ROCHESTER, Mich. - Effective with the beginning of the 2023-24 season earlier in September, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies Esports Overwatch 2 and Rocket League teams are competing in a new National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) conference that features only NCAA Division I schools.

Golden Grizzlies head coach Carl Leone helped spearhead the creation of this new league, which will still feed into a national postseason with all other NACE schools and also includes the Boise State Broncos, Kansas Jayhawks, Michigan State Spartans, Missouri Tigers, Old Dominion Monarchs, Ole Miss Rebels, Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles and USF Bulls.



"The creation of conferences like this marks a new area for collegiate esports where schools have more input on what kinds of schools they compete against in the regular season," Leone shared.

"This league will allow us to compete against other D-I schools who have more competitive rosters, similar resources, infrastructure and broadcast capabilities. Our conference will still lead into national competition."

Winning their first two NACE Varsity Premier conference championships in program history in the spring, Oakland has had little difficulty adjusting to facing only Division I competition thus far, as Overwatch 2 and Rocket League are both 2-0 in their new league in 2023-24.

Rocket League will next be in action against Missouri on Monday, September 18 at 7:30 p.m. and Overwatch 2 will face the same Tigers the next day, Tuesday, September 19, at the same time.