DIA is down to eight teams, and there is a marked difference between some of them.

Two of the teams are Varsity, and funnily enough those two, Lindenwood and Life, play each other. Lindenwood, by the way, is closing in on 50 rugby games for the season (including 7s and four tournament touch games). Of the remaining six games, three are elevated club teams - club teams with special support from the administration. Three are student club teams, and they have something to prove.

"I think it's a motivator for us," said San Diego State Head Coach Alex Lichtig. "Our guys know that some teams have more support on campus, but that just makes them work that much harder. The guys understand that everyone is just a college student, and maybe we need to work a lot harder."

That same feeling is at Indiana.

"We feel we can beat the top teams in the country," said IU's Bryce Campbell. "I tell the guys all the time, it doesn't matter what resources we have; we've got a group of really talented players, we have a field, and that's really all we need."

Baylor is like that, too, said Head Coach Mason Hering.

"Absolutely we have a huge chip on our shoulder," he said, noting that even among the club teams, Baylor is low on school support. "Combine that with the fact that many didn't think we would get here or think it's been a lucky season motivates us tremendously. It motivates us but it doesn't consume us. All we worry about is what we can control which is playing hard and giving everything we have for each other."