UC Davis head coach Andy Malpass saw his team shut out UC Santa Barbara 55-0 this past weekend, but he felt the scoreboard didn't tell the full story of the Aggies' performance.

While UC Davis improved to 2-0 in the California Conference, Malpass knows his squad has a tough task on its hands to challenge the likes of 3-0 Saint Mary's for the league title. In his mind, the Aggies' effort on Saturday showed just how far they still have to go to reach the conference's upper tier.

"It was the worst performance we've put in all year," Malpass said. "We didn't set our own standards; we just looked idle."

This weekend, UC Davis hosts San Diego State, and a win against the Aztecs should clear the path for the Aggies to be No. 2 in the conference before playing undefeated Saint Mary's live on FloRugby on March 3.

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"All we can do is the best we can," Malpass said. 

Right now, that could well be second place in the California Conference standings. With San Diego State losing to Cal 85-10 and SMC beating Olympic Club 60-7, it's clear that even strong clubs are chasing the league's upper echelon.

Assuming SD State beats UCSB and Santa Clara, the Aztecs would then go into their April 7 meeting with Cal Poly at 2-2, which is likely to be Cal Poly's record, as well.

One of those teams will end up 3-2. But UC Davis hasn't lost yet and has already beaten Cal Poly. The Aggies should be favored Feb. 24 at Santa Clara and so would likely (if they beat SD State) go into the March 3 meeting with Saint Mary's undefeated.