As the D1A spring season gets moving it's not lost on everyone that most of the country is frozen right now - so much for an early spring.

Still, it's warmer in California and temperatures, if you judge by rugby scorelines, are in the triple digits. Three games saw the winner score more than 100 points. Another, in Texas, was 98-3. This is not good news, as we see the difference between regular club teams and varsity, quasi-varsity, and elevated club grow wider.

Why is that? It's because we are getting what we wanted - some college programs have more pull, and with more good players coming out of high school, they are looking for rugby to be part of their college experience. But the programs that are simply trying their best to recruit from kids who show up on campus can't always keep up.

Hopefully, though, they can close the gap a little over the season.

FloRugby has archived game footage of two of those blowouts:

Santa Clara vs Saint Mary's

UC Santa Barbara vs Saint Mary's

And this weekend Saint Mary's hosts Utah Valley University and Glendale Academy. Details on live coverage.

The California Conference is well underway and welcomes Grand Canyon to the fold with two games for the 'Lopes as the Arizona-based school takes a trip to the West Coast. GCU was supposed to open its conference season against Saint Mary's, but a flight cancellation postponed that game until March.

Lindenwood gets moving with a trip to Texas A&M and University of Texas. A&M certainly will be the sterner test for a Lions team that is looking very closely at a national title.

Lindenwood, like A&M, GCU, and Saint Mary's, will double up on games, and this is a good test of the team's depth, as well as a recognition that some games might be easier than others. 

In PAC, Utah was stung by Arizona State, and won't have things any easier playing Arizona in Tucson. All that recruiting of young talent at Arizona might be paying off as those players are older now. Beating San Diego State by 35 is no joke.