It’s been a month since our last Women DI College rankings, and we’ve got some explaining to do.

Within the top five, BYU and Stanford have swapped positions. The Cardinal is still inactive, while Women’s Cougar Rugby is banking Mountain West wins, and solid friendly victories. In the previous two weeks, BYU beat a much improved Air Force 34-5 and visiting Quinnipiac 36-19. Those results did three things: emphasize BYU’s early-season strength, reiterate that the Bobcats belong in the top five, and necessitate a rankings addition for AFA.

Throughout the rest of the top 10, West Chester, Indiana and Northern Iowa kept on with their dominating ways, but the competition will ramp up shortly. The Golden Rams will face Quinnipiac on Nov. 8, while Indiana takes on Penn State this weekend, and UNI starts conference playoffs with crossovers.

Although Army put in a nice 61-20 win over Navy last weekend, the Cadets had to drop below AIC. The Yellow Jackets won the teams’ first meeting by three points, after a fantastic comeback, but this weekend’s rematch will set the story straight.

The second half of the Top 20 has seen a lot of movement. Harvard is going to find it tough to defend its Ivy League Championship, especially after surprising with a 26-15 loss to unranked Princeton and a close 10-5 win over Dartmouth. The result is a tenuous hold on the #18 spot. Navy fell even farther. Two big losses to Army and previously unranked Air Force sank the Midshipmen to #20.

North Carolina's and Washington State’s recent performances saw the teams vanish from the rankings, although they both have the potential to reappear in the spring. The Tarheels take a slow approach to the season, but losses to East Carolina and Virginia Tech indicate that UNC isn’t ready for the Top 20 just yet. The Cougars are still gearing up to league season, but a big loss to Central Washington – friendly though it was – and a third place finish at OSU 7s insinuate there is still much work to be done.

Right now, Life University is the toughest team in the South. Central Florida is getting wins against Florida DII sides but hasn’t been challenged in the same regard as the Running Eagles. We’re eager to prove our theory on Nov. 15 when Life plays UNC, the traditional South powerhouse.

And now for the newcomers. Central Washington played OSU 7s champs Cal very well last weekend, eventually finishing second. In the two matches, CWU lost by a combined 13 points. The Wildcats have some great West Coast talent and seasoned staff, so expect more fireworks. Air Force also warranted the addition after solid performances against BYU and Navy. The team faces New Mexico this weekend, and the game will likely determine who’s number two in the Mountain West.

Playoffs are heating up around the country, so stay tuned for updates.