Excitement abounds for Quinnipiac’s recently added fixture. /// Photo courtesy Quinnipiac Athletics •
So many good games have occurred during the previous two weeks, and there are still some highly anticipated friendlies taking place in addition to conference playoffs. They’ll all impact the DI College Fall Top 20.
There’s no reason to move Penn State; however, the Nittany Lions’ record has been adjusted to reflect the new DI/DI Elite post-season being contested in the spring. There is no stand-alone DI Elite this year, and those teams (except those classified as “independent”) have reintegrated into their DI conferences. The former DI Elite teams will participate in their conference playoffs, and then join the DI spring Round of 16. At the quarterfinal stage, the top four teams will compete for the DI Elite title, while teams 5-8 will compete for the DI title.
There’s more information to come, but the effect on Penn State’s record is that only Big 10 results are now reflected. The game against Life, for example, was originally regarded as one that would affect DI Elite seedings, but is now classified as a “friendly.” BUT, since Life is an independent team, its record reflects all games against collegiate sides, including the Penn State tie.
It’s confusing, but so is collegiate rugby.
Two more notes on Penn State: The team has a triple-header in Ohio this weekend. The team will play league games against Ohio State and Michigan on Oct. 29, and then rest up for Lindenwood on Sunday. The St. Charles, Mo., side is coming off a 24-14 win over Life and looking to continue that momentum.
Finally, Penn State and Quinnipiac have added a Nov. 5 fixture to the calendar. It’s significant because, this fall and last, the Bobcats have only played varsity teams. The match is one of reigning champions – DI Elite vs. NIRA. Quinnipiac played a thriller against Central Washington in Ellensburg two weekends ago. The team lost 19-12, but both sides were grateful for the competitive push.
Teams 4-6 remain the same. To recap, Lindenwood beat Life 24-14, and Life lost 15-7 to Notre Dame College earlier this month. The Falcons have since defeated West Chester 60-24 and DII champion Davenport 39-3.
BYU dropped a 52-point game to Central Washington last weekend. Army lost to the Wildcats by a similar margin and spent last weekend shutting out Navy 67-0. The Cougars, like Life and Lindenwood, operate independently and will feature in the spring hybrid playoffs.
Dartmouth and Harvard round out the top 10, and they’re favored in their respective Ivy semifinals this weekend. The Big Green hosts number four seed Brown, while the Crimson hosts #3 seed Princeton. The same four teams will convene the following weekend in Cambridge, Mass., for the Ivy championship. With three of the four teams then aligning with the NIRA post-season, Princeton is the only Tier 1 team eligible for a DI fall quarterfinal berth. Cornell sits in fifth place, or top of Tier 2.
AIC holds steady at #11, having posted its second win over Norwich, which hasn’t won a Tier 1 NIRA game yet. Stronger performances from Air Force (defeated New Mexico 74-0 and Colorado 51-13) and Notre Dame (defeated Indiana 52-29) push those DI teams past the Cadets.
UConn also holds onto its spot at #12, beating Rhode Island 12-0 on a sloppy day. URI had the majority of possession during the first 30 minutes, but UConn’s defense was impressive. When the rain broke, so did the fluidity. Prop Rachel Coxe scored both of the Huskies’ tries, one in each half, while flanker Christa Amoia added the conversion. The weather marred play but the strength of UConn’s scrum was evident.
Minnesota clinched the Midwest’s top seed out of the conference, defeating Northern Iowa 27-25. The result was enough to get the Panthers onto the Top 20. Northern Iowa is 4-2 (its other loss came to Iowa State 31-22 in September) and played the closest game – by far – against the Gophers. According to the early-season bracket that was circulated (read more), the Midwest is only allotted its automatic qualifier, but there are at-large bids available.
Finally, Texas A&M is belatedly added to the Top 20. The Aggies went 4-0 against its two Southwest opponents – Texas (last year’s conference rep at playoffs) and Texas Tech – and won those games handily. More info to come on the program’s season thus far.
DI COLLEGE FALL TOP 20
Rank (Previous Rank) Team (Record). Results
1 (1) Penn State (4-0). Defeated West Chester 72-5 (f)
2 (2) Central Washington (5-0). Defeated Quinnipiac 19-12, BYU 62-10
3 (3) Quinnipiac (5-1). Lost 19-12 to CWU, defeated Castleton 213-0
4 (4) Lindenwood (3-0). Defeated Life 24-14
5 (5) Notre Dame College (3-1). Defeated West Chester 60-24, DII Davenport 39-3 (f)
6 (6) Life (1-2-1). Lost 24-14 to Lindenwood
7 (8) Army (2-3). Defeated Navy 67-0, lost 46-10 to Australia Defence Force
8 (7) BYU (2-1). Defeated Vipers Women 31-29, lost 62-10 to CWU
9 (9) Dartmouth (5-1). Defeated Princeton 84-15
10 (10) Harvard (3-1). Defeated Cornell 91-0
11 (11) AIC (3-4). Defeated Norwich 26-13
12 (12) UConn (4-0). Defeated URI 12-0
13 (14) Air Force (3-0). Defeated New Mexico 74-0, Colorado 51-13
14 (16) Notre Dame (6-0). Defeated Indiana 52-29
15 (13) Norwich (0-5). Lost 26-13 to AIC, defeated Tier 2 UNE 29-12
16 (15) Brown (1-4). Defeated Yale 81-5
17 (17) Princeton (2-2). Lost 84-15 to Dartmouth
18 (19) Minnesota (6-0). Defeated Northern Iowa 27-25
19 (unr) Northern Iowa (4-2). Lost 27-25 to Minnesota
20 (unr) Texas A&M (4-0). Defeated Texas 80-3
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