We're getting into playoff time for conferences and NCR.

Navy can clinch the top record in Rugby East and a solid seeding for the spring's D1A playoffs with a win this weekend over Penn State. St. Bonaventure at Notre Dame College likely decides the top seed from the Rugby East into the NCR playoffs. We'll probably see Kutztown take the third spot with their win over Southern Virginia although if Queens wins over Mary Washington we've got a good debate on that topic.

But Bonnies at Falcons will be the big one.

Army is at Air Force in the Commander-in-Chief Trophy and will be a tough road test for the Black Knights.

The Big 10 has its semifinals, for both 1st and 5th, as everyone plays next week at University of Notre Dame for each placement. Indiana has already secured the top seed from the Big 10 in the NCR playoffs because, in making the semis, they became the only NCR team in the conference to be in the top four. So, as far as NCR is concerned, they're the top Big 10 team. IU may well be the top Big 10 team overall, but they will have to get by Ohio State this weekend (a team they've already beaten) and then the winner of Illinois and upstarts Michigan State.

In the chase for 5th, if the other three NCR teams in the Big 10—Notre Dame, Michigan, and Purdue—do well ... or at least if one of them does well ... one of those teams could claim an at-large bid. The thing is, November 11 is the play-in round day, and also Big 10 finals day, so maybe the 5th-6th game is seen as a play-in game (?).

Fairfield hosts the Liberty final with Siena taking on Brown in a game that is definitely a pick 'em—Brown's defense vs Siena's offense, to oversimplify it. Wheeling vs Principia could well be one, as well. Most would have had Principia the favorites here before last week, but Wheeling has the ability to win this.

The biggest D1A games of the week are probably Mount St. Mary's at Life (let's see how far Mount has come) and Lindenwood at Davenport. Both teams are 2-0 in the Midwest Conference, and both have looked very good going into the difficult end to the fall.