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Move back up to 15 in the ARN poll...

College rankings: Some movement plus a newbie

By Brian Lowe

Los Angeles, CA ? A busy weekend of games, including the start of playoffs in New England and the Mid-Atlantic, has resulted in some movement both up and down the order, as well as the entry of a newbie this week in the Down Under Endeavours College Top 25.

Playoff wins by Kutztown, Delaware and Boston College, plus Buffalo clinching the New York State title, have seen all of them move up the rankings in a clump, the top six remain unchanged, while Cal Poly slips but only because they?re idle. Elsewhere, Ohio State has stopped the rot and is headed back up the ladder as Maryland loses a bit of ground following their second loss in a row.

Further down the list, Cornell makes a move in the right direction and Indiana makes its first ever appearance in the American Rugby News rankings. Indiana moves into the 25 at the expense of Tennessee following their good form in Midwest pool play coupled with their defeat of the Volunteers. Other teams making some moves out of the 25 include Central Washington, Minnesota, Purdue and Nebraska. So with all that in mind, here is this week?s Down Under Endeavours College Top 25.

1 (1) California (idle) [5]
2 (2) Utah (3-1) [5]
3 (3) BYU (2-1) [5]
4 (4) Penn State (6-0) [3]
5 (5) Army (6-0) [2]
6 (6) Navy (5-0) [3]
7 (8) Kutztown (8-1) [3]
8 (9) Delaware (6-0) [3]
9 (10) Boston College (6-0) [2]
10 (11) Buffalo (6-0) [2]
11 (7) Cal Poly (idle) [4]
12 (12) UC Davis (idle) [5]
13 (13) UC Santa Barbara (idle) [4]
14 (14) Colorado State (4-0) [3]
15 (16) Ohio State (5-1) [2]
16 (15) Maryland (3-3) [3]
17 (17) Washington State (3-0) [2]
18 (18) Dartmouth (4-2) [2]
19 (19) Truman State (2-0) [3]
20 (24) Cornell (6-1) [2]
21 (20) Clemson (2-0) [1]
22 (21) St Mary?s (idle) [5]
23 (22) LSU (3-0) [3]
24 (23) New Mexico (2-1) [3]
25 (unranked) Indiana (3-0) [2]

The Midwest playoffs are set...we will face Minnesota at noon on 11/4 and Indiana will play Purdue at 2PM. The consolation game will be at 11AM on 11.5, with the winners playing at 1PM. All games will be at our home field, the house of pain at Beekman Park.
 
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Although our game is listed, it will hardly be a quality match as both teams will be powering down their lineups considerably as we both prepare for our regional championships which will punch our ticket to the Sweet 16.

Big college weekend

By Brian Lowe

Los Angeles, CA ? Another big weekend of crunch college games is on tap as eastern conferences get down to the nitty gritty of playoff rugby.

The New England championship will be decided between #5 Army and #9 Boston College, while further south along the eastern seaboard the EPRU division of the Mid-Atlantic Conference moves into the semifinal round with #7 Kutztown hosting Temple and #8 Delaware at home to Princeton.

New York State also hits the business end of proceedings with title holders Buffalo facing off against second-placed Cornell to determine the #1 and #2 seeds from that Conference to go into the Northeastern playoffs against teams from New England and Met New York.

Meantime, there are a bunch of matches in other parts of the country that, while not carrying playoff importance, do carry a lot of weight in terms of setting up teams in the run-up to their respective postseasons. One such matchup is #24 New Mexico at #14 Colorado State in a crucial Western RFU Western sub-region league contest. Both sides need a win to maintain their places in the hunt. UNM, who haven?t lost since head coach Ian Jones returned from Wales, are coming off a 35-12 victory over Oklahoma in the final of the High Desert Classic last weekend in Albuquerque.

While the final was a shortened game, had it gone the distance, New Mexico could well have won by an even bigger margin. Conversely, CSU, which has put together four straight wins, had a real struggle on its hands last Sunday before eventually prevailing against Air Force. This one could go either way and will go a long way in determining who?s likely to move on come the spring. Another critical Western sub-region league game is Wyoming versus Air Force. The winner stays in the hunt, while the loser will take a big body blow in terms of securing a berth in the Western playoffs.

Elsewhere in other interesting tussles, #4 Penn State hosts #15 Ohio State, #16 Maryland locks horns with Virginia Tech, Tennessee plays Virginia, Nebraska faces #19 Truman State, and #2 Utah is due to make a brief sweep of the Pacific Northwest where they?ll hook up with Central Washington. Also in that neck of the woods, Washington is scheduled to host Arizona.

And in other college news, LSU continued its unbeaten run towards next weekend?s SEC tournament with a 47-7 win against Tulane.
 
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Without going into too much detail, we threw out a half A half B team against Penn State and promptly got stomped 49-0. And it wasn't even that close. The reason we held out roughly 7 starters was because this weekend is the Midwest Championships. Four teams competing for the right to go to the Sweet 16 in the Spring. The top two move on. So basically you need to win on Saturday to punch your ticket. Sunday's championship is all about pride and being able to host the tournament next year. We will be playing at the House of Pain at Fred Beekman Park at 2 PM tomorrow against Minnesota (who I would love to shutout just like our football counterparts did). The earlier game will feature Indiana and Purdue. The losers will play at 11 AM on Sunday and the winners will play at 1 PM. Anyone who is in the neighborhood we would love to have come out...it always helps to look up on the hill and see some scarley and grey.

Saturday, November 4th 12 noon

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#25 Indiana vs. Purdue

Saturday, November 4th 2 PM

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#16 Ohio State vs. Minnesota

Link

Another huge weekend on tap

By Brian Lowe

Los Angeles, CA ? For the second weekend in a row, there is a plethora of top flight rugby on tap with title games, playoffs, pivotal Divisional clashes, and interesting head-to-head matchups in both college and Division I.

Both collegiate and men?s DI competitions are into the business end of fall proceedings in the Northeast with the NRU playoffs. After a hectic regular season, albeit a relatively brief one, followed by regional playoffs, it?s time now for teams to start jockeying for positions with a view to next spring?s Round of Sixteen.

In the college ranks, #5 Army, #10 Boston College, #9 Buffalo and #18 Cornell will be tested by the likes of Norwich, Syracuse, Harvard, and USMMA Kings Point in Saturday?s quarterfinals. The winners move on to the semifinals and final next weekend and eventually the two teams left standing will secure the #1 and #2 seeds for the Northeast going into the Round of Sixteen.

Further down the Atlantic seaboard, the Mid-Atlantic Conference provides yet two more scintillating contests with #7 Kutztown and #8 Delaware meeting head on in what they regard as a rivalry game to decide who?s the top dog in the EPRU Division. The two teams are set to play in Sunday?s championship game and while the Golden Bears have the higher ranking, the Blue Hens have a 3-0 record against KU in their last three meetings. Also in the Mid-Atlantic Conference, #3 Penn State hosts #6 Navy in a crucial top-of-the-table clash in the PRU Division. Both teams are unbeaten on the season and both will be looking to stay that way, as well as gaining a valuable psychological edge.

Elsewhere in the PRU Division, #15 Maryland will be playing for its survival with back-to-back games this weekend. The Terrapins lock horns with Loyola College on Saturday and then back up against Towson in a rained out makeup game on Sunday. On the line is the Division?s #3 seed. And likewise in the VRU Division, Virginia Tech and James Madison each have a potentially tough weekend ahead with a makeup match on Saturday; the winner will play Virginia in Sunday?s Divisional title game.

Over in the Midwest it?s championship weekend with the semifinals and final to be decided with #16 Ohio State, Minnesota, Purdue and #25 Indiana battling it out for the Midwest?s two seeds for the Round of Sixteen. And in the West, #24 New Mexico is at home to Wyoming in what is shaping up as a grudge match. Issues over CIPPs and ineligibilities in recent years have set the table for a knock ?em down drag ?em out affair. A win for either team will clinch the Western League title and an easier draw in next spring?s Western playoffs. The Cowboys currently sit in first place ahead of Colorado State with the Lobos just two points adrift in third spot.

This weekend also sees the inaugural SEC rugby championship in Birmingham, AL, with nine teams from the South taking part. The whole shebang of weekend action kicks off on Friday night with Texas A&M hosting Oklahoma in College Station, TX. American Rugby News will have all the news, scores and highlights so make sure to check back regularly to keep tabs on who won, who lost, and who?s still alive.
 
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I'm going to play in the Savannah tournament this year. Sorry you guys aren't going to make it two in a row down there, but I guess I can understand the London thing. :biggrin: What sides are you scheduled to play?
 
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