03.19.2025 // By:
College CoD
It is time for the first ever conference championships in College CoD history! This is a chance for teams to have the opportunity to claim the title of FIRST EVER conference champion. Expect a different level of play and passion coming out of these players who have their eyes on the prize. Revenge could be obtained from regular season matchups, familiar faces could face off and stir up a frenzy, and underdogs could make a splash ahead of regionals. Let's take a look at the Northeast region - Great Lakes Conference and the Atlantic Conference, as well as the Southeast - Appalachian and Deep South.
Great Lake Conference Championship
#3 St. Clair Saints (14-0) vs. #12 Akron Esports (13-1)
Pali's Predictions: The Canadian powerhouse, St. Clair just keeps getting better and better every single year of the CCL. I've watched this school literally grow in front of my eyes since they finished Top 32 during the MW season in 2020 when our very own beloved CCL caster, Colin "CMoore", was on the roster. In Black Ops Cold War (2021), they finished Top 24 and in Vanguard (2022) they finally began to taste the upper echelon of the CCL behind the leadership of their hall-of-fame player, Priestly, as they finished in Top 8 and haven't looked back since. They finished Top 6 in MWII (2023) and then came in 3rd last year during MWIII (2024). But enough of the history lesson – we're in 2025 now. And guess what? I feel like they are destined to shine again as they have all season long. They finished 14-0, including a victory over their conference foes at Akron (3-0) in week 3 of the season. You know what else I really enjoy about the Saints besides the history? This roster. LATAM IS SHINING! This starting four of Couti (Argentina), Ruper (Mexico), KB (Colombia) and cWadz (United States) have combined into a dominating force that has the potential to go all the way to the finals this year. I love my boys at Akron, but this one is an easy one for me – Saints 3-0 Zips.
Atlantic Conference Championship
#1 Fisher College (14-0) vs. #8 Central Maine CC (13-1)
Pali's Predictions: The new kids on the block out of Central Maine Community College made an absolute statement on opening night of the regular season when they avoided the reverse sweep against the Fisher Falcons and won 3-2 – skyrocketing them into the top 10 rankings of the CCL instantly. This is a team composed mostly of your "average" T64 Challengers players who took the community by storm after defeating the Falcons, who are all former Call of Duty pros. In the CCL, these kids are not "average". Zay, Asylum, Ethan and Delo have played incredible "team ball" this year maintaining a Top 8 national ranking all season long. Their opponent, however, has pretty much held the #1 spot all year long. We're talking about the defending CCL Champions - Fisher College (Phantomz, DillonWrecks, Darksived, Brack). We're talking about the team who took the Preseason S&D Tournament win back in November. We're talking about a team that has already 3-0'd the Mustangs in week 5 of the regular season. We're talking about a team that hasn't dropped a map all season long. Is there much to say here? I love what you've built, Coach Relck, but I can't see a win for the Mustangs happening. They'll surely make it fun, but this one is going to Fisher College, 3-0, again.
Appalachian Conference Championship
#5 Mars Hill (14-0) vs #9 Newberry College (13-1)
In what will be one of the most anticipated matchups of the season, Mars Hill will look to build on a near perfect season thus far. The addition of Traixx has propelled this team forward, building off of a successful season last year. Search and Destroy has always been their strongest game mode, and that will be something they will continue to rely on for the conference championship and onward. If the Lions can stay consistent in the respawn modes, they will be a very hard team to beat. Familiarity is key for a Newberry squad that has been together since MW2. Sells and Diff have only gotten better in BO6, complimented by Eternals and KBeasly. A huge 3-0 win over #10 Cumberland in the final week secured their spot in the conference championship. This series will likely be determined by game two and three, as the Hardpoints should be the flip of a coin if we get the best Newberry. It will be a close one, but I have Mars Hill taking this one 3-1, with Newberry taking the Control.
Deep South Conference Championship
#14 University of Central Florida (13-1) vs #25 Kennesaw State (13-0)
A rematch of the clear-cut top two in the Deep South is on the horizon for the conference championship. Back in week 5, these two went the absolute distance, with Kennesaw upsetting UCF in game five. UCF took maps two and three, but failed to win a hardpoint in the loss. Kennesaw has come on very strong in the latter half of the season, and are peaking at the right time as they get set to play their toughest opponent for the second time. UCF recently beat #12 Akron at a LAN held at Old Ominion. They beat them in TWO best of 7s including a game seven thriller to secure the win. Kennesaw will be competitive, but UCF will be better prepared this time around. 3-1 UCF.