Men's College Preview & Picks: Tough Decisions For Top 10 Matchups In D1A

Men's College Preview & Picks: Tough Decisions For Top 10 Matchups In D1A

FloRugby looks at the college games this weekend and makes some picks.

Feb 16, 2018 by Alex Goff
Men's College Preview & Picks: Tough Decisions For Top 10 Matchups In D1A

Last week we made predictions on 18 games that actually produced a result and were correct in 16.

That's a pretty good percentage, but we also got a number of winning margins horribly wrong. Mostly, we have been wrong in the dichotomy of strength in the Gold Coast, where the "haves" are way stronger than the "have-nots."

We also got our Red River predictions quite wrong, especially the rebound of Texas Tech.

This week? Lots of games to look at. Here are the best matchups.

No. 4 BYU at No. 1 Saint Mary's

Obviously, this is the top matchup in terms of rankings, in terms of rivalry, and in terms of how close the BYU and Saint Mary's games are year to year. 

Saturday's game is streaming LIVE on FloRugby, and it is worth the subscription rate just for this top five clash. It's going to be a classic.

We have Saint Mary's winning it just because the Gaels have had more time playing together. But if you ask the experts, it's a split decision.

No. 6 Lindenwood at No. 2 Life

Also obviously, this game is streaming live on FloRugby on Saturday and is about as compelling a matchup as you could want. Control of the Mid-South Conference is up for grabs, and if someone can take down Life, it is Lindenwood.

We pick Life for this one, but it's going to be close.

No. 19 Texas A&M at No. 27 LSU

Texas A&M could slip up in Baton Rouge, but we like the Aggies on the road for this one. And if that's the case, A&M will control its destiny in the Red River.

No. 3 Cal at No. 9 Arizona and Arizona State

We have Cal winning these games, and certainly the Bears are favored. But win or lose, it's a big weekend for Arizona. The playoffs and the rankings are coming to a crucial time, and so a competitive result from the Wildcats will go a long way toward securing the right ranking.

No. 2 (D1AA) Dartmouth at No. 5 Navy

The Naval Academy needs more games to secure a ranking to get into the D1A playoffs. Dartmouth needs games to prepare for the D1AA spring final eight. Navy's coach used to coach Dartmouth. It's a match made in... well, somewhere. Navy should win, but it will be hugely valuable for Dartmouth either way.

PICKS

Sacramento State
at
Fresno State
Sac State by 11
Nevada
at
UC Santa Cruz
UCSC by 5
San Francisco State
at
Chico State
Chico State by 22
Missouri
v
Washington (MO)
Heart of America
Grand Canyon
at
Utah
GCU by 6
BYU
at
Saint Mary's
St. Mary's by 4
Colorado
at
Utah Valley
Utah Valley by 9
Texas A&M
at
LSU
A&M by 12
Houston
at
Texas
Texas by 20
Texas Tech
at
Arkansas
Arkansas by 11
Oklahoma
at
Baylor
Bayor by 15
UCLA
at
San Diego State
SD State by 8
Dartmouth
at
Navy
Navy by 24
California
at
Arizona
Cal by 30
USC
at
Cal Poly
Cal Poly by 25
Arkansas State
at
Clemson
ASU by 17
Lindenwood
at
Life
Life by 15
Oregon
at
Western Washington
WWU by 21
Washington State
at
Boise State
WSU by 6
Idaho
at
Eastern Washington
NCRC
Oregon State
at
Western Oregon
OSU by 28
San Diego
at
Cal State Northridge
Gold Coast
UCF
at
FAU
UCF by 40
USF
at
FIU
FIU by 25
Kennesaw State
at
Georgia Tech
KSY by 22
MTSU
at
Memphis
MTSU by 20
Central Washington
at
Valley RFC
CWU by 41
California
at
Arizona State
Cal by 50