Version1 and Bush’s Beans announced today tournament participants and format details for the Bush’s® Beans to Beat Hunger Collegiate Invitational on Saturday, September 24.
The tournament will be livestreamed on the College Carball Association’s (CCA) Twitch channel starting at 2:00 PM ET. The competition will feature a double elimination bracket in which 16 invited schools will compete to be crowned champions.
The total prize pool is $10,000 and the top three teams will earn winnings, with first place taking home $6,000, second place taking home $3,000 and third place, $1,000.
The Bush’s Beans Invitational is a buffer tournament between seasons for the College Carball Association community. CCA is a collective of university alumni and student clubs and teams that includes over 8,000 students and 300 established chapters.
The Bush’s Beans to Beat Hunger Collegiate Invitational is positioned ideally between the finale of CCA’s Summer Series and the start of the upcoming Collegiate Rocket League (CRL) fall season. It’s an opportunity for teams to keep mechanics sharp and solidify their rosters ahead of the season starting later this year.
The 16-team tournament features top Rocket League talent from the following colleges:
- University of Minnesota—Twin Cities
- University of Wisconsin—Madison
- Ohio State University
- Miami University
- Michigan State University
- Pennsylvania State
- Purdue University
- Rutgers – New Brunswick
- University of Massachusetts Amherst
- University of Southern California
- Northwood University
- University of Arizona
- University of North Texas
- University of Oregon
- University of California – LA
- University of Missouri
Northwood University is a favorite. The team is coming off several major wins: they won the CRL Spring Championship, the CRL World Championship and most recently, the CCA Summer Series 2022 Championship. Northwood beat West Virginia 4-1 in the Summer Series Grand Final earlier this month.
Heading into the Bush’s Beans Invitational Northwood hopes they can keep their momentum to take home the top prize of $6,000. “Our success comes from a variety of things, but what stands out is our chemistry and friendship,” said Stephen “HockE” Hoelbinger a player on the Northwood University team.
Teams will be organized by “beans” divisions to break up the 16 teams for bracket style play and competitive seeding. Fans tuning in can pick their favorite team in one of the following divisions: the “Powered Up Pintos,” the “Cannellini Kickers,” the “Chili Dawgs,” or the “Boosted Garbanzos.”
The collegiate tournament is the first major collaboration between Bush’s Beans and Version1. It’s an opportunity to engage young people – both Rocket League fans, and college players – with an entertaining event, but it’s also a chance to raise funds during Hunger Action Month to support GENYOUth, a non-profit that provides nutrition and wellness infrastructure and resources to schools around the U.S.
Fans who tune in will find ways to donate to GENYOUth in the Twitch chat throughout the tournament.
“Hosting a major college esports tournament is a first for Bush’s Beans, and we’re thrilled to work alongside Version1 to put on this event that has attracted some of the top collegiate Rocket League teams,” says Ken Oakley, Senior Brand Manager of Bush’s. “It’s also an opportunity for us to continue our work in the community, by raising awareness and funding for an important cause: ending student hunger. We’re pleased to be supporting GENYOUth this September during Hunger Action Month.”
The Rocket League Invitational is just the most recent example of how Bush’s Beans is investing in the collegiate sports scene. In July, the company announced a new, multi-year sponsorship agreement with the Southeastern Conference and SEC Network to be the “Official Beans of the SEC.”
Stay tuned to Version1 and Bush’s Beans social media for updates around the tournament and tune in to watch the action live on September 24 at 2:00 PM ET on the College Carball Association’s Twitch!
