Toshiki Sato kicked a 25-yard field goal with 7 minutes remaining in the final quarter as the Waseda University Big Bears defeated the Meiji University Griffins 16-15 on Saturday at Amino Vital Field in the Kanto Collegiate Football League season opener.
The league began its 80th season with a new divisional format, dividing the old two-block, 16-school first division into the "Top 8" and the "Big 8."
The top eight colleges last year, based on their won-loss records — Nihon, Hosei, Waseda, Keio, Meiji, Chuo, Rikkyo and Nippon Sport Science — are now in the Top 8, whose champion will earn a berth to the national championship tournament.