A bigger Rugby East conference kicks off this weekend with an eye toward producing the top DI men's college team of the fall.

This year, eight teams are in the conference - Army, Buffalo, Iona, Kutztown, Penn State, St. Bonaventure, West Virginia, Wheeling Jesuit.

Army won the confefrence in 2014, but did so winning some very, very close games along the way. West Point has a new coach with former Eagle flyhalf Matt Sherman taking over from interim Head Coach Mike Mahan. Iona looks improved this year, although Head Coach Bruce McLane says they have more to give. Kutztown may be going through some rebuilding, so says Head Coach Gregg Jones. Penn State has some changes to deal with, too, as the Lions will welcome new Head Coach and former Eagle Blake Burdette. West Virginia is the new program in the conference, while Wheeling Jesuit has also changed coaches at the top, and started impressively.

St. Bonaventure and Buffalo propped up the league last year, but both are working to improve. This past weekend, Bonnies faced off with the Buffalo Rugby Club in what Head Coach Clarence Picard called a "mixed effort. We controlled a lot of the possession and territory, but had six great try-scoring opportunities wasted inside the attacking 22."

But they got plenty of game time for freshmen, which is crucial, and Eamonn Matthews and Christian Artuso stood out - both at scrumhalf - and freshman flanker Pat McCormack had a good day. Flyhalf Jordan Farrant, sophomore Alex Alsono, and senior Nick LaColla are also players to watch.

"Last year we went out and beat Syracuse and were feeling great about ourselves," said Picard. "So having some issues exposed by a veteran side like Buffalo will allow us to prepare better for the upcoming season. The players have responded well, and we know we will be up against it with Penn State coming to town, but it will be fun to test ourselves against a ranked opponent right away."

West Point has a strong senior group and with Sherman pushing the basics, they should be in good shape. The cadets have a relatively favorable schedule in that their nastier games come later in the season.

This weekend, Wheeling Jesuit visits Iona, and the Cardinals will get to see some aggressive presure defense from the Gaels. Army hosts Buffalo, who are dusting themselves off after a big loss to Notre Dame College, and Penn State visits St. Bonavanture. Kutztown has a non-conference clash at Stony Brook, while West Virginia visits Bowling Green.

Rugby East Conference Games