While in Houston for #USAvIRE, we heard that D1A Rugby will restructure their post-season play in an effort to "come to the table" with college teams that want to play in "outside competitions" (i.e., the Varsity Cup), but also want to have a competitive season equal to their level of play. This restructuring will also make the post-season very flexible while bringing structure to last season's contentious and problematic "play-in" matches. Also, each D1A Conference will be guaranteed the opportunity to place it's #1 teams in the post-season.
The post-season will consist of 12 teams and be based on rankings.There are no details as to how the rankings will be determined or posted, but one can deduce that the rankings kept on D1ARugby.com will be used. Rankings will be determined on a weekly basis by a committee consisting of conference commissioners, Collegiate Director and league commissioner. Rankings will be posted on D1Arugby.com. However, if a team seeded 1-12 at the end of the D1A season opts to play in the Varsity Cup post-season, they will be allowed to do so without penalty. It is probable that these teams will not participate in the D1A post-season because the two seasons coincide. The list will then shift with teams from below the #12 mark moving up respectively.
In the first week of post-season, Teams 1-4 will have a bye, while teams 5-12 will play for the opportunity to compete in the QFs. Teams ranked 5-8 will host teams ranked 9-12, based on geographic sense (preventing an East coast team from having to travel to the West coast for a wildly-expensive elimination match). The winners of these matches will be seeded 5-8 to play teams 1-4 counter-respectively in the QFs.
Op-Ed
This plan has flexibility built into it so that it may change to meet the needs of D1A Rugby through its growth and the solidification of the foundation that is being built for it. It will be interesting to see how college teams react to such flexibility, especially when it is designed to allow both competitions to flourish. Maybe it's even designed to allow for both competitions to compliment each other in the future. That remains to be seen.
If these changes are successful and meet well with member teams, one can imagine this type of flexibility implemented in the D1AA/D2 competitions in subsequent years.
Scuttlebutt
Other rumors surrounding D1A Rugby include reports of the Air Force Academy's return to the West Division of D1A. The AFA's return to the West is much needed as the competition level in that division waned last season.
Rumors also abound that Notre Dame (with a beautiful new pitch to be finished in August) and Lindenwood have requested to join D1A. Those two additions would make for some fine competition in the Mid-South, if that is the conference they join.
The post-season will consist of 12 teams and be based on rankings.
In the first week of post-season, Teams 1-4 will have a bye, while teams 5-12 will play for the opportunity to compete in the QFs. Teams ranked 5-8 will host teams ranked 9-12, based on geographic sense (preventing an East coast team from having to travel to the West coast for a wildly-expensive elimination match). The winners of these matches will be seeded 5-8 to play teams 1-4 counter-respectively in the QFs.
Op-Ed
This plan has flexibility built into it so that it may change to meet the needs of D1A Rugby through its growth and the solidification of the foundation that is being built for it. It will be interesting to see how college teams react to such flexibility, especially when it is designed to allow both competitions to flourish. Maybe it's even designed to allow for both competitions to compliment each other in the future. That remains to be seen.
If these changes are successful and meet well with member teams, one can imagine this type of flexibility implemented in the D1AA/D2 competitions in subsequent years.
Scuttlebutt
Other rumors surrounding D1A Rugby include reports of the Air Force Academy's return to the West Division of D1A. The AFA's return to the West is much needed as the competition level in that division waned last season.
Rumors also abound that Notre Dame (with a beautiful new pitch to be finished in August) and Lindenwood have requested to join D1A. Those two additions would make for some fine competition in the Mid-South, if that is the conference they join.