Ohio State and Michigan Set to Faceoff in Rivals Cup
November 9, 2023
By Cody Machan
The Ohio State and Michigan rivalry begins a new chapter soon when the two universities take the competition to the gaming world and compete in the first-ever Rivals Cup LAN.
The event will see the Buckeyes and Wolverines face off against each other on Sunday, Nov. 19, across five titles, including Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, Counter-Strike 2, Overwatch 2, Valorant, and another title to be determined, with each game being played in a best-of-three or five format. The first school to win three of the five titles wins the event.
"It's a new step in the rivalry," Ohio State Esports Manager John Price said on Twitter. "It couldn't have happened without Kevin Palmer and the work of the students of both programs, especially those who blazed a trail in years prior for Esports at both institutions."
Organized by the newly formed Big Esports Conference, the Rivals Cup will be held at the esports arena inside Lincoln Tower, with players from Michigan's esports program traveling down from Ann Arbor to face off against the Buckeyes in person.
The LAN will be the second gaming event between the two schools, following the Fortnite Tournament hosted by Nick "Nickmercs" Kolcheff last November. The event involved teams comprised of college athletes, alums, and esports players from the two schools.
With the creation of the Rivals Cup, the two schools hope to expand upon the rivalry event from last year and create a tradition of extending the rivalry to the esports world for years to come.
"I've been working on this with John Price for months, and we are pumped to take the rivalry to the next level," Michigan Assistant Director of Esports and Intramural Programs Kevin Palmer said on Twitter.
The esports arena will remain open during the event, and people are welcome to enter and use the facilities as usual.
The Rivals Cup is set to run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST and be broadcast on the Big Esports Conference's official YouTube channel here.
The Rivalry Cup Game Schedule
10:00 a.m. – Super Smash Brothers Ultimate - Best of Three
11:30 a.m. – Counter-Strike 2 - Best of Three
1:30 p.m. – Overwatch 2 - Best of Five
3:00 p.m. – TBD - Best of Three
4:30 p.m. – Valorant - Best of Three