Two DI Elite programs have now endorsed the idea of a fall 15s championship and 7s spring. USA Rugby’s Rich Cortez indicated over the weekend that the DI Elite and DI Spring colleges would not contest combined Round of 16/8 playoffs after spring 2018, and that they’ll contest entirely separate post-seasons going forward. So, with the possibility of the four DI Elite teams playing a two-game season, why not hold the national championship in the fall rather than building the entire year to a single playoff weekend in the spring?
Penn State and Lindenwood have been more active in the fall. Life isn’t that far behind, but BYU delays its play longer. That said, it really wouldn’t take much to adjust their schedules for a December final four.
Additionally, Penn State, Life and Lindenwood attend both major 7s events – USA Rugby’s national championship and CRC 7s – but have little time to prepare for them since the 7s and 15s national championships are separated by two weeks. It’s always been a ridiculous schedule but at least for the DI Elite teams, there’s a real option to play an actual 15s season and an actual 7s season. The varsity league (NIRA), NSCRO and fall-based colleges already follow this competition format, which also allows teams/league that are uninterested in 7s to play a friendly 15s spring.