In the wake of a couple of pretty division-shaking games, we have perhaps a slightly muted slate of games this week.
D1A
Having said that, there are some contests to watch. The big, big one is UCLA at Central Washington. The Bruins' win over Arizona wasn't an easy one, but it was a win. And they take on a CWU team that has been in a few dogfights themselves.
CWU Head Coach Todd Thornley joked a little bit this past weekend about hoping for a game that wasn't a nailbiter, but he's unlikely to get that. Look at their games so far: UVic, won by 5; UBC, won by 7; Trinity Wester, lost by 4; Arizona, won by 2; Saint Mary's, lost by 1; BYU, lost by 9. Only Cal Poly (41-20) was not crazy-close.
As for UCLA, their 32-25 win over Arizona was actually closer than that for most of the game. But winning that game was a big deal.
"We're really pleased to get the win after two heartbreaking losses the last two years," UCLA Head Coach Harry Bennett told GRR. "More so that we also broke a seven-year hoodoo versus Arizona. Although it was a very stop-start game—ball in play time was lowest this season for us—it was great to see how much composure our players showed to get the win. Moving forward, we have two very important games coming up versus CWU and Cal Poly that will impact playoff seedings. We are certainly happy with the win over Arizona but extremely mindful that there is plenty still to do. They are two very well-coached teams that have had similar program growth as us in recent years."
This is most definitely a very important game for UCLA. If we look at the playoffs, the West Coast is getting really crowded with teams that deserve consideration not only for a place, but a home game in the first round. That's part of what this game hinges on.
Meanwhile, Mount St. Mary's has slowly and surely been making a case that their 39-20 loss to Mary Washington last fall was an anomaly. They looked pretty useful against Navy and won against Southern Virginia, backing up their Bowl Game win in December. So, now, a key statement game for the Mount and also for Grand Canyon in Arizona.
D1AA
We go into detail about the Florida league here: Gators Grapple, St. Thomas Cruises in Florida D1AA League
Suffice to say some bigger games are coming later.
American River vs San Jose State is the Big Game, with two 5-0 teams, both with five bonus points and with almost identical points difference stats meet up. There really isn't anything between these two.
California D1AA: Teams Make Statements
There is a wild card spot for the Western D1AA regionals in the CRAA playoffs, and there are bowl games around as well. So the question is, who might finish 2nd in a conference and get that wild card spot? It might well be the team that, ultimately, finishes 2nd in the California D1AA North, but it might also be the team that loses next week's rescheduled game between Western Washington and Boise State.
