College COD West: NMSU shines, SCC holds strong in CCL Week 4 cover image

College COD West: NMSU shines, SCC holds strong in CCL Week 4

New Mexico State Impresses, St. Clair look good in CCL Week 4.

Week 4 of College COD league play brought some upsets as usual, among others showing up when they needed to in the West divisions.

#9 New Mexico State take down #6 St. Edward’s in swift fashion

New Mexico State has shot up the power ranking throughout the early part of the CCL season. There was some question if the team could hold strong behind superstar play Phenom. So far, they have done more than just hold their own, as they now hold a 6-2 record and are clawing at top 2 in the West. 

NMSU kicked off their night with a 3-1 win over a scrappy #20 Texas A&M Maroon. They then followed up with probably the most anticipated match of the year against #6 St. Edward’s University.

SEU, led by high-level Challengers players in Thresh and Eons, have been strong all year so far in hopes of returning to LAN. It was expected to be a tight, back and forth series. However, New Mexico had other plans.

The Aggies won a close 15-point Hardpoint to kick things off. From there, it was dominance. The series would end in a 3-0 NMSU victory leaving the Top 25 voters impressed. 

This win could be a defining moment in who joins the current undefeated Oklahoma Christian in receiving a top 2 spot. New Mexico State’s loss to Texas State is their only blemish in what has been a very solid season for the Aggies. Keep them on your radar.

St. Clair takes down rival Davenport, eyes #2 seed for regional playoff 

The St. Clair Saints entered the season with 3 new faces joining the team, along with CCL veterans Brandon and Priestly. They were a unanimous top 10 team for 2023, but the 5-man roster dynamic raised some questions of their ability to succeed. So far, their 7-1 record has eliminated those concerns.

StClair Saints
StClair Saints

The Saints took on 2022 rival Davenport University on CCL stream. SCC entered the match with 3 freshmen on the roster, including; Blaz, Bendy, and Argentinian recruit Relazed.

Despite the inconsistencies of Davenport, this was still a test for St. Clair, who had mostly dominated the first half of the season. P5 on Embassy Hardpoint was the key for success in a map 1 win for SCC. They followed up with an entertaining 6-4 victory in Search & Destroy. A 3-0 El Asilo Control would take them to a strong series win. 

St. Clair will have a chance secure the #2 seed for regionals if they win their remaining 3 matches. Illini Orange, SIUe and Ottawa will round out the rest of their regular season.

Around the league in College COD week 4

UGC Battlecats Slip, Michigan respawn woes continue

Arizona stunned the league with an upset (at the time) over Westcliff, who was led by former pro Aqua. This shot them right into the top 15 of the power rankings. Since that win in week 1, UGC has gone just 1-6 and have not looked competitive against the division’s current top 8 teams. They’ll look to bounce back in regional playoffs.

Michigan’s loss of Decimm this year hurt. But the new addition of Murk has kept their game at a high level. Specifically, their Search and Destroy has been very strong so far this year. They won both S&Ds against Wichita to win that series, and comeback from 5-2 down against St. Clair.

Michigan's downside has been respawn, with control being near detrimental. This is a very solid squad of four, and if they can figure out a way to take more respawns off of teams, they’ll be a real threat in the midwest. 

Catch more College COD action this week in the Northeast and Southeast divisions battle it out on Monday, followed by the West divisions on Tuesday. Catch it all love on the College COD twitch.