DIA Playoff Picture Clearing
DIA Playoff Picture Clearing
The Men's DIA college rugby playoffs are almost confirmed, as we head to the last couple of weeks of action.
Here's how it's looking:
Colorado State won again, but didn't win by enough to unseat Air Force, and the Zoomies are West DIA winners. They will join Life, St. Mary's, and Army as the highest-ranked conference winners, and all will get a bye into the quarterfinals.
Wisconsin, the other conference-winning team, will play in the opening round and will play Penn State April 11.
Penn State is one of seven teams looking at an at-large bid. Penn State are a for-sure pick, and so, based on rankings, are Lindenwood, Davenport, Colorado State, and Utah. Based on recent results, Wheeling Jesuit should also be in the playoffs. The big question-mark, then, is whether San Diego State or Cal Poly will play - probably at Utah on April 18. The frustrating thing is Cal Poly and SD State don't play until April 11, giving them precious little time to arrange a trip for the following week.
Both teams are 2-1 in the California Conference. Both teams have played similar schedules, with similar results. The big difference is that Cal Poly beat San Diego State in a non-conference game, and San Diego State beat UCLA in a non-conference game.
So here's how the playoffs will probably shake out:
Wisconsin plays Penn State
Lindenwood hosts someone, probably from the West or Midwest, probably Colorado State
Davenport plays someone from the Midwest, so probably Wheeling Jesuit (stretching the definition of the Midwest)
Utah hosts Cal Poly or San Diego State.
Life, Air Force, Army, and St. Mary's are slated to host playoff games April 25.