National Rankings
Men's D1-AA College Top 25 (20 February)
Tennessee won huge over South Carolina Saturday, making it easy to bump the Vols over San Diego State. Though the Aztecs scored a big win over U. San Diego, they have an in-league loss. Tennessee does not. Tennessee has also recorded back-to-back road wins, and in the Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference, there’s a whole lot more road to cover.
Those lopsided games have bumped South Carolina and U. San Diego out of the Top 25 altogether. South Carolina has three wins over Atlantic Coast Rugby League teams but none against a ranked opponent. And the Gamecocks are, for all intents and purposes, eliminated from postseason contention after just three league games.
Florida has rebounded from the Tennessee loss with a 53-point win over Vanderbilt and been moved up. Tennessee’s destruction of South Carolina made the eight-point loss to the Vols look a little better, too.
Sacramento State has jumped into the top 10 with a narrow defeat of Chico State, and Chico enters the rankings after the competitive loss. Chico nearly made the list after losing relatively respectably to St. Mary’s in the preseason. The third NorCal team in the rankings is Santa Clara, who pounded previously-ranked Stanford 38-12.
Bowling Green slides just a few spots after losing to Clemson Sunday. The Falcons did so after beating North Carolina on Saturday, while Clemson’s first side didn’t play Saturday. Additionally, it was the Falcons’ first venture outdoor this spring, and they didn’t take the game until Tuesday. Originally, Ohio State was supposed to travel to Clemson and UNC, but when the Buckeyes opted not to, Bowling Green filled in on short notice.
South Florida is the second team to jump into the Top 25 after a loss this week. The Bulls started the South Independent season with three-straight wins, but we still weren’t convinced. Losing by two to Florida State is a respectable loss.
1 (1) Davenport 7-0 Idle
2 (2) Dartmouth 7-0 Idle
3 (3) UC Santa Barbara 2-3 Idle
4 (6) Tennessee 6-2 Won 71-17 over South Carolina
5 (4) San Diego State 2-1 Won 55 -17 over U. San Diego
6 (5) Northeastern 6-0 Idle
7 (7) LSU 3-2 Idle
8 (9) Florida 8-1 Won 60-7 over Vanderbilt
9 (17) Sacramento State 1-1 Won 32-27 over Chico State
10 (8) Bowling Green 6-2 Won 34-17 over North Carolina, lost 22-18 to Clemson
11 (10) Miami (OH) 4-2 Idle
12 (12) Wisconsin 6-1 Idle
13 (11) Indiana 3-4 Idle
14 (14) Minnesota 5-1 Idle
15 (Unr.) Chico State 0-2 Lost 32-27 to Sacramento State
16 (18) Maryland 2-2 Lost 22-19 to Delaware
17 (19) Oregon State 2-0 Idle
18 (20) St. Bonaventure 7-1 Idle
19 (21) Texas 3-0 Won 17-5 over North Texas
20 (22) Stony Brook 5-1 Idle
21 (23) Florida State 9-2 Won 26-24 over South Florida
22 (24) Virginia Tech 3-1 Won 66-38 over VMI
23 (Unr.) Santa Clara 1-0 Won 38-12 over Stanford
24 (Unr.) South Florida 3-1 Lost 26-24 to Florida State
25 (22) Arkansas 1-1 Beat Arkansas Gryphons (DIII Men)
Dropped out:
15 (13) Stanford 0-4 Lost 38-12 to Santa Clara
16 (14) U. San Diego 3-1 Lost 55-17 to SDSU
13 (10) South Carolina 5-2 Lost 17-71 to Tennessee
Those lopsided games have bumped South Carolina and U. San Diego out of the Top 25 altogether. South Carolina has three wins over Atlantic Coast Rugby League teams but none against a ranked opponent. And the Gamecocks are, for all intents and purposes, eliminated from postseason contention after just three league games.
Florida has rebounded from the Tennessee loss with a 53-point win over Vanderbilt and been moved up. Tennessee’s destruction of South Carolina made the eight-point loss to the Vols look a little better, too.
Sacramento State has jumped into the top 10 with a narrow defeat of Chico State, and Chico enters the rankings after the competitive loss. Chico nearly made the list after losing relatively respectably to St. Mary’s in the preseason. The third NorCal team in the rankings is Santa Clara, who pounded previously-ranked Stanford 38-12.
Bowling Green slides just a few spots after losing to Clemson Sunday. The Falcons did so after beating North Carolina on Saturday, while Clemson’s first side didn’t play Saturday. Additionally, it was the Falcons’ first venture outdoor this spring, and they didn’t take the game until Tuesday. Originally, Ohio State was supposed to travel to Clemson and UNC, but when the Buckeyes opted not to, Bowling Green filled in on short notice.
South Florida is the second team to jump into the Top 25 after a loss this week. The Bulls started the South Independent season with three-straight wins, but we still weren’t convinced. Losing by two to Florida State is a respectable loss.
1 (1) Davenport 7-0 Idle
2 (2) Dartmouth 7-0 Idle
3 (3) UC Santa Barbara 2-3 Idle
4 (6) Tennessee 6-2 Won 71-17 over South Carolina
5 (4) San Diego State 2-1 Won 55 -17 over U. San Diego
6 (5) Northeastern 6-0 Idle
7 (7) LSU 3-2 Idle
8 (9) Florida 8-1 Won 60-7 over Vanderbilt
9 (17) Sacramento State 1-1 Won 32-27 over Chico State
10 (8) Bowling Green 6-2 Won 34-17 over North Carolina, lost 22-18 to Clemson
11 (10) Miami (OH) 4-2 Idle
12 (12) Wisconsin 6-1 Idle
13 (11) Indiana 3-4 Idle
14 (14) Minnesota 5-1 Idle
15 (Unr.) Chico State 0-2 Lost 32-27 to Sacramento State
16 (18) Maryland 2-2 Lost 22-19 to Delaware
17 (19) Oregon State 2-0 Idle
18 (20) St. Bonaventure 7-1 Idle
19 (21) Texas 3-0 Won 17-5 over North Texas
20 (22) Stony Brook 5-1 Idle
21 (23) Florida State 9-2 Won 26-24 over South Florida
22 (24) Virginia Tech 3-1 Won 66-38 over VMI
23 (Unr.) Santa Clara 1-0 Won 38-12 over Stanford
24 (Unr.) South Florida 3-1 Lost 26-24 to Florida State
25 (22) Arkansas 1-1 Beat Arkansas Gryphons (DIII Men)
Dropped out:
15 (13) Stanford 0-4 Lost 38-12 to Santa Clara
16 (14) U. San Diego 3-1 Lost 55-17 to SDSU
13 (10) South Carolina 5-2 Lost 17-71 to Tennessee
Men's D1-AA College Top 25 (15 February)
RugbyMag.Com Staff - All of American rugby didn't stand still for USA Sevens and the Las Vegas Invitational last weekend, though several Top 25 teams did partake in the Sin City competition. The Southeast, Northwest and South Independent conferences all had league play.
The Southeast (SCRC), in particular, had two big matches, both featuring a highly-ranked team and a former DI-A team which has already racked up a couple of losses. In both games, the former DI-A team prevailed, with Tennessee downing then third-ranked Florida 20-12 and LSU pounding No. 10 South Carolina. LSU also beat Alabama, 31-10, on Sunday. The Vols and Tigers started the season in our top 10, but both have slipped after very early losses. It appears, though, time has served both teams well. It may seem like too big of a jump for LSU, who has losses to Texas State and Florida State, but the Tigers are finally getting their sea legs, and they're winning the games that matter. Not to mention, they beat USC, who already boasts wins over three Atlantic Coast Rugby League clubs.
Washington is the sacrificial lamb that makes room for LSU, and losing 56-0 to Univ. of British Columbia didn't help the Huskies' case. Arkansas clings to a spot in the Top 25 after being pounded 58-0 by Arkansas State. The Hogs played ASU's top team, though.
1 (1) Davenport 7-0 Played 7s at LVI
2 (2) Dartmouth 7-0 Idle
3 (3) UC Santa Barbara 2-3 Idle
4 (5) San Diego State 1-1 Played 7s at LVI
5 (6) Northeastern 6-0 Idle
6 (17) Tennessee 5-2 Won 20-12 over Florida
7 (Unr.) LSU Won 28-7 over South Carolina, 31-10 over Alabama
8 (7) Bowling Green 5-1 Idle
9 (4) Florida 7-0 Lost 20-12 to Tennessee
10 (8) Miami (OH) 4-2 Played 7s at LVI
11 (9) Wisconsin 6-1 Idle
12 (10) South Carolina 5-1 Lost 28-7 to LSU
13 (11) Indiana 3-4 Idle
14 (12) Minnesota 5-1 Idle
15 (13) Stanford 0-3 Played 7s at LVI
16 (14) U. San Diego 3-0 Idle
17 (15) Sacramento State 0-1 Idle
18 (16) Maryland 2-1 Idle
19 (24) Oregon State 2-0 Idle
20 (18) St. Bonaventure 7-1 Idle
21 (19) Texas 2-0 Played 7s at LVI
22 (20) Stony Brook 5-1 Played 7s at LVI
23 (25) Florida State 8-2 Won 36-10 over FAU
24 (22) Virginia Tech 2-1 Idle
25 (22) Arkansas 1-1 Lost 58-0 to Arkansas State
Dropped out:
25 (Unr) Washington 1-1 Lost 56-0 to UBC
The Southeast (SCRC), in particular, had two big matches, both featuring a highly-ranked team and a former DI-A team which has already racked up a couple of losses. In both games, the former DI-A team prevailed, with Tennessee downing then third-ranked Florida 20-12 and LSU pounding No. 10 South Carolina. LSU also beat Alabama, 31-10, on Sunday. The Vols and Tigers started the season in our top 10, but both have slipped after very early losses. It appears, though, time has served both teams well. It may seem like too big of a jump for LSU, who has losses to Texas State and Florida State, but the Tigers are finally getting their sea legs, and they're winning the games that matter. Not to mention, they beat USC, who already boasts wins over three Atlantic Coast Rugby League clubs.
Washington is the sacrificial lamb that makes room for LSU, and losing 56-0 to Univ. of British Columbia didn't help the Huskies' case. Arkansas clings to a spot in the Top 25 after being pounded 58-0 by Arkansas State. The Hogs played ASU's top team, though.
1 (1) Davenport 7-0 Played 7s at LVI
2 (2) Dartmouth 7-0 Idle
3 (3) UC Santa Barbara 2-3 Idle
4 (5) San Diego State 1-1 Played 7s at LVI
5 (6) Northeastern 6-0 Idle
6 (17) Tennessee 5-2 Won 20-12 over Florida
7 (Unr.) LSU Won 28-7 over South Carolina, 31-10 over Alabama
8 (7) Bowling Green 5-1 Idle
9 (4) Florida 7-0 Lost 20-12 to Tennessee
10 (8) Miami (OH) 4-2 Played 7s at LVI
11 (9) Wisconsin 6-1 Idle
12 (10) South Carolina 5-1 Lost 28-7 to LSU
13 (11) Indiana 3-4 Idle
14 (12) Minnesota 5-1 Idle
15 (13) Stanford 0-3 Played 7s at LVI
16 (14) U. San Diego 3-0 Idle
17 (15) Sacramento State 0-1 Idle
18 (16) Maryland 2-1 Idle
19 (24) Oregon State 2-0 Idle
20 (18) St. Bonaventure 7-1 Idle
21 (19) Texas 2-0 Played 7s at LVI
22 (20) Stony Brook 5-1 Played 7s at LVI
23 (25) Florida State 8-2 Won 36-10 over FAU
24 (22) Virginia Tech 2-1 Idle
25 (22) Arkansas 1-1 Lost 58-0 to Arkansas State
Dropped out:
25 (Unr) Washington 1-1 Lost 56-0 to UBC
Men's D1-AA College Top 25 (7 February)
RugbyMag.Com Staff - It’s that time of year, when teams who were dormant much of the fall ascend with big winter wins. South Carolina, Oregon State and Florida State are good examples.
South Carolina is still undefeated in college play, and a 100-point win is always impressive, so the Gamecocks hop over idle Miami (OH) and Wisconsin after drubbing Kentucky.
Oregon State has started NCRC play very well, sweeping Canadian teams Univ. British Columbia and Simon Fraser. Though the UBC win wasn’t UBC’s top side, it’s still impressive.
Florida State played in the fall, but not particularly well throughout. Now, when the games count, the Seminoles are winning. The latest victory, over UCF, avenged a fall loss.
No. 4 UCSB and fifth-ranked San Diego State clashed Saturday, with the Gauchos earning the high ranking as 21-14 winners. But, the win isn’t enough to catapult UCSB over Dartmouth or Davenport, and the loss wasn’t enough to drop the Aztecs.
1 (1) Davenport 7-0 Idle
2 (2) Dartmouth 7-0 Idle
3 (3) UC Santa Barbara 2-3 Won 21-14 over SDSU
4 (4) Florida 7-0 Won 29-3 over Georgia
5 (5) San Diego State 1-1 Lost 21-14 to UCSB
6 (6) Northeastern 6-0 Idle
7 (7) Bowling Green 5-1 Idle
8 (10) South Carolina 5-0 Won 104-3 over Kentucky
9 (8) Miami (OH) 4-2 Idle
10 (9) Wisconsin 6-1 Idle
11 (11) Indiana 3-4 Idle
12 (12) Minnesota 5-1 Idle
13 (13) Stanford 0-3 Lost 85-0 to St. Mary’s
14 (14) U. San Diego 3-0 Won 63-45 over USC
15 (15) Sacramento State 0-2-1 Played Sacramento Capitals
16 (16) Maryland 2-1 Idle
17 (17) Tennessee 4-2 Won 61-3 over Vanderbilt
18 (24) Oregon State 2-0 Won 17-15 over UBC
19 (18) St. Bonaventure 7-1 Idle
20 (19) Texas 2-0 Idle
21 (20) Stony Brook 5-1 Idle
22 (25) Florida State 8-2 Beat UCF 26-22
23 (22) Virginia Tech 2-1 Idle
24 (22) Arkansas 1-0 Idle
25 (Unr) Washington 1-0 Won 27-10 over Oregon
Dropped out:
23 (20) Loyola Marymount 1-2 Lost 40-23 to Claremont Colleges
South Carolina is still undefeated in college play, and a 100-point win is always impressive, so the Gamecocks hop over idle Miami (OH) and Wisconsin after drubbing Kentucky.
Oregon State has started NCRC play very well, sweeping Canadian teams Univ. British Columbia and Simon Fraser. Though the UBC win wasn’t UBC’s top side, it’s still impressive.
Florida State played in the fall, but not particularly well throughout. Now, when the games count, the Seminoles are winning. The latest victory, over UCF, avenged a fall loss.
No. 4 UCSB and fifth-ranked San Diego State clashed Saturday, with the Gauchos earning the high ranking as 21-14 winners. But, the win isn’t enough to catapult UCSB over Dartmouth or Davenport, and the loss wasn’t enough to drop the Aztecs.
1 (1) Davenport 7-0 Idle
2 (2) Dartmouth 7-0 Idle
3 (3) UC Santa Barbara 2-3 Won 21-14 over SDSU
4 (4) Florida 7-0 Won 29-3 over Georgia
5 (5) San Diego State 1-1 Lost 21-14 to UCSB
6 (6) Northeastern 6-0 Idle
7 (7) Bowling Green 5-1 Idle
8 (10) South Carolina 5-0 Won 104-3 over Kentucky
9 (8) Miami (OH) 4-2 Idle
10 (9) Wisconsin 6-1 Idle
11 (11) Indiana 3-4 Idle
12 (12) Minnesota 5-1 Idle
13 (13) Stanford 0-3 Lost 85-0 to St. Mary’s
14 (14) U. San Diego 3-0 Won 63-45 over USC
15 (15) Sacramento State 0-2-1 Played Sacramento Capitals
16 (16) Maryland 2-1 Idle
17 (17) Tennessee 4-2 Won 61-3 over Vanderbilt
18 (24) Oregon State 2-0 Won 17-15 over UBC
19 (18) St. Bonaventure 7-1 Idle
20 (19) Texas 2-0 Idle
21 (20) Stony Brook 5-1 Idle
22 (25) Florida State 8-2 Beat UCF 26-22
23 (22) Virginia Tech 2-1 Idle
24 (22) Arkansas 1-0 Idle
25 (Unr) Washington 1-0 Won 27-10 over Oregon
Dropped out:
23 (20) Loyola Marymount 1-2 Lost 40-23 to Claremont Colleges
Men's D1-AA College Top 25 (30 January)
RugbyMag.Com Staff - There's been some considerable shakeup in our Top 25, as teams in Florida, California and the Pacific Northwest have begun play in the New Year.
Some of the teams in that region have racked up losses but maintained their spot in the Top 25, like UCSB, Stanford and Sacramento State. Those losses have all come either against Cal or DI-A teams, like St. Mary's, Utah and Cal Poly.
Sacramento State had a better score against Cal than Stanford, but the Bears played both teams in the same day, starting their top side in the battle for the Scrum Axe against Stanford.
New to the Top 25 are Florida State, U. San Diego and Oregon State. Both OSU and FSU have been in our rankings this competitive cycle, but the Beavers were dropped due to inactivity in the fall and the Seminoles because of a poor fall showing in the Florida Cup.
However, Oregon State opened NCRC play with a win over Canadian side Simon Fraser, and FSU has started well, too. At the end of the fall, the 'Noles beat LSU and USF, and have opened South Independent play with back-to-back wins over FIU and FAU, respectively.
More impressive than both of those feats, however, may be the Toreros' drubbing of Claremont Colleges Saturday, 50-17. That's a big win, which has propelled USD to No. 13 and knocked Claremont out of the Top 25. The Dragons have a long season ahead of them, and could well play their way back into the mix.
Coming up Saturday is a massive clash in the Pacific Mountain West, as fifth-ranked SDSU takes on third-ranked UCSB.
1 (1) Davenport 7-0 Idle
2 (2) Dartmouth 7-0 Idle
3 (3) UC Santa Barbara 1-3 Won 43-15 over UC Irvine
4 (4) Florida 6-0 Idle
5 (5) San Diego State 1-0 Won 34-5 over Loyola Marymount
6 (6) Northeastern 6-0 Idle
7 (7) Bowling Green 5-1 Idle
8 (9) Miami (OH) 4-2 Idle
9 (10) Wisconsin 6-1 Idle
10 (11) South Carolina 4-0 Idle
11 (14) Indiana 3-4 Idle
12 (15) Minnesota 5-1 Idle
13 (8) Stanford 0-2 Lost 109-0 to Cal
14 (Unr.) U. San Diego 2-0 Won 50-17 over Claremont Colleges
15 (12) Sacramento State 0-2-1 Lost 48-3 to Cal
16 (16) Maryland 2-1 Idle
17 (17) Tennessee 3-2 Idle
18 (18) St. Bonaventure 7-1 Idle
19 (19) Texas 2-0 Idle
20 (21) Stony Brook 5-1 Idle
21 (22) Virginia Tech 2-1 Idle
22 (23) Arkansas 1-0 Idle
23 (20) Loyola Marymount 1-1 Won 40-18 over USC
24 (Unr.) Oregon State 1-0 Won 12-10 over Simon Fraser
25 (Unr.) Florida State 7-2 Beat FAU, FIU to start league play
Dropped Out:
13 (13) Claremont Colleges 0-1 Lost 50-17 to U. San Diego
24 (24) Kansas 2-1 Idle
25 (25) UCF 4-2 Lost 13-0 to South Florida
Some of the teams in that region have racked up losses but maintained their spot in the Top 25, like UCSB, Stanford and Sacramento State. Those losses have all come either against Cal or DI-A teams, like St. Mary's, Utah and Cal Poly.
Sacramento State had a better score against Cal than Stanford, but the Bears played both teams in the same day, starting their top side in the battle for the Scrum Axe against Stanford.
New to the Top 25 are Florida State, U. San Diego and Oregon State. Both OSU and FSU have been in our rankings this competitive cycle, but the Beavers were dropped due to inactivity in the fall and the Seminoles because of a poor fall showing in the Florida Cup.
However, Oregon State opened NCRC play with a win over Canadian side Simon Fraser, and FSU has started well, too. At the end of the fall, the 'Noles beat LSU and USF, and have opened South Independent play with back-to-back wins over FIU and FAU, respectively.
More impressive than both of those feats, however, may be the Toreros' drubbing of Claremont Colleges Saturday, 50-17. That's a big win, which has propelled USD to No. 13 and knocked Claremont out of the Top 25. The Dragons have a long season ahead of them, and could well play their way back into the mix.
Coming up Saturday is a massive clash in the Pacific Mountain West, as fifth-ranked SDSU takes on third-ranked UCSB.
1 (1) Davenport 7-0 Idle
2 (2) Dartmouth 7-0 Idle
3 (3) UC Santa Barbara 1-3 Won 43-15 over UC Irvine
4 (4) Florida 6-0 Idle
5 (5) San Diego State 1-0 Won 34-5 over Loyola Marymount
6 (6) Northeastern 6-0 Idle
7 (7) Bowling Green 5-1 Idle
8 (9) Miami (OH) 4-2 Idle
9 (10) Wisconsin 6-1 Idle
10 (11) South Carolina 4-0 Idle
11 (14) Indiana 3-4 Idle
12 (15) Minnesota 5-1 Idle
13 (8) Stanford 0-2 Lost 109-0 to Cal
14 (Unr.) U. San Diego 2-0 Won 50-17 over Claremont Colleges
15 (12) Sacramento State 0-2-1 Lost 48-3 to Cal
16 (16) Maryland 2-1 Idle
17 (17) Tennessee 3-2 Idle
18 (18) St. Bonaventure 7-1 Idle
19 (19) Texas 2-0 Idle
20 (21) Stony Brook 5-1 Idle
21 (22) Virginia Tech 2-1 Idle
22 (23) Arkansas 1-0 Idle
23 (20) Loyola Marymount 1-1 Won 40-18 over USC
24 (Unr.) Oregon State 1-0 Won 12-10 over Simon Fraser
25 (Unr.) Florida State 7-2 Beat FAU, FIU to start league play
Dropped Out:
13 (13) Claremont Colleges 0-1 Lost 50-17 to U. San Diego
24 (24) Kansas 2-1 Idle
25 (25) UCF 4-2 Lost 13-0 to South Florida
Men's D1-AA College Top 25 (14 November)
RugbyMag.Com Staff - There is no movement from last week, as only three ranked teams played 80-minute games Saturday. All of them came out on top, but not convincingly enough to shake things up.Florida went to the Battleship Tournament in Mobile, Ala. expecting a series of abbreviated games, but they ended up getting an 80-minute game with LSU, who was also expecting shortened matches. Florida won, sending the Tigers to 0-3 in fall competition.
There were a pair of California tournaments in which ranked teams played out west. Sacramento State went 3-0 in the Mittry Tournament, while SDSU was upset in the San Diego City Championships by USD. The loss won't pummel the Aztecs down the rankings, nor will it lift USD into the top 25, as we don't count shortened matches in the records of our ranked teams.
Most league play is wrapped up for the fall. The Heart of America still has a few games left -- Arkansas and Oklahoma play Saturday, and the Texas league will reconvene and play through the first weekend of December, taking off a week for Thanksgiving. However, the Ivy League, Midwest, Mideast, Empire and East Coast are done with 15s, so this will be one of our last DI-AA rankings of 2011.
When college rugby kicks back into gear in the spring, expect to see teams from Northern and Southern California, the Pacific Northwest, South and Atlantic Coast reclaim spots while idle teams drop.
1 (1) Davenport 7-0 Idle
2 (2) Dartmouth 7-0 Idle
3 (3) UC Santa Barbara 0-0 Idle
4 (4) Florida 6-0 Won 36-19 over LSU
5 (5) San Diego State 0-0 Played in San Diego City Championships
6 (6) Northeastern 6-0 Idle
7 (7) Bowling Green 5-1 Idle
8 (8) Stanford 0-0 Idle
9 (9) Miami (OH) 4-2 Idle
10 (10) Wisconsin 6-1 Idle
11 (11) South Carolina 3-0 Won 25-19 over Clemson
12 (12) Sacramento State 0-0-1 Went 3-0 at Mittry Tournament
13 (13) Claremont Colleges 0-0 Idle
14 (14) Indiana 3-4 Idle
15 (15) Minnesota 5-1 Idle
16 (16) Maryland 2-1 Idle
17 (17) Tennessee 3-2 Idle
18 (18) St. Bonaventure 7-1 Won 15-0 over Brockport
19 (19) Texas 2-0 Idle
20 (20) Loyola Marymount 0-0 Idle
21 (21) Stony Brook 5-1 Idle
22 (22) Virginia Tech 2-1 Idle
23 (23) Arkansas 1-0 Idle
24 (24) Kansas 2-1 Idle
25 (25) UCF 4-1 Idle
There were a pair of California tournaments in which ranked teams played out west. Sacramento State went 3-0 in the Mittry Tournament, while SDSU was upset in the San Diego City Championships by USD. The loss won't pummel the Aztecs down the rankings, nor will it lift USD into the top 25, as we don't count shortened matches in the records of our ranked teams.
Most league play is wrapped up for the fall. The Heart of America still has a few games left -- Arkansas and Oklahoma play Saturday, and the Texas league will reconvene and play through the first weekend of December, taking off a week for Thanksgiving. However, the Ivy League, Midwest, Mideast, Empire and East Coast are done with 15s, so this will be one of our last DI-AA rankings of 2011.
When college rugby kicks back into gear in the spring, expect to see teams from Northern and Southern California, the Pacific Northwest, South and Atlantic Coast reclaim spots while idle teams drop.
1 (1) Davenport 7-0 Idle
2 (2) Dartmouth 7-0 Idle
3 (3) UC Santa Barbara 0-0 Idle
4 (4) Florida 6-0 Won 36-19 over LSU
5 (5) San Diego State 0-0 Played in San Diego City Championships
6 (6) Northeastern 6-0 Idle
7 (7) Bowling Green 5-1 Idle
8 (8) Stanford 0-0 Idle
9 (9) Miami (OH) 4-2 Idle
10 (10) Wisconsin 6-1 Idle
11 (11) South Carolina 3-0 Won 25-19 over Clemson
12 (12) Sacramento State 0-0-1 Went 3-0 at Mittry Tournament
13 (13) Claremont Colleges 0-0 Idle
14 (14) Indiana 3-4 Idle
15 (15) Minnesota 5-1 Idle
16 (16) Maryland 2-1 Idle
17 (17) Tennessee 3-2 Idle
18 (18) St. Bonaventure 7-1 Won 15-0 over Brockport
19 (19) Texas 2-0 Idle
20 (20) Loyola Marymount 0-0 Idle
21 (21) Stony Brook 5-1 Idle
22 (22) Virginia Tech 2-1 Idle
23 (23) Arkansas 1-0 Idle
24 (24) Kansas 2-1 Idle
25 (25) UCF 4-1 Idle
Men's D1-AA College Top 25 (7 November)
RugbyMag.Com Staff - Only three of last week's ranked teams lost over the weekend; Miami (OH), Indiana and LSU. For the Bayou Bengals, a second loss to an unranked team meant dropping out of the rankings altogether. The Tigers are still figuring out how to plug the holes left by numerous departed starters from the spring.
Miami's loss was a close one to rival Bowling Green, who leapfrogs the Reds and idle Stanford. The Reds are likely to again find themselves on the outside looking in come playoff time, as it seems doubtful the competitions committee will extend two at-large bids to one conference.
Indiana's loss was to DI-A Ohio State. The Buckeyes had a terrible start to fall play, but as a DI-A team they approach the fall differently than everyone else, and they've made vast strides over the last couple weeks, so we won't drill Indiana for losing to an ameliorating Ohio State.
Finally kicking off its preseason is Sacramento State. The Hornets were supposed to last week against Oregon, but the game was canceled by the Ducks. Sac State opened the fall with a respectable 29-29 tie against DI-A UC Davis.
Central Florida enters the ranked realm despite spending the past couple weekends idle. The Golden Knights are 4-1 in Florida Cup play, boasting a win over FSU. When the Seminoles beat LSU, it boosted the strength of UCF's schedule. The Golden Knights' only loss came 48-10 at the hands of fourth-ranked Florida.
1 (1) Davenport 7-0 Won 84-10 over Michigan State
2 (2) Dartmouth 7-0 Won Ivy League 7s
3 (3) UC Santa Barbara 0-0 Won Long Beach Tourney (1st game Nov. 12 v. Cal Poly)
4 (4) Florida 5-0 Won 53-0 over N. Florida
5 (5) San Diego State 0-0
6 (6) Northeastern 6-0 Finished second in East Coast 7s
7 (9) Bowling Green 5-1 Won 43-38 over Miami
8 (7) Stanford 0-0 Idle (First 15s game Nov. 18 against Cal Maritime)
9 (8) Miami (OH) 4-2 Lost 43-38 to Bowling Green
10 (10) Wisconsin 6-1 Won 36-3 over Stout
11 (11) South Carolina 2-0 Won 26-19 over North Carolina
12 (14) Sacramento State 0-0-1 Tied UC Davis 29-29
13 (12) Claremont Colleges 0-0 Idle
14 (13) Indiana 3-4 Lost 22-21 to Ohio State
15 (15) Minnesota 5-1 Idle
16 (16) Maryland 2-1 Idle
17 (17) Tennessee 3-2 Idle
18 (18) St. Bonaventure 6-1 Won 28-25 over Binghamton
19 (19) Texas 2-0 Idle
20 (21) Loyola Marymount 0-0 (15s starts Nov. 12 vs. UCLA)
21 (22) Stony Brook 5-1 Idle
22 (23) Virginia Tech 2-1 Won 24-13 over UNC-Wilmington (ranked in DII)
23 (24) Arkansas 1-0 Idle
24 (25) Kansas 2-1 Idle
25 (Unr.) UCF 4-1 Idle
Dropped out
(20) LSU 0-2 Lost 22-20 to Florida State
Miami's loss was a close one to rival Bowling Green, who leapfrogs the Reds and idle Stanford. The Reds are likely to again find themselves on the outside looking in come playoff time, as it seems doubtful the competitions committee will extend two at-large bids to one conference.
Indiana's loss was to DI-A Ohio State. The Buckeyes had a terrible start to fall play, but as a DI-A team they approach the fall differently than everyone else, and they've made vast strides over the last couple weeks, so we won't drill Indiana for losing to an ameliorating Ohio State.
Finally kicking off its preseason is Sacramento State. The Hornets were supposed to last week against Oregon, but the game was canceled by the Ducks. Sac State opened the fall with a respectable 29-29 tie against DI-A UC Davis.
Central Florida enters the ranked realm despite spending the past couple weekends idle. The Golden Knights are 4-1 in Florida Cup play, boasting a win over FSU. When the Seminoles beat LSU, it boosted the strength of UCF's schedule. The Golden Knights' only loss came 48-10 at the hands of fourth-ranked Florida.
1 (1) Davenport 7-0 Won 84-10 over Michigan State
2 (2) Dartmouth 7-0 Won Ivy League 7s
3 (3) UC Santa Barbara 0-0 Won Long Beach Tourney (1st game Nov. 12 v. Cal Poly)
4 (4) Florida 5-0 Won 53-0 over N. Florida
5 (5) San Diego State 0-0
6 (6) Northeastern 6-0 Finished second in East Coast 7s
7 (9) Bowling Green 5-1 Won 43-38 over Miami
8 (7) Stanford 0-0 Idle (First 15s game Nov. 18 against Cal Maritime)
9 (8) Miami (OH) 4-2 Lost 43-38 to Bowling Green
10 (10) Wisconsin 6-1 Won 36-3 over Stout
11 (11) South Carolina 2-0 Won 26-19 over North Carolina
12 (14) Sacramento State 0-0-1 Tied UC Davis 29-29
13 (12) Claremont Colleges 0-0 Idle
14 (13) Indiana 3-4 Lost 22-21 to Ohio State
15 (15) Minnesota 5-1 Idle
16 (16) Maryland 2-1 Idle
17 (17) Tennessee 3-2 Idle
18 (18) St. Bonaventure 6-1 Won 28-25 over Binghamton
19 (19) Texas 2-0 Idle
20 (21) Loyola Marymount 0-0 (15s starts Nov. 12 vs. UCLA)
21 (22) Stony Brook 5-1 Idle
22 (23) Virginia Tech 2-1 Won 24-13 over UNC-Wilmington (ranked in DII)
23 (24) Arkansas 1-0 Idle
24 (25) Kansas 2-1 Idle
25 (Unr.) UCF 4-1 Idle
Dropped out
(20) LSU 0-2 Lost 22-20 to Florida State
Men's D1-AA College Top 25 (1 November)
RugbyMag.Com Staff - Davenport threw down a marker Saturday with a 60-12 drubbing of Bowling Green, and it's entirely clear now the Panthers are the best team in the country who are currently playing. Every team in our top five could make claims that's not true, but as of yet, not one has come close to beating high quality teams to a pulp the way Davenport has.
The warm-weather teams will begin playing soon, so we should know more about the UC-Santa Barbara, San Diego State and Stanfords of the world before too long.
Northeastern keeps routing its opponents, too, and it's becoming very difficult to ignore. We'd like to see them step out of conference in the early spring and test themselves against more varied opposition, but right now we have to trust the Huskies can play, because their record says so. Therefore, they slide ahead of Miami, BGSU and an idle Stanford.
Speaking of Miami and BGSU, the cherries and the pumpkins play an extremely important match Saturday. Neither can catch Davenport in the standings, but it's altogether possible the Mideast runner up will receive an at-large bid to the national playoffs next spring as Davenport did this spring, which would make Saturday's game a play-in.
You may notice Indiana is now ranked below Wisconsin, whom the Mudsharks beat earlier this fall. It's difficult to against head-to-head results for us, as that's the best data we have, but in this case it seems right. Indiana squeaked past a hapless Michigan State team Saturday, and since Indiana has nothing to play for, we think Wisconsin is a better team right now than the Mudsharks.
Bursting into the Top 25 this week is Texas, who beat previously ranked Texas State 44-10 Friday under the lights in Austin. The Longhorns are still retooling since losing some key players to graduation, and they've got a couple of big injuries, which means when they get healthy they could be really good.
Also entering the fray is Kansas. This is a salty bunch that has routed Truman State and Kansas State in league play and played Arkansas very tough. The Jayhawks have some veteran talent and if Arkansas falters, they could challenge for a playoff berth. Missouri, who has yet to play a single league game, is the wildcard in the Heart of America.
1 (1) Davenport 6-0 Won 60-12 over Bowling Green
2 (2) Dartmouth 7-0 Idle
3 (3) UC Santa Barbara 0-0 Idle (first game Nov. 12 vs. Cal Poly)
4 (6) Florida 4-0 Beat All-Navy team 13-5
5 (5) San Diego State 0-0 Finished second in California 7s
6 (9) Northeastern 6-0 Won 53-10 over Albany
7 (8) Stanford 0-0 Played in Stanford 10s
8 (7) Miami (OH) 3-1 Idle
9 (4) Bowling Green 5-1 Lost 60-12 to Davenport
10 (12) Wisconsin 5-1 Won 54-5 over Northern Iowa
11 (13) South Carolina 1-0 Won Palmetto tournament
12 (10) Claremont Colleges 0-0 Idle
13 (11) Indiana 3-3 Won 29-23 over Michigan State
14 (14) Sacramento State 0-0
15 (15) Minnesota 5-1 Won 21-10 over Iowa
16 (16) Maryland 2-1 Played in Halloween 7s
17 (17) Tennessee 3-2 Won 55-5 over Wake Forest
18 (20) St. Bonaventure 5-1 Won 41-3 over Buffalo
19 (Unr.) Texas 2-0 Won 44-10 over Texas State
20 (19) LSU 0-1 Idle
21 (22) Loyola Marymount 0-0 Played in California 7s (15s starts Nov. 12 vs. UCLA)
22 (23) Stony Brook 5-1 Won 33-9 over Kings Point
23 (24) Virginia Tech 1-1 Idle
24 (25) Arkansas 1-0 Idle
25 (Unr.) Kansas 2-1 Won 36-5 over Kansas State
Dropped out
(21) Oregon State 0-0 Idle
(18) Texas State 2-0 Lost 44-10 to Texas
The warm-weather teams will begin playing soon, so we should know more about the UC-Santa Barbara, San Diego State and Stanfords of the world before too long.
Northeastern keeps routing its opponents, too, and it's becoming very difficult to ignore. We'd like to see them step out of conference in the early spring and test themselves against more varied opposition, but right now we have to trust the Huskies can play, because their record says so. Therefore, they slide ahead of Miami, BGSU and an idle Stanford.
Speaking of Miami and BGSU, the cherries and the pumpkins play an extremely important match Saturday. Neither can catch Davenport in the standings, but it's altogether possible the Mideast runner up will receive an at-large bid to the national playoffs next spring as Davenport did this spring, which would make Saturday's game a play-in.
You may notice Indiana is now ranked below Wisconsin, whom the Mudsharks beat earlier this fall. It's difficult to against head-to-head results for us, as that's the best data we have, but in this case it seems right. Indiana squeaked past a hapless Michigan State team Saturday, and since Indiana has nothing to play for, we think Wisconsin is a better team right now than the Mudsharks.
Bursting into the Top 25 this week is Texas, who beat previously ranked Texas State 44-10 Friday under the lights in Austin. The Longhorns are still retooling since losing some key players to graduation, and they've got a couple of big injuries, which means when they get healthy they could be really good.
Also entering the fray is Kansas. This is a salty bunch that has routed Truman State and Kansas State in league play and played Arkansas very tough. The Jayhawks have some veteran talent and if Arkansas falters, they could challenge for a playoff berth. Missouri, who has yet to play a single league game, is the wildcard in the Heart of America.
1 (1) Davenport 6-0 Won 60-12 over Bowling Green
2 (2) Dartmouth 7-0 Idle
3 (3) UC Santa Barbara 0-0 Idle (first game Nov. 12 vs. Cal Poly)
4 (6) Florida 4-0 Beat All-Navy team 13-5
5 (5) San Diego State 0-0 Finished second in California 7s
6 (9) Northeastern 6-0 Won 53-10 over Albany
7 (8) Stanford 0-0 Played in Stanford 10s
8 (7) Miami (OH) 3-1 Idle
9 (4) Bowling Green 5-1 Lost 60-12 to Davenport
10 (12) Wisconsin 5-1 Won 54-5 over Northern Iowa
11 (13) South Carolina 1-0 Won Palmetto tournament
12 (10) Claremont Colleges 0-0 Idle
13 (11) Indiana 3-3 Won 29-23 over Michigan State
14 (14) Sacramento State 0-0
15 (15) Minnesota 5-1 Won 21-10 over Iowa
16 (16) Maryland 2-1 Played in Halloween 7s
17 (17) Tennessee 3-2 Won 55-5 over Wake Forest
18 (20) St. Bonaventure 5-1 Won 41-3 over Buffalo
19 (Unr.) Texas 2-0 Won 44-10 over Texas State
20 (19) LSU 0-1 Idle
21 (22) Loyola Marymount 0-0 Played in California 7s (15s starts Nov. 12 vs. UCLA)
22 (23) Stony Brook 5-1 Won 33-9 over Kings Point
23 (24) Virginia Tech 1-1 Idle
24 (25) Arkansas 1-0 Idle
25 (Unr.) Kansas 2-1 Won 36-5 over Kansas State
Dropped out
(21) Oregon State 0-0 Idle
(18) Texas State 2-0 Lost 44-10 to Texas
Men's D1-AA College Top 25 (24 October)
RugbyMag.Com Staff - There's very little movement in this week's Top 25, because there were little-to-no surprises across the country. The one potential surprise was Kansas State only beating Truman State by two points on a missed Bulls conversion at the death. It was the first 15s game for the Wildcats this season, so better form is likely to follow, but Truman lost huge to Kansas, and Arkansas knocked off the Jayhawks in Lawrence, Kan. Saturday, so the Razorbacks supplant K-State as No. 25.
Arkansas is entering DI on the heels of consecutive Heart of America (LAU) DII championships and coach Warren Fyfe has done an excellent job restocking the cupboard each season. An interesting addition this year is Tim Hanify, who started at fullback for the St. Louis Royals when they finished second in the country amongst DIII men's clubs two springs ago.
The other potential surprise was the score line in the Davenport/Miami match. The Panthers scored a 34-point win, setting up another colossal match this weekend against Bowling Green. Miami doesn't fall far, though. Neither does Indiana, who bounced back with a lopsided win over Purdue in its first game against someone other than a top-ten team in almost a month.
St. Bonaventure continues to beat the inferior teams in the Empire West, but they haven't ascended much in our rankings. That's because last year's winner of the New York State Conference, Buffalo, didn't do much to pump up the area's reputation. The Bonnies are going to have to prove they deserve higher billing by beating better teams. Same goes for Stony Brook, who are sitting atop the Empire East.
1 (1) Davenport 5-0 49-15 over Miami
2 (2) Dartmouth 7-0 Won 62-0 over Harvard
3 (3) UC Santa Barbara 0-0 Idle (first game Nov. 12 vs. Cal Poly)
4 (5) Bowling Green 5-0 Won 56-5 over Michigan State
5 (6) San Diego State 0-0 Idle
6 (7) Florida 4-0 Beat FAU 60-26, USF 72-27
7 (4) Miami (OH) 3-1 Lost 49-15 to Davenport
8 (8) Stanford 0-0 Hosted Pacific 7s
9 (9 Northeastern 5-0 Idle
10 (10) Claremont Colleges 0-0 Idle
11 (11) Indiana 3-3 Won 51-26 over Purdue
12 (12) Wisconsin 5-1 Won 46-10 over Iowa State
13 (13) South Carolina 1-0 Played in Palmetto tournament
14 (14) Sacramento State 0-0 Idle (first game is Oct. 29 vs. Oregon)
15 (15) Minnesota 4-1 Won 51-17 over Nebraska
16 (16) Maryland 2-1 Idle
17 (17) Tennessee 2-2 Lost 61-0 to Life
18 (18) Texas State 2-0 Won 54-27 over Rice
19 (19) LSU 0-1 Idle
20 (20) St. Bonaventure 4-1 Won 46-5 over Syracuse
21 (21) Oregon State 0-0 Played in Pacific 7s
22 (22) Loyola Marymount 0-0 Idle (first game Nov. 12 against UCLA)
23 (23) Stony Brook 4-1 Won 36-0 over Fordham
24 (24) Virginia Tech 1-1 Idle
25 (Unr.) Arkansas 1-0 Won 23-13 over Kansas
Dropped out
(25) Kansas State 1-0 Won 37-35 over Truman State
Arkansas is entering DI on the heels of consecutive Heart of America (LAU) DII championships and coach Warren Fyfe has done an excellent job restocking the cupboard each season. An interesting addition this year is Tim Hanify, who started at fullback for the St. Louis Royals when they finished second in the country amongst DIII men's clubs two springs ago.
The other potential surprise was the score line in the Davenport/Miami match. The Panthers scored a 34-point win, setting up another colossal match this weekend against Bowling Green. Miami doesn't fall far, though. Neither does Indiana, who bounced back with a lopsided win over Purdue in its first game against someone other than a top-ten team in almost a month.
St. Bonaventure continues to beat the inferior teams in the Empire West, but they haven't ascended much in our rankings. That's because last year's winner of the New York State Conference, Buffalo, didn't do much to pump up the area's reputation. The Bonnies are going to have to prove they deserve higher billing by beating better teams. Same goes for Stony Brook, who are sitting atop the Empire East.
1 (1) Davenport 5-0 49-15 over Miami
2 (2) Dartmouth 7-0 Won 62-0 over Harvard
3 (3) UC Santa Barbara 0-0 Idle (first game Nov. 12 vs. Cal Poly)
4 (5) Bowling Green 5-0 Won 56-5 over Michigan State
5 (6) San Diego State 0-0 Idle
6 (7) Florida 4-0 Beat FAU 60-26, USF 72-27
7 (4) Miami (OH) 3-1 Lost 49-15 to Davenport
8 (8) Stanford 0-0 Hosted Pacific 7s
9 (9 Northeastern 5-0 Idle
10 (10) Claremont Colleges 0-0 Idle
11 (11) Indiana 3-3 Won 51-26 over Purdue
12 (12) Wisconsin 5-1 Won 46-10 over Iowa State
13 (13) South Carolina 1-0 Played in Palmetto tournament
14 (14) Sacramento State 0-0 Idle (first game is Oct. 29 vs. Oregon)
15 (15) Minnesota 4-1 Won 51-17 over Nebraska
16 (16) Maryland 2-1 Idle
17 (17) Tennessee 2-2 Lost 61-0 to Life
18 (18) Texas State 2-0 Won 54-27 over Rice
19 (19) LSU 0-1 Idle
20 (20) St. Bonaventure 4-1 Won 46-5 over Syracuse
21 (21) Oregon State 0-0 Played in Pacific 7s
22 (22) Loyola Marymount 0-0 Idle (first game Nov. 12 against UCLA)
23 (23) Stony Brook 4-1 Won 36-0 over Fordham
24 (24) Virginia Tech 1-1 Idle
25 (Unr.) Arkansas 1-0 Won 23-13 over Kansas
Dropped out
(25) Kansas State 1-0 Won 37-35 over Truman State
Men's D1-AA College Top 25 (17 October)
RugbyMag.Com Staff - While there wasn't a mass of exciting league games to keep an eye on last week, there was a rash of intriguing non-conference friendlies.
In one, LSU became the second highly-ranked SEC Rugby team to tumble in an early season tilt, losing 23-10 to Texas State. The Renegades were in our preseason poll, having reached the Sweet 16 last season, but were dropped due to early idleness. They're a great example of how we deal with idle teams. We can't ignore the winning of the teams currently playing, but when an idle team gets its season going and bags a couple wins, it'll be rewarded appropriately.
Tennessee, the first highly-ranked SEC Rugby team to be upset (losing to Maryland a couple weeks back) returned to the winner's circle with a 23-point win over Virginia Tech. Vols coach Marty Bradley says it's taken his team longer to transition from 7s than he would have expected or liked, but it appears Tennessee is coming along.
In another SEC Rugby-versus-Atlantic Coast matchup, South Carolina pounded NC State 38-7. The Gamecocks have a couple of impressive wins over area men's clubs in the bag this preseason, which coupled with the way they finished last year, has them looking quite dangerous.
Florida used a big second half Saturday to down rival Florida State in Tallahassee in front of a large partisan crowd. Florida coach Ken Simmons, though pleased with the win, says the Gators are still in a transitional phase and coping with the loss of several key playmakers. For the Noles, the void left by Dylan Hamilton at flyhalf has yet to be filled. Texas State in playoff action this spring. Dropkick photo There were two conference games of note Saturday; then undefeated Princeton against undefeated Dartmouth in the Ivy League and Stony Brook against Iona in the Empire East. Stony Brook avenged a heartbreaking loss from earlier in the season and replaced Iona in the rankings, and Princeton lost big to Dartmouth and followed the disappointment with a letdown against Brown on Sunday.
The most important match of the upcoming weekend? Easy: Miami (OH) at Davenport. Both teams are led by very experienced players, especially at flyhalf. The Reds' Luke Markovich could lineup in a number of different positions, and one of them could well be at standoff directly across from DU's all-world JP Eloff. This game is part of a three-game series that will determine the Mideast, and potentially the national title. The other two feature Bowling Green against Saturday's contestants.
1 (1) Davenport 4-0 Won 52-5 over Indiana
2 (2) Dartmouth 6-0 Won 57-5 over Penn, 53-21 over Princeton
3 (3) UC Santa Barbara 0-0 played in Cal Poly 7s
4 (4) Miami (OH) 3-0 Won 92-13 over Purdue
5 (5) Bowling Green 4-0 Won 20-19 over Ohio State
6 (6) San Diego State 0-0 Idle
7 (9) Florida 2-0 Won 28-5 over Florida State
8 (8) Stanford 0-0 Idle (first game Nov. 5 against San Jose State)
9 (13) Northeastern 5-0 Won 50-6 over UConn
10 (10) Claremont Colleges 0-0 Idle
11 (11) Indiana 2-3 Lost 52-5 to Davenport
12 (12) Wisconsin 4-1 Won 76-0 over Nebraska
13 (20) South Carolina 1-0 Won 38-7 over NC State
14 (14) Sacramento State 0-0 Idle (first game is Oct. 29 vs. Oregon)
15 (16) Minnesota 3-1 Won 13-10 over UNI
16 (17) Maryland 2-1 Won 24-17 over Towson
17 (18) Tennessee 2-1 Won 30-7 over Virginia Tech
18 (Unr.) Texas State 1-0 Won 23-10 over LSU
19 (7) LSU 0-1 Lost 23-10 to Texas State
20 (19) St. Bonaventure 3-1 Idle
21 (21) Oregon State 0-0 Played in NCRC 7s
22 (22) Loyola Marymount 0-0 Idle (first game Nov. 12 against UCLA)
23 (Unr.) Stony Brook 3-1 Won 24-20 over Iona
24 (24) Virginia Tech 1-1 Lost 30-7 to Tennessee
25 (25) Kansas State 0-0 Played in Oklahoma 7s
Dropped out:
23 (Unr.) Iona 3-1 Lost 24-20 to Stony Brook
15 (19) Princeton 4-2 Lost 53-21 to Dartmouth, 19-12 to Brown
In one, LSU became the second highly-ranked SEC Rugby team to tumble in an early season tilt, losing 23-10 to Texas State. The Renegades were in our preseason poll, having reached the Sweet 16 last season, but were dropped due to early idleness. They're a great example of how we deal with idle teams. We can't ignore the winning of the teams currently playing, but when an idle team gets its season going and bags a couple wins, it'll be rewarded appropriately.
Tennessee, the first highly-ranked SEC Rugby team to be upset (losing to Maryland a couple weeks back) returned to the winner's circle with a 23-point win over Virginia Tech. Vols coach Marty Bradley says it's taken his team longer to transition from 7s than he would have expected or liked, but it appears Tennessee is coming along.
In another SEC Rugby-versus-Atlantic Coast matchup, South Carolina pounded NC State 38-7. The Gamecocks have a couple of impressive wins over area men's clubs in the bag this preseason, which coupled with the way they finished last year, has them looking quite dangerous.
Florida used a big second half Saturday to down rival Florida State in Tallahassee in front of a large partisan crowd. Florida coach Ken Simmons, though pleased with the win, says the Gators are still in a transitional phase and coping with the loss of several key playmakers. For the Noles, the void left by Dylan Hamilton at flyhalf has yet to be filled. Texas State in playoff action this spring. Dropkick photo There were two conference games of note Saturday; then undefeated Princeton against undefeated Dartmouth in the Ivy League and Stony Brook against Iona in the Empire East. Stony Brook avenged a heartbreaking loss from earlier in the season and replaced Iona in the rankings, and Princeton lost big to Dartmouth and followed the disappointment with a letdown against Brown on Sunday.
The most important match of the upcoming weekend? Easy: Miami (OH) at Davenport. Both teams are led by very experienced players, especially at flyhalf. The Reds' Luke Markovich could lineup in a number of different positions, and one of them could well be at standoff directly across from DU's all-world JP Eloff. This game is part of a three-game series that will determine the Mideast, and potentially the national title. The other two feature Bowling Green against Saturday's contestants.
1 (1) Davenport 4-0 Won 52-5 over Indiana
2 (2) Dartmouth 6-0 Won 57-5 over Penn, 53-21 over Princeton
3 (3) UC Santa Barbara 0-0 played in Cal Poly 7s
4 (4) Miami (OH) 3-0 Won 92-13 over Purdue
5 (5) Bowling Green 4-0 Won 20-19 over Ohio State
6 (6) San Diego State 0-0 Idle
7 (9) Florida 2-0 Won 28-5 over Florida State
8 (8) Stanford 0-0 Idle (first game Nov. 5 against San Jose State)
9 (13) Northeastern 5-0 Won 50-6 over UConn
10 (10) Claremont Colleges 0-0 Idle
11 (11) Indiana 2-3 Lost 52-5 to Davenport
12 (12) Wisconsin 4-1 Won 76-0 over Nebraska
13 (20) South Carolina 1-0 Won 38-7 over NC State
14 (14) Sacramento State 0-0 Idle (first game is Oct. 29 vs. Oregon)
15 (16) Minnesota 3-1 Won 13-10 over UNI
16 (17) Maryland 2-1 Won 24-17 over Towson
17 (18) Tennessee 2-1 Won 30-7 over Virginia Tech
18 (Unr.) Texas State 1-0 Won 23-10 over LSU
19 (7) LSU 0-1 Lost 23-10 to Texas State
20 (19) St. Bonaventure 3-1 Idle
21 (21) Oregon State 0-0 Played in NCRC 7s
22 (22) Loyola Marymount 0-0 Idle (first game Nov. 12 against UCLA)
23 (Unr.) Stony Brook 3-1 Won 24-20 over Iona
24 (24) Virginia Tech 1-1 Lost 30-7 to Tennessee
25 (25) Kansas State 0-0 Played in Oklahoma 7s
Dropped out:
23 (Unr.) Iona 3-1 Lost 24-20 to Stony Brook
15 (19) Princeton 4-2 Lost 53-21 to Dartmouth, 19-12 to Brown
Men's D1-AA College Top 25 (10 October)
RugbyMag.Com Staff - Two seemingly massive upsets have shaken up our Top 25 this week. Florida State fell to Central Florida, which would have seemed inconceivable last season. Yes, it's preseason, but it's not a good sign for the Seminoles.
The other big upset saw DII Salisbury knock off Maryland just a week after the Terps scored an upset of Tennessee. This isn't college football. Interdivisional upsets are common. Harvard lost to a DII team last year and still reached the final four, so we won't wield inclement punishment on the Terps for falling to a top-five DII power.
Indiana hasn't budged off the No. 11 line despite losing back-to-back games. That's because they lost both to higher ranked teams in the toughest division in D1-AA. Whether or not the Mudsharks are a good team isn't in question, nor will it be when they lose to Davenport Saturday, as they likely will.
Dartmouth improved to 4-0 over Brown, but looked human in doing so. The Big Green don't usually concede a bonus point in Ivy play, even if they're on the road in less-than-ideal weather. Will the close game just peeve Dartmouth into punishing also undefeated Princeton Saturday, or does it signal a chink in the armor the Tigers could take advantage of?
1 (1) Davenport 3-0 Won 75-0 over Ohio State
2 (2) Dartmouth 4-0 Won 24-17 over Brown
3 (3) UC Santa Barbara 0-0 Idle
4 (7) Miami (OH) 2-0 Won 52-31 over Indiana
5 (8) Bowling Green 3-0 Won 40-27 over Air Force
6 (4) San Diego State 0-0 Idle
7 (5) LSU 0-0 Idle (first game Oct. 15 against Texas State)
8 (6) Stanford 0-0 Idle (first game Nov. 5 against San Jose State)
9 (9) Florida 1-0
10 (10) Claremont Colleges 0-0 Idle
11 (11) Indiana 2-2 Lost 52-31 to Miami
12 (15) Wisconsin 3-1 Won 19-10 over Minnesota
13 (18) Northeastern 4-0 Won 30-8 over Boston College
14 (13) Sacramento State 0-0 Idle (first game is Oct. 29 vs. Oregon)
15 (19) Princeton 4-0 Won 25-10 over Penn
16 (17) Minnesota 2-1 Lost 19-10 to Wisconsin
17 (12) Maryland 1-1 Lost 30-22 to Salisbury
18 (14) Tennessee 1-1
19 (23) St. Bonaventure 3-1 Won 36-20 over Binghamton
20 (20) South Carolina 0-0 Idle
21 (21) Oregon State 0-0 Idle
22 (22) Loyola Marymount 0-0 Idle (first game Nov. 12 against UCLA)
23 (Unr.) Iona 3-0 Won 22-5 over Fordham
24 (24) Virginia Tech 1-0 Idle
25 (25) Kansas State 0-0 Oklahoma State game canceled
Dropped out:
(17) Florida State 1-1 Lost 15-13 to Central Florida
The other big upset saw DII Salisbury knock off Maryland just a week after the Terps scored an upset of Tennessee. This isn't college football. Interdivisional upsets are common. Harvard lost to a DII team last year and still reached the final four, so we won't wield inclement punishment on the Terps for falling to a top-five DII power.
Indiana hasn't budged off the No. 11 line despite losing back-to-back games. That's because they lost both to higher ranked teams in the toughest division in D1-AA. Whether or not the Mudsharks are a good team isn't in question, nor will it be when they lose to Davenport Saturday, as they likely will.
Dartmouth improved to 4-0 over Brown, but looked human in doing so. The Big Green don't usually concede a bonus point in Ivy play, even if they're on the road in less-than-ideal weather. Will the close game just peeve Dartmouth into punishing also undefeated Princeton Saturday, or does it signal a chink in the armor the Tigers could take advantage of?
1 (1) Davenport 3-0 Won 75-0 over Ohio State
2 (2) Dartmouth 4-0 Won 24-17 over Brown
3 (3) UC Santa Barbara 0-0 Idle
4 (7) Miami (OH) 2-0 Won 52-31 over Indiana
5 (8) Bowling Green 3-0 Won 40-27 over Air Force
6 (4) San Diego State 0-0 Idle
7 (5) LSU 0-0 Idle (first game Oct. 15 against Texas State)
8 (6) Stanford 0-0 Idle (first game Nov. 5 against San Jose State)
9 (9) Florida 1-0
10 (10) Claremont Colleges 0-0 Idle
11 (11) Indiana 2-2 Lost 52-31 to Miami
12 (15) Wisconsin 3-1 Won 19-10 over Minnesota
13 (18) Northeastern 4-0 Won 30-8 over Boston College
14 (13) Sacramento State 0-0 Idle (first game is Oct. 29 vs. Oregon)
15 (19) Princeton 4-0 Won 25-10 over Penn
16 (17) Minnesota 2-1 Lost 19-10 to Wisconsin
17 (12) Maryland 1-1 Lost 30-22 to Salisbury
18 (14) Tennessee 1-1
19 (23) St. Bonaventure 3-1 Won 36-20 over Binghamton
20 (20) South Carolina 0-0 Idle
21 (21) Oregon State 0-0 Idle
22 (22) Loyola Marymount 0-0 Idle (first game Nov. 12 against UCLA)
23 (Unr.) Iona 3-0 Won 22-5 over Fordham
24 (24) Virginia Tech 1-0 Idle
25 (25) Kansas State 0-0 Oklahoma State game canceled
Dropped out:
(17) Florida State 1-1 Lost 15-13 to Central Florida
Preseason Men's D1-AA College Top 25 (15 September)
RugbyMag.Com Staff - Who makes up the preseason Top 25? We have a combination of returners and College Premier Division teams who have come back to DI, which should open up the competition and deepen the pool of realistic contenders.
Davenport returns all but two players for their title defense. The varsity program is just entering its third season, as are many of the Panthers. JP Eloff is the best player in DI, and he's joined by possibly the country's hardest working flanker in Ryan Hargraves and an intriguing and emerging talent in Demecus Beach.
However, they do play in the murderer's row of conferences. Miami (OH), Bowling Green and Indiana would be the odds on favorite to win several other DI leagues, but they're all bunched together in the Midwest East. With just 14 DI conferences, it appears there will be two at-large bids to the playoffs. Since the MWEC took two teams to the final four last year, don't be surprised if they get a second bid again.
Dartmouth could appear under-ranked at No. 2, but they lost 20 players to graduation, including the Downer brothers, RUGBYMag All American Charlie Grant, captain Tommy Brothers, Tanner Scott and 7s All American Muhammed Abdool-Shakoor. The entire Big Green front row is graduated, as are many of the backups. That's why Dartmouth isn't No. 1. They could be by season's end because All American Nate Brakeley and AA honorable mentions Paul Jarvis and Derek Fish return.
San Diego State, Tennessee and LSU all could have won DI last season, but all have lost some of the best players their programs have seen. LSU's Bobby Johns and Adam Ducoing headlined an outgoing senior class that will be nearly impossible for the Tigers to replace this year. Benji Goff has left Knoxville for grad school at Life and the Duncan Kelm era has come to an end in San Diego. Tennessee and San Diego State have are also replacing head coaches, though Matt Hawkins is a heck of a grab for the Aztecs.
Matt Sherman's entering his second year at Stanford. He will get started on Cardinal business late because of the World Cup, but he did the same last year due to being hired relatively late, and his team was a miraculous UCSB second-half comeback from a final four appearance. Marcus Henderson is a budding star in Palo Alto, and he could be primed for a breakout.
Why is Miami ranked ahead of Bowling Green? Seniors. The RedHawks have five of them starting, and they're all very good. Miami fell to Bowling Green and Davenport by a combined eight points in league play last year, and they return all the key playmakers.
Other ranked teams who've lost significant playmakers are Florida (DI RUGBYMag All American Darryl Meckley and Corey Penca, plus Matias Groetaers graduates in December), Florida State (Dylan Hamilton), Kansas State (Joe D'Agostino), Loyola Marymount (All American Zachary Fenoglio), Maryland (Sage Winn) and Buffalo (Pat Hughes).
Conversely, Indiana and Middlebury return virtually everyone. DII runners up Middlebury beat a few DI opponents last season with a young squad, including final four participant Harvard.
One of the biggest personnel transactions of the offseason was one that didn't happen. Matias Cima, the Gonzaga star that catapulted Maryland to the first-ever ACRL title, did not transfer to Penn State as rumor suggested. Cima is still a Terp, and his fellow Maryland diaper dandies are a year older.
1 Davenport
2 Dartmouth
3 UC Santa Barbara
4 San Diego State
5 Tennessee
6 LSU
7 Stanford
8 Miami (OH)
9 Claremont Colleges
10 Bowling Green
11 Florida
12 Sacramento State
13 South Carolina
14 Indiana
15 Wisconsin
16 Oregon State
17 Florida State
18 Minnesota
19 Loyola Marymount
20 Kansas State
21 Maryland
22 Middlebury
23 Buffalo
24 Texas State
25 Chico State
Davenport returns all but two players for their title defense. The varsity program is just entering its third season, as are many of the Panthers. JP Eloff is the best player in DI, and he's joined by possibly the country's hardest working flanker in Ryan Hargraves and an intriguing and emerging talent in Demecus Beach.
However, they do play in the murderer's row of conferences. Miami (OH), Bowling Green and Indiana would be the odds on favorite to win several other DI leagues, but they're all bunched together in the Midwest East. With just 14 DI conferences, it appears there will be two at-large bids to the playoffs. Since the MWEC took two teams to the final four last year, don't be surprised if they get a second bid again.
Dartmouth could appear under-ranked at No. 2, but they lost 20 players to graduation, including the Downer brothers, RUGBYMag All American Charlie Grant, captain Tommy Brothers, Tanner Scott and 7s All American Muhammed Abdool-Shakoor. The entire Big Green front row is graduated, as are many of the backups. That's why Dartmouth isn't No. 1. They could be by season's end because All American Nate Brakeley and AA honorable mentions Paul Jarvis and Derek Fish return.
San Diego State, Tennessee and LSU all could have won DI last season, but all have lost some of the best players their programs have seen. LSU's Bobby Johns and Adam Ducoing headlined an outgoing senior class that will be nearly impossible for the Tigers to replace this year. Benji Goff has left Knoxville for grad school at Life and the Duncan Kelm era has come to an end in San Diego. Tennessee and San Diego State have are also replacing head coaches, though Matt Hawkins is a heck of a grab for the Aztecs.
Matt Sherman's entering his second year at Stanford. He will get started on Cardinal business late because of the World Cup, but he did the same last year due to being hired relatively late, and his team was a miraculous UCSB second-half comeback from a final four appearance. Marcus Henderson is a budding star in Palo Alto, and he could be primed for a breakout.
Why is Miami ranked ahead of Bowling Green? Seniors. The RedHawks have five of them starting, and they're all very good. Miami fell to Bowling Green and Davenport by a combined eight points in league play last year, and they return all the key playmakers.
Other ranked teams who've lost significant playmakers are Florida (DI RUGBYMag All American Darryl Meckley and Corey Penca, plus Matias Groetaers graduates in December), Florida State (Dylan Hamilton), Kansas State (Joe D'Agostino), Loyola Marymount (All American Zachary Fenoglio), Maryland (Sage Winn) and Buffalo (Pat Hughes).
Conversely, Indiana and Middlebury return virtually everyone. DII runners up Middlebury beat a few DI opponents last season with a young squad, including final four participant Harvard.
One of the biggest personnel transactions of the offseason was one that didn't happen. Matias Cima, the Gonzaga star that catapulted Maryland to the first-ever ACRL title, did not transfer to Penn State as rumor suggested. Cima is still a Terp, and his fellow Maryland diaper dandies are a year older.
1 Davenport
2 Dartmouth
3 UC Santa Barbara
4 San Diego State
5 Tennessee
6 LSU
7 Stanford
8 Miami (OH)
9 Claremont Colleges
10 Bowling Green
11 Florida
12 Sacramento State
13 South Carolina
14 Indiana
15 Wisconsin
16 Oregon State
17 Florida State
18 Minnesota
19 Loyola Marymount
20 Kansas State
21 Maryland
22 Middlebury
23 Buffalo
24 Texas State
25 Chico State
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