NSCRO has released its Round of 16 playoff brackets. Four sites will host four teams apiece for the Round of 16 and quarterfinal matches this weekend, Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 14-15. The winners will advance to the semifinals three weeks later, convening at the Rugby Athletic Center (Charlotte, N.C.) on Dec. 5-6.

Wayne State College is the favorite in the West regional and is also hosting the bracket’s Round of 16 and quarterfinal matches. The Mid-America leader will play Minnesota runner-up Gustavus Adolphus in the teams’ opener. The victor will play the winner of UW Platteville vs. MSU-Moorehead in the quarterfinals. Platteville is coming out of the hybrid Great Waters conference, where the team performed well with a 4-2 record. Moorehead topped the two-pool NSCRO division in Minnesota.

The Northeast regional brings four conference champions together. The Colonial Coast has sent UMass Dartmouth, which went untouched throughout league season. The team will face Rugby Northeast’s Franklin Pierce in the Round of 16. The New Hampshire school impressed in the mostly DII hybrid league, finishing third behind powerhouses Saint Michael’s and Stonehill. The other half of the Northeast regional sees New England champ University of New England and New England Wide leader Univ. New Haven face off. The former earned the top spot after a 10-7 win over Keene State in the conference championship. UNE will become a full varsity sport in fall 2016. New Haven advanced to the playoffs after defeating Framingham State 17-12 in their respective conference final.

St. Bonaventure hosts the Central regional championship and sees some new conferences represented. Excelsior was a DII league until this season, and the majority of teams transferred to NSCRO. Colgate represents the league in its first appearance at small-college nationals, and earned the honor after a 14-10 win over Cortland in the conference final. Colgate plays Upstate New York champ Rochester in the Round of 16. Rochester earned the berth after defeating Union 34-10 in the league final. The Allegheny is a new DII/hybrid conference, and all but three teams are small schools. Grove City rose to the top and will face Denison University, winner of new NSCRO conference Ohio Valley. Denison has competed at DII national playoffs in the past.

Whoever is 2-0 on Sunday will face the also-undefeated Mid-Atlantic champion in the semifinals. Mount St. Mary’s is a veteran of the competition and will do the East Penn region proud. The team went undefeated in the regular season but played a couple of close matches to test the team’s resolve. The Pennsylvania team will take on Tri-State champ Fordham, which comes out of a DII hybrid league and therefore has pushed itself against some larger schools. The Saturday winner will play the better of William & Mary and Lee University on Sunday. William & Mary is another strong, playoff-hardened team that comes out of a DII hybrid league. In fact, William & Mary won its pool within the Capital conference. Lee University is a welcomed addition to the NSCRO post-season. Hailing from Tennessee, Lee has advanced to the DII final four in the past, and pieced together its fall season against South Independent DII teams.

The four regional winners will convene at the Rugby Athletic Center in Charlotte, N.C., on Dec. 5-6. Click here for the full brackets.