5 D1A Games That Could Blow Up The Rankings
5 D1A Games That Could Blow Up The Rankings
A look at key D1A rugby games March 30.
In less than five days we find out what the D1A bracket is going to be, and while you probably have a good idea which teams will be in it, maybe you don't have an idea of where those teams will play.
You'll find out right here on FloRugby, March 31, at 1 PM CT with our live Bracket Reveal Show.
But before we get there, there's some business at hand. Specifically five games that could shake up the rankings.
No. 11 Central Washington vs. No. 15 Grand Canyon
After a pretty solid two-game weekend in which it lost a close game to BYU and beat Utah Valley, CWU now can consolidate with a win over No. 15 Grand Canyon.
GCU and CWU have shared a couple of opponents (big loss to Saint Mary's, big win over UC Davis), that basically tell us these two could be really close. So, if Grand Canyon wins, these two will likely flip in the rankings, and that will change the matchups for sure.
No. 2 Life vs. No. 9 Penn State
While Life is favored here, even a close loss for Penn State might bump the Nittany Lions up a little. It's conceivable, with a strong Army performance, that they could even jump ahead of Lindenwood among Eastern teams.
Watch Live vs. Penn State LIVE on FloRugby, March 30, 1 PM ET
No. 6 Arkansas State vs. No. 16 Davenport
Davenport still has a shot to make the playoffs, but will need a win here. Remember that Red River winner Oklahoma (not ranked in the official D1A Top 20) is in the playoffs, as is Wisconsin (ranked below Davenport at present), so Davenport has to be among the top six Eastern teams who have declared for the playoffs. Currently the Panthers are No. 7 in that list.
No. 7 Army vs. No. 4 Navy
Navy has been on a roll, but if Army beats Navy, expect Navy to drop behind the Black Knights, and also expect Penn State to get some coattails if the Nittany Lions do well against Life.
No. 3 Cal vs. No. 1 Saint Mary's
This is a simple winner-takes-all situation. The winner of this game will be the No. 1 team in the West. The loser will hang onto No. 2 seeing as No. 3 is BYU, and BYU has already lost to Saint Mary's twice.
Also:
There are two other D1A games that won't have the same rankings effects. Arizona plays Utah, and unless the Wildcats really crater, they should win. Utah isn't in the rankings picture at the moment.
Cal Poly and San Diego State play in a California Conference game, but if there's a second California Conference team that could make the playoffs, it would be UC Davis, not the Mustangs or the Aztecs.