UC Irvine's program director talks about how the Anteaters got their start as a varsity program and how school support benefits both players and the university. (4:36)

MAKATI, Philippines -- Most college athletes have four years to leave their mark. But Sunday, two groups of players who had just one year to rise to the top will get a chance to make history in the Filipino college esports scene.

Win a title, and be remembered as legends, the first team to win the country's League of Legends Varsity League. Fail, and you'll likely be forgotten. The stakes are what make every very collegiate championship important, but this one will immortalize a pioneer both in college sports and in esports.

The University of Santo Tomas and Technological University of the Philippines will clash at 1 a.m. ET this Sunday in the finals of the inaugural League of Legends Varsity League, broadcasted live on Garena Philippines' Twitch and YouTube channels. The best-of-five showdown at the Glorietta Cinema in Makati will determine the kings of the country's first school-endorsed esports circuit, which started in early November.

Santo Tomas and TUP want to win the LVL for similar reasons, the PHP 30,000 cash prize -- $579 -- notwithstanding. Both want redemption for failures of unofficial seasons past. Both want to pioneer a lasting legacy. And most importantly, both want to give their graduating members a final taste of glory.

Only one school, however, can come out on top.

Homecoming

Captain Theo "Uomi" Ignacio and the UST Teletigers have a lot to live up to.

The University of Santo Tomas is the Philippines' oldest university and one of the archipelago's "Big Four." Success is synonymous with the UST name in several sports, and League of Legends is one of them, having won the second Garena LoL Collegiate League in 2014.

A second title has eluded the Thomasians since then, and neither UST nor any other university has been able to win a championship twice, something Uomi, a junior, vowed to fix since the moment he stepped foot on campus.

"I only have less than two years left, so it's either we win now or as one of the founding members of the Teletigers, make sure that the future for Thomasian esports is bright," Uomi said. "Winning now means we have accomplished both, as it will secure a tradition of champions for our school."

The Teletigers' path to the finals was not without compromise. For Uomi, this meant stepping down to a playing-coach role to mentor high school junior Jan Edward "Cresho" Hortizuela. The young support player had been topping the national leaderboards before he even turned 18, so giving him some early experience would be a worthwhile long-term investment for UST but cost Uomi some playing time.

The choice paid off immediately. Cresho and fellow new recruit Rallion "Carrots" Gatchalian formed an explosive bot lane duo that would enable the Teletigers to finish the regular season as the top seed with a 10-2 record and a win over TUP in the tiebreakers.

The odds look to be in the Teletigers' favor, but the team knows nothing is set in stone.

"I honestly don't know if you could call us the favorites," Uomi said. "Being friends with TUP's Acedia and Cza, I know they are not a team to take lightly. They do have some obvious weak links we can exploit, but we have to know how and when to play our cards to win."

Should UST manage to prevail though, graduating top laner Brussel "Sel" Isidro will end his collegiate career on the highest of notes.

One Last Ride

Six months ago, the TUP Monstrum Vel Prodigum were in the same position they'll be in on Sunday: on the cusp of a national championship, facing off against the heavy favorites. TUP lost then, but the the same roster has earned itself one last chance to make a name for itself before top laner Christian "Cza" Fabroa and jungler JC "Acedia" De Leon move on.

Monstrum Vel Prodigum, also known as MVP, went all-out in the regular season for LVL, securing a 10-2 record for itself. Only the Teletigers were able to take MVP down in the tiebreaker phase, and even then it was a close call.

MVP is excited to get a chance to run it back and be on the winning side Sunday.

"We've all known the UST Teletigers were top contenders since the start," Cza said. "Though we lost to them earlier, we'll make sure that we'll win championship when we meet on Sunday."

Both Cza and Acedia are considered by analysts and pro players alike as top-level talents, receiving and subsequently denying pro roster offers by several scouts due to academic load. The rest of the players on MVP aren't slouches, either: mid laner Christian "Baam" Panganiban has a 100 percent seasonal win rate on Azir, and AD carry Ivan "Nav1" Rasco is perhaps the best Draven in the local collegiate scene.

But what exactly drives MVP as a whole? Two things: pro opportunities and school pride.

"For us, the LVL is a stepping stone towards the professional gaming scene, and if we were to ever go pro, it'd be because of collegiate esports," Cza said. "Also, while we're using our university's name, we always think to ourselves that we need to win every games so we can make our alma mater proud."

MVP winning the LVL championship would serve as a comeback story for the ages, as well as the perfect ending to the current roster's one-and-a-half year stint.