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National Collegiate Rugby (NCR) published pre-season rankings for 10 Division II teams, and now after a couple weeks of play, the Coaches Poll expands to 20 teams. There is lots of movement to account for these early-season showings, and the following lends some context to the reorganization. The Rugby Breakdown is not involved in actually ranking these teams. For a round look, check out the DI review from yesterday and DI-AA recap from this morning. Stay tuned for DIII later today. [lead photo: Jackie Finlan]
UW Eau Claire (Great Waters) was promoted from #3 in the pre-season rankings to #1 after its 40-24 win against DI Univ. Northern Iowa. The Blugolds will play their first conference match on Oct. 3 against DIII UW Platteville.
2025 national runner-up Vassar (Tri-State) remains at #2 and started its fall campaign with a 101-5 win against Columbia. The Brewers are one of four Tri-State teams in the Top 20. Fairfield files in at #5 after beating #10 Marist 25-7 last weekend. Fordham joins the list at #18 after beating Montclair State 45-10. This weekend, Vassar plays Marist, Fairfield faces Columbia, and Fordham hosts Rutgers.
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Reigning national champion U.S. Coast Guard Academy (North Atlantic) came into the season ranked #1 and shifted to #3 after a 99-5 win against #12 Roger Williams (Rugby Northeast). The Bears have another non-conference match against #13 Norwich (Rugby Northeast) this weekend and have a couple of intriguing DI matchups to come. But that’s not to say that Coast Guard should look past its two North Atlantic DII competitors, especially #8 New Hampshire. The team has scrimmaged two NCAA varsity programs so far and this Sunday faces DI Quinnipiac, now in its club sports stage.
As referenced, Roger Williams and Norwich compete in Rugby Northeast, and they’ll face each other on Oct. 31. The Cadets have been active, scrimmaging with teams like Canada’s McGill, NCAA varsity Bowdoin and DI St. Bonaventure, and won its first conference match 29-19 against Univ. Maine Orono.
The Upstate New York conference is in that same vicinity as Rugby Northeast, and SUNY Binghamton is representing the league on the rankings at #10, a drop from #5. The She-Devils won their first two league games 34-15 against Colgate and 34-25 against Niagara. Cornell is this Saturday.
Bumping up two spots from #6 to #4, Coastal Carolina University is one of three South Atlantic Rugby Conference (SARC) teams in the Top 20. The SARC East squad shut out UT Knoxville 80-0 and Univ. South Carolina 52-0, and readies for Appalachian State this weekend. Here’s looking forward to that Oct. 23 Friday Night Lights game against DI Lander.
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SARC’s UNC Charlotte and Kennesaw State join the rankings at #14 and #16, respectively. The Mean Green beat UNC Greensboro 74-14 and is scheduled for USC this Friday night. The Owls shut out two SARC West teams so far: 55-0 vs. Alabama and 22-0 vs. Georgia Tech. Kennesaw gets the bye this weekend.
Bowling Green State University (Great Lakes) gained one spot in the rankings, moving from #7 to #6, after beating Ball State 80-0 and Grand Valley State (#15) 43-5. The Ohio team challenged itself against DI Walsh University in a 50-25 loss. BGSU and Grand Valley are easily each other’s best competition within the Great Lakes conference, and they’ll see each other again on Oct. 10.
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Winona State (Northern Lights) debuts on the rankings at #7, having pushed DI Univ. Northern Iowa to a 50-33 decision and then following with a 121-0 conference win against Minnesota State University – Moorhead. The Black Katts host Great Waters’ UW Eau Claire at 10 a.m. CT this Saturday.
The Mid-Atlantic Rugby Conference (MARC) runs two pools based on geography, and teams will cross over in the post-season. No. 11 Mary Washington has beaten George Washington 54-14 and Maryland 60-24. William & Mary (#17) played American University, but that game was officially ruled a forfeit win (numbers). Univ. Maryland is this weekend. And #20 Towson has not played a league game yet due to a postponement against Lafayette. That idle status changes this weekend against Bloomsburg (which dropped its opener 69-43 to Kutztown).
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And finally, Colorado Mesa State is representing the High Peaks conference at #19. The Mavericks beat DI-AA Utah State 19-14 already. The always highly anticipated match against DIII Colorado School of Mines occurs this Sunday in Grand Junction, Colo.
Curious what’s on the late for this weekend? Stay tuned for TRB’s weekly scores post, which tracks games and results at the USA, senior club, college and high school levels.