Oklahoma vs Arkansas

College Preview & Picks: SMC vs. BYU, Conference Deciders Grab Spotlight

College Preview & Picks: SMC vs. BYU, Conference Deciders Grab Spotlight

A look at the college games this week, including some key conference deciders and meetings with top-ranked teams.

Mar 9, 2018 by Alex Goff
College Preview & Picks: SMC vs. BYU, Conference Deciders Grab Spotlight

There are some massive games to watch out for this weekend, including a No. 1 vs. No. 4 matchup and a number of conference deciders.

Last week, our predictions produced a 14-2 record, with one of those games being us picking Missouri to win by three over Kansas. KU won by a point, so that's not exactly a big miss.

This week carries huge implications.

Oklahoma at Arkansas

Can Oklahoma (ranked No. 32 by FloRugby in D1A) keep its winning streak going at No. 36 Arkansas? Watch LIVE on FloRugby.

#1 D1A Saint Mary's at #4 BYU

Saint Mary's has looked impressive against everyone, but can the Gaels win on the road in Provo, Utah? Doing that has to be the true test for any champion.

How Saint Mary's Works The Phases:

How Saint Mary's Works The Phases


Saint Mary's already beat BYU once, but that was at home. Are the Gaels too run down? Or have BYU's canceled games and cold start hurt the Cougars?

Pac West Decider

It's pretty simple, really. First place in the Pac West should go to the winner this weekend of Chico State (ranked No. 11 in D1AA by FloRugby) against No. 25 Stanford. Both are undefeated. Chico State, should the Oaks win, will still have to face a very good Nevada team to clear the schedule.

Playing against common opponents, the two teams have scored about the same number of points (Stanford 224 and Chico State 212). However, defensively against those four teams, Chico State has been much better, allowing 30 while Stanford has allowed 77.

Mid-South Action

This is the second half of the Huckaby Cup series. Second-ranked Life slammed No. 11 Arkansas State in their last meeting, but this time around the Red Wolves are at home and playing a lot better.

Davenport, ranked 15th, is a solid team and could prove a lot with a win at No. 5 Lindenwood. Even a close loss will do wonders for the Panthers' playoff chances.

Cal Invitational

The Cal Invitational is back. The two-day tournament used to be a special event on the calendar, and if you were invited, it meant you were respected. This time around, No. 3 Cal's game against No. 20 UCLA on Saturday counts as a conference game, too.

But we're interested to see if No. 13 Army can topple Claremont Colleges and meet Cal on Sunday. It's been too long since these two teams played. Remember that Army head coach Matt Sherman played for Cal head coach Jack Clark in Berkeley and for Cal associate head coach Tom Billups for the USA.

Our Picks

DATEAWAY
HOMEOUR PICK
3/10/2018
Fresno State
at
Nevada
Nevada by 17
3/10/2018
Chico State
at
Stanford
CSU by 6
3/10/2018
Sacramento State
at
UC Santa Cruz
UCSC by 11
3/10/2018
San Francisco State
at
San Jose State
Pick 'em
3/10/2018
Missouri
vs.
Nebraska
Missouri by 25
3/10/2018
Truman State
vs.
Oklahoma State
Pick 'em
3/10/2018
UC Santa Barbara
at
Cal Poly
Cal Poly by 23
3/10/2018
St. Mary's
at
BYU
St. Mary's by 2
3/10/2018
Colorado State
at
Utah Valley
CSU at 11
3/10/2018
Oklahoma
at
Arkansas
Oklahoma by 5
3/10/2018
Houston
at
LSU
LSU by 40
3/10/2018
Life
at
Arkansas State
Life by 19
3/10/2018
Davenport
at
Lindenwood
Lindenwood by 14
3/10/2018
Oregon
at
Boise State
Oregon by 10
3/10/2018
Cal State Northridge
at
Long Beach State
CSULB by 17
3/10/2018
UCLA
at
Cal
Cal by 28
3/10/2018
Army
vs.
Claremont Colleges
Army by 16
3/10/2018
Colorado
at
Central Washington
CWU by 35
3/10/2018
UNT
at
Texas
Texas by 17
3/11/2018
Texas A&M
at
Missouri
A&M by 15
3/11/2018
Army
at
Cal
Cal by 33
3/11/2018
Claremont Colleges
vs.
UCLA
UCLA by 19