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D1A Rankings: West Coast in Full Swing


Welcome to the spring season of college rugby! This is a bit of an awkward time in college rugby because not all teams are playing games yet due to weather. Things are in full swing on the west coast so I thought I'd drop a rankings to start things off. Here's my explanation of my rankings and a preview of some exciting matches this spring. 



St. Mary's and Cal are back in action which means some teams get bumped down and the California powerhouse move up. Lindenwood stays at number one but has not played a match yet this spring. The Lions will play Ark State, Life, and Central. All of those will be solid games. It's fun to see the Lions take on western opponents like Central and BYU in the fall. BYU vs. Lindenwood was easily the most riveting match of the fall. I'd love for them to continue the trend and perhaps take on St. Mary's or Cal in future seasons.



Arkansas State boasts one of the more ambitious schedules in D1A. They will get a crack at Lindenwood and Life, and dangle revenge in front of the Davenport Panthers. It's obvious that Ark State wants to secure a spot in the playoffs. Winning all three of those matches guarantees it, dropping one and winning two still might earn them a spot. Only time will tell. 

The Gaels looked strong in their most recent match against the University of Arizona. True to form, they had top notch linebreaks followed by skillful offloads; the most impressive was a behind the back pass from Storti to Besag at pace. Also true to form, I am unable to find any information online about three of the five matches the Gaels had scheduled for January. They also dropped a game to Life West in December which doesn't make sense to hold against in them because Life West is not a college rugby team. 

Central Washington moves up now that they are back in the action. They sit at 2-0 after two solid wins over very good Canadian programs. They look to beat a third this upcoming weekend. Central has six matches scheduled with top 25 teams this spring including BYU, Lindenwood, UCLA, and St. Mary's. These independent teams like Ark State and Central really have to scheduled tough matches to snatch an spot in the playoffs. 

Cal is 5-0 to start their spring campaign, if you include their three wins at the Storer Classic. They've put up some big numbers so far against some weaker competition. It will be exciting to see them take the field against BYU on February 10th. Cal also has Army, Arizona, UCLA, Navy, and St. Mary's on their schedule this spring. If the Golden Bears can weather the storm that is that schedule, they might have a shot at redemption. 

UCLA is a team on the rise. They notched an exciting win over Oxford University this winter. They had a solid attack structure and some exciting play from their fullback. The true test will come against Cal tomorrow. If they can pull off an upset tomorrow, there's no telling where this UCLA team will end up. 

If you're a fan of high level college rugby, chances are you'll be tuning into a lot of BYU matches this spring. The Cougars have managed to schedule Central, Cal, St. Mary's, and Life. All four of those matches will be the best that American college rugby has to offer. The Cougars proved last spring that they could handle a tough schedule, if they can do this same this season they will be sitting in the driver's seat in the west come playoff time. Their destiny is their own. 


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