D1A Quarterfinal Previews! OK, let's say it again—this is the most competitive D1A season, perhaps ever. Really we were saying this in 2023, too, so maybe it's just the new normal. What we found interesting this year is that the finalists for the Scholz Award—Rudy Scholz Award Finalists Named—are from four teams that might very well not make it to the semis. Heh ... you never know.
Some Big Scores in D1A Western Bracket Cal Poly visited Cal for Round 1 in the Western Bracket and the Mustangs started the game on the front foot and using their kicking game to test the Bears. A Coby Baker penalty attempt drifted wide, and after a few minutes Cal finally got into Mustangs territory.
D1A Eastern Bracket Playoff Games: Eastern Update Here's the latest from the D1A playoffs in the Eastern bracket. Navy scored early, gave up a try on a chargedown, and then kept the pressure in winning 41-7 over Mary Washington. The Mids scored off a short lineout throw less than three minutes in, with hooker Jake Beitia charging over.
Playoff Time in Most Competitive D1A Ever Saturday brings the opening round of the D1A playoffs and there are a couple of things to consider. It's Different Because ... This year the playoffs expanded to 16. No one gets a bye to the second round. Serendipity jumped in with eight of the top 16 teams being in the East and eight being in the West.
D1A Playoff Matchups Confirmed The D1A playoff matchups are out. Interestingly, the rankings provided a perfect East-West split (eight teams in the Top 16 are from the East, and eight from the West). That made creating the bracket a lot easier for everyone. While the rankings are important in creating these seedings, they aren’t so important that it matters whether your team is #3 or #4.
