Conference Deciders Highlight College Weekend

Conference Deciders Highlight College Weekend

Conference Deciders Highlight College Weekend

Oct 26, 2017 by Alex Goff
Conference Deciders Highlight College Weekend

As conference-deciding college games pile up, the prediction game gets harder.

Last week we have 34 predictions and we were wrong on the winner in five of them.

Now, those eight included some pretty memorable whoppers - Army beating Kutztown, Kentucky smacking Bowling Green by 49, and Wheeling Jesuit beating Notre Dame College. But overall we were at a 76% success rate, not grate, but decent.

This week, we’re trying to do better. Here are the games of this week, including the top four that the FloRugby team will take a stab at.


The games with a little extra on the line include:

Mary Washington at James Madison

JMU has been improving, and logged a nice win over Mount St. Mary's last week. But UMW has hardly been touched of late. 

Freshman fullback Bradlee Nicholls scored two tries in a 57-10 win over a very solid Virginia Tech team, and scrumhalf Harry Masters scored two twice also. No.8  Matthew Gordon was relentless on defense.

This game basically determines who wins the Chesapeake conference.




Army at Penn State

This is another game that chooses the conference, in this case the Rugby East. Penn State has been rolling through the opposition this fall, but Army has a legit shot at upended the Lions.


AIC at Iona

While the Gaels seem to be favored by FloRugby's predictors, it's easy to forget that AIC beat Iona a little under a year ago. Sure, the game was extremely close until some key injuries hurt Iona, but the fact remains.

Both teams have won most of their games by wide margins, but each has encountered a tough loss. Iona will be physicality and defensive organization against an AIC program capable of scoring from anywhere.




Lindenwood-Belleville at Arkansas State 

While Arkansas State is really just getting started, this is an important game for L-B in terms of putting the program's hand up and saying the Lynx are worthy of a D1AA at-large playoff bid. In our opinion, Lindenwood-Belleville has already accomplished that, but this game gives us more evidence.


Wisconsin at Indiana will likely confirm Indiana as #1 in the Big 10. Michigan State can confirm its spot as the best of the rest in that conference by beating Iowa.

Lindenwood (not the Belleville one, the other one) has games against Texas A&M and LSU in a bit of a southern road trip. Should be interesting to see how strong those teams (all three of them) are.

Dartmouth at Brown. Dartmouth can, and should, clinch #1 in the Ivy League.

Middle Tennessee State at Kennesaw State. Early days in the SIRC, but this game has big ramifications on who will be the best in the North.

Miami at Louisville and Cincinnati at Dayton. In the MAC South, two teams make it to the semifinals, and it could be that three teams will finish 3-1. Ohio is in 1st and already at 3-1. So it's a case of can Cincinnati bring home the bacon against a winless but tough Dayton team and at least tie? If not, Louisville could bypass Cincy with a win.

Games and Picks


Mary WashingtonatJames MadisonMWU by 14
AICatIonaIona by 12
Lindenwood-BellevilleatArkansas StateArkansas State by 24
ArmyatPenn StatePenn State by 17
LindenwoodatTexas A&MLindenwood by 41
FordhamatRutgersFordham by 8
Western MichiganatUni. Notre DameNotre Dame by 7
New MexicoatWyomingWyoming by 25
WisconsinatIndianaIndiana by 9
IowaatMichigan StateMichigan State by 5
Ohio StateatMichiganOhio State by 21
PurdueatMinnesotaPurdue by 3
Mount St. Mary'satMarylandMaryland by 5
Virginia TechatSalisburyVirginia Tech by 11
GeorgetownatVirginiaGeorgetown by 5
DartmouthatBrownDartmouth by 33
ColumbiaatCornellColumbia by 20
PennatHarvardHarvard by 5
YaleatPrincetonYale by 8
Rhode IslandatUConnUConn by 18
NortheasternatTuftsNortheastern by 29
AlbanyatBuffaloBuffalo by 17
LindenwoodatLSULindenwood by 25
Utah StateatUtahUtah 15
ColoradoatAir ForceAir Force by 17
Wheeling JesuitatKutztownKutztown by 20
Notre Dame CollegeatSt. BonaventureNDC by 14
South CarolinaatAuburnUSC by 33
Mississippi StateatTennesseeTennessee by 25
USFatFAUFAU by 11
Georgia SouthernatGeorgia TechGeorgia Southern by 19
MTSUatKSUMTSU by 7
FSUatUCFUCF by 8
Kansas JayhawksatNebraskaKansas by 23
Iowa StateatMissouriIowa State by 11
Kansas StateatTruman StateKansas State by 55
UMassatBoston CollegeBC by 12
Miami (OH)atLouisvilleLouisville by 9
CincinnatiatDaytonCincinnati by 13
IUPatRowanRowan by 8
TempleatWest VirginiaWVU by 12