addition, Iowa Central Community College has not yet been told officially that it's being moved up to DIAA. The team's appeal is still being considered. Iowa CCC culd be a DII playoff team, or a DIAA playoff team.)
MSU Moorhead has already won the Northern Lights. The MARC has reportedly reworked its playoffs so what was expected to be a final between Villanova and Lehigh is not. The Cardinals Conference saw Queens beat Virginia to take the #1 seed into a final this weekend where Queens faces ... Virginia. (Well, they would have, but UVA won't be showing up, so Queens is the Cardinals champ.)
Furman can clinch 1st in the Southern with a win or a tie this weekend. Vermont beat the team's closest rival and with no playoff can clinch 1st with a win this weekend.
This weekend, the Gateway has a two-day playoff to find a champion with UMS&T facing Southern Illinois, and St. Louis playing Pitt State.
Below we have the standings and upcoming games.
| Rugby Northeast | W | L | T | PF | PA | PD | BL | PTS | |
| Norwich | 4 | 1 | 0 | 234 | 91 | 143 | 1 | 17 | |
| UMass Lowell | 4 | 1 | 0 | 189 | 76 | 113 | 0 | 16 | |
| Bentley | 4 | 1 | 0 | 97 | 68 | 29 | 0 | 16 | |
| Providence | 2 | 3 | 0 | 126 | 145 | -19 | 1 | 9 | |
| Middlebury | 1 | 4 | 0 | 89 | 96 | -7 | 2 | 6 | |
| New England College | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 335 | -335 | 0 | 0 | |
| Rugby Northeast Semifinals November 2 | |||||||||
| Norwich vs Providence | |||||||||
| UMass Lowell vs Bentley | |||||||||
| Great Lakes | W | L | T | PF | PA | PD | BT | BL | PTS |
| Grand Valley State | 6 | 0 | 0 | 238 | 78 | 160 | 5 | 0 | 29 |
| Bethel | 5 | 1 | 0 | 242 | 56 | 186 | 5 | 1 | 26 |
| Central Michigan | 4 | 2 | 0 | 243 | 107 | 136 | 4 | 0 | 20 |
| Ferris State | 3 | 3 | 0 | 158 | 143 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 16 |
| Saginaw Valley State | 3 | 3 | 0 | 105 | 231 | -126 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| Oakland | 1 | 4 | 0 | 81 | 152 | -71 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Calvin | 1 | 5 | 0 | 85 | 449 | -364 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Eastern Michigan | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 112 | -112 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| November 2 Final Round of Games | |||||||||
| Bethel vs Calvin | |||||||||
| Oakland vs Grand Valley State | |||||||||
| Saginaw Valley State vs Ferris | |||||||||
| Eastern Michigan vs Central Michigan | |||||||||
| Tri-State North | W | L | D | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts | |
| USMMA, Kings Point | 4 | 0 | 1 | 145 | 95 | 50 | 4 | 22 | |
| William Paterson | 4 | 1 | 0 | 150 | 135 | 15 | 3 | 19 | |
| Marist College | 3 | 2 | 0 | 180 | 110 | 70 | 6 | 18 | |
| RPI | 2 | 3 | 0 | 124 | 103 | 21 | 3 | 11 | |
| Monroe | 2 | 3 | 0 | 93 | 114 | -21 | 3 | 11 | |
| Seton Hall | 0 | 4 | 1 | 24 | 175 | -151 | 0 | 2 | |
| November 2 Tri-State Semis | |||||||||
| USMMA vs RPI | |||||||||
| William Paterson vs Marist | |||||||||
| Great MW North | W | L | T | PF | PA | PD | BT | BL | PTS |
| UW Whitewater | 6 | 0 | 0 | 295 | 89 | 206 | 6 | 0 | 30 |
| Marquette | 5 | 1 | 0 | 192 | 99 | 93 | 4 | 0 | 24 |
| Minnesota - Duluth | 4 | 2 | 0 | 196 | 154 | 42 | 3 | 0 | 19 |
| Northern Michigan | 3 | 3 | 0 | 242 | 216 | 26 | 5 | 0 | 17 |
| UW Platteville | 2 | 4 | 0 | 124 | 134 | -10 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| Milwaukee | 1 | 5 | 0 | 122 | 237 | -115 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| UW Stout | 0 | 6 | 0 | 49 | 291 | -242 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Great MW South | W | L | T | PF | PA | PD | BT | BL | PTS |
| Illinois State | 6 | 0 | 0 | 202 | 41 | 161 | 6 | 0 | 30 |
| Loyola - Chicago | 5 | 1 | 0 | 275 | 84 | 191 | 5 | 1 | 26 |
| Northern Iowa | 4 | 2 | 0 | 217 | 85 | 132 | 4 | 0 | 20 |
| UIC | 3 | 3 | 0 | 115 | 131 | -16 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
| DePaul | 2 | 4 | 0 | 80 | 152 | -72 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| Northern Illinois | 1 | 5 | 0 | 56 | 284 | -228 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Western Illinois | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 168 | -168 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| November 2 Great MW Quarterfinals | |||||||||
| UW-Whitewater vs UIC | |||||||||
| Marquette vs Northern Iowa | |||||||||
| Illinois State vs Northern Michigan | |||||||||
| Loyola-Chicago vs Minnesota-Duluth | |||||||||
| Lonestar | W | L | T | PF | PA | PD | BT | BL | PTS |
| Sam Houston State | 4 | 0 | 0 | 162 | 60 | 102 | 4 | 0 | 20 |
| UT San Antonio | 3 | 1 | 0 | 164 | 107 | 57 | 4 | 1 | 17 |
| Angelo State | 3 | 1 | 0 | 203 | 95 | 108 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
| UTEP | 2 | 1 | 0 | 90 | 98 | -8 | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| UT Dallas | 1 | 1 | 0 | 88 | 36 | 52 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| Dallas | 0 | 3 | 0 | 65 | 97 | -32 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Houston | 0 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 134 | -93 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| St. Edward's | 0 | 4 | 0 | 28 | 222 | -194 | 0 | -1 | -1 |
| Games proceed into February | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Deep South | W | L | D | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts | |
| Spring Hill College | 3 | 0 | 0 | 137 | 27 | 110 | 3 | 15 | |
| Southeastern Louisiana | 3 | 0 | 0 | 122 | 58 | 64 | 3 | 15 | |
| Univ. of New Orleans | 3 | 1 | 0 | 97 | 101 | -4 | 2 | 14 | |
| Louisiana Tech | 1 | 3 | 0 | 86 | 128 | -42 | 4 | 8 | |
| Tulane | 1 | 3 | 0 | 88 | 144 | -56 | 2 | 6 | |
| UL-Lafayette | 0 | 4 | 0 | 77 | 149 | -72 | 1 | 1 | |
| Nov 2 Games | |||||||||
| UL-Lafayette vs Spring Hill / SE Louisiana vs New Orleans | |||||||||
| Nov 9 Games | |||||||||
| La. Tech vs Tulane / SE Louisiana vs Spring Hill | |||||||||
| Northern Lights | W | L | T | BP | PTS | ||||
| NDSU | 5 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 27 | ||||
| St. Thomas | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 25 | ||||
| MSU - Moorhead | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 16 | ||||
| St. Johns | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 | ||||
| Winona | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | ||||
| Mankato | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 9 | ||||
| SDSU | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 | ||||
| SCSU | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||||
| UND | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||||
| October 26-27 Northern Lights Playoffs | |||||||||
| Semis: MSU Moorhead 17-5 St. Thomas / St. John's 25-22 North Dakota State | |||||||||
| Finals: MSU Moorhead 60-19 St. Thomas / 3rd/4th St. Thomas 44-20 North Dakota State | |||||||||
| Rocky Mountain | W | L | T | PF | PA | PD | BT | BL | PTS |
| Northern Colorado | 5 | 0 | 1 | 309 | 18 | 291 | 5 | 0 | 27 |
| Montana State | 4 | 1 | 1 | 153 | 71 | 82 | 4 | 0 | 22 |
| Colorado Mesa | 4 | 2 | 0 | 167 | 197 | -30 | 4 | 1 | 21 |
| Western Colorado | 3 | 3 | 0 | 131 | 128 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 16 |
| Weber State | 3 | 3 | 0 | 76 | 142 | -66 | 2 | -1 | 13 |
| CSU Pueblo | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 140 | -140 | 0 | -4 | -4 |
| Idaho State | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 140 | -140 | 0 | -4 | -4 |
| Nov 2 Final Weekend Of Games | |||||||||
| Montana State vs Colorado Mesa | |||||||||
| Northern Colorado vs Western Colorado | |||||||||
| NEWCRC | W | L | T | PF | PA | PD | BT | BL | PTS |
| Vermont | 5 | 0 | 0 | 141 | 21 | 120 | 4 | 0 | 24 |
| Boston University | 4 | 1 | 0 | 180 | 35 | 145 | 4 | 0 | 20 |
| Coast Guard | 4 | 1 | 0 | 119 | 58 | 61 | 4 | 0 | 20 |
| Quinnipiac | 3 | 3 | 0 | 110 | 159 | -49 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
| Hartford | 1 | 5 | 0 | 110 | 201 | -91 | 3 | -1 | 6 |
| Southern Connecticut | 1 | 4 | 0 | 53 | 215 | -162 | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Sacred Heart | 1 | 5 | 0 | 43 | 67 | -24 | 1 | -4 | 1 |
| October 26 Key Games | |||||||||
| Vermont 22-11 Boston University | |||||||||
| Nov 2 Final Weekend Of Games | |||||||||
| Quinnipiac vs Sacred Heart | |||||||||
| SoConn vs Vermont | |||||||||
| Coast Guard v Boston University | |||||||||
| MARC East | W | L | T | BP | PTS | ||||
| Villanova | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | ||||
| Lehigh | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 18 | ||||
| TCNJ | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | ||||
| Moravian College | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||||
| East Stroudsburg | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||||
| Drexel | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | ||||
| MARC West | W | L | T | BP | PTS | ||||
| Shippensburg | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 15 | ||||
| York | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 14 | ||||
| Scranton | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 14 | ||||
| Bloomsburg | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||||
| Millersville | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Oct 26 Games | |||||||||
| Villanova 40-21 York / Lehigh 23-3 Shippensburg | |||||||||
| Nov 2 Semis | |||||||||
| Villanova vs Scranton / Lehigh vs York | |||||||||
| Southern Premier | W | L | T | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts | |
| Furman | 5 | 0 | 0 | 214 | 46 | 168 | 4 | 24 | |
| UNC | 3 | 1 | 0 | 144 | 104 | 40 | 3 | 15 | |
| UNCW | 2 | 2 | 0 | 119 | 80 | 39 | 3 | 11 | |
| Citadel | 2 | 2 | 0 | 79 | 145 | -66 | 2 | 10 | |
| UNCC | 2 | 2 | 0 | 88 | 111 | -23 | 2 | 10 | |
| App State | 1 | 4 | 0 | 74 | 154 | -80 | 2 | 6 | |
| ECU | 0 | 4 | 0 | 46 | 124 | -78 | 2 | 2 | |
| Nov 2 Games | |||||||||
| Furman vs UNC-W / UNC-C vs Citadel / ECU vs UNC | |||||||||
| Nov 9 Games | |||||||||
| Appalachian State vs Citadel / ECU vs UNC-W / UNC v UNC-C | |||||||||
| Cardinals | W | L | T | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts | |
| Queens University | 4 | 0 | 0 | 352 | 35 | 317 | 4 | 20 | |
| University of Virginia | 3 | 1 | 0 | 181 | 77 | 104 | 4 | 16 | |
| Old Dominion University | 1 | 2 | 0 | 51 | 166 | -115 | 1 | 5 | |
| Virginia Commonwealth | 1 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 177 | -134 | 1 | 5 | |
| Virginia Military Institute | 0 | 4 | 0 | 66 | 238 | -172 | 0 | 0 | |
| Nov 2 Conference Final | |||||||||
| Queens forfeit over Virginia | |||||||||
| Gateway East | W | L | T | PF | PA | PD | BT | BL | Pts |
| St. Louis U. | 4 | 0 | 0 | 166 | 50 | 116 | 3 | 0 | 19 |
| SIU | 3 | 1 | 0 | 115 | 55 | 60 | 3 | 1 | 16 |
| Washington U. | 2 | 2 | 0 | 91 | 83 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| Principia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 107 | 87 | 20 | 2 | -1 | 9 |
| Maryville | 0 | 4 | 0 | 31 | 207 | -176 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gateway West | W | L | T | PF | PA | PD | BP | BL | Pts |
| UMS&T | 4 | 0 | 0 | 142 | 29 | 113 | 4 | 0 | 20 |
| Pitt State | 3 | 1 | 0 | 192 | 80 | 112 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
| John Brown | 1 | 2 | 0 | 107 | 93 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
| Central Missouri | 1 | 2 | 0 | 132 | 104 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| UMKC | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 274 | -267 | 0 | -1 | -1 |
| Nov 2 Semis | |||||||||
| UMS&T vs SIU / SLU vs Pitt State | |||||||||
| Nov 3 Finals | |||||||||
| SCRC DII | W | L | T | PF | PA | PD | Pts | ||
| Memphis | 4 | 0 | 0 | 150 | 39 | 111 | 16 | ||
| Middle TN State | 3 | 0 | 0 | 125 | 14 | 111 | 12 | ||
| Georgia Tech | 2 | 2 | 0 | 94 | 68 | 26 | 8 | ||
| Mississippi State | 1 | 3 | 0 | 105 | 148 | -43 | 4 | ||
| Auburn | 1 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 119 | -94 | 4 | ||
| Ole Miss | 0 | 4 | 0 | 36 | 130 | -94 | 0 | ||
| Two weeks to go | |||||||||
| Nov 2 Games | |||||||||
| Auburn vs MSU | |||||||||
| MTSU vs Memphis | |||||||||
| Nov 9 Games | |||||||||
| MTSU vs Georgia Tech | |||||||||
| Ole Miss vs Auburn | |||||||||
| Nov 16 | |||||||||
| #1 Seed vs #2 Seed | |||||||||
