(John Todd-Cal Media Relations photo)

You probably don’t need us to tell you that this week’s game of the week obviously will come from the long-awaited Round of 16.

Having said that though, Albuquerque will be kind of like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates – you never know what you’re going to get.

While there are some absolute bottlers on tap on Friday, the reality is that it’s a crapshoot. Some of the matchups look to be pretty good on paper, but we’ve all seen those sorts of games blow up in the intense pressure cooker environment of elimination playoffs.

If one were to make an educated guess about the outcome of the eight games set for Friday at Balloon Fiesta Park, three appear to be fairly straight forward.

Not to take anything away from Tennessee, Dartmouth, and Minnesota, but barring huge upsets Cal, BYU, and Penn State should advance unscathed to the quarterfinals, which means that the five other matches have the potential to be barnburners.

Of those five, the two that look to have the most potential in terms of being raw, smashmouth, in your face confrontations are St Mary’s v Air Force and Cal Poly v Army.

The Gaels possess an explosive backline, led by skipper Kevin Swiryn, that can cut an opposition to ribbons, while the Zoomies have a big, powerful pack of forwards that can grind down their opponents. It’ll be a classic war of attrition with the fitter side likely to emerge triumphant, but not by a lot.

The other contest could be even closer because the Mustangs and Black Knights are equally adept at running rugby. While each team has proficient forwards, they excel in the backs and that’s more than likely where the game will be won and lost. Whichever set of backs can gain the ascendancy will likely come away with the W.

San Diego State and Arkansas State is another very good matchup, although one would have to be a brave punter to bet against the Aztecs. If for no other reason than they’ve been there before whereas the Tribe will be making their Division I playoff debut. Both are solid from #1 through #15, but SDSU’s playoff experience should be enough to give them the nod.

Kutztown v Bowling Green is perhaps the toughest game to pick. The Golden Bears have lost only one game since the start of the fall season, that being to Penn State in the Mid-Atlantic championship final last month, while the Falcons are the unbeaten champions from the Midwest. Both like to spin it wide, and both are good at recycling possession, and that’s why this one is too close to call.

The final match pits Colorado against Utah, a game with potentially enormous entertainment value. The Buffaloes have been on a tear this spring and it all started with their surprise win against BYU. Utah, on the other hand, has been patchy, plus they lost to the Cougars in the Wasatch Cup, and as BYU is the only common opponent that each team has played, CU gets the nod.

This is perhaps the year’s biggest weekend of college rugby, the championship final notwithstanding, and ARN will be in Albuquerque to bring you all the color and excitement from the Round of 16 so make sure to check back regularly to stay up to speed on who won, who lost, and who’s still alive.

ARN’s coverage of the college playoffs is proudly presented by Down Under Rugby. Take your game to the next level by experiencing rugby in Australia.