Ever been wrong before? I have, many times, including this fall. And to give a nod to some of those instances, here's a list of seven predictions I got wrong about this season in college rugby.

St. Joe's Makes A Playoff Run

The Mid-Atlantic has received its share of criticism for not being a competitive conference, and perhaps that’s fair. However, St. Joe’s has continually tried to push the standard even when the rest of the conference (or most of it) has been weak.

For whatever reason — and I’m not sure anyone has really nailed the actual cause — St. Joe’s has not rolled through its conference playoffs every year. But this season, not only did the Hawks do that, but they are also now in the D1AA National Fall Final, facing Mary Washington.

Few probably would have predicted that. We at FloRugby thought it would be Tennessee… basically expecting St. Joe’s to bow out in the first round.

Hawks head coach Dan Yarusso said he loves being the underdog and chalks up this fall’s success to the fact that several upperclassmen know what it’s like to see a dream season die.

“This year we had two pretty tough teams in Tennessee and Bowling Green,” Yarusso said. “They were really good. I think the guys knew the feeling of playing in those crappy elements and what the ride home on the bus was like. They didn’t want to go through that again.”

St. Joe's committed to playing smarter, and in the rain and the wet conditions, using the boot to play in the opposition 22. The Hawks also leaned on Jimmy Wolfer and Noah Niumataiwalu as intelligent playmakers and good kickers.

“We really counted on Noah and Jimmy to sent the ball down the field, play a little smarter, and play in their end,” Yarusso said.

It worked, and I didn't think it was going to happen.

Wildcats Scratch Bears In 7s

It's not that Arizona has been struggling — not at all — but it was tough to think that the Wildcats could unseat the Cal Bears in the PAC Rugby 7s. But with an experienced team, and a nice mix of athlete types, Arizona did the job.

The Fordham Miracle

I mean, come on. AIC, even running out a very young lineup, had to have been favored in the Liberty Challenge against a Fordham team that was stymied by Iona and lost big to Rhode Island just the week before.

And yet, Fordham showed what a commitment to a game plan will do for you. In the Ram's case it was pressure defense combined with on-point tackling. If you bring the pressure and you don’t tackle well, a shifty flyhalf or a hard-charging center can beat you, badly. But with pressure and accurate tackling, you can nullify a dangerous backline.

Navy Navigates Rough Waters

After changing coaches from longtime head man Mike Flanagan to former Dartmouth and current All-American coach Gavin Hickie, Navy might have been considered in transition. But this is a strong Midshipmen team with experienced leaders and some serious talent. Gardy Lebon came back from injury. Connor McNerney continued to play like a beast and kick with precision as well. The pieces were there, and Navy reeled off victories over Air Force, Dartmouth, Notre Dame College, Penn State (!), and University of Notre Dame, with only a loss to Life University marring the fall for the Midshipmen.

Navy is now a D1A independent team and has already done enough to warrant a playoff invitation.

How The Varsity Cup Went Out

I thought someone would fight harder for the Varsity Cup. Not that I liked it all that much — I’ve been on record saying I’d prefer to see all of the top D1 teams playing in one postseason. But I figured someone would have stood up publicly this fall and cried, “It’s not dead yet!”

No one did.

How Wheeling Jesuit Stayed In

I figured the Cardinals were done. With the dismissal of Tommy Duffy as coach and the development of a new football program, WJU seemed to be suddenly anti-rugby. No one was happy, players transferred, and their two best players graduated. And yet… WJU finished 2-4, beating a (yes, a somewhat depleted) Notre Dame College team along the way.

There’s work to be done — a lot. But Wheeling Jesuit didn’t fold, and that’s the story.

The Red River Keeps Winding

Is this a blatant reminder to get you to watch Oklahoma at Baylor live this weekend? Maybe. This will be a great game, in part because OU has nothing to lose after getting hit hard these last few weeks. 

But it’s also a closer look at one of the more competitive conferences in the country. Texas started on fire and was doused by Texas A&M. Baylor lost to Texas in a non-conference warmup and then beat a pretty solid TCU team by 42. A&M looks sharp for now, but so does LSU. Arkansas, which lost to LSU, visits Texas Tech this weekend and could send a message.

It’s exactly what you want from a D1A conference. There’s no real dominant team. Just about anyone could win on any weekend. How'd I get that wrong? Well, it's basically making the assumption that someone would be on top and stay there and that A&M wouldn't likely be one of them. Wrong on two counts, then.