After a long offseason, collegiate esports fans have finally been given an update on the future of Collegiate VALORANT and Collegiate League of Legends for the upcoming Spring 2027 semester.
For the past few seasons, the Riot Scholastic Association of America (RSAA) had partnered with University Esports and GGTech to run the CVAL and CLOL tournaments for North American collegiate programs. Participation and support had declined semester after semester, so a change was imminent following the conclusion of the Spring 2026 season and the end of RSAA’s contract with GGTech.
On September 29, Rally Cry announced they will be taking over operations and have promised big things for two of the most coveted titles in collegiate esports.
In addition to bringing back CVAL and CLOL, Rally Cry announced the introduction of Collegiate VALORANT Game Changers for the first time ever. In partnership with Raidiant, Rally Cry aims to provide even more opportunities for collegiate esports athletes to showcase their talent and passion on the biggest stage.
“The Rally Cry team is honored to host such a beloved collegiate program for the Riot Community,” stated Michael Suscello, Rally Cry’s Partnership Manager, in response to their latest undertaking. “We don’t take this responsibility lightly and have been working hard to ensure this season’s experience meets the community’s expectations.”
Competitors can expect the tournament format to be relatively unchanged from previous seasons.
“We wanted to keep some uniformity between seasons, so the competitive format will look very similar. Ultimately, however, the team agreed that we aren’t tied to a specific format… and we’d rather be influenced by feedback after this season than by any one idea from the team,” continued Suscello.
Rally Cry announced their effort to reward the top teams and give underdogs more opportunities to run the bracket by expanding the playoff pool to 40 teams, and are allowing teams to compete in any Conference and Partner Conference they are eligible for. Partner Conference applications open on November 9, and Rally Cry will not be responsible for the operations of their competitions. Partner Conference applications will close on December 31. The playoff bids will be allocated once bids are finalized in January 2027. Partner Conferences will be announced January 15.
The prizing for the season remains unchanged, and the top 4 teams will split $17,500 for each tournament.
Rally Cry are actively working towards hosting a finals LAN event for the Spring 2027 season, but have admitted there is no guarantee the event will be hosted in-person.
Controversial Ruling
One of the biggest changes for the upcoming season has invited some controversy about the status of the league. In their announcement, Rally Cry revealed they are removing the requirement for part-time students to be former full-time students, thus opening the door for any part-time student to have full eligibility throughout the season.
The stark change sent ripples throughout the collegiate esports community, as directors and players alike argued about the ethics of programs potentially abusing this rule to supplement stronger teams with better players who are not true college athletes.
For Tom Screech, Esports Director for the University of North Florida, the ruling is a step backwards towards the legitimacy of the league:
“Part-time students shouldn’t play here, national, publisher leagues should be full-time student athletes just like every other college sport.”
Screech is looking forward to the new season of competition and continued support from Riot, but worries this loophole will negatively affect competition.
Screech’s concern is shared and has become the main criticism of Rally Cry’s first major shift. Nevin Horne, Esports Director at Ohio Wesleyan University, echoed similar sentiments:
“Super disappointed in the change to allow part time students. Devalues the idea that winner of these as a true national champion. Love Radiant being involved, but it doesn’t save what I view as a net negative for the sport in terms of eligibility.”.
Multiple reactions have pointed out how this ruling allows programs to field players who are not students actively pursuing an education, but rather are superior players than the local competition for a speedy championship run.
Zach Roberson, Esports Director at the University of Dayton suggested an alternative, “Not a great look for the school or the league to allow this. Should have a club division or separate option if they want the numbers.”
Rally Cry has said they are open to feedback and will most likely institute changes to the format or rulings after the initial season this spring.
Important Dates
The regular season schedule and format will be announced October 8. Further details about the online tournament platform are coming October 13.
“Rally Cry has been working hard to make it as seamless as possible for new users,” stated Suscello. “We’ve recently updated our API score reporting, started building more robust stat-tracking features, and are going to be introducing version one of our in-house map and champ drafting system.” Starting Oct. 13, school admins will be able to verify their programs and begin building their rosters officially.
Registration for CVAL and CLOL will begin November 9, where school admins can import all team information to the relevant competition pages. Registration closes on January 8. You can find their official announcement here.
