The largest College Esports Rocket League competition catered to Division I schools concludes this weekend as the Collegiate Conference Series (CCS) kicks off its National Championship on October 29th.

Back in August, over 170 schools considered “Division I” in the traditional, NCAA-dominated sports world, registered Rocket League teams for the fourth season of the CCS. All hoping for the opportunity to see their school’s colors represented in the March Madness-esque, 64-team Champs bracket played out between October 29th and November 3rd.

A look back on Season 4 so far

To get to that point, however, those 176 teams filling out the CCS field had to play through a format familiar to fans of traditional college sports. 

While the majority of play takes place within groups that mirror traditional sports conferences, the first week of Season 4 included two non-conference matches for each team. 

The next six weeks saw Conference Play sort teams into Conference Championship brackets, with each of the CCS’ 21 conferences ultimately sending one champion straight into the CCS Champs bracket. 

The 43 other contenders, however, had to wait for the five CCS Selection Committee members to debate and decide a worthy rest of the field.

Selection Day

The CCS Commissioner, Nation, and his co-host, Dronas, had the honor of announcing the bracket on their Collegiate Conference Series Weekly show the night of October 28th. The top four seeds of this massive, single-elimination bracket are, in ranking order: Drexel, Akron Gold, Colorado, and Indiana. Currently, these are the largest favorites to claim the CCS Season 4 crown, each coming off a win in their respective Conference Championship this past week.

Drexel (1) and Akron Gold (1), though new to the league this season, boast mighty results elsewhere in the Collegiate Rocket League scene in regional leagues and the official CRL series of tournaments. 

Indiana (1), despite a Round 1 exit in the CCS Season 3 Championship, has just dominantly won their conference over a fierce Purdue, setting the stage for what should be a deep tournament run. 

Colorado (1), even with their status as the third-ranked team, is a popular pick to win it all thanks to their championship-winning performance in CCS Season 3.

Notable top-ranked team, the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, will not be competing, citing player unavailability as the reason for keeping them out.

Other conference winners left off the first seeding line with reasonable expectations to contend for the CCS title include:

• UNC Charlotte (2) – Just missing out on a top seed, Charlotte is undefeated save for an early-season loss to Wichita State (3), which they avenged in their conference championship, 4-1

• Cleveland State (2) – Though a weak conference has kept them from breaking into the top of the rankings, they should not be disrespected come time for the Championship

• Florida International (2) – Solid throughout the season, FIU is a conference winner with a lot to prove as a second seed with just one upset loss to New Mexico State on the season

• San Diego State (3) – As a Season 2 runner-up that disappointed in Season 3 and shifted their roster a bit coming into Season 4, SDSU cannot be counted out thanks to the star power of aZapatos. Though they have struggled against top teams this season, eyes are on the Aztecs to put things together for a Championship run

• George Mason (3) – Another case of weak conference play but a high ceiling, George Mason is yet another threat to the top prize coming from the third seeding line. Their path to the championship is difficult, but this is a hungry roster looking to make a statement

• The Buds @ GSU (4) – The Buds surprised, emerging victorious from one of the most competitive conferences in the CCS this season, the Buds have been forged for an event like this. Beating tournament teams in James Madison (5), Old Dominion (7), and Louisiana (6) in conference play to win it all, the Buds are a scary team with a résumé to back it up

Non-conference-winning teams that will have to overcome the odds to win it all include Florida (2), Iowa State (3), Wichita State (3), Purdue (4), Arizona State (4), Arizona (4), and a swath of contenders below the four-line.

The full bracket can be found here.

And while 64 teams did have the honor of qualifying for the CCS Season 4 National Championship, half of that group will be eliminated throughout the week of October 28th.

How to watch the Collegiate Conference Series

The Round of 32 through the Collegiate Conference Series National Championship match will run from Friday, November 1st, through Sunday, November 3rd. 

All will be broadcasted on the official CollegiateCS Twitch channel, linked here.