Playoff time, almost, in Men's DII college rugby. Here’s a look at who is where, and what they can do about it.

 

Rugby Northeast

Roger Williams has first virtually wrapped up, and will confirm that by beating 5-1 Bryant this week.

“We are much improved at breakdown both offensively and defensively,” said Roger Williams Head Coach Chris Palombo, whose team has ramped up the ball-poaching in the rucks. Palombo also said his team is much improved in the scrums, also.

“We are fortunate to be healthy, which allows us to make small improvements weekly,” he added.

In the backs, outside center Colin McSweeney has been a handful for opponents.

This conference ends with a four-game playoff. and the top four - RWU, UMass Lowell, Bryant, and Bentley, are set, although not necessarily in that order.

 

MARC

Rowan allowed their first points of the season last week. Rowan leads the South and IUP the North and that’s unlikely to change. So it comes down to who can get into the semis along with them. Right now, York and Drexel lead that group - York having almost beaten Rowan last week.

Slippery Rock and Lehigh play each other, with the loser certainly eliminated from playoff contention. York has a tough game against Scranton, and Drexel winless Bloomsburg.

So it looks as though Drexel will make it, and, York can do it even if they don’t beat Scranton. Slippery Rock can get there with a loss by Drexel or York and a win on their part (and they might need to get their points difference in line, too).

The MARC runner-up will get a second shot at a national Round of 16 spot.

 

Capital

Playoffs next week. It’s going to be Towson v Salisbury once again, and anyway, the runner-up will get a national playoff chance regardless.

 

Upstate NY

Two more weeks to decide the final four in Upstate NY. Cortland has clinched the #1 seed. Oswego can get #2 with a win over Ithaca this coming Sunday.

The battle is for 2nd because those teams get a bye to the semis, while teams 3-6 have to play an extra game. Niagara is in, and should be 3rd unless Oswego blows it. Geneseo sits 4th but plays Cortland this weekend, and will not be favored. So that means Buffalo State can move up to #4. 

The big game, then, is #7 RIT against #9 Fredonia. If #6 Ithaca loses to Oswego, and RIT beats Fredonia, and if the tiebreaker is points difference, and the combined winning margins are more than 12, then RIT could make the playoffs.

Ithaca, which beat RIT in a crucial game last week, will probably just make it.

 

NECRC

Well this continued to be tons of fun in the NECRC. The top three teams are separated by four points in the standings, and there are three weeks of competition left. Rhode Island plays Coast Guard in a game that could well crown the champion. Vermont is chasing those two and plays BU. Then in two weeks Vermont plays Rhode Island, and if URI loses this weekend, then that game could be the decider.

Two of these teams will be in the national playoffs, and the third wheel will have to stay home.

 

 

 

 

WIIL

Quarterfinals start this week with: 

Lindenwood-Belleville (S1) vs. UW-Milwaukee (N4)

UW-Whitewater (N1) vs. DePaul (S4)

Northern Iowa (S2) vs. UW-Lacrosse (N3)

Northern Michigan (N2) vs. Illinois State (S3) 

 

Upset special is probably either #2 v #3. 

The big game in this conference will be the 3rd/4th game, as the top three make the national playoffs. This is a very. very strong conference.

 

Colonial Coast

Salve Regina can clinch the Championship with a win over 0-6 Mass Maritime on Saturday. The match has been moved to Fort Adams (Newport, RI) and will kick off at 10am at the request of Mass Maritime.

With a bye this week, Plymouth State needs to win its final game versus Mass Maritime (0-6) plus two Salve Regina losses against Mass Maritime (0-6) and Wheaton (3-3) for a conference title.

That won’t happen.

The winner of the Colonial Coast Rugby Conference will play the winner of the New England Wide College Rugby Conference (NEWCRC) in a play-in game at the Irish Cultural Centre in Canton, MA (home of the Boston Irish Wolfhounds) on November 14 for a bid to national Round of 16. the runner-sup from both of those conferences will play in a bowl game that will have some influence over future seedings.

 

New England Wide

It’s Springfield and Westfield set for the championship game.

 

Northern Lights

Minnesota-Duluth has it all wrapped up, and the Penguins have a place in the national Round of 16. And Winona State has clinched the #2 spot, so while there are games to be played, the playoff situation is set.

Minnesota-Duluth basically has it all wrapped up, and it's hard to imagine anyone catching them. Winona State , and the Penguins have a place in the national Round of 16. And Winona State has the best chance, but not the only chance, to get #2.

 

Great Lakes

GVSU will play Xavier in the conference final in a week.

 

Rocky Mountain

Colorado School of Mines has clinched.

 

Gateway

UMS&T got a bit of a scare last week against UMKC. But tries from hooker Nathan Fagerstone and inside center Evan Zeitzmann helped spark a comeback and an 18-13 win. The Miners should cruise to the conference title and a date with the WIIL runner-up in the national play-in round.

 

Tri-State

Sunday’s playoffs see NJIT at RPI and Sacred Heart at Molloy. The winners will face off for the conference championship and a seed at nationals. This is basically a pick ‘em group, with no one team dominant over the others. No team is undefeated in league play.

 

Southern Conference

East Carolina and UNC-Wilmington will play for the title next week. 

 

Cardinals

Only a few games this weekend, and VMI will host and be favored in the playoffs in a week.

 

Deep South - they don’t get a place in the playoffs. It’s completely up in the air as to who can emerge as the top team there.