Kutztown advances up the ranking. /// Photo: Shawn Canady (view more) •
If the phrase, “so many good games last weekend,” sounds redundant, then you’re not mistaken. Upsets and single-digit decisions have been the norm the last few weeks, and now that the majority of DII fall colleges are in championship mode, continue to expect drama. Remember that the DII College Fall Top 20 includes teams across three competitions: USA Rugby’s DII, NIRA (Tier 2 varsity) and one spring-based league that names its champion in the fall. (Are you confused? Then click here.)
So without further ado … there were so many good games last weekend! And many of them occurred in various conference finals:
– Buffalo State beat SUNY Geneseo on a game-ending penalty kick, 25-22, for the top seed out of the league. Both teams advance to the fall Round of 32.
– Cincinnati kept a converted try between itself and Eastern Kentucky in the Ohio Valley final, 31-24.
– Towson claimed the Capital title after holding off Mary Washington 48-46 in the final. The pair will head to the spring championships.
– The Mid-Atlantic season had been building to the Bloomsburg vs. Kutztown final, and it didn’t disappoint. Bloomsburg held onto the title with a 22-7 win.
The following games saw the playoff-bound tested in their final league matches:
– Coast Guard kept its undefeated record intact by beating New Haven 25-20 for the New England Wide title.
– St. Michael’s played its top line against a physical, previously unranked Roger Williams, winning 26-17. Ashley Cook’s difficult conversions impressed. Both teams are heading to the fall Round of 32.
And in other leagues, the top teams continued to exercise their dominance:
– Vassar repeated as Tri-State champion with a 46-10 win over Albany.
– Montana State traveled to Colorado for back-to-back wins over Colorado Mines and Utah State for the Rocky Mountain title. Utah State did well in a 38-7 semifinal win over Colorado Mesa.
– UW La Crosse overwhelmed Marquette 97-5 in the Great Waters championship. UW Steven’s Point defeated UIC 77-10 in the third-place match and earned an at-large berth to the fall Round of 32.
Check out how the aforementioned teams and more fill out this weekend’s DII fall Round of 32. The only Top 20 teams you won’t see represented in the fall bracket are the Capital and NIRA teams, because they compete in different leagues.
For the University of New England and Bowdoin, these teams didn’t necessarily do anything “wrong” to be demoted. It’s that the other teams around them – Kutztown, Montana State – are playing higher-pressure games right now, or in the Bobcats’ case, traveling long distances for back-to-back matches. The NIRA post-season begins this weekend, although Tier 2 details have not been released yet. Also keep in mind that the NIRA records reflect games against fellow Tier 2 sides only.
DII COLLEGE TOP 20
Rank (Previous Rank) Team (League Record). Results
1 (1) Davenport (4-0). Lost 39-3 to DI varsity Notre Dame College
2 (2) Winona (5-0). Idle
3 (3) Vassar (8-0). Tri-State final: 46-10 W v Albany
4 (4) Bloomsburg (8-0). MARC SF: 117-0 W v St. Joe’s; Final: 22-7 W v Kutztown
5 (8) Montana State (7-0). Rocky Mountain SF: 66-22 W v CO Mines; Final: 48-14 W v Utah State
6 (9) Kutztown (7-1). MARC SF: 50-0 W v York; Final: 22-7 L v Bloomsburg
7 (5) Univ. New England (4-0). Defeated Castleton 55-5
8 (6) Bowdoin (3-1). Lost 71-3 to DI varsity Norwich
9 (7) Saint Michael’s (5-0). Defeated Roger Williams 26-17
10 (10) Buffalo State (10-0). Upstate NY SF: 37-7 W v Ithaca; Final: 25-22 W v Geneseo
11 (12) Geneseo (8-2). Upstate NY SF: 43-5 W v Buffalo; Final: 25-22 L v Buffalo State
12 (16) Towson (7-0). Capital SF: 73-31 W v Old Dominion; Final: 48-46 W v Mary Wash
13 (19) Mary Washington (5-2). Capital SF: 46-34 W v George Wash; Final: 48-46 L v Towson
14 (15) Coast Guard (8-0). Defeated New Haven 25-20
15 (13) Albany (6-2). Tri-State final: 46-10 L v Vassar
16 (unr) Roger Williams (4-1). Lost 26-17 to Saint Michael’s
17 (unr) UW La Crosse (6-1). Great Waters final: 97-5 W v Marquette
18 (18) Western Virginia (4-0). Idle
19 (unr) Cincinnati (5-1). Ohio Valley final: 31-24 W v Eastern Kentucky
20 (20) Utah State (4-4). Rocky Mountain SF: 38-7 W v CO Mesa; Final: 48-14 L v Montana St
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