The men's sevens tournament at the Collegiate Rugby Championship kicks off Saturday at Talen Energy Stadium in Chester, PA, with six pools of four teams, which makes it a little tough to pick who will reach the quarterfinals. However, we're giving it a try anyway.

Many observers wonder if the tournament is too big. With 24 teams, the quarterfinals take six pool winners (which makes sense) and the two best second-place teams, which is often a crapshoot based on points difference.

And points difference favors teams in non-competitive pools. The best second-place team might be in a pool with the best third-place team and the best fourth-place team and thus might have a relatively poor points difference at the end of the day.

But that's the format. Now on to who will win:

Pool A: Lindenwood, St. Joe's, Wisconsin, Mount Saint Mary's

Right off the bat, it's the Pool of Death. Lindenwood just won the USA Rugby Championships in Glendale, CO, and is probably better now. Wesley White has been brilliant all season and he hasn't received a lot of accolades in part because we expect it of him. The Lorenzo Thomas-Christian Rodriguez-Deion Mikesell triumvirate is superb.

But St. Joe's, led by the elusive, multi-skilled Jimmy Wolfer, is a program that knows how to win sevens games. Wisconsin, under coach Scott Adlington has produced some excellent results (and won the Big Ten).

"We have felt that each game, each practice, we are getting better," Adlington said. "We won games in sudden death. Our confidence continues to grow."

Freshman Ryan Shilts has been a find, while captain Luke Henricks, the experienced Tyler Crass, and the physically powerful Amos Mayberry round out a very useful Badgers team that has a solid bench.

"We don't look at them as players coming off the bench—we look at them as closers, players who lift our game," Adlington said.

Oh, and by the way, Mount Saint Mary's cruised through the Chesapeake and could well be one of the best eight teams in the competition. Every single one of these teams is quarterfinal quality. Lindenwood will win the pool, and possibly the tournament.

Pool B: Arizona, Indiana, South Carolina, Boston College

BC hasn't had enough heavy competition to prepare for a very tough Pool B. South Carolina didn't go to the USA Championships (even though the Gamecocks could have), and one wonders if they could have worked out some issues there.

Arizona and Indiana had a very tight game in Glendale, won by the Wildcats 14-12. Arizona will want to avoid starts like this.

We like the Wildcats here, while the chase for second will be tough but probably Indiana's.

And since we showed an Arizona misstep, here's something nicer.

Pool C: Kutztown, Dartmouth, Iona, Temple

Upset special! Iona could win this, and the Gaels have a really good shot at second. Kutztown, despite some injuries, is favored to win it.

Dartmouth's ability to play smart team rugby could see it through, while the more working-class grit of Iona could bleach out the Big Green. Temple? The Owls pitch up every year, play hard, and struggle to win. They should target success on Day 2.

Pool D: Life, Penn State, Air Force, Notre Dame

Air Force has the ability to shake up this pool, and word is that Notre Dame is perhaps a little better than some might expect. But Life has so much power and so much pace, and Harley Wheeler and Mitch Wilson make this attack sing. Penn State? The Nittany Lions have lots of talent, but will their success and cohesiveness in 15s translate into a formidable sevens team? Based on how they did at a warmup at West Point, we're thinking the answer is yes.

We predict Life to win and Penn State to finish second.

Pool E: Arkansas State, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Delaware

Here's where points difference comes in. ASU and UCLA are significantly stronger than Virginia Tech or Delaware. So who wins? We're thinking Arkansas State. But if that's the case, UCLA can score 40 on the other two and make the top eight regardless.

Pool F: Central Washington, Navy, Army, Maryland

Injuries have hit Army and so has some illness. Yet, the team has rallied nicely. Connor McNerney tells us that this Navy sevens team is the best he's seen and the most prepared for the CRC. Maryland is a team many believe could surprise, and we're thinking maybe Day 2 is when the Terps will shine.

Central Washington? It's been a weird season for the Wildcats. They did not have a great 15s performance but enjoyed some sevens success in the fall. Then the team did not see much action in the spring. Watch out for CWU, though. The Wildcats have an excellent chance to win this pool.

Wild Cards

We like whoever finishes second in Pool E—probably Indiana. Teams that might have had a better chance had this been a 16-team tournament? Navy, Penn State, Iona/Dartmouth, and anyone from Pool A.