AIC looks to be the easy pick for the CRC Qualifier at the Las Vegas Invitational.

You wonder, really, if it will be all that close.

In truth, there are some other teams that could win their way to Philly. Air Force has shown to be handy at 7s, Notre Dame College has some exciting pace. But, aside from two other teams I’ll talk about in a minute, AIC is the favorite.

Why? Well they’ve got Jihad Khabir, the player Goff Rugby Report picked as the DI College Player of the Fall. His pace and ability to ghost through gaps, his vision, and his passing are all top-notch. They have Gavan D-Amore-Morrison, an experienced senior who has spent his summers honing his 7s with the Old Blue men’s club. They have Christian Adams, who combined speed and plower. And they kind of play like this in 15s anyway. The open, speed-centric 7s approach makes sense to the Yellowjackets, who have been training for this through the winter.

As he said to the local press, AIC Head Coach Josh Macy said: “there's an old rugby maxim that goes ‘let the boys play.’ We are trying to live that standard this year with more live scrimmages and a more flexible game plan. “The guys are responding well and I'm looking forward to seeing what they put together in the desert this year."

And, like a lot of college teams that have tried (and often succeeded) to get to the CRC, being a college that’s not a quote-unquote Name School, but plays some superior rugby, is an incentive, too. Life University, Arkansas State, and Kutztown have all proven that the CRC obsession with college brands needs some flexibility. AIC would like to shake up that old boy’s club, too.

And who might stop them? Watch out for two teams in particular. Both of these teams are making their way back from difficult times. Both have something to prove. Both have a 7s pedigree. Both have been at the CRC before.

In fact, Utah won it way back in 2010. Of course the players who took the Utes to that promised land are long gone, but Utah still take 7s very seriously. They are smartly coached, have players who can elude tacklers and make you pay for a mistake, and they are match fit.

The other is Delaware. This 7s season is perhaps the last hurrah for some players who thought they’d never play rugby for the Blue Hens again. But a five-year suspension was lifted early, and now Delaware is looking to return to Philadelphia. With coaches who know how to coach 7s, this is a team on a mission.

All are on a mission, but we think AIC’s mission will be the one accomplished.

Games to Watch. Thursday’s games include a few really compelling contests:

1:20pm Notre Dame v James Madison. NDC is a ferocious team and has a lot of potential. JMU won the USA Rugby DII championship last year, and the Keystone Conference 15s this past fall. They could go far.

2:00pm Air Force v Delaware. Two teams good enough to make the semifinal. This will be a taste of what Saturday will be like.

2:40 AIC v Miami of Ohio. If AIC rocks this game, then they are on and ready to go.

3:20pm New England College v Lindenwood-Belleville. This will just be interesting.