TeamRoster Guelph tloC / Plasma / Eggs / Amez73 Indiana Tekk / Cydonia / Nicklit / Savage / Zebu UIUC Navystriker / Phat / E_M_E_T / Jorge Carleton Serser0 / SodoSopa / Missile / Kranne / Fitzy Iowa State RDCRUSH / AirNautique / Niketas / bob / Nighthawk Ryerson Cat / Araussi / Peli CU Boulder Jay / J13 / HyyDee / Lucky Clover UWSP Zesty / VexR / Totakk920 / iiMontezz / Daclicksta MTU Bumney / Squidd / Pavel Datsyuk Kansas Cosmic / Mr. Ramm / calfromkansas North Region

The Conference Round-Robin in the North Region will consist of a heavily contested top four seed competition, with a few weaker teams at the bottom of the conference attempting to make their way up through the rankings.

CU-Boulder and UW-SP are the two schools that will struggle most in the round-robin. Although they have been known to take games off of the top teams, they will need to improve significantly if they hope to earn a mid-high seed through this competition. Moving up the rankings, teams like Ryerson and ISU will be looking to perform strongly against the top four teams. Just because they are ranked at five and six, don’t think that they aren’t formidable competitors. During the power rankings ballot, the margins between each of these teams was very small. It is expected that these teams will be able to take a match, if not a few games off of the powerhouses of the North Conference. The top four teams in the North Region are each as threatening as the next, and should not be underestimated. Carleton’s new roster was yet to be seen until the first qualifier, and they have already shown their prowess as a team with their impressive performances against UIUC and ISU. Indiana University has not been challenged too much thus far, however their consistency as a team will need to continue if they hope to keep their top spot in the conference. Guelph and UIUC have already played each other once; Guelph’s victory in that match has taken a huge part in their number one ranking in the North. The top side of the North Conference will be extremely competitive, and picking a number one and two seed at this point is too challenging of a task.

Beyond the conference, Michigan Tech University and University of Kansas have been voted on as the two teams that will make strong runs through the CRL Open Ladder, hoping to find themselves a wildcard spot in the Conference Playoffs. MTU had impressive runs in the first round of the CRL qualifiers, however due to some team issues, they were unable to give the second CRL qualifier their best effort. Look for them to finish at the top of the Open Ladder and secure themselves a top wildcard spot. KU was not able to participate in the first qualifier, which may have made it harder for them, as they only were given one chance, through the second qualifier. University of Kansas ended the second qualifier in fifth-sixth place, nearly missing out on a position in the North Conference. KU should perform well in the Open Ladder; many people expected them to easily earn a spot in the North Conference Playoffs.

TeamRoster NEU Floms / Mercurial / Sharkparty / Uesae / Star UMD OneShot / dEben / Password Is Taco / Shafster / jpk.14 Penn State Narwhat / Tennismaster11 / GottaGo…Fast Wentworth Dot / Apex / MAC1X RIT Whitebark / MimiKe / jesse / Jinx RMU iQuit Gaming / Slurpalurpadingdong / AkaChewToy Drexel Chase; Me / DiscipleOfSmug / Echelon / tech CMU Apple / Sever / Rbot UConn  MeetandGreek / astrel / starboy / jkpttr / AutumnMuse UPenn Rem / Domi / TussCornbread / Magictumor East Region

Competition on the Eastern front is anything but similar to every other region. The difference in skill level from the top of the conference compared to the bottom is colossal, to say the least. The fight for seeding will not happen at the top, but rather at the end of the conference. Many of the weaker teams are close in talent, but they are unable to compare to the best teams in any fashion.

Northeastern University will fly through the Conference Round-Robin without struggling. The only time they lost a game during the qualifiers was due to a fluke loss to Penn State University. NEU’s only challenge will come from the University of Maryland. UMD’s new roster could quite possibly give NEU a legitimate competition for the number one spot. Penn State and Wentworth have earned themselves the number three and four spots, respectively, in the power rankings. Both of these teams are closely matched, but Penn State performed slightly better during their qualifiers and should look to compete closely with WIT for that third seed. The competition from the middle to the bottom of the conference is extremely tight and those seeds are anyone’s game at this point. Rochester Institute of Technology is expected to perform the best out of those teams, but RMU’s remarkable performances of recent time will prove to give RIT and the rest of the teams a challenging matchup. From individual player rankings, Carnegie Mellon looks to be the weakest team in the Conference Round-Robin. However, what CMU lacks in skill, they make up in team chemistry. They could definitely find themselves a four-five seed if they continue with how they played during the CRL qualifiers.

The University of Connecticut nearly made a near wonder-run for qualifying in the Eastern Conference, but were sadly halted by Carnegie Mellon. UConn knocked out many of the mid tier teams in the region, and should look to take that first seeded wildcard place. One of their closest competitors in the Open Ladder will be the University of Pennsylvania. UPenn made strong runs in both of the CRL qualifiers, but were not able to secure themselves a spot in conference play. There were many teams of similar skill to UPenn in the Eastern Conference, but UPenn’s results show that they will definitely perform well in the Open.

TeamRoster TAMU Wayprotein / Wlil / Average Player / Lodence / goof LSU donnie / Lohtek / Slatt / ModyKiller / Hoss UNT AlecStorm8 / Paak / David Silvarado / Swelly / IRPepper Auburn Trut3 / FallenOak / ROLLTIDE12 / Cam_Da_G Texas Doodat / Daniel / Jakk / jawewe / XRDBlade GT mocha / Tuesdays / Broccoli Penguin ULL Bach_in_law / JSavv / Lord Leon / Larold Lizardo UNCC Duis / Sykes / 123Scandisk / BoldAndUncontrolled Clemson biranx / Kevin / Uzbagoizya GSU kickface11 / Legolas / Untr0 / Veer South Region

Many of the most talented teams in the Collegiate Rocket League may be found in the South Region. Teams unable to qualify in this region would give the best teams in other conferences a good run for their money. The top tier of teams in this region will be tightly seeded towards the end of the Round-Robin, and Conference Playoffs will be anyone’s game at that point.

UNCC earned their ranking of eight by nearly squeaking through the South Conference qualifiers. They will definitely have issues with the many skilled teams during the Round-Robin. Despite University of Louisiana - Lafayette’s massive win over UT-Austin, they have been given rank seven, due to many of the committee members viewing this match as a fluke victory. ULL has the ability to knock down many of the titans in this conference, but their consistency as a team is still under question. Georgia Tech’s strong performance in the qualifiers was a surprise to many, and they will need to keep up with that level of play to have any chance at defeating the top teams. However, do not be shocked if they are able to steal games occasionally from the mid to high tier teams. Towards the middle of the rankings, University of Austin-Texas can be found. Despite performing poorly recently, they are still a titan of the CRL and will most likely give many of the best teams in the South Conference a close five-game series. Towards the top of the power rankings, Auburn and the University of North Texas will be the two teams that will be fighting for the three and four seed before the Conference Playoffs. We haven’t seen many results out of both of these teams rosters, however they both had especially confident qualifying runs. The greatest competition in the South Conference will be between Texas A&M University and Louisiana State University. TAMU managed to easily defeat LSU in the qualifiers, however this defeat will only push LSU harder to improve and they could just as easily earn that number one seed in the conference.

In the CRL Open Ladder, the top two teams that the committee expects to qualify are Clemson University and Georgia Southern University. Clemson was unable to make it through the qualifiers, but their consistent high quality performances against the titans of the South Conference has shown everyone that they will not be messing around in the Open. Georgia Southern University’s run through the loser’s bracket was stopped just short of qualifying, but they and the University of Florida will both be tightly ranked in the Open Ladder. The wildcard positions will be decided by the quality of teams they play; the luckier team may just make it into the Conference Playoffs.

TeamRoster Cal Poly SLO A 43 / Twice The Tang / Stay-at-Home Savage / The Wizard Arizona PlantingCargo85 / fire / Jackbo / jojocats Utah Brizzy / Owen / Wicked Potatoes / Brio / Funnyguy Cal Poly Pomona Veni / GoodJobKev / Lobster / Prestige ww Long Beach Employed Wolf / Darkeye / SkyfireZX / EMoneyTV Cal Poly SLO B Digo / Atlas / Big Boss UCI Isosceles Fish Sandwich / Ralph / Jon / FAF$A / DJPlasticCup ASU Aze / Snowdragonz / DoomZa / Ardavani / BumperPumper / Zoo WSU b900cool / J4MES / TinyLettuce UCSB Viking / Answagony / Pengi West Region

From what was previously said, the South Conference may sound like the most talented region in the CRL. However, when talking about talent in the CRL, you can not forget to mention the West Conference. The West has some of the best players in the CRL, and we may see one of these teams at the end of the CRL National Championships. The brunt force of the competition in the West Region will happen around the middle of the Conference. The bottom ranked teams will definitely be pushed down towards the bottom, likewise, the top teams will most likely stay at the top of the leaderboard. Yet, the middle of the pack will be heavily contested due to many of the teams in the West Region being similarly skilled.

Cal Poly SLO’s A-team will more than likely finish at the head of the pack, with consistent impressive performances at the highest level. They will expect to receive that number one seed position, but some of the other top teams could definitely give them a great match. Teams like Arizona and Utah, if performing at the best of their ability, could potentially take a series away from CP SLO’s A-team. Cal Poly Pomona, Long Beach, CP SLO’s B-team, and Irvine will have quite the competition in the middle of the group. Each of these teams have yet to prove how they match up against their competitors, but we can only know what the seeding will look like as conference play progresses. ASU is considered one of the weaker teams in the conference by the committee, but they should not be underestimated. Their 3-0 performance against highly ranked Utah has most certainly shown that they have the capability to play at the highest level of Collegiate Rocket League.

There were some top tier teams that ever so slightly missed their chance for earning a position in the West Conference Round-Robin, and the two best teams to look for in the Open Ladder are Washington State University and the University of California at Santa Barbara. WSU was previously considered one of the easy contenders for qualification in this region’s second qualifier, however most would say that their drawing of Utah in the final round of qualification was anything but lucky. With as formidable of a team as they are, Washington State University should be able to put on some great performances in the Open Ladder and secure themselves a deserved spot as a number one seed wildcard. UCSB was a relatively unknown team due to their recent formation, but what they lack in team chemistry they surely make up through individual skill. UCSB’s performance in not only the qualifiers, but also the CCA College Invitational has proven that they have a legitimate chance at taking that second wildcard seed.

About the Power Ranking Committee

These rankings were provided by a committee of members that offer different views in the CCA (College Carball Association). We use a system like the Associated Press power rankings for College Sports - a panel of writers vote on who they think should be listed and an average is produced from these rankings. The members of this committee consider several factors when determining their rankings, some of these include: results from the qualifiers, individual competitive ranking, and previous results from tournaments teams had participated in. Each member of the committee has their own method for how they rank the teams, though they are consistent and similar.

Credit

The Power Ranking Committee:
fortythree
Alpha
donnie
Doodat
Navystriker
ObsessedTaylor
Tophat

Results from the committee were recorded and edited to be published by Phat.

Each region’s writeup was written and edited by Phat.

Power ranking graphics made by Matthew Strack
Note:
(All of the rankings posted in these images were taken near the end of season five. Players may have had higher / lower ranks at certain points throughout the season, but we just wanted to give a general idea of the skill levels of each team in the CRL)

CRL Article cover photo by Psyonix.