DIAA Games This Weekend: All About Winning

Upsets have been the story of DIAArugby this fall, with teams winning one game over a well-regarded opponent only to slip up late.

Maybe that sounds like an excuse for an iffy 13.5-5.5 record in our picks last week (half a result because we picked Salisbury by 3andthey tied, which is sort of right). West Chester, Oregon State, Rowan, Kentucky, and Princeton all lost in games we expected them to win.

Heart And Patience Lead Tennessee To Key Win

DIAA Latest: The Playoff Picture And More

Gamebreakers DI College Nov 1-3

In the SCRC it's all over bar one weekend. 

Tennessee won the key game last week and if the Vols hold on against Georgia they are in the SCRC final against Kennesaw State. KSU can afford to lose to Alabama, but won't want to.

The Heart of America and NCRC both have a lot of rugby to play, but it's still going to be interesting to see how Oregon (winners of Oregon State) handle Western Washington (losers to Oregon State).

The MAC semifinals and final are this weekend. Bowling Green has lost twice, but has so much institutional experience in playoff rugby, the Falcons cannot be counted out. Still, Western Michigan has been very, very good. Joseph Backe, Noah Brown, and Griffin Leslie lead the scoring, along with the solid goalkicking of Daniel Howard, have the Broncos thinking big.

It's the Ivy League playoffs too, and it's Dartmouth's to lose. The question really is who will they face in the final next week. 

And the #2 vs #3 playoff in the Chesapeake may well decide whether NC State or Salisbury makes the national playoffs.

All of that—the DIAA fall playoffs that is—is at stake, of course. We think if we picked right now we'd go with the automatics (St. Joseph's, Virginia Tech, MAC winner, SCRC winner) and the two independents have certainly done enough to deserve a place (Lindenwood-Belleville and Iowa Central CC). That would leave two at-large bids. (Technically, SCRC is going to apply for two at-large bids, because their conference final on November 16 is after the seeding is settled.) That would be West Chester, either Salisbury or NC State, and the MAC runner-up. We're leaning Chesapeake and MAC despite the fact the MARC is so strong. It's tough to look past West Chester's recent loss to Towson. 

But then, Bowling Green lost to Louisville ... what if they finish 2nd in the MAC?