Kanto League 2023

Komazawa University Blue Tide

Senshū University Green Machine

Yokohama National University Mastiffs

Kokushikan University Rhinoceros

Sophia University Golden Eagles

The Kantō League is the major college football league in East Japan. Since the 2011 fall season 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 replacement games against the 1st and 2nd place teams from the Big 8.

For the 2023 season the KCFA changed the format for the Top 8 - going back to the pre-corona tournament method with the eight teams playing a round-robin tournament. The winner will be the Kantō League champion and play for the East Japan championship. The Big 8 will again play with ten teams, split into two blocks (A and B) with five teams each. In the first stage of the season (Primary League) the teams will play round-robin games within their blocks. In the second stage the Big 8 will be split in a Top Secondary League with the 1st through 3rd place finishers from blocks A and B and a Lower Secondary League with the 4th and 5th place finishers from blocks A and B. In the Top Secondary League the teams will play against the teams from the opposite block. In the Lower Secondary League the teams will play round-robin games. The results from the Primary League games will be carried over. The 9th and 10th place teams will be automatically demoted to Division 2 while the 5th to 8th place teams will play replacement games against the top four teams of Division 2.

Week 1
	Top 8
9/2	Hōsei University Orange	Nihon University Phoenix	0-0
9/3	Chūō University Raccoons	Rikkyō University Rushers	14-20
9/3	Waseda University Big Bears	Keiō University Unicorns	17-0
9/3	Meiji University Griffins	Tōkyō University Warriors	27-7
Week 2
9/16	Chūō University Raccoons	Tōkyō University Warriors	21-11
9/16	Waseda University Big Bears	Nihon University Phoenix	0-0
9/16	Hōsei University Orange	Keiō University Unicorns	21-14
9/16	Meiji University Griffins	Rikkyō University Rushers	10-14
Week 3
9/30	Meiji University Griffins	Keiō University Unicorns	20-0
9/30	Waseda University Big Bears	Tōkyō University Warriors	44-0
10/1	Chūō University Raccoons	Nihon University Phoenix	0-0
10/1	Hōsei University Orange	Rikkyō University Rushers	6-3
Week 4
10/14	Chūō University Raccoons	Keiō University Unicorns	3-7
10/14	Meiji University Griffins	Nihon University Phoenix	0-0
10/15	Hōsei University Orange	Tōkyō University Warriors	20-0
10/15	Waseda University Big Bears	Rikkyō University Rushers	20-21
Week 5
10/28	Tōkyō University Warriors	Nihon University Phoenix	0-0
10/28	Hōsei University Orange	Meiji University Griffins	14-6
10/29	Rikkyō University Rushers	Keiō University Unicorns	31-6
10/29	Waseda University Big Bears	Chūō University Raccoons	36-0
Week 6
11/11	Tōkyō University Warriors	Keiō University Unicorns	20-45
11/12	Rikkyō University Rushers	Nihon University Phoenix	0-0
11/12	Waseda University Big Bears	Meiji University Griffins	7-16
11/12	Hōsei University Orange	Chūō University Raccoons	44-7
Week 7
11/23	Meiji University Griffins	Chūō University Raccoons	31-6
11/23	Waseda University Big Bears	Hōsei University Orange	26-6
11/23	Rikkyō University Rushers	Tōkyō University Warriors	62-35
11/26	Nihon University Phoenix	Keiō University Unicorns	0-0

Team	W	L	PF	PA	Pts
Hōsei University Orange	5	1	111	56	15
Rikkyō University Rushers	5	1	151	91	15
Meiji University Griffins	4	2	110	48	12
Waseda University Big Bears	4	2	150	43	12
Keiō University Unicorns	2	4	72	112	6
Chūō University Raccoons	1	5	51	149	3
Tōkyō University Warriors	0	6	73	219	0
Nihon University Phoenix*	0	0	0	0	0

(* Nihon withdrew from competition due to allegations of drug use by members of the team.)

Week 1
	Big 8
	Primary League Block A
9/9	Yokohama National University Mastiffs	Sophia University Golden Eagles	21-10
9/9	Komazawa University Blue Tide	Senshū University Green Machine	13-6
Week 2
9/23	Yokohama National University Mastiffs	Senshū University Green Machine	10-28
9/24	Kokushikan University Rhinoceros	Sophia University Golden Eagles	58-0
Week 3
10/1	Komazawa University Blue Tide	Kokushikan University Rhinoceros	35-13
10/1	Senshū University Green Machine	Sophia University Golden Eagles	24-3
Week 4
10/14	Yokohama National University Mastiffs	Kokushikan University Rhinoceros	24-14
10/15	Komazawa University Blue Tide	Sophia University Golden Eagles	45-0
Week 5
10/22	Kokushikan University Rhinoceros	Senshū University Green Machine	13-18
10/22	Yokohama National University Mastiffs	Komazawa University Blue Tide	0-21

Week 1
	Big 8
	Primary League Block B
9/9	Meiji Gakuin University Saints	Tōkai University Tritons	33-13
9/10	Ōbirin University Three Nails Crowns	Aoyama Gakuin University Lightning	27-21
Week 2
9/24	NSSU Triumphant Lion	Aoyama Gakuin University Lightning	30-21
9/24	Ōbirin University Three Nails Crowns	Tōkai University Tritons	26-7
Week 3
10/1	Tōkai University Tritons	Aoyama Gakuin University Lightning	12-31
10/1	Meiji Gakuin University Saints	NSSU Triumphant Lion	17-20
Week 4
10/14	Meiji Gakuin University Saints	Aoyama Gakuin University Lightning	14-17
10/14	Ōbirin University Three Nails Crowns	NSSU Triumphant Lion	30-8
Week 5
10/21	NSSU Triumphant Lion	Tōkai University Tritons	17-7
10/21	Ōbirin University Three Nails Crowns	Meiji Gakuin University Saints	10-16

Week 1
	Big 8
	Top Secondary League
11/4	Komazawa University Blue Tide	Aoyama Gakuin University Lightning	12-18
11/4	Ōbirin University Three Nails Crowns	Yokohama National University Mastiffs	27-13
11/4	Senshū University Green Machine	NSSU Triumphant Lion	3-5
Week 2
11/19	Yokohama National University Mastiffs	Aoyama Gakuin University Lightning	10-37
11/19	Komazawa University Blue Tide	NSSU Triumphant Lion	21-6
11/19	Ōbirin University Three Nails Crowns	Senshū University Green Machine	7-10
Week 3
12/3	NSSU Triumphant Lion	Yokohama National University Mastiffs	10-0
12/3	Komazawa University Blue Tide	Ōbirin University Three Nails Crowns	14-21
12/3	Senshū University Green Machine	Aoyama Gakuin University Lightning	16-17

Week 1
	Big 8
	Lower Secondary League
11/4	Kokushikan University Rhinoceros	Tōkai University Tritons	30-17
11/5	Meiji Gakuin University Saints	Sophia University Golden Eagles	11-14
Week 2
11/18	Kokushikan University Rhinoceros	Sophia University Golden Eagles	36-9
11/18	Meiji Gakuin University Saints	Tōkai University Tritons	17-7
Week 3
12/2	Kokushikan University Rhinoceros	Meiji Gakuin University Saints	16-24
12/2	Sophia University Golden Eagles	Tōkai University Tritons	19-16

Team	W	L	PF	PA	Pts
Meiji Gakuin University Saints	4	3	132	97	12
Kokushikan University Rhinoceros	3	4	180	120	9
Sophia University Golden Eagles	2	5	55	211	6
Tōkai University Tritons	0	7	79	173	0

	Top 8 Postseason
	East Japan Playoff 1
11/11	Meijō University Golden Lions	Hokkaidō University Big Green	33-6
	East Japan Playoff 2	(Kakuda Bowl)
11/19	Tōhoku University Hornets	Meijō University Golden Lions	21-11
	East Japan Championship	(AOBA Bowl)
12/3	Hōsei University Orange	Tōhoku University Hornets	42-7
	Kōshien Bowl
12/17	Hōsei University Orange	Kwansei Gakuin University Fighters	21-61

	Relegation Top 8 vs Big 8
12/16	Tōkyō University Warriors	Komazawa University Blue Tide	35-21

	Relegation Big 8 vs Division 2
12/16	Senshū University Green Machine	Seikei University Zelkovas	0-10
12/17	Yokohama National University Mastiffs	Teikyō University Gladiator	5-10
12/17	Meiji Gakuin University Saints	Kanagawa University Atoms	21-27
12/17	Kokushikan University Rhinoceros	Tsukuba University Excaliburs	31-14

Hometowns:
Aoyama Gakuin, Chūō, Hōsei, Komazawa, Meiji, Meiji Gakuin, Nihon, NSSU, Rikkyō, Senshū, Sophia, Tōkai, Tōkyō, Waseda (all Tōkyō), Ōbirin (Machida), Kokushikan (Setagaya), Keiō, Yokohama National (all Yokohama).
Standings:
In the Kantō League the winner gets three points.

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