This is a pretty significant weekend in D1A and NCR D1 college rugby.

Ohio State plays Michigan and Illinois takes on Wisconsin in the Big 10. These are games that will decide who makes the semifinals. The top two from the Big 10 East and the top two from the Big 10 West play in the semis on November 2. Notre Dame has secured 1st in the East already. Ohio State is 1-1 and Michigan is 0-1. Michigan is looking to beat Ohio State and Michigan State to go 2-1 and make the top two. Ohio State can secure 2nd with a victory and almost certainly can do it with a tie, too.

Illinois and Wisconsin are in the same situation. While Indiana hasn't secured 1st place just yet—they still have the Badgers on the slate—IU is 2-0 and can secure a spot with a bonus point (four tries or close loss, doesn't matter) in their final match. Right now Illinois and Wisconsin are battling for a spot in the top two, as well. If Illinois wins they will be at 2-1, but Wisconsin will have that additional game with Indiana and could still mix things up. If Illinois loses they will be playing for 5th.

The chase for what is expected to be the #3 seed to playoffs out of the Liberty Conference comes down to this weekend's game between Siena and Dartmouth. If Siena wins they put themselves in the hunt for that #3 seed. If Dartmouth wins they are virtually guaranteed to be top three.

In Rugby East undefeated teams Life and Navy play each other.

Top of Rugby East at Stake in Annapolis

And St. Bonaventure is at Army on Friday.

Friday Night Rivalry, and Playoff Implications, at West Point

But there's more to all of that. Queens is also undefeated and they play Southern Virginia and Penn State before they have to finish the conference season with a bang against Navy and then Life. Queen's Head Coach Frank McKinney said that the goal is to be right there with Life and Navy, but not to the detriment of preparing for other teams.

"Both teams blew us out last year and I shared that point differential with the players this year," said Queens Head Coach Frank McKinney, who made a big change this year by concentrating his own efforts on the team's defense and leaving the offense to Associate Head Coach Tyree Reed. This has worked well and allowed Reed to leverage his own knowledge while easing the burden on the head man. What McKinney has done is introduce a Dogs practice on Tuesday, which is basically the most physical, intense session and keeps the physical aggression going in what is a difficult Rugby East conference. 

That is because every week is tough.

"What scares me is SVU and Penn State," said McKinney. "SVU has turned it on these past few weeks. The results may not be showing up but this game is on my mind. They play on a small field with large players who look to run right at you. Penn State is another team that scores a lot through their forwards; against Mount St. Mary's they scored three times on mauls. They are tough and this is why I love the Rugby East."

Speaking of Mount St. Mary's, they play rivals Mary Washington in a game that will have a big influence on potential seeding for the spring.

Out-of-conference action includes a two-game tour of Colorado by Grand Canyon. GCU launches their efforts with a demanding weekend against Colorado and then Colorado State, testing their depth and giving Head Coach Sean O'Leary a good look at what his team looks like.