Qualifier #2 was even more competitive than the first, as all the remaining teams who hadn’t yet qualified for League Play had one last chance this season to do so. Additionally, this Qualifier was filled with even more bubble teams who showed their teeth and brought their A-game this season.
East
Starting with East pool 1, Northwood White, (who are not a bubble team by any means), were able to cut through their competition all the way to the Winner’s Semi-Final where they beat Kennesaw State Gold 3-2. They were then able to beat GT Swarm 3-2 in the Winner’s Final, and swept James Madison University 3-0 in the Grand Final. Northwood White have a completely new roster of players, “Ambrosia,” “Ryker,” “Fuego,” and “Voltdestroyer,” who have shown they have what it takes to hang with the big dogs despite being unable to qualify for League Play in Qualifier #1.
Pool 2 showed bubble team OSU Beanz completely destroying the competition, making it all the way to the Grand Finals after dropping only 1 game. After a close call of 3-2 in their rematch against Syracuse Orange in the Grand Final, they qualified for League Play and showed clear improvement from the Fall season where they were unable to qualify.
The Indian Hoosiers, another bubble team, cleared everyone in their path in pool 3 all the way to the Winner’s Quarter-Final, where they were able to take a 3-2 win against the Wisconsin Badgers. They then swept OSU Beanz’s sister team the Ohio State Legumez 3-0 in the Winner’s Semi-Final, beat Penn State Blue 3-2 in the Winner’s Final, and beat them yet again 3-0 in the Grand Final.
In pool 4, yet another bubble team, the University of Florida, swept all their opponents, making it to the Winner’s Final before conceding 2 games to Siena Heights University but still winning 3-2. Then in the Grand Final, they were able to take the win 3-1 against Michigan Tech to qualify for League Play.
Bubble team Oakland Esports tore down all their opponents in pool 5, dropping only two games throughout the whole bracket, and finally winning 3-0 in the Grand Final against St. Clair Saints Green.
In pool 6, USF Esports, (who did qualify for League Play last season) also did very well in their bracket. They won a close series of 3-2 against Florida Tech in the Winner’s Semi-Final, and then moved on to take both the Winner’s Final and the Grand Final 3-1 against West Virginia University and Florida Tech respectively.
Valleyfield climbed back up from the Loser’s Bracket in pool 7 after losing 3-2 to Florida Poly in the Winner’s Final. They were able to take the Loser’s Final 3-1 against the Waterloo Warriors, then take the Grand Final 3-1 and the Grand Final reset 3-2 in a rematch against Florida Poly, which allowed Valleyfield to qualify for League Play for the second season in a row.
In pool 8, the final bubble team of the East region to qualify, Stevens Institute of Technology, made it to the Winner’s Final where they squeezed out a 3-2 win. Then, in the Grand Final, they were swept 3-0 by Kent State, but they were able to win the Grand Final reset 3-1 and narrowly qualify for League Play.
West
In West pool 1, SDSU Red qualified for League Play for the second season in a row, dropping only two games to Seattle University in the Winner’s Semi-Final, then sweeping Long Beach 3-0 in both the Winner’s Final and the Grand Final.
In pool 2, the University of Utah Red also qualified for the second season in a row, losing only two games to two separate teams throughout their whole bracket run, and winning 3-0 in both the Winner’s Final and the Grand Final against UTEP and UT Dallas respectively.
UNT Esports only dropped one game on their way to the Winner’s Final in pool 3, then took a narrow victory of 3-2 against the University of Minnesota. In the Grand Final, they took another 3-2 victory, this time against UBC Gold, to qualify for League Play for the second season in a row. The final four pools all saw previous bubble teams qualify.
In pool 4, Cal Poly only dropped one game on their way to the Winner’s Final, where they won 3-1 against A&M Esports. In the Grand Final, they were able to take a 3-2 victory and advance to League Play.
Pool 5 saw the CSU Rams qualify. They swept their first two matches, then won 3-2 against UCSD Blue in the Winner’s Semi-Final, 3-2 against San Jose State University in the Winner’s Final, 3-0 against the same team in the Grand Final, then they beat San Jose one more time 3-2 in the Grand Final reset.
UW Esports dropped a couple games on their way to the Winner’s Final in pool 6, but took the Final 3-1 against UVU Black. Then, they rematched UVU Black in the Grand Final, winning 3-1 again.
Finally, highly anticipated bubble team the CSM Orediggers got knocked down to the lower bracket in the Winner’s Quarter-Final for pool 7, losing 3-0 to UAB Gold. However, they were able to sweep their way through the Loser’s Bracket until the Loser’s Semi-Final, where they beat Boise State Orange 3-1. They then beat Weber State University 3-0 to climb out of the lower bracket, and beat UAB Gold 3-1 in both the Grand Final and the Grand Final reset to finally qualify for League Play.
What’s Next?
There’s so much talent in CRL this season, and League Play is sure to be a fiery five weeks as we see these teams compete to qualify for the Playoffs. All 32 teams competing in League Play surely have the skill and team chemistry to come out on top if they put their minds to it. League Play week 1 begins this Sunday, February 14th, so make sure to tune in here: https://www.twitch.tv/collegecarball to watch your favorite collegiate teams compete. We wish the best of luck to each team!
To read about Qualifier #1, click here.
