It’s been a bit of a debate over the past few years about whether D1A, Varsity, or even D1AA teams are the strongest in the college ranks.

Just about everyone would agree that D1A competition, and the best within that division, is at a higher level than D1AA. But most would also agree that on any given day several D1AA teams could beat a D1A competitor. The Varsity Cup was a different animal, in that the teams that won it said they had won a national championship — a claim that rankled USA Rugby, for sure, and probably the D1A national winners, as well.

This weekend we get to mix it all up. On Friday night, Varsity Cup quarterfinalist Central Washington plays 2015 and 2016 D1AA champion UC Davis on the road in Davis, CA. And a day later, CWU faces off against defending D1A champ Saint Mary’s in Moraga, CA.

"What a great way to start our season, taking on two great programs in their backyards," CWU head coach Todd Thornley said. "We are excited to add both these teams to our challenging schedule with each team presenting different challenges for our group. 

"I'm excited to see up to 15 of our student-athletes wear the jersey for the first time and take on some of the best in the nation. We will find out a lot about ourselves on this trip, and it will give us a great assessment of where to improve going forward."

CWU hasn’t lost yet this school year. The Wildcats swept the West Coast Sevens in October and the Collegiate Fall Classic in November, winning three games (including two over Arizona) by razor-thin margins. But this is the team’s first run-out in 15s with a pretty young tight five.

In a way, UC Davis has nothing to lose in this matchup. Having moved up to D1A into the California Conference, the Aggies need to find out, quickly, what this level of play is like.

“Our only problem, really, is depth,” UC Davis head coach Andy Malpass said. “This is a really difficult school to get into, but we have been able to box a little bit above our weight.”

Ari Wargon is not available for this game, which will test that depth a little bit, but captain Harrison Morrow has been superb in the back row. Malpass is also high on hard-working prop Anthony Goldstone.

Now that CWU and Davis are joining Saint Mary’s in D1A, this weekend will have rankings implications even if they aren’t conference games. That adds a little extra tension. And for CWU, being an independent team means every matchup is a conference game. That's because every game will be judged by those voting in the rankings, and it’s the rankings that seed the playoffs.

So this won't just be a little jaunt to California for the Wildcats then.