to become the first repeat C-USA champs since Eas | Forum

If you had any doubt that Blizzard Entertainment was going all-in on esports, look no further than Fridays announcement of Overwatch League, to be launched in 2017. Pas Cher Nike Vapormax .Blizzard Entertainment, a division of Activision Blizzard, has a long history of tournament support for its games, but to run a league, something that takes place over the long haul, reflects a new level of support for Overwatch. Overwatch, still a young game with more than 20 million players within six months of its release, has already attracted a number of high-profile pros, especially the Overwatch Open that debuted on cable television rather than simply the streaming community.This is about doing what we can to allow Overwatch esports to achieve its full potential, Blizzard Entertainment president and co-founder Michael Morhaime told ESPN.com. And I think we have a big opportunity with Overwatch since the game is newly launched, we dont have an existing ecosystem and we can really design our league upfront in a way thats best for players and teams.Leagues indicate a deeper level of support, from the length of time they run to the need to establish the infrastructure necessary to support their continued play by the competitors involved. A league isnt something you can run in a weekend or even a week, so player compensation is necessary to ensure that the best in the world can afford to play.Its really important to us that our players are treated well, Nate Nanzer, global director of Overwatch esports, told ESPN.com. We want to make this a professional career. We dont want to make this a risky bet that a kid makes to go become an Overwatch pro, we want to make this a real professional career.For the debut season of the Overwatch League, Blizzard is taking a page from the playbook of traditional sports, in this case the NFL. Before the NFL runs its draft every year, it holds the scouting combine, which mainly consists of a battery of tests for players seeking to be drafted. These range from purely athletic tests such as the 40-yard dash and the vertical jump to more cerebral ones such as the Wonderlic test.Overwatch League is taking a similar route. Blizzard will host a combine, inviting eligible players who have been high performers in competitive Overwatch to date. And its not just for hanging out and talking. The players will be evaluated in a range of tests and the teams will be given the opportunity to sign players from their résumé and their performance history. When that combine will happen has yet to be announced.On that path to pro, there needs to be a step between I got No. 1 on the ladder and I got signed to an Overwatch team, Nanzer said. And the combine we think is a great opportunity to do that and a great opportunity to start the storytelling around these players.Any player picked up during the signing period will receive a guaranteed minimum baseline salary and benefits package. Blizzard has not yet said how much that compensation package will be. Overwatch Leagues team structure will also guarantee that team ownership and the players involved will share in the revenues generated. Esports is a world in which, occasionally, payout issues from sponsors or individual team turmoil leads to players not getting all the compensation they deserve. Stability is a key factor for a successful league.Speaking of those teams, Overwatch Leagues team structure also reflects traditional sports. Rather than the typical model of players representing their sponsored sports teams, Overwatch League teams will represent individual cities. And the city teams, when established, will remain in the league, eliminating the yearly shuffle as teams try desperately to guarantee their spots in next years league -- that shuffle being something that has occasionally been a driver of controversy in other esports. Blizzard has already dipped its toe into running esports competitions without the traditional teams, such as Heroes of the Dorm, which focused on individual colleges and the Overwatch (and soon, Hearthstone) competitions, which are country-based.We definitely envision a world where if you live in a city where theres an Overwatch League team, you have regular opportunities to go see that team live, Nanzer said. We think by localizing esports we can unlock [local] revenue streams for esports teams that exist for traditional sports teams but dont exist in todays esports ecosystem. ... We also think [localization] is going to create a stronger bond between the fans, the teams and the players.Esports is a young field, so its necessary for competitions to experiment with these different formats to see which ones grab and sustain the public interest. Whether Overwatch League captures the imagination of the viewers or not, theres little doubt that Blizzard is all-in on its newest and shiniest bit of intellectual property.I think the timing is very good to start up a league like this because were sort of reaching this tipping point in esports, Morhaime said. Theres a ton of interest and a ton of demand. ... We want to provide an experience that spectators have been wanting and I think they deserve. Air Max 97 Homme Pas Cher . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games. Air Max Tn 2019 .com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for Sundays clash at Rexall Place. http:///...iste-destockage.html . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. The trophies could be the only prizes for the winners in several games during championship weekend.This is not the NCAA basketball tournament. Those titles dont automatically come with playoff spots, and in some cases, the wrong winner could ruin things for a conference.No more so than the Atlantic Coast Conference, where No. 19 Virginia Tech can only play spoiler to No. 3 Clemson. Not only would a victory by the Hokies likely cost Clemson and the ACC a chance to win the national championship, but it could also cost the conference $2 million.The College Football Playoff revenue distribution plan pays each conference $6 million for each team placed in the semifinals. The net loss would only be $2 million because Virginia Tech would be guaranteed a spot in the Orange Bowl as ACC champion (worth $4 million) and Clemson would be a good bet to be ranked high enough to end up in the Cotton Bowl and earn another $4 million for the conference.A rundown of what is on the line beyond playoff spots this weekend:SEC -- Florida would earn a Sugar Bowl bid by beating Alabama.Pac-12 -- If the winner of No. 4 Washington and No. 9 Colorado does not get into the playoff, it goes to the Rose Bowl. And if the winner does get into the playoff, the loser could very well end up in the Rose Bowl as the next highest ranked Pac-12 team in the last selection committee rankings.Big Ten -- Worst-case scenario for the winner of No. 8 Penn State vs. No. 6 Wisconsin is the Rose Bowl.Big 12 -- No. 11 Oklahoma State is at No. 7 Oklahoma in a de facto conference title game. The winner gets a Sugar Bowl bid and can hold out some very long shot playoff hopes.PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONSFRIDAYNo. 4 Washington (minus 7) vs. No. 9 Colorado, Pac-12 championship at Santa Clara, CaliforniaThe Huskies are tied for tops in the country in turnover margin at plus-18; the Buffaloes are plus-10 ... WASHINGTON 31-21.SATURDAYNo. 1 Alabama (minus 24) vs. No. 15 Florida, SEC championship at AtlantaYes, the Crimson Tide can lose and still make the playoff. Just dont tell Nick Saban ... ALABAMA 38-10.No. 3 Clemson (minus 10) vs. No. 119 Virginia Tech, ACC championship at Orlando, FloridaThe Tigers (8. Basket Air Max 720 Pas Cher. 67 per game) and Hokies (8.17) both rank in the top six in the country in tackles for loss ... CLEMSON 32-24.No. 6 Wisconsin (minus 2+) vs. No. 8 Penn State, Big Ten championship at IndianapolisThe Nittany Lions have become a big-play, quick strike team; Badger-ball is slow and steady and tops in the country in time of possession (35:14 per game) ... PENN STATE 27-21.NEW YEARS SIX IMPLICATIONSFRIDAYNo. 13 Western Michigan (minus 19) vs. Ohio, MAC championship at DetroitIf the undefeated Broncos get to the Cotton Bowl, will P.J. Fleck still be their coach? ... WESTERN MICHIGAN 35-17.SATURDAYNo. 11 Oklahoma State (plus 11) at No. 7 OklahomaThe folks in Stillwater are still seething about that Central Michigan loss and if the Cowboys do win this game, expect that to elevate to full-on screaming ... OKLAHOMA 48-35.Temple (plus 3) at No. 20 Navy, AAC championshipIf Western Michigan does lose, the winner here is likely to get that Cotton Bowl bid, though the selection committee would have to wait until Navy plays Army to make its final decision ... NAVY 28-24.CHAMPIONSHIP GAMESSATURDAYLouisiana Tech (plus 10) at Western Kentucky, Conference USA championshipThe Hilltoppers are trying to become the first repeat C-USA champs since East Carolina in 2008 and 09 ... WESTERN KENTUCKY 42-35.San Diego State (minus 7) at Wyoming, Mountain West Conference championshipAztecs star Donnel Pumphrey is 92 yards away from 2,000 on the season and 218 from breaking Ron Daynes FBS career record (6,397) ... SAN DIEGO STATE 28-23.LEFTOVERSBaylor (plus 17+) at No. 14 West VirginiaBears are trying to avoid a six-game losing streak after a 6-0 start ... WEST VIRGINIA 38-17.---Record: Last week 13-8 straight; 6-14 vs. points.Season: 192-85; 120-151-3.Upset specials: 4-9.Best bets: 4-9.---Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '