It's May Madness and the CRC 7s in New Orleans welcomes two divisions of women's teams.
Like the Men's Premier, the Women's Premier is in a bracket format. You have to win every game to keep going for the Cup. If you lose, then you're into the Survivor Shield, Challenge Bowl, or Champion Plate brackets. Sixteen teams meet up in what is a eclectic and interesting mix of programs from across the collegiate spectrum.
Lindenwood University comes off a dominant performance in Atlanta, where they won the tournament and gave up exactly one try all weekend. The team that scored that try, Life University, also plays. We might expect slightly different lineups here, but be assured both of these teams are expected to perform.
Among the competitors to watch may well be Claremont Colleges, which won CRAA's Spring DII final over San Diego State. They can play in the open field, and if they move the ball the way they did in that final, they could hurt some teams. Of course, Claremont is up against Penn State in the opener, and Penn State, despite a bit of an up-and-down season, should be favored. They are physically stronger and will play smart team defense.
Another dark horse to look for is Southern Oregon, a team that always plays an adventurous, wide open style and one that will punish turnovers with glee. They take on Grand Canyon in their first round game.
Notre Dame College is a team that started with 2021-22 season with all sorts of questions and answered them in impressive fashion. It's easy to overlook that went 11-2 in 15s in the fall, won the Battle of the Border April 9, and won the Allegheny Union 7s. They have excellent unity of purpose and open against Michigan on Saturday. By the way, one of the teams they lost to in 15s was Northern Iowa, which opens against Clemson.
Round 1 Matchups:
Life University vs Southern Nazarene
UC Davis vs Notre Dame
Lindenwood vs Boise State
Michigan vs Notre Dame College
Virginia Tech vs Iowa
Grand Canyon vs Southern Oregon
Northern Iowa vs Clemson
Penn State vs Claremont Colleges
