College Preview & Picks: SMC vs. BYU, Conference Deciders Grab Spotlight
College Preview & Picks: SMC vs. BYU, Conference Deciders Grab Spotlight
A look at the college games this week, including some key conference deciders and meetings with top-ranked teams.
There are some massive games to watch out for this weekend, including a No. 1 vs. No. 4 matchup and a number of conference deciders.
Last week, our predictions produced a 14-2 record, with one of those games being us picking Missouri to win by three over Kansas. KU won by a point, so that's not exactly a big miss.
This week carries huge implications.
Oklahoma at Arkansas
Can Oklahoma (ranked No. 32 by FloRugby in D1A) keep its winning streak going at No. 36 Arkansas? Watch LIVE on FloRugby.
#1 D1A Saint Mary's at #4 BYU
Saint Mary's has looked impressive against everyone, but can the Gaels win on the road in Provo, Utah? Doing that has to be the true test for any champion.
How Saint Mary's Works The Phases:
Saint Mary's already beat BYU once, but that was at home. Are the Gaels too run down? Or have BYU's canceled games and cold start hurt the Cougars?
Pac West Decider
It's pretty simple, really. First place in the Pac West should go to the winner this weekend of Chico State (ranked No. 11 in D1AA by FloRugby) against No. 25 Stanford. Both are undefeated. Chico State, should the Oaks win, will still have to face a very good Nevada team to clear the schedule.
Playing against common opponents, the two teams have scored about the same number of points (Stanford 224 and Chico State 212). However, defensively against those four teams, Chico State has been much better, allowing 30 while Stanford has allowed 77.
Mid-South Action
This is the second half of the Huckaby Cup series. Second-ranked Life slammed No. 11 Arkansas State in their last meeting, but this time around the Red Wolves are at home and playing a lot better.
Davenport, ranked 15th, is a solid team and could prove a lot with a win at No. 5 Lindenwood. Even a close loss will do wonders for the Panthers' playoff chances.
Cal Invitational
The Cal Invitational is back. The two-day tournament used to be a special event on the calendar, and if you were invited, it meant you were respected. This time around, No. 3 Cal's game against No. 20 UCLA on Saturday counts as a conference game, too.
But we're interested to see if No. 13 Army can topple Claremont Colleges and meet Cal on Sunday. It's been too long since these two teams played. Remember that Army head coach Matt Sherman played for Cal head coach Jack Clark in Berkeley and for Cal associate head coach Tom Billups for the USA.
Our Picks
| DATE | AWAY | HOME | OUR PICK | |
| 3/10/2018 | Fresno State | at | Nevada | Nevada by 17 |
| 3/10/2018 | Chico State | at | Stanford | CSU by 6 |
| 3/10/2018 | Sacramento State | at | UC Santa Cruz | UCSC by 11 |
| 3/10/2018 | San Francisco State | at | San Jose State | Pick 'em |
| 3/10/2018 | Missouri | vs. | Nebraska | Missouri by 25 |
| 3/10/2018 | Truman State | vs. | Oklahoma State | Pick 'em |
| 3/10/2018 | UC Santa Barbara | at | Cal Poly | Cal Poly by 23 |
| 3/10/2018 | St. Mary's | at | BYU | St. Mary's by 2 |
| 3/10/2018 | Colorado State | at | Utah Valley | CSU at 11 |
| 3/10/2018 | Oklahoma | at | Arkansas | Oklahoma by 5 |
| 3/10/2018 | Houston | at | LSU | LSU by 40 |
| 3/10/2018 | Life | at | Arkansas State | Life by 19 |
| 3/10/2018 | Davenport | at | Lindenwood | Lindenwood by 14 |
| 3/10/2018 | Oregon | at | Boise State | Oregon by 10 |
| 3/10/2018 | Cal State Northridge | at | Long Beach State | CSULB by 17 |
| 3/10/2018 | UCLA | at | Cal | Cal by 28 |
| 3/10/2018 | Army | vs. | Claremont Colleges | Army by 16 |
| 3/10/2018 | Colorado | at | Central Washington | CWU by 35 |
| 3/10/2018 | UNT | at | Texas | Texas by 17 |
| 3/11/2018 | Texas A&M | at | Missouri | A&M by 15 |
| 3/11/2018 | Army | at | Cal | Cal by 33 |
| 3/11/2018 | Claremont Colleges | vs. | UCLA | UCLA by 19 |