GRR: UCLA
The Varsity Cup's 1st Round kicks off this weekend and in recent years we've seen a few surprises in this round.
While most would think that Cal and Central Washington are heavily favored to make the final (both teams get a bye this weekend), that doesn't mean all of the other games are foregone conclusions.
Here's what we think (Goff Rugby Report rankings in parentheses):
NEW YORK – The Varsity Cup has released the brackets for its 2017 playoff today, Feb. 22.
Fourteen well-regarded college teams will compete in a four-weekend playoffs. Two teams - the top finishers from 2016 that remain in the competition - will get a bye.
The University of Utah downed UCLA 49-8 to move to 1-1 in the PAC Rugby Conference Saturday.
Regular team leaders Gabe Rufflin and Chad Gough (who scored four tries), and Josh Webber led the attack nicely from flyhalf. However, two freshmen stood out particularly for the Utes, lock Ben Jones and flanker Levi Hunt. Jones, who scored two tries on the day, was named player of the game.
The PAC Rugby Conference has a busy weekend ahead of it in its new DIA existence with five games on the docket.
USC has been facing mostly 2nd sides in this season, but we're counting those games as regular conference games nonetheless. The Trojans lost to Arizona State 47-24 last weekend in a game that served to teach a few lessons.
NEW YORK City (Varsity Cup Release) – The 2017 Penn Mutual Varsity Cup Rugby Championship kicks off once again this April with 14 teams vying in the April postseason to advance to May’s championship final.
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