The Kwansei Gakuin University Fighters crushed the Hosei University Orange 61-21 in the Koshien Bowl on Sunday to claim a record sixth straight national championship.
The 78th edition of Japan’s college football showpiece took place at a sunny — but chilly — Koshien Stadium in Hyogo Prefecture.
For Hosei, it was a similar situation, as a bright start quickly faded, with their title hopes frozen out by the KG juggernaut.
The Orange moved the ball well in the early going, even converting a fake punt on fourth down, but after stalling outside the red zone, the defense was unable to prevent the Fighters offense from promptly marching down the field and finding paydirt on its opening drive.
Score after score followed, as narrowly missed would-be touchdown passes — or dropped interception chances for Hosei — were immediately punished by its illustrious opponent.
The Orange had been looking for a first title since 2006, but instead it was the Hyogo Prefecture powerhouse that extended its domestic record in claiming a 34th overall championship.
That’s more national college football titles than won by NCAA powerhouses Alabama, Michigan, and Ohio State combined.
After the game, Fighters captain Taku Kaizaki touched on his team’s unusual path to the final saying, “So much went on this year, but it was really enjoyable. This season a lot of people really helped us along the way, and I’d like to do the same for the younger players next year.”
The Fighters lost to the Kansai University Kaisers in the regular season finale to finish with the same record as their regional rivals, but earned a place in the playoffs at their conquerors expense, as final positions were decided by the drawing of lots.
All the more galling for the Kaisers was the fact that the winner of that lottery was virtually guaranteed a place in the national title game given how college football in Japan is structured, with the Koshien Bowl traditionally pitting the champions of the Kanto and Kansai regions against each other.
Since Hosei’s victory in 2006, it’s a rivalry that’s been completely lopsided, with the Fighters, the Ritsumeikan University Panthers and the Kaisers ensuring the national title has remained in western Japan for 16 of the past 17 years.
That dominance, if anything, is set to increase over the coming years.
Since 2008, the champions of other Japanese regions have been included in various expanded playoff formats, but such is the gap in level to the two powerhouse regions that no team from outside Kansai or Kanto has ever reached the title game.
From next season, a new playoff format will see three teams from Kansai enter the playoffs — on different sides of the bracket.
That makes it conceivable — if not probable — that the 2024 Koshien Bowl will see two teams from the same region face off for the first time in the competition’s 79-year history.
Recent events have further weakened the title dreams of football fans in the capital.
Tokyo’s most decorated college team, the Nihon University Phoenix, had its program officially disbanded yesterday in the wake of a drug scandal involving players on the team.
While not the force it once was, the Phoenix are the only Kanto area team to have both defeated the Fighters and won the Koshien Bowl over the past 17 seasons.
Nihon University’s large player pool — which included several high-level Americans, as well as its top training facilities, methods and a long tradition of excellence — ensured it was always the greatest bulwark against Kansai hegemony.
With the Phoenix out of the picture, and three of the Kansai area’s most powerful schools entering the playoffs from 2024, Hosei’s shellacking at the hands of KG today may actually turn out to be the closest Kanto college football comes to silverware for the foreseeable future.
Fighters players and fans won’t worry about that, however, and there was plenty of celebration on the sidelines after the school’s latest championship.
“I only played two or three games this year,” said defensive lineman Sean Rei Trotter, a senior. “This is my last game, I couldn’t get any sacks, but I got a touchdown so that’s pretty good. It feels good to finish like this.”
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.