DI College Games This Weekend

It's a nice busy weekend for Men's DI rugby with most of the ranked teams in action, and several that are close to the rankings - Syracuse, Dartmouth, Pitt, JMU - also on the field.

(Make sure you check back here for scores all weekend.)

Delaware continues its schedule of games against teams it wants to play on a regular basis, playing at Penn State. This could be a must-win Rugby East game next year; right now it's just an intriguing game.

Another non-conference game between ranked teams is Davenport at Indiana. Davenport looked good in a win over Bowling Green, while Indiana has been an offensive juggernaut all fall. A big win by one of these teams and we might be thinking #1 ...

Maryland plays at NC State in an important ACRL clash, while another ACRL team, Clemson, hosts Life. Life isn't ranked this fall because this game is the Running Eagles' only fall game for their varsity. But rest assured, it matters.

It's all on the line in the DIA West with Utah at Colorado (Utah may be rebuilding, but they can still score from anywhere), and Air Force at Colorado State (key game for the Rams at home).

If Boston College wants to haul in AIC, the Eagles need to beat the UMass Minutement, who are 3-1 in ECRC play. In the Empire, Syracuse could make the top 50 wiht a good game over Binghamton.

It's still all to play for in the Heart of America. Oklahoma State is just getting started, so we'll see what the Cowboys have. We also get to see where Dartmouth is as the Big Green and Harvard seem to be the top two in the Ivy League. If Dartmouth stuggles against Brown, then maybe the rankings wait. If they win big, then they should be in. This is sort of the situation JMU and Pitt are in, as they play for the Keystone West title, essentially, and likely a place in the GRR rankings, as well. JMU moved up from DII and continues to show the physicality and unity that saw them go deep into the DII playoffs last year. Pitt is 3-0 and has given up only 29 points in those three games, while center Mike Dunleavy leads the conference with six tries.

There are two massive games in the MAC. Bowling Green hosts Central Michigan, with the winner in good position for a conference playoff spot, and the loser not so much. In the MAC South, everyone is still in with a shot, and therefore 1-0 Dayton at 0-1 Miami has all the earmarks of a must-win. If Dayton wins, a 2-0 record makes the playoffs likely. If Miami wins, then it's still all confusion. Ohio at Kent State won't count in the standings. Ball State at Western Michigan should clinch 1st in the North for WMU.

It's always a big deal in the Rugby East. Iona pushed Army hard last year and will want to again. This will be a clash of very physical teams. But if Kutztown wants to catch Army, instead of hoping Iona beats the Knights, the Bears need to think about beating Wheeling Jesuit.

In the SCRC, there's plenty to say. Tennessee needs to win on the road at Florida to stay even with South Carolina. Kentucky could well shock Alabama, as the Wildcats have been playing fairly well despite their 1-2 conference record. And in the SIRC North, Middle Tennessee State can basically clinch 1st with a win over Kennesaw State.