2017 combined DI Elite and DI Spring Round of 16 / Photo: Jackie Finlan
Although USA Rugby has not released the brackets for the combined DI Elite/DI Spring Round of 16 or the DII spring college playoffs, the majority of the post-season field is known. Remember that the DI Elite and DI Spring teams play the first two rounds together, and then separate out at the semifinal stage. Only DI Elite competes for a “national championship,” while DI and DII are building toward seasonal spring championships.
By April 8, all of the spring college conferences will have named champions and runners-up, so USA Rugby should have completed brackets by Monday, April 9.
14 DII TEAMS ADVANCE
With only 14 teams populating the DII Spring Round of 16, two western teams will receive byes through the first round. The six western teams, divided into a pools of four and two, will compete at Stanford April 21-22. The conferences involved in these Stanford pools include:
– Gold Coast: CLAREMONT takes the top seed as the undefeated league champion. UC Irvine and Long Beach State will play April 7 for the second seed to regionals. The 49ers won the regular-season match 27-15.
– West Coast: FRESNO STATE and UN RENO have both qualified for spring regionals and the April 7 conference final will determine seeds to the post-season. The Bulldogs won the regular-season match 45-22.
– Cascade: There is only one DII team left in this conference, and EASTERN WASHINGTON had its at-large bid approved.
The eight eastern teams will be divided between Life University and East Carolina University, and involve the following conferences:
– SIRC: The conference’s final four weekend (April 7-8) will pit Kennesaw State vs. Alabama and Tulane vs. UGA on Saturday, and Sunday will determine seed. Both finalists should advance to regionals.
– Capital: GEORGE WASHINGTON won the league back in fall 2017, and Catholic is runner-up.
– Carolinas: UNC CHARLOTTE defeated COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON in Saturday’s final, and both are heading to regionals. Read more.
– Florida: ECKERD won the league and returns to regionals.
– Mid-America: The conference will hold its final four weekend April 7-8 in Columbia, Mo. The top-four teams are currently John Brown, Women’s Rugby at Kansas State, Arkansas and Truman State.
DI ELITE DIVIDES
There are four DI Elite teams and each one will join three DI colleges at one of the four playoff sites. Life and BYU will play at their respective home fields, while Penn State heads to East Carolina and Lindenwood returns to Stanford.
2017 playoffs: The quintessential “got the pass off” shot / Photo: Jackie Finlan
DI SPRING NARROWS DOWN
The bracket is really just waiting for the Pacific Mountain Rugby Conference seeding tournament (April 7-8), and then USA Rugby will know how to disperse the teams evenly in the west. In the east, the question is whether Florida is supplying a second team or if Mason Dixon is supplying a fifth to account for the absence of Notre Dame College (now a NIRA program).
STANFORD & BYU POOLS
– Gold Coast: GRAND CANYON won the conference in its first DI season, and UC SANTA BARBARA is runner-up.
– Pacific Mountain: CHICO STATE is the number one seed out of the conference and will likely not face a DI Elite team in the first round of regional playoffs. The remaining three seeds will be determined April 7-8 in Palo Alto, Calif. On Saturday, Washington State plays UC Davis, and Oregon State faces Stanford. The final round is Sunday.
– Summary: DI Elite’s BYU and Lindenwood will join Chico State, Grand Canyon and UC Santa Barbara, as well as three of the four Pacific Mountain teams competing on April 7-8 in the two western pools.
LIFE & EAST CAROLINA POOLS
– Florida: CENTRAL FLORIDA is heading to Marietta, Ga., and is the only team from Florida participating.
– Mason Dixon: UVA, VIRGINIA TECH, UNC and PITTSBURGH are all heading to the regional championship as the top-four seeds, and the assumption is that a fifth team will be named to account for the now absent Notre Dame College, which competed as an at-large team last year but is now a NIRA school.
– Summary: DI Elite’s Penn State and Life will join UCF, UVA, Virginia Tech, UNC, Pittsburgh and one more team (either Florida #2 or Mason Dixon #5) in the two eastern pools.