Last year, D1A chose, wisely, to remodel its playoff format by creating an East and a West bracket, each with eight teams. 

From the seven competing conferences (Big Ten, California, Rugby East, Mid-South, Pacific, Red River, and Rocky Mountain) come seven automatic qualifiers to the tournament, who get to host a Sweet 16 matchup. 

The Liberty is the eighth conference, but opts not to send a team to the postseason. Therefore, the remaining nine teams are selected based upon their ranking in the D1A official rankings. 

Here is our way-too-early prediction as to how the seedings will wind up:

East #1 - Life (Mid-South)

On the quest for an unprecedented three-peat, the Running Eagles are once again the team to beat in 2020. Though they've lost a core group of seniors from last year's team, they are still loaded with talent and determination. 

Veterans like Ryan Rees, Justin Johnson, Conner Mooneyham, George Phelan, Daemon Torres, and Brian Muntanga are strong upperclassmen leaders that will continue to drive the team in the right direction. 

West #1 - Cal (Pacific)

Having come as close as it can get to winning the title a year ago, the Golden Bears will be chomping at the bit to get back into playoff action later this spring.

They've been a young team over the past couple of seasons, but now many of these guys have become seasoned veterans at the D1A level. 

Damon Wiley, Jack Manzo, Sam Golla, Sam Walsh, Jason Severance, Keanu Andrade, and, when he returns from injury, Sam Cusano are just a few of the names that figure to play huge roles in 2020. 

East #2 - Army (Rugby East)

With Kutztown always opting out of spring postseason play, the automatic bid from the Rugby East would go to second-place Army.

Army is always a tough team to play, as they are well-organized, fit, and play with maximum effort at all times. They also play a very hard schedule year in and year out. 

They will take on anyone, and with matches in the spring against Cal, Central Washington, Navy, and Penn State, Army will be battle-tested come playoff time. 

West #2 - Saint Mary's College (California)

The Gaels were just seconds away from reaching the final last year, but a heroic try on the final play by Cal saw them fall in the semifinals. 

This year they expect to get back to the championship, a game they were in five straight years from 2013-2017, winning three of those. 

They've lost a few pieces from last year, including stud halfback Sean Yacoubian, but they are still chalked full with some of the very best players in the nation. 

Payton Talea, Joe Marchant, Ronan Murphy, Aaron Matthews, Tavite Lopeti, and Eddie King are as good of players as you'll see in college rugby. 

And keep an eye out for freshman Miles McCormick, who could well be a breakout by the end of this season.

East #3 - Indiana (Big Ten)

After a down year in 2018, the Hoosiers bounced back strong here in 2019, running through the Big Ten unscathed en route to the conference title.

As a conference winner, Indiana will get to host a playoff game, meaning they'll take on one of the at-large teams, likely from the Mid-South. 

Hoosiers Case Fleck, Iason Terezis, Will Chevalier, Andy Guhl, Gabe Yeoman, Matthew Davey, Michael Johnson, and Joey Blakeley were all named to the Big Ten All-Conference 1st Team, and will look to lead the boys into a huge spring season.

West #3 - BYU (Rocky Mountain)

The Cougars bowed out a year ago in the quarterfinals to a St. Mary's team clicking on all cylinders, so they'll be hungry to turn it back around in 2020. 

BYU didn't see much resistance in the fall, as they pounded the competition in the Rocky Mountain conference, going 7-0 with 616 points for and 37 points against. 

Tosh Wilcox, Dylan and Connor Parry, and Ezias Bigelow have run the show for the Cougars thus far, and they'll look forward to some huge challenges in the spring against St. Mary's (twice), Central Washington, Utah, Arizona, and Texas A&M. 

East #4 - Texas A&M (Red River)

At the moment, the Aggies sit alone atop the Red River conference standings, after posting a 3-0 conference record in the fall. They'll have to maintain their good form in the spring, however, with Baylor and Oklahoma always seeming to peak late. 

They'll most likely have the unenviable task of taking on the Mid-South runner-up in the Sweet 16, but at least they'll get to play at home, and you can never count someone out in sports.

West #4 - Arizona

With most of the West teams primarily focusing on 7s in the fall, it's tough to get a read on who's looking good in 15s. But if we're going based on recent history we know Arizona is always very strong. 

The Wildcats took down Central Washington in a great game in last year's Sweet 16 before taking one on the chin against Cal in the quarterfinals. 

The Cats always recruit well, but also look for experienced players Bronson Teles, Ben Scoular, Jon Rogers, Robert Figley, and Lou MacLaughlin to carry the team forward this season. 

East #5 - Lindenwood (At-Large)

Despite being perennially one of the top four teams in the nation, the Lions have had to continue playing in the playoffs as an at-large team, thanks to Life University's dominance in the Mid-South. 

As a result, one of the conference-winning teams from the Big Ten or the Red River constantly get matched up with Lindenwood in the first round, and the results haven't been pretty. 

Last year was the closest they've been to a national championship, but a late comeback from Life in the semifinals saw the Lions fall just short once again. 

With returnees Reece Botha, Evan Williams, Ani Mteto, Ayden Hurst, Andreas Livadaras, and newcomer Morgan Purcell, Lindenwood has alot of firepower for 2020. 

West #5 - Central Washington (At-Large)

The Wildcats don't play in a specific conference, so they'll have to impress with their Independent schedule and results for the spring.

They'll play ranked teams Arizona, Utah, BYU, Grand Canyon, Army, and St. Mary's, so there will be plenty of opportunity to put in some good shifts. 

East #6 - Navy (At-Large)

Nobody played a more aggressive fall schedule than the Midshipmen, who went 8-2 against all top-20 ranked teams. Their only two losses were one-score defeats to conference foes Life and Lindenwood. 

If there ever seemed to be a year where Navy might go all the way, this one could be it. They'll play three more massive games in the spring, against St. Mary's, Army, and Arkansas State; at that point there will be nothing they haven't faced as they move into the playoffs. 

West #6 - UCLA (At-Large)

Following a phenomenal start to the season with their fall 7s campaign, spirits will be high moving into the spring for the Bruins. 

They'll have a tough spring schedule to get through, with difficult matchups against Cal, St. Mary's, Arizona, and Utah, but they have the talent to get it done. 

Shane Barry, Eric Naposki, and young Lucas Lacamp are some really good players to watch, and they'll be a very influential trio to UCLA's plans this year. 

East #7 - Arkansas State (At-Large)

Like Lindenwood, Arkansas State is another team that is one of the best in the country, but can't get past Life in the Mid-South. 

They scored an at-large bid a year ago and, after grinding through a hard Sweet 16 match at Army, fell painstakingly close against Lindenwood in the quarterfinals. 

Well-coached, full of talent, and carrying some momentum after a successful season in 2019, the Red Wolves are poised for a strong run this year as well. 

West #7 - Grand Canyon (At-Large)

Again, it's hard to get a gauge on the western teams at this stage, but we do know that GCU is a strong program year in and year out. 

With eight games on tap for the spring semester, Grand Canyon will most likely need to win at least five of them to get into the playoffs.

If they can also pull a win over Central Washington, St. Mary's, or Arizona, they'll be in good shape heading into the postseason. 

East #8 - Davenport (At-Large)

The final spot in the East will be a headache for the committee to sort out. Teams like Penn State and Notre Dame College could both make strong cases for deserving that spot. 

However, Davenport's huge 47-19 win over Penn State was a statement made that, on their day, they can play as well as almost anybody. 

The key for the Panthers is staying consistent. They put together some nice wins in the fall, but also lost badly to Lindenwood, and lost a close one to Navy. 

Two remaining games in the spring against Life and Arkansas State won't be easy, but if they can at least put in a good showing, there's a good chance they sneak into the playoffs. 

West #8 - Colorado (At-Large)

The Buffaloes quietly put together a pretty impressive run in the fall. 

They played BYU competitively, losing 42-5, and then won their remaining six games, including wins over Utah Valley, Colorado State, and Air Force. 

Getting into the playoffs would most likely mean facing Cal or St. Mary's in the first round, but they have certainly set a good foundation for the future and prosperity of the club.