đź“ť OWCC Open Top 32 named after surprise-filled superweekend
And… breathe.
The first year of the Overwatch Collegiate Championship - Open “superweekend” will go down as one of the wildest weekends in not only collegiate Overwatch history, but collegiate esports as a whole.
Hundreds of games were played across six rounds and two days, with 32 teams locking in their spots in this weekend’s playoffs. There were incredible matches, stunning upsets, and, sadly, a lot of forfeits. But it gave us the most diverse look at where the Top 20 teams and beyond stack up.
As always, the team rankings will be based on the latest Overwatch Collegiate Ranking Association rankings, published on March 4, covering results through February 28.
OWCC Open Round 4 Recap:
Notable results:
- #2 Northwood 2-0 Grand View
- #3 Fisher 2-0 Syracuse
- #4 St. Clair 2-0 Converse
- #6 Fisher Navy 2-0 #7 Cumberland
- #15 Briar Cliff 2-0 #10 NC State
- #18 Arcadia 2-0 Ohio State
- Northeastern 2-1 UNLV
Main takeaways:
The first round of the superweekend didn’t have too much shock value, but it gave some insight into where some similarly-ranked teams stack up.
It was the first time this semester that Fisher Navy and Cumberland played each other, with Navy coming out on top. The result gave Navy its first OWCRA Top 10 win of the entire semester and a fantastic confidence boost going into the rest of the packed weekend.
Elsewhere, Briar Cliff continued its fantastic run over the past month in a 2-0 upset over NC State. The Chargers have been in unreal form after a shaky fall semester, but this wouldn’t be their only OWCRA-Top 10 opponent during superweekend.
OWCC Open Round 5 Recap:
Notable results:
- #1 Winthrop 2-1 #12 Bellevue
- #2 Northwood 2-1 #16 Cleveland State
- #3 Fisher 2-0 Ohio State
- #4 St. Clair 2-0 #18 Arcadia
- #5 BSCVA 2-0 #6 Fisher Navy
- #7 Cumberland 2-1 UCR Blue
- #13 Texas A&M 2-0 #14 UT Dallas
- UNLV 2-0 #19 Oakland
- Northeastern 2-1 Texas Tech
Main takeaways:
This semester has been a stretch of highs and lows for teams hailing from Texas, including Texas A&M and UT Dallas. The two squared off in Round 5, with the Aggies of A&M prevailing this time around in a very close 2-0. It was A&M's first win against a ranked opponent this semester, and it was their fourth straight win in the tournament after falling to Northwood in the first round.
On the other side, the Comets quickly fell to 3-2 in the Swiss stage and put themselves in quite a predicament. Dallas’s tiebreakers were not good because of their first-round loss to Utah, and the teams they beat didn’t have strong records. The result put UTD in a practical lose-or-go-home scenario for the rest of the tournament.
OWCC Open Round 6 Recap:
Notable results:
- #2 Northwood 2-0 #1 Winthrop
- #3 Fisher 2-0 Northeastern
- #4 St. Clair 2-0 #15 Briar Cliff
- #6 Fisher Navy 2-1 Maryland
- #7 Cumberland 2-0 Converse
- Ohio State 2-0 #8 Utah
- #12 Bellevue 2-0 #13 Texas A&M
- #16 Cleveland State 2-1 #18 Arcadia
- Grand View 2-1 UNLV
Main takeaways:
Day 1 of superweekend ended with a bang, as the top two teams in the country battled to sit atop the standings entering Sunday.
For the first time since last April, Northwood defeated Winthrop 2-0 in one of the best games of the Swiss stage. It also marked the first time in the same time frame that Winthrop had lost to anyone other than Illinois State.
It is important to note, Colin “Coluge” Arai was on tank for Winthrop due to Boston “Infekted” Fine battling an illness. Haven “Haven” Healy was also starting on DPS for Northwood, with Rocco “Kronik” Lacobacci awaiting his approval to play after not being eligible to start the semester.
Regardless, it helped set the tone for the rest of the weekend—the top performers are closer than ever before in collegiate Overwatch.
Eighth-ranked Utah also fell to 3-3 to end the weekend after falling to unranked Ohio State in a sweep. It was unfortunate timing for the Utes, as star DPS Carson “pdk” Terry was unable to play through most of the weekend. The loss put Utah near the middle of the pack in the standings and in need of a miracle to escape elimination.
OWCC Open Round 7 Recap:
Notable results:
- #2 Northwood 2-1 #5 BSCVA
- #4 St. Clair 2-0 #3 Fisher
- #6 Fisher Navy 2-0 TAMUSA
- #7 Cumberland 2-1 #10 NC State
- #12 Bellevue 2-0 #20 Georgia Tech
- #13 Texas A&M 2-0 Ohio State
- CSULB 2-1 #14 UT Dallas
- #15 Briar Cliff 2-0 Grand View
- Alvernia 2-0 Ball State
Main takeaways:
Day 2 of superweekend started off hot with several games between ranked opponents.
After upsetting Winthrop the day prior, Northwood staved off an upset bid from BSCVA. Even though it didn’t end in a win, it was a fantastic result for BSCVA, who were swept by Northwood just nine days prior.
St. Clair also got revenge on Fisher in a sweep to guarantee the Saints’ spot in the playoff stage. Fisher had beaten St. Clair 3-2 in the CECC East Regional on February 22, but that was with all five of the new heroes disabled due to the tournament’s ruleset.
And after a mixed Day 1, the fate of UT Dallas was practically sealed right away in Day 2 after falling to CSULB. It was a rough tournament for the Comets, and they couldn’t shake their demons in OWCC Open, after also failing to make the playoffs in the fall due to an upset by SCAD.
OWCC Open Round 8 Recap:
Notable results:
- #2 Northwood 2-1 #4 St. Clair
- #3 Fisher 2-0 Winthrop Academy
- #5 BSCVA 2-0 Texas Tech
- #6 Fisher Navy 2-1 #15 Briar Cliff
- #7 Cumberland 2-1 Northeastern
- #8 Utah 2-0 UCLA
- #10 NC State 2-0 SUNY Binghamton
- #12 Bellevue 2-0 #16 Cleveland State
- #19 Oakland 2-0 Grand View
- Syracuse 2-1 Maryland
Main takeaways:
Round 8 was one of the quieter rounds of the weekend, with most games following the expected results.
Once again, Northwood was pushed to the brink by a fellow top 5 team but survived the scare from St. Clair.
Fisher Navy also put an end to Briar Cliff's winning streak in a close match, but showed that the Chargers may be poised for a long run in the playoffs this weekend.
And finally, Cumberland survived a scare from Northeastern, who quickly became one of the most notable teams in the tournament throughout superweekend. The Phoenix of Cumberland often went to Map 5 throughout the weekend, with its Round 6 win over Converse its only sweep of the weekend.
OWCC Open Round 9 Recap:
Notable results:
- #1 Winthrop 2-1 #5 BSCVA
- #2 Northwood 2-0 #12 Bellevue
- #3 Fisher 2-1 #6 Fisher Navy
- #7 Cumberland 2-1 #4 St. Clair
- Michigan 2-1 #8 Utah
- #10 NC State 2-1 #18 Arcadia
- Northeastern 2-1 #13 Texas A&M
- #15 Briar Cliff 2-0 CSULB
- Miami OH 2-0 #19 Oakland
- #20 Georgia Tech 2-1 Syracuse
- TAMUSA 2-1 Converse
Main takeaways:
Simply put, Cumberland versus St. Clair was one of the best collegiate Overwatch matches in years. Two teams desperately pushed to lock in a top 4 seed in the playoffs, and it did not disappoint.
It came down to the final fight on Esperança, with Cumberland holding a three-meter lead heading into overtime.
And then Grey “Nody” Etue happened.
The 4k clutch propelled Cumberland to the upset and its best OWC Swiss finish in school history. After losing tank phenom Emil Páll “GingerRæfill” MatthĂasson in the offseason, expectations were mixed for Cumberland. But after this win, Cumberland entered the OWCRA Top 5 conversation and could be a dark horse team the rest of this semester.
Elsewhere, BSCVA nearly pulled off the upset once again, this time against top-ranked Winthrop. It was an unfortunate pull for the Bobcats, whose only losses are 1-2 against the top two teams in collegiate.
The Huskies of Northeastern shocked the scene one final time to close out superweekend, stunning Texas A&M. After not playing in any major third-party leagues throughout the spring semester, not many eyes were looking at Northeastern to make it out of the Swiss stage. But now the Huskies are a team that could potentially cause some chaos in the playoffs.
In another stunner, the University of Miami, Ohio, swept Oakland to seal its spot in the Top 32. Miami has had a rocky season up to this point in OWCC Varsity, but had an unbelievable performance to cap off a successful superweekend.
OWCC Open Round of 32:
- #2 Northwood vs. UVA Blue
- TAMUSA vs. #10 NC State
- Alvernia vs. Grand View
- #12 Bellevue vs. UCR Blue
- #7 Cumberland vs. #13 Texas A&M
- Northeastern vs. Converse
- Winthrop Academy vs. Cincinnati
- #6 Fisher Navy vs. UT Varsity
- #3 Fisher vs. Michigan
- Miami OH vs. Oregon State
- #15 Briar Cliff vs. Syracuse
- #16 Cleveland State vs. UNLV
- #1 Winthrop vs. Texas Tech
- #20 Georgia Tech vs. #18 Arcadia
- #5 BSCVA vs. CSULB
- #4 St. Clair vs. Georgia State
Looking ahead:
The playoffs will be single-elimination in the Rounds of 32 and 16, then switch to a double-elimination format for the top eight teams.
Plenty of bubble teams will square off for their spots in the Round of 16, and the guaranteed $1,000 in prize money that comes with it.
Georgia Tech versus Arcadia has the potential to be a dogfight, while Alvernia against Grand View and Northeastern versus Converse are both full of potential.
Beyond that, St. Clair and BSCVA appear destined to play against each other in the Round of 16. It feels a bit crazy to say one of these teams won’t make the double-elimination phase, considering both their performances during the Swiss stage.
A loss would mark the worst OWC result for St. Clair since OWC Homecoming in the fall of 2024, and the worst for the Bobcats since OWCC in the spring of 2024.
The opening day of the tournament will swiftly cut down the teams from 32 to eight, while the rest of the weekend will have the quarterfinalists battle it out in the upper and lower brackets.
OWCC Open Playoffs schedule:
- Friday, March 13
- Round of 32: 8 PM EDT
- Round of 16: 10 PM EDT
- Saturday, March 14
- Upper Round 1: 2 PM EDT
- Lower Round 1: 3:30 PM EDT
- Upper Semifinals: 5 PM EDT
- Upper Finals: 6:30 PM EDT
- Sunday, March 15
- Lower Round 2A: 2 PM EDT
- Lower Round 2B: 3:30 PM EDT
- Lower Semifinal: 5 PM EDT
- Lower Final: 6:30 PM EDT
There will be streams across the OWCC Playoffs on the OW Esports Twitch and YouTube pages.
The final two teams will not play the Grand Finals this weekend. Instead, it will be played in Orlando, Florida, during the OWCC Varsity LAN in late April.
If the results from superweekend are any indication of how the bracket stage of the OWCC Open is going to play out, we are in for one hell of a ride.