Road to the Title: 2025 Championship Playoff Schedule Unveiled

DUBLIN, OH. – The Big Ten Universities Rugby Conference is proud to announce the schedule and seeding for the 2025 Championship Playoffs, set to kick off on Saturday, November 1, 2025. This year’s tournament will feature semifinal matchups in both the Championship Cup and Bowl brackets, with higher-seeded teams hosting each contest.

East Division Recap

The University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-0) have once again secured the top seed in the East Division, following dominant wins over Michigan (24-20), Michigan State (50-12), and Ohio State (34-15). Notre Dame will host the West Division’s #2 seed, the Wisconsin Badgers, in the first Cup semifinal.

The University of Michigan Wolverines earned the East’s #2 seed with victories over Ohio State (25-22) and Michigan State (51-10). They will travel to face the West Division champion, Indiana Hoosiers, in the second Cup semifinal.

In the Bowl bracket, Ohio State (East #3) will host Purdue (West #4), while Michigan State (East #4) will travel to face Illinois (West #3).

West Division Recap

The Indiana Hoosiers claimed the West Division title with a decisive 15-5 win over Wisconsin, adding to earlier victories over Illinois (51-11) and Purdue (44-0). Indiana will host Michigan in a highly anticipated Cup semifinal clash.

Wisconsin (2-1) secured the second seed in the West with wins over Purdue (42-5) and Illinois (54-47), earning a trip to South Bend to face Notre Dame.

Illinois locked in the third seed after a commanding 67-7 win over Purdue, and will host Michigan State in the Bowl semifinal. Purdue rounds out the bracket as the West’s fourth seed.

<< Full Schedule & Results >> 

Cup Bracket

Bowl Bracket

Championship Final

The tournament will culminate on Sunday, November 9, 2025, at Stinson Rugby Field, located on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. The day will feature both the Championship Bowl Final and the Championship Cup Final, crowning the top teams in Big Ten collegiate rugby.

Additionally, Ohio State will aim for a historic three-peat in the Second XV Championship, showcasing the depth and talent of their rugby program.

About Big Ten Universities Rugby Conference

Founded in 2012, the Big Ten Universities Rugby Conference is an intercollegiate rugby competition in the United States with member clubs representing some of the largest and best academic public institutions in the country. Member clubs include; Indiana University, Purdue University, Michigan State University, Ohio State University, University of Illinois, University of Michigan, University of Notre Dame, and University of Wisconsin.

For more information, visit www.BigTenRugby.com and follow @BigTenRugby on Facebook (facebook.com/BTURugby) and Instagram (instagram.com/BigTenRugby).