The DIAA Fall playoff picture is clearing a little bit as USA Rugby works on the brackets.

Here's how it looks to be shaking out:

The champions from the MAC and SCRC will be in one bracket held at Eastern Kentucky University. Also in that bracket should be the top independent team, and an at-large team. The Independent team will be decided the morning of November 5, when Notre Dame College and Lindenwood Belleville meet up in the Chicago area. Considering Notre Dame College beat Davenport, and Davenport beat L-B, NDC is currently favored in that game.

The at-large would be the #2 team from a strong conference. More on that later.

Bowling Green, Western Michigan, and Dayton look to be the major contenders with the MAC, with BGSU favored. In the SCRC, Tennessee, Kentucky, and South Carolina are all 2-0.

In Pittsburgh, Pa., four conference champions will face off - Chesapeake, Keystone, Empire, and ECRC. Keystone has a playoff, and right now St. Joseph's is the favorite, with Pitt a close second and Rutgers also in the mix. In the Empire, no one knows what will happen. The conference has a final between the #1 team and the #2 team. Right now Binghamton looks to have the inside track on one of those spots. Five other teams have a shot at the other.

AIC leads the ECRC but there's some question as to whether they will pursue a 15s fall playoff. Should AIC win the conference (no playoff, by the way), and not play in the playoffs, there's no guarantee that the #2 team would go in. The #2 team should be Boston College. In the Chesapeake, like the Empire, many teams are in the hunt. It's a straight standings championship (no playoff), and it's wide open. This is an excellent conference to provide an at-large team.

It's possible we might see some wild card games on November 12, such as Chesapeake #2 v SCRC #2 or Empire #2. The MAC could get an at-large team into the bracket in Kentucky.