Based on the announcement, I'm presuming the show may try to record this while most college students are on their holiday break (and hoping they can allow contestants from outside California and neighboring states to participate).
Given the fact that the announcement specifically talks about "finding a teammate," we can presume the show is looking for two-player teams from the same school.
Maybe it's me, but perhaps the show could have experimented with a tournament that has somewhat lost its luster in recent years, such as the Teen Tournament. That tourney usually airs over the summer, has long been overshadowed by the traditional TOC and College Tournament, and hasn't given a TOC bid to the winner in years. I'm guessing that, with the two-player format, the TOC bid for the College winner will be eliminated.
JD