Men’s College Preview & Picks: Are More Surprises In Store This Weekend?

Men’s College Preview & Picks: Are More Surprises In Store This Weekend?

FloRugby looks at the best college matchups of the weekend and our picks for all of the games.

Feb 23, 2018 by Alex Goff
Men’s College Preview & Picks: Are More Surprises In Store This Weekend?

There has been no shortage of unpredictable results this season, but perhaps none was more stunning than BYU's margin of defeat to Saint Mary's last week.

The Gaels beat the Cougars by 20 points, the biggest loss BYU has endured in almost 10 years. The Cougars lost by 52 in the 2008 D1 national final (to Cal) and by 30 points the year before in the same final (also to the Bears). But since then, we don't think BYU has been handed such a sizable defeat.

Looking ahead to this week, we could see a few more surprise results. But first, a look at our predictions from last week. Of the 23 games we predicted that produced results, we got the winner right 18 times, which is a relatively adequate percentage of 78 percent, but we expect to be higher than that.

Baylor's loss at Oklahoma was a big surprise and a good indication of how OU has improved. We predicted San Diego State would beat UCLA by eight, but they ended up tying. We took a "wrong" on that but it wasn't that bad. Western Oregon over Oregon State was a bit of a shocker. LSU over Texas A&M and Nevada over UCSC weren't all that surprising. We just guessed wrong.

On the plus side, we got one result exactly right, and Cal vs. Arizona we missed by one point. Overall we had a very strong week in winning margin accuracy.

This week, let's have a look at the games to watch.

No. 24 Davenport at No. 2 Life

Life leads the Mid-South but has not yet played what is a pretty strong Davenport team. The key for the visiting Panthers is that, despite dealing with bad winter weather, they logged some difficult games in the fall. Davenport is well-tested and won't back down from the Running Eagles' challenge.

WATCH LIVE

UBC at No. 3 Cal

One of the longest-running college rugby rivalries comes back again. However, it's a rivalry that has changed somewhat. The University of British Columbia has ramped up its efforts to support the rugby team, and the Thunderbirds play in what is still probably the toughest club league in North America in the BC Premier League.

Cal has blown away its competition so far this year, but UBC is 15-3 so far. Since January 20, the Thunderbirds have beaten Nanaimo, the UVic Vikes, and Seattle Saracens, while losing a close one to Capilano. UBC is probably favored in Saturday's game as a result.

No. 29 Clemson at No. 5 Lindenwood

This game is being shown as part of the Lindenwood High School Invitational on Saturday. Both teams are coming off close losses that they felt they could have (or should have) won. Both also know this game is part of a pathway to a national D1A playoff spot.

WATCH LIVE

Glendale at No. 1 Saint Mary's

After beating BYU 37-17 last week, Saint Mary's takes on the Glendale men's club program, and this will be a chance for the Gaels to test themselves against an older, potentially more physical team. For Glendale, this is an opportunity to see who can match the pace of the No. 1 team in the country.

WATCH LIVE

Claremont Colleges at (D1AA No. 23) Long Beach State

Shift your attention for a moment to D1AA. In the Gold Coast, Claremont Colleges is looking at an NSCRO title. Long Beach State is looking to win the conference and move on to the D1AA spring playoffs. Both are undefeated. The key here is whether Long Beach State can say it's the best team in Southern California in D1AA. To do that, the 49ers need a win this Sunday at home.

Note: Arkansas at Baylor has been called off due to bad weather.

Our Picks

2/24
San Jose State
at
Nevada
Nevada by 22
2/24
Sacramento State
at
Stanford
Stanford by 5
2/24
Kansas State
vs.
Oklahoma State
K-State by 55
2/24
BYU
at
Utah Valley
BYU by 50
2/24
Arkansas
at
Baylor
Canceled
2/24
Houston
at
Texas A&M
A&M by 29
2/24
UCLA
at
Utah
Pick 'em
2/24
Arizona State
at
Arizona
Arizona by 35
2/24
USC
at
California
Cal by 59
2/24
Davenport
at
Life
Life by 12
2/24
Clemson
at
Lindenwood
Lindenwood by 18
2/24
Boise State
at
Western Washington
WWU by 16
2/24
Oregon
at
Washington State
Oregon by 10
2/24
Western Oregon
at
Gonzaga
WOU by 8
2/24
San Diego
at
Loyola Marymount
San Diego by 21
2/24
Cal State Northridge
at
Cal State Fullerton
No idea
2/24
FSU
at
FAU
FSU by 17
2/24
UNF
at
USF
USF by 20
2/24
Georgia Southern
at
Kennesaw State
KSU by 20
2/24
UBC
at
California
UBC by 18
2/24
Seattle Dev.
at
Central Washington
CWU by 25
2/24
Glendale Club
at
Saint Mary's
St Mary's by 18
2/25
Western Oregon
at
Eastern Washington
WOU by 6
2/25
Claremont
at
Long Beach State
Pick 'em