The Kantō League is the major college football league in East Japan. The Kantō League champion plays against the North Japan representative for the East Japan championship. The winner of the East Japan championship plays against the winner of the West Japan championship in the Kōshien Bowl in December for the college championship.
Since the beginning of the 2014 fall season the Division 1 plays in a new format. The old lineup with two conferences and a championship game (Azuma Bowl) was replaced by a split into two subdivisions, the Top 8 and the Big 8. The Top 8 represent the highest level of play. The Top 8 winner will be the league champion. There will be no championship game. The 7th and 8th place teams from the Top 8 will play relegation games against the 1st and 2nd place teams from the Big 8.
For the 2021 season the KCFA again changed the format due to the COVID-19 pandemic in order to reduce the number of games. In the Division 1 the two subdivisions, Top 8 and Big 8, are split into two Blocks (A and B). Each team plays three regular season games followed by permutation games. The permutation game between the two first place teams of the Top 8 determines the Kantō League champion.
| Top 8 - Block A | | |
Week 1 |
10/2 | Meiji University Griffins | Tōkyō University Warriors | 35-13 |
10/2 | Waseda University Big Bears | Ōbirin University Three Nails Crowns | 17-5 |
Week 2 |
10/24 | Meiji University Griffins | Ōbirin University Three Nails Crowns | 34-14 |
10/24 | Waseda University Big Bears | Tōkyō University Warriors | 34-14 |
Week 3 |
11/14 | Waseda University Big Bears | Meiji University Griffins | 14-7 |
11/14 | Tōkyō University Warriors | Ōbirin University Three Nails Crowns | 7-24 |
Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pts |
Waseda University Big Bears | 3 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 26 | 9 |
Meiji University Griffins | 2 | 1 | 0 | 76 | 41 | 6 |
Ōbirin University Three Nails Crowns | 1 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 58 | 3 |
Tōkyō University Warriors | 0 | 3 | 0 | 34 | 93 | 0 |
|
| Top 8 - Block B | | |
Week 1 |
10/3 | Chūō University Raccoons | Rikkyō University Rushers | 35-15 |
11/3 | Hōsei University Orange | Nihon University Phoenix | 35-28 |
Week 2 |
10/23 | Chūō University Raccoons | Nihon University Phoenix | 38-13 |
10/23 | Hōsei University Orange | Rikkyō University Rushers | 35-14 |
Week 3 |
11/13 | Rikkyō University Rushers | Nihon University Phoenix | 35-27 |
11/14 | Hōsei University Orange | Chūō University Raccoons | 30-13 |
Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pts |
Hōsei University Orange | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 55 | 9 |
Chūō University Raccoons | 2 | 1 | 0 | 86 | 58 | 6 |
Rikkyō University Rushers | 1 | 2 | 0 | 64 | 97 | 3 |
Nihon University Phoenix | 0 | 3 | 0 | 68 | 108 | 0 |
|
| Big 8 - Block A | | |
Week 1 |
10/9 | Kanagawa University Atoms | Meiji Gakuin University Saints | 0-28 |
10/9 | Keiō University Unicorns | Aoyama Gakuin University Lightning | 47-0 |
Week 2 |
10/31 | Keiō University Unicorns | Meiji Gakuin University Saints | 46-7 |
10/31 | Kanagawa University Atoms | Aoyama Gakuin University Lightning | 7-21 |
Week 3 |
11/20 | Meiji Gakuin University Saints | Aoyama Gakuin University Lightning | 38-10 |
11/20 | Keiō University Unicorns | Kanagawa University Atoms | 62-0 |
Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pts |
Keiō University Unicorns | 3 | 0 | 0 | 155 | 7 | 9 |
Meiji Gakuin University Saints | 2 | 1 | 0 | 73 | 56 | 6 |
Aoyama Gakuin University Lightning | 1 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 92 | 3 |
Kanagawa University Atoms | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 111 | 0 |
|
| Big 8 - Block B | | |
Week 1 |
10/10 | Yokohama National University Mastiffs | Komazawa University Blue Tide | *1-0 |
10/10 | NSSU Triumphant Lion | Kokushikan University Rhinoceros | 0-6 |
Week 2 |
10/30 | NSSU Triumphant Lion | Komazawa University Blue Tide | 23-30 |
10/30 | Yokohama National University Mastiffs | Kokushikan University Rhinoceros | 42-26 |
Week 3 |
11/21 | Komazawa University Blue Tide | Kokushikan University Rhinoceros | 3-7 |
11/21 | NSSU Triumphant Lion | Yokohama National University Mastiffs | 34-33 |
Team | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pts |
Yokohama National University Mastiffs | 2 | 1 | 0 | 76 | 60 | 6 |
Kokushikan University Rhinoceros | 2 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 45 | 6 |
Komazawa University Blue Tide | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 31 | 3 |
NSSU Triumphant Lion | 1 | 2 | 0 | 57 | 69 | 3 |
(* Game canceled due to COVID-19 infections at Komazawa University.)
|
| Top 8 Postseason | | |
| Permutation Games | | |
11/27 | Ōbirin University Three Nails Crowns | Rikkyō University Rushers | 10-7 |
11/27 | Meiji University Griffins | Chūō University Raccoons | 22-26 |
11/27 | Waseda University Big Bears | Hōsei University Orange | 10-24 |
11/28 | Tōkyō University Warriors | Nihon University Phoenix | 9-34 |
| North Japan Championship | (Pine Bowl) | |
11/3 | Hokkai Gakuen University Golden Bears | Tōhoku University Hornets | 18-39 |
| East Japan Championship | | |
12/5 | Hōsei University Orange | Tōhoku University Hornets | 56-13 |
| Kōshien Bowl | | |
12/19 | Hōsei University Orange | Kwansei Gakuin University Fighters | 7-47 |
|
| Big 8 Postseason | | |
| Permutation Games | | |
12/4 | Kanagawa University Atoms | NSSU Triumphant Lion | 7-24 |
12/4 | Aoyama Gakuin University Lightning | Komazawa Unversity Blue Tide | 9-0 |
12/4 | Meiji Gakuin University Saints | Kokushikan University Rhinoceros | 30-12 |
12/5 | Keiō University Unicorns | Yokohama National University Mastiffs | 17-3 |
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Hometowns: Aoyama Gakuin, Chūō, Hōsei, Komazawa, Meiji, Meiji Gakuin, Nihon, NSSU, Rikkyō, Tōkai, Tōkyō, Waseda (all Tōkyō), Ōbirin (Machida), Kokushikan (Setagaya), Kanagawa, Keiō, Yokohama National (all Yokohama) Standings: In the Kantō League the winner gets three points.
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