The University of Utah men's rugby team are now part of DIA and will remain part of the Varsity Cup.

Utes rugby staff saw that Air Force is in both DIA and the Varsity Cup, having committed to the playoff fixtures for both. Meanwhile, Arizona and Oregon State, the two PAC Rugby Conference teams not in the Varsity Cup, have been approved as DIA at-large teams. This basically means their schedule has been approved as tough enough to be considered DIA-level, and the DIA conferences voted to put them in the rankings and, if they are good enough, the playoffs.

Utah Program Director Mark Drown wanted the same, and this week USA Rugby announced that Utah had been voted into DIA. All you had to do, apparently, was ask. But Drown also wanted to clarify that the Utes are remaining in the Varsity Cup. 

"We are aligned with USA Rugby and want to be part of USA Rugby's DIA and 7s competitions, but we are also aligned with Varsity Cup and the PAC Rugby Conference," said Drown. "We know we play a DIA-level season."

Asked about the various personalities within the Varsity Cup and DIA that often clash, Drown said "I don't know the history and I don't care. We're just trying to make it clear that we're willing to play in DIA if we get an at-large invitation, and that we are playing in the Varsity Cup, period."

Utah's season includes two games against BYU (the Varsity Cup defending champs), and two games against St. Mary's (the DIA defending champs), plus games against Cal, UCLA, Arizona, Arizona State, and Oregon State. 

They also just played in a PAC-North tournament of shortened games, beating Oregon State, Oregon, Washington, and Washington State.