Houston vs. Texas Tech

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HOUSTON

The Cougars have long been battling to be competitive and seemed to make some progress this season.

Houston is winless and is not favored in this game, but the Cougars have started to score tries. Scrumhalf/flyhalf Dominic van der Walt has played well, and No. 8 Enrique Montano has had his moments. In the team's finale against RRRC finalist Texas A&M, center Dawson Gaudette and prop Abraham Blanco both got over the line, showing that UH can indeed play some rugby.

TEXAS TECH

We've got to be careful here because Tech's head coach is a journalism professor. All kidding aside, Tech has played a lot better than its 2-6 record might indicate. The Red Raiders aren't deep and injuries have caused some issues. However, they are dynamic on the attack.

Prop Nikolas Afuhaamango is a powerful presence up front, James Overbaugh is a snappy halfback, and Tech has a ton of beef in the pack.

Not necessarily super mobile, the Texas Tech forwards can grind you down.

Texas vs. Arkansas

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TEXAS

The story is in the video below. New coach Zac Mizell told the players last year: If you want me to coach, then we're going to work hard and take it seriously.

The players bought in, the coaches bought in, and Texas finished a creditable 4-4. UT is an impressive team with a strong pack, a smart approach, and... well against Texas A&M the Longhorns could have ruined the Aggies party and won. But they couldn't finish despite plenty of scoring opportunities. It's that final push that they need in this game.

ARKANSAS

In a very up and down this year, Arkansas has played better at home than on the road and played better on offense than defense. The Razorbacks scored 30 points a game in what is a relatively high-scoring league but allowed 42.3—the most of any team not named Houston. 

Arkansas boasts two of the best players in the entire conference in flyhalf/scrumhalf Alex Rees and center Jack Casey. That's not to say the rest can't play, but Rees, especially, can make something out of nothing.

LSU vs. Oklahoma

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LSU

Going into the season LSU was expected to be one of the contenders for a conference title, and while the Tigers did, in fact, come close to making the championship game, they also were stung early with a 103-0 loss to Life University.

That very sobering loss put everyone in the Red River on notice that there is still a long way to go.

Brennan Falcon is the team's No. 8 and a deserving Rudy Scholz Award nominee. Cameron Troxler is a legit star wherever you put him in the backline. Hunter Breit is a multi-skilled hooker. This is a very, very good and well-balanced LSU team.

OKLAHOMA

The Sooners started the season off badly, giving up 117 points in their first two games. But a loss at Baylor showed that the team is made of sterner stuff, and with some injured players back, Oklahoma reeled off five straight victories. 

Texas A&M vs. Baylor

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BAYLOR

If you are a subscriber to FloRugby, you're familiar with how good these teams have been this season.

Baylor has rebuilt its pack and now boasts as mobile and versatile a group as you could want. The back row of Griffin Maat, Ryan MacIntosh, and Cordon Moog is the best in the conference, and Stewart Morris is an excellent leader and the guy who makes it all go in the backs.

TEXAS A&M

A&M has played a fairly wide-open game and can tear you apart if you make mistakes. Justin Brown was FloRugby's Player of the Week after A&M clinched the South, and he was at the center of every Aggies try in beating Texas.

Breaden Hood is a nice counterpoint to Morris, and that will be a matchup worth tracking.

These two teams are evenly matched and, in fact, have some of the same weaknesses, too. This could come down to who gets the upper edge in the scrums and lineouts, as both teams have the talent to score in multiple ways.

The winner of this game will host a D1A Round of 16 game on Saturday, April 14.