The SCRC 7s final kicks off this weekend with eight teams looking to qualify for the CRC invitational in Chester, Pa., and the USA Rugby 7s championships in Denver.

It’s highly unlikely the winner will go to both, so this could mean good news for two teams, not just one.

Favored is South Carolina, as the Gamecocks have won the three preliminary tournaments, and with their depth and fitness are nicely positioned to take the one-day, five-game tournament in Knoxville.

Hometown team the University of Tennessee could well be the one to upend USC. The Volunteers came second twice, but were defeated by Florida in the quarterfinals last week in Tupelo. That result put the Gators firmly in the conversation, but their 34-0 loss to South Carolina in the final may have ended the conversation quickly.

LSU and Mississippi State are definitely dark horses, and so it seems only right that those two teams are in the same pool with South Carolina - if they want to be champions, they’re going to have to get by the favorites.

In Pool B, Tennessee and Florida seem destined to clash, with Alabama poised to surprise.

It should all come down, then, to the semis. Tennessee and Florida will likely make that top four, and so should the USC Gamecocks. Whether it’s LSU or Mississippi State who follows South Carolina out of Pool A is the big question. Likely no one from Pool B wants to face USC in the semis, but in the final it’s not much easier - the final will be ten-minute halves, and the longer games play right into the Gamecocks … talons.

Pools and schedule