It's a small but very meaningful early weekend in men's D1 college rugby, with two crucial games live on FloRugby.

LSU visits Life University in a game in Marietta, GA, on Saturday that could go a long way to illustrating how strong the Tigers might be this season. The host Running Eagles seem to have reloaded just fine, with several starters back from last year's national D1A finalist team who appear ready to make another run.

Keys To The Game: LSU vs. Life

LSU is 2-0 in Red River Conference play, but the Tigers haven't yet met Baylor, Texas A&M, or Texas Tech. Life won every game in the fall, but that was with the Running Eagles' Elite Training Group, which combines college and graduate players. This full undergraduate team isn't enormously different from the fall squad, but there is some changeover in personnel.

Watch LSU at Life LIVE on FloRugby at 1 PM ET

Also on Saturday, Baylor hosts Texas Tech in a match that both teams really need in order to feel like a contender in the Red River Conference. The big clash here is at inside center, where BU's Stewart Morris and TTU's Robert Linn are their respective team's best player and leader. 

Baylor's Mason Hering Previews Matchup vs. Texas Tech:

Both squads like to move the ball and use their backs, and this could be a high-scoring affair.

Watch Texas Tech at Baylor LIVE on FloRugby at 1 PM CT

UC Santa Barbara is coming off a 42-24 victory over USC last week. The Gauchos were up by only four points at 21-17 at halftime before running away in the second half. Things are different this week, as UCSB visits Saint Mary's. A year ago, the score of that game was 94-0 in favor of the Gaels.

Cal Poly had a good win over Chico State last weekend, but a matchup against visiting Cal this Saturday is another thing entirely. The Bears are coming off a dominant showing at the Storer Classic, and the question this week is how long can Cal Poly hold on?

Grand Canyon picks itself up after losing 53-22 in its D1A opener against Arizona and takes on San Diego State. The Aztecs are held in high esteem in the D1A rankings and now have to start proving it. GCU just has to get more exposure.

UCLA faces USC, and both are a little stung after last week. The NCRC gets going after the winter break and Western Washington is looking to repeat as the champion.

This Weekend's Games And Our Picks