WI: Rugby football is the dominant sport in the Western US?

So as a college football fan and history nerd, I was following up on something I heard about where Cal and Stanford did not play football for about 8 years or so in the early 1900s and instead played Rugby- My scenario would be that Rugby somehow stays popular on the west coast and in the western US (at least west of the Rockies) instead of adopting football like the rest of the country- What would have to happen for the western US to follow Rugby instead of gridiron football?
 
I'm also a college football fan (Boomer Sooner) and, having lived in NZ for four years, a Rugby Union fan. I'm always interested in timelines were rugby is more popular in the US. However, I think that even in a "Pac-8 Rugby" scenario the desire for national competition will eventually bring gridiron West (or rugby East) and the similarities between the sports will mean one gets relegated to second tier status.
 
However, I think that even in a "Pac-8 Rugby" scenario the desire for national competition will eventually bring gridiron West (or rugby East) and the similarities between the sports will mean one gets relegated to second tier status.
If you can delay that demand long enough, though, the fact that rugby is played in more than one country might tip the balance in its' favour - not only does national competition become viable, but also international.
 
I guess I thought of this because I heard someone talk about how in Australia Australian football is played in Melbourne and the western part of the country (places like Adelaide and Perth) while Sydney and Queensland play Rugby league so I thought maybe Rugby could be big in places like California the PNW and the intermountain west- Obviously Colleges would be the top teams since Rugby union was an amateur sport for a long time-

The only problem i forsee is that if California and the west gain transplants would Rugby fade away? It seemed as if in the east Rugby didn't develop as much in the early 1900's-

Also: Could it be possible that if TR is not president somehow (like if McKinley lives) that Rugby becomes the more civilized alternative to gridiron football? I don't see anyway Roosevelt won't not involve himself
 
Top