Games of the week: Playoff Saturday

(Bronislaw Grala photo)

Talk about crunch games that matter, there are four of them scheduled on what we're calling 'Playoff Saturday'.

It’s money time in both the Mid-Atlantic and the South, as six teams have everything to play for and just as much to lose.

The long-awaited Mid-Atlantic Premier League playoffs this weekend in Richmond, VA, will determine which two teams will go through to the Round of 16, and which two teams will be done for the season.

# 9 Kutztown is slated to take on #15 Delaware in one semifinal on Saturday, while #3 Navy will hook up with #19 Penn State in the other semi. Then on Sunday the two winners will play off for the inaugural league championship, the final result will also determine who will take what seed to Albuquerque.

Down south in Knoxville, TN, another big game with huge implications will be played between reigning South champs #12 Tennessee and Division I new kids on the block #14 Arkansas State. Both are unbeaten in matrix play going into the match.

There are enormous ramifications with this one because the winners, who will also be the South’s #1 seed, will face Southern California #1 seed San Diego State in the Round of 16, while the losers, who will be the conference’s #2 seed, will have the biggest mountain of all to climb in Pacific Coast #1 seed Cal.

There are no prizes for guessing that each team will be striving to not just win the game and be crowned 2008 South champions, but they will also be doing all they can to avoid having to face the Golden Bears first up in Albuquerque.

One other weekend game that carries a ton of importance is the final regular season match in the Southern California conference between Arizona State and #22 Arizona. The Wildcats currently lie fourth in the standings, three points adrift of third-placed UC Santa Barbara, and need to win to overtake the Gauchos and clinch third spot.

The reason that it’s so important is that in Southern Cal, there’s a single elimination playoff game between the second and third placed teams at the end of the regular season to determine who gets the conference’s second seed for the Round of 16.

This matchup, which is already sold out, is scheduled for an evening kickoff at Arizona State’s soccer stadium in Tempe. The Sun Devils are all banged up and have suffered a serious player drain through injuries and other issues that has left them in a precarious position, but because they have the chance to play spoiler and because it’s against their archrivals U of A, anything can happen.

ARN is pleased to announce that our coverage of the college playoffs is proudly sponsored by Down Under Rugby. From now right through the national championship game on May 3rd, your hunger for collegiate playoff information will be satisfied by the Sydney-based rugby program.

Take your game to the next level by experiencing rugby in Australia with Down Under Rugby.