Some champions, some hopefuls, and a few dark horses populate this weekend's USA Rugby Men's DI College 7s Championships.

Defending national champion Saint Mary's may have decided to play in June's Collegiate Rugby Championship in Chester, PA, (June 3-4) but the Gaels are also playing in the USA Rugby tournament in Glendale, CO, this Friday to Sunday. Joey Reavy is coaching the team, and two days after winning the DIA final on May 6, the Gaels were at work training for sevens.

We asked Saint Mary's head coach Tim O'Brien if the Gaels would select down for Glendale to save players for the CRC, and he said, "Why would we do that?" So they're bringing their best. Vili Helu is out injured. Alec Barton may be hurt. But watch out for the Holden Yungert-Mike McCarthy halfback combo. Kevin O'Connor is a horse in the forwards, and Jack Carso could well be the kind of player who is overlooked.



Lindenwood is another team playing in both the USA tournament and the CRC. The Lions have a former USA 7s Championships MVP in Mickey Bateman and a ton of power. Lindenwood, of course, has Deion Mikesell, who grew up as a rugby player playing sevens in Iowa. Like Mikesell, Lorenzo Thomas already has a USA cap. Nick Feakes is a smart decision-maker, and Wes Parker and Chris Schoemann bring some size to the Lions' deep program.



Ohio State has been playing some excellent sevens rugby this spring. The team trained with the 1823 men's team for all of February, twice a week, and taking on some seasoned men's players, including former Eagle Roland Suniula, was the best education the Buckeyes could get.

Their defensive structure is sound. Their unity is sound. They tackle well. Jo Jo Eramo is a threat to score whenever he gets the ball. Captain Aaron Thomas has been a stalwart, and Jamie Barlow and Ronan Forestall work the system well. Meanwhile, sophomore Mike Mathews has emerged nicely at hooker.

Utah is a bit of a wild card. The Utes haven't played a ton of sevens, but they are always good at it. Chad Gough is a Scholz Award finalist. Gabe Ruflin is experienced, and they have plenty of young ability, such as the elusive Kelsin Pupunu. But keep an eye on Grand Canyon, which went 5-1 in the Las Vegas Invitational.

These are possibly your front-runners, but this is an enormously difficult tournament. Teams play two pool games on Friday, and finish up pool games on Saturday morning. Then, they wait three hours or so and play the cup or bowl quarterfinals. Finally, they turn around an play two more on Sunday. Depth and the ability to rest players will be crucial to grind through three days of intense games.

Pool A

Saint Mary's
Bowling Green
James Madison
Fordham

Favorite: Saint Mary's.
Likely runner-up: Bowling Green.
Dark Horse: Everyone's a dark horse but probably JMU.

Pool B

Lindenwood
Grand Canyon
Wyoming
Stanford

Favorite: Lindenwood.
Likely runner-up: Grand Canyon. GCU is sort of a dark horse, too, as the Antelopes could surprise a lot of teams in the knockout rounds.

Pool C

Ohio State
Arkansas
Santa Clara
Florida International

Favorite: Ohio State.
Likely runner-up: Florida International. FIU is a very smart rugby team, and the Panthers could bring a style others haven't seen much of this year.
Dark Horse: Santa Clara won the Jesuit 7s, and Arkansas won two tournaments. This is an excellent pool top to bottom. 

Pool D

Davenport
Utah
Kansas State
Texas A&M

Favorite: Utah.
Likely runner-up: Davenport.
Dark Horse: K-State or A&M could do something.

Every team at this weekend's championships has earned significant tournament wins or sevens victories this season. Despite the length of the season, we like Saint Mary's. But remember, it's a grind, and if players get banged up, someone else can take the top spot. That's what Lindenwood did in 2015. Watch out for Ohio State.