(Dennis D Hawk photo)

TIE: PAC, MID-SOUTH
The Mid-South was so tough that USA Rugby and its DIA experts put all four teams from the conference in the playoffs, event Davenport, which hadn't won a game. Davenport ended up winning their quarterfinal against Army before falling to Lindenwood.

Life made the DIA final, and pushed St. Mary's in that championship game. And almost all of the games between Life, Lindenwood, Davenport, and Arkansas State, were close. Of the 12 conference games played, seven were decided by a try or less. The average winning margin was less than 10 points.

To have a conference that close with the best team being one of the top four in the country is astounding.

But the conference had competition. The PAC Conference, featuring teams from the PAC-12, had one team that struggled, in Oregon State. But the rest were all really strong. Cal finished runners up in the Varsity Cup. Arizona was 2nd in DIAA. UCLA was as solid as any team in the country, and Arizona State, and Utah were very difficult, too. This conference might exist outside of the various division designation, but it can because of its strength. If it expands to become a full PAC-12 some time, it will only get more interesting. Maybe the balance of power isn't even enough to make that happen right now, but this is still one of the most compelling conferences in the country.


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