Some college rugby observations for January. 

Where are we on the D1A competition?

We have three teams guaranteed playoff positions in Penn State (Rugby East champion), Indiana (Big 10 champion), and Colorado State (Rocky Mountain champion). The top two teams out of the Liberty, Iona and Northeastern, are, like everyone else in the Liberty Conference, not committed to playoffs in the spring. Kutztown, also, opted to concentrate on 7s and not commit to the DIA playoffs.

So that leaves 13 spots in the playoff bracket to come.

The conference champions of Red River, California, PAC, and Mid-South are yet to be determined, but will get automatic bids. So that would leave us with this (the numbers aren't seeds):

1. Penn State (Rugby East)

2. Indiana (Big 10)

3. Colorado State (Rocky Mountain)

4. Saint Mary's (Likely California)

5. Cal (Likely PAC)

6. Life (Likely Mid-South)

7. Someone from Red River (Texas A&M or Baylor or LSU or Texas Tech or someone else)

Then the other nine spots are taken up by teams who get at-large bids based on ongoing results. You've got to figure BYU will be one of those teams. Playing an independent schedule, the Cougars are likely to keep a ranking in the single-digits.

That leaves, now, eight spots for, roughly, these teams: Navy, Army, Air Force, Notre Dame College, Lindenwood, Arkansas State, Davenport, Clemson, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Grand Canyon, Central Washington, Utah Valley, UC Davis, San Diego State, Cal Poly, Utah, Arizona, UCLA, and someone else from Red River.

That's 20 teams, at least, with a serious shot at the playoffs. 

Some of them have completed their conference schedule and must realize that their spring warmup games are played in part in hope, but also with the idea that they are quasi playoff games in and of themselves. The rankers are always judging.

Current DIA Rankings (bold means they've already qualified; italics means the team has opted out of the playoffs):

1. St Mary's; 2 Life; 3 BYU; 4 Cal; 5 Lindenwood; 6 Indiana; 7 Arkansas State; 8 Navy; 9 Penn State; 10 San Diego State; 11 Army; 12 Utah; 13 Arizona; 14 Notre Dame College; 15 Colorado State; 16 Kutztown; 17 Ohio State; 18 Central Washington; 19 Wisconsin; 20 Air Force

Teams that are in the best shape to get an at-large bid:

BYU

Army (unless they plotz in the spring, which they won't)

Navy

Arkansas State

Notre Dame College

Teams not in the top 20 we should think about: LSU, Baylor, Texas A&M, Davenport, UC Davis, UCLA.