Starting off on Sunday, January 20th, the Tespa Overwatch Collegiate Championship regular season will carry over the 277 teams from the preseason and allow new teams to sign up as well. With three separate leagues: Regional, National, & Varsity, the regular season will act as a funnel into the playoffs. For more information about the tournament or to sign up, visit Tespa Compete.

In 2017, the Collegiate Championship prize pool was $120,000 — a number that made Contenders players jealous that they had not instead pursued their education. When this year’s $25,000 prize pool was announced, the Overwatch competitive community collectively sighed. As a community member, I understand the sentiment and its accompanying anger. But having been to the 2016 Collegiate Championship LAN Finals, I can tell you it was one of the most memorable, life-changing experiences. At its core, competition is about seeing who is the absolute best. The scholarship, travel, and lodging are all secondary to the pride of being the nation’s number one.

Blizzard’s 2018 Overwatch World Cup @ The Anaheim Convention Center

This article is for those who don’t root for the favorites and instead cheer on the unlikeliest of heroes. These schools may not have the esports pedigree of their top five counterparts, but each has the potential to conquer all of collegiate Overwatch esports.

#6 Orange Coast College

As the only community college in this preseason top 10, Orange Coast College reminds us all that it does not take scholarships, gaming labs, or even a large student population to have a successful esports team. Founded by Adam Nelson as “Gamer’s Guild”, an on-campus club, this OCC team has some talented Overwatch Open Division veterans in Nick “Slayergramps” Caravaggio and Aaron “Icyyy” Boyd. I asked Nick to comment on this Californian college’s top six preseason finish.

“Me and Aaron having so much experience playing together in the past definitely contributes, but everyone has put in a ton of effort and I’m really proud of the team so far. I’m really looking forward to see how we stack up in the regular season. We plan on having two scrims per week this time around, so hopefully that makes us two times better”. — Nick “Slayergramps” Carvaggio, Orange Coast College

It was simply a coincidence of fate that the two lived nearby the school. Although they are undoubtedly the two most experienced players, the rest of the OCC team are no slouches themselves.

Orange Coast College Campus

A top 10 ranking is nothing short of spectacular for a community college. Nick told me that “at first we didn’t really didn’t expect anything (me and Aaron) but once we met the players and actually scrimmed, we realized the talent pool was actually way better than what we expected”. He goes on to lavishly praise his teammates, describing each player’s strengths individually. Bolstered by his newfound teammates, I cannot wait to see what “Slayergramps” will show us in the forthcoming season.

#7 Northeastern University

In at number seven, the Northeastern University Huskies have certainly been busy this past semester. On top of the Overwatch Collegiate Championship preseason, the team has secured LAN victories at both the Boston University Fall Brawl and the Boston Uprising Collegiate Cup. With a recreational sports program supporting esports and a dedicated club executive board cheering them on, the team has looked stronger each week. Climbing from last season’s 29th place finish, the lads in red and black look poised to make a playoff run in the spring.

Northeastern University Esports: Champions of the Boston Uprising Collegiate Cup

When asked about the team’s journey this past semester, captain and flex DPS player Matt “M4TT” Lucido expressed how far the Huskies have come.

“A year ago, I had no vision of competing at any level and just played for fun. Seemingly randomly, we found a swath of talented players and barreled our way to 7th in Tespa. Ending the season with a victory in the Collegiate Cup was just the icing on the cake; a sweet victory that hammered home not only how far we’ve come, but also how much potential we have in the future as a group and a school.” — Matt “M4TT” Lucido, Northeastern University

Positive and forward-looking, the Northeastern University’s Overwatch team is ready to carry their momentum into the regular season and vie for the postseason trophy.

#8 University of California, Irvine

Last year’s appearance at the finals of the Fiesta Bowl Collegiate Championship was no fluke. University of California, Irvine have a first rate varsity esports program with a LAN center at the heart of their campus. Some of the troubles with UCI may be due to the departure of former starters: Behrod “Baerod” Baghai, Chansoo “Lootre” Park, and Aaron “Lionpoke” Boyer. However, after speaking with the current players, I uncovered the mystery of their uncharacteristic placing.

“We were aiming for #1 in the preseason, but because of TwitchCon, California Cup 1, BlizzCon, and California Cup 2, we opted out of 8 matches and ended 8th place. But it was worth it for those exciting events in my opinion. Lately, we’ve been feeling really good about how our practice is going. Although we haven’t had a coach in months, our team managed to aim at a common goal and improve significantly everyday. I feel like once we get our new coaches for the regular season, everything will evolve and we will be clearing our path toward success in no time.” — Zuhair “Zeerocious” Taleb, University of California, Irvine

As the hitscan DPS for the team, Zuhair is responsible for playing Overwatch heroes such as the newly released Ashe, leading the team to victory with precise aim.

University of California, Irvine Esports: Champions of the California Collegiate Cup

With all of the cons and cups of the fall months over and coaching calvary imminent, I assure you that this modern citadel of esports will meet their own high standards, if not trump them.

#9 University of Waterloo

At rank 70 last year, the University of Waterloo’s Overwatch team was not much of a contender to hoist the trophy, but they have reversed their fortunes this season. The team started by posting recruitment ads on campus and holding official tryouts in the offseason. While their University does not yet support esports officially, these hard working student athletes have shown immense growth under coach Bill “pyrexshorts” Zheng and their efforts have not gone unnoticed.

University of Waterloo’s winning moment versus regional rival University of British Columbia

Coming in at number nine in the Overwatch Collegiate Championship preseason, UW has been awarded a large number of points. This equates to a higher seeding for the team in the regular and postseason brackets. Coach Zheng was kind enough to share his thoughts going into the upcoming regular season.

“1st and 2nd are pretty much locked, we will probably finish top 10 and that is all thanks to the players being extremely talented”. — Bill “pyrexshorts” Zheng, University of Waterloo

A top 10 finish in the postseason would help immensely in the case to turn esports into a varsity program at the University of Waterloo, especially with at least 277 other teams participating.

#10 James Madison University

The final team in the Overwatch Collegiate Championship top 10 coincidentally tied with our number nine team, the University of Waterloo, last season. Each team ended their run right at rank 70 with a 5–3 record. However, the JMU Dukes made drastic changes this season, swapping out personnel and adding new coaching staff. The shuffle worked and now on the cusp of the top 10, the Virginian University is looking to grasp the top spot.

Montage of JMU flex support player Victor “Vrosado” Rosado

University esports clubs are often home to the most active student body members. At James Madison University, Mark “Sanity” Johnson is not only the coach and analyst for the team, but also a substitute in case players are preoccupied with school or work. Through conversation, I found him to be the heart of the JMU team.

“I’m expecting to see some strong regular season play, and a deep playoff run and through some steady improvement, there’s a good chance we might just be holding the trophy in April.” — Mark “Sanity” Johnson, James Madison University

He believes that his team is “the strongest Virginia has ever seen.” With weighty expectations, I am eagerly awaiting to see what Sanity and the Dukes have in store for us in the approaching Collegiate Championship regular season.

The Fiesta Bowl Collegiate Championship 2018 Finals

The rank six through ten teams listed here (with the exception of one) have never seen such success from their esports teams. I would not be surprised if one of these teams manufactures a major upset.