After showing some rust in the quarterfinal BCS bowls against teams that had a First Round victory under their belts, both top seed Auburn and second seed Oregon showed their stuff in the Semi-Finals, with easy wins.
In the championship game, perhaps some of the jitters returned as Auburn's first drive moved down the field until an interception, and Oregon reciprocated with a drive into Tiger territory before losing a fumble. Auburn was three and out though, and the Ducks put up the first points of the game, on a Rob Beard field goal to take the 3-0 lead, which is how the first quarter ended.
The second quarter began during an Auburn march down the field, but the Tigers settled with a 21 yard Wes Byrum field goal. Both teams traded two more field goals, and the game was tied at 6-6 in the final minutes of the first half. The game's tide seemed to turn to Auburn on a late first half blocked punt that the Tigers recovered on the Oregon 10 yard line. With 34 seconds left in the half, Cam Newton ran it in from the one, and Auburn grabbed their first lead as the half ended, 13-6.
Auburn continued to pile yardage in the third quarter but two missed field goals and once turning the ball over on downs kept them scoreless in the frame. However, Oregon made the most of their opportunities, evening the score at 13-13 on a Darron Thomas 2 yard touchdown run midway through the third. Nearing the end of the third, Oregon's Kenjon Barner ran it in from the 1 yard line to give the lead back to Oregon. A failed two-point attempt left Oregon with a 19-13 lead going into the last quarter.
The Tigers seemed ready for another fourth quarter scoring spectacular. Auburn stormed down the field, and Onterio McCalebb scored on a 1 yard run, giving them a 20-19 lead. Oregon seemed a bit shaken and gained -1 yards on a three and out drive. Auburn took the ball on a four minute drive, ending with a Byrum 20 yard field goal, and Tigers had a 23-19 led midway through the fourth quarter.
Oregon and Auburn traded punts, giving the Ducks the ball with three minutes to go. Oregon moved down the field, and were at the Auburn 25 with almost two minutes to go. In a play reminiscent of the Peyton Manning driving against the Saints in the last Super Bowl, Derron Thomas' next pass was picked off a returned 80 yards for a Auburn touchdown, and a solid 30-19 lead with 2:09 left. Oregon moved down the field again, hoping for their own theatrics, but an interception gave Auburn the ball back on their own 5 yard line with seconds left to play. A single kneel down gave the Auburn Tigers the national championship with a 30-19 victory.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
St. Pete Semi-Finals: The Unbeatens Cruise to the Championship, Auburn Handles Stanford, Oregon Defeats Ohio State
This may be the only time that St. Petersburg's Tropicana Field hosts the college football Semi-Finals. The small stadium capacity, the "funky" configuration of an indoor baseball stadium for football, and its proximity to BCS Bowl quarterfinal site Miami are all strikes against it. But for this day, with temps outside the dome in the upper sixties, football fans will try to squeeze out as much enjoyment as they can visiting Tropicana Field. Next year another Saint, the less warm Louis of Missouri, hosts the Semi-Finals. But for 2011, the doubleheader begins in Florida, with an SEC champ taking on a Pac Ten at-large team.
GAME 1: #1 Auburn 39, #4 Stanford 17
Many analysts liked Stanford as a team to watch in this tournament. With an impressive 37-20 Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin, the Cardinal seemed like a team playing with house money, and with the possibility of losing their beloved coach and quarterback a real motivator to take advantage of this opportunity. Last season, the "stepping down" of Urban Meyer seemed to propel the fifth seeded Florida Gators to a title, why not a Stanford/Harbaugh version in 2010-2011?
The game seemed to indicate this direction in the early going. Auburn took the kickoff, and then drove 49 yards in seven plays, but the Cardinal faithful erupted as the Tigers turned the ball over on downs on the Stanford 31. Stanford took the ball on a 6:33, 13 play, 69 drive, capped by an Andrew Luck 11 yard touchdown pass, and the Cardinal grabbed the 7-0 lead. Palo Alto physicists probably wish they could have frozen that moment in time, because the rest of the day belonged to the Tigers.
Auburn took their next possession on a 5 play, 68 yard, barely over two minute drive, capped by a 7-yard Cam Newton TD run. A missed PAT kept the Cardinal with the lead, but their next drive was a dismal 3 play, -13 yard possession, and the ball was punted right back to to Auburn, who proceeded to drive 69 yards on 5 plays in just under a minute and a half. Newton's 28 yard touchdown run capped the drive and gave Auburn their first lead 13-7 less than a minute into the second quarter. The two teams traded 45 yard field goals in the second quarter, before Auburn put together another TD drive, this time Newton passed it in from 22 yards. The half ended with a missed Cardinal field goal attempt, so the Tigers entered the locker room up 22-10 at the half.
The Tigers continued to drive unabated in the second half compiling a 39-10 lead before a late Stanford touchdown pass ended the scoring at 39-17.
Newton finished 17 of 26 for 300 yards passing and another 72 yards rushing, of the total 203 Auburn rushing yards. Auburn was beyond good, they dominated. The Tigers never punted and scored on seven straight possessions after falling behind 7-0. The only times they were stopped were a pair of failed fourth-down attempts and the end of the game. In addition, Auburn sacked Stanford quarterback Luck six times. Auburn earned their birth in the title game, and Stanford will eventually enjoy their taste of final four life, and hope to be back, maybe, in twelve months.
GAME 2: #2 Oregon 35, #6 Ohio State 10
Ohio State gained the most total yards (370 to 312), had the most first downs (32 to 25), and less penalty yards (66 to 65). What is the essential ingredient left that could lead to the Buckeyes losing by 25? Turnovers, OSU four, Oregon zero.
In this matchup of Pac-10 champ versus Big Ten co-champ (aka, "Rose Bowl II" or the "Florida Rose Bowl"), Duck QB Darron Thomas was 25 of 41 for 240 yards, whereas the Bucks passer Terrelle Pryor completed 32 of 50 passes for 280 yards and a touchdown, but he threw three interceptions, including one returned for a 62-yard score.
The Buckeyes had their chances early. But six possessions inside the Oregon territory in the first half resulted in just one touchdown. After Ohio State could not convert a fourth down at the Duck 29-yard line on its opening possession, Thomas found Jeff Maehl practically uncovered down the sideline on a 71 yard TD pass.
Maehl scored for a second time on a 3-yard pass in the third quarter, breaking the game open after Devin Barclay's 42-yard field goal put Ohio State back within two scores. Maehl's TD gave the Ducks a 29-10 lead in the third, and two more Oregon field goals ended the scoring. Ohio State's only other score came in the first quarter on a 5-yard Pryor touchdown pass.
So unlike last season in Syracuse, when #5 Florida upended #1 Alabama and #6 Boise State nipped #2 Texas, this season we have played eight games just to see #1 and #2 play for it all in Arizona in two weeks.
UPDATED TOURNAMENT RESULTS:
FIRST ROUND:
In Arlington, TX:
7 Oklahoma 48
10 Connecticut 20
In Charlotte:
8 Arkansas 22
9 Virginia Tech 12
BCS BOWLS (Quarterfinals):
Sugar:
1 Auburn 22
7 Oklahoma 16
Rose:
4 Stanford 37
5 Wisconsin 20
Fiesta:
2 Oregon 19
8 Arkansas 12
Orange:
3 Texas Christian 30
6 Ohio State 31
Semi-finals in St Petersburg FL:
1 Auburn 39
4 Stanford 17
2 Oregon 35
6 Ohio State 10
BCS Championship in Glendale AZ: (results posted here, exclusively(!), on January 29th)
1 Auburn
2 Oregon
GAME 1: #1 Auburn 39, #4 Stanford 17
Many analysts liked Stanford as a team to watch in this tournament. With an impressive 37-20 Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin, the Cardinal seemed like a team playing with house money, and with the possibility of losing their beloved coach and quarterback a real motivator to take advantage of this opportunity. Last season, the "stepping down" of Urban Meyer seemed to propel the fifth seeded Florida Gators to a title, why not a Stanford/Harbaugh version in 2010-2011?
The game seemed to indicate this direction in the early going. Auburn took the kickoff, and then drove 49 yards in seven plays, but the Cardinal faithful erupted as the Tigers turned the ball over on downs on the Stanford 31. Stanford took the ball on a 6:33, 13 play, 69 drive, capped by an Andrew Luck 11 yard touchdown pass, and the Cardinal grabbed the 7-0 lead. Palo Alto physicists probably wish they could have frozen that moment in time, because the rest of the day belonged to the Tigers.
Auburn took their next possession on a 5 play, 68 yard, barely over two minute drive, capped by a 7-yard Cam Newton TD run. A missed PAT kept the Cardinal with the lead, but their next drive was a dismal 3 play, -13 yard possession, and the ball was punted right back to to Auburn, who proceeded to drive 69 yards on 5 plays in just under a minute and a half. Newton's 28 yard touchdown run capped the drive and gave Auburn their first lead 13-7 less than a minute into the second quarter. The two teams traded 45 yard field goals in the second quarter, before Auburn put together another TD drive, this time Newton passed it in from 22 yards. The half ended with a missed Cardinal field goal attempt, so the Tigers entered the locker room up 22-10 at the half.
The Tigers continued to drive unabated in the second half compiling a 39-10 lead before a late Stanford touchdown pass ended the scoring at 39-17.
Newton finished 17 of 26 for 300 yards passing and another 72 yards rushing, of the total 203 Auburn rushing yards. Auburn was beyond good, they dominated. The Tigers never punted and scored on seven straight possessions after falling behind 7-0. The only times they were stopped were a pair of failed fourth-down attempts and the end of the game. In addition, Auburn sacked Stanford quarterback Luck six times. Auburn earned their birth in the title game, and Stanford will eventually enjoy their taste of final four life, and hope to be back, maybe, in twelve months.
GAME 2: #2 Oregon 35, #6 Ohio State 10
Ohio State gained the most total yards (370 to 312), had the most first downs (32 to 25), and less penalty yards (66 to 65). What is the essential ingredient left that could lead to the Buckeyes losing by 25? Turnovers, OSU four, Oregon zero.
In this matchup of Pac-10 champ versus Big Ten co-champ (aka, "Rose Bowl II" or the "Florida Rose Bowl"), Duck QB Darron Thomas was 25 of 41 for 240 yards, whereas the Bucks passer Terrelle Pryor completed 32 of 50 passes for 280 yards and a touchdown, but he threw three interceptions, including one returned for a 62-yard score.
The Buckeyes had their chances early. But six possessions inside the Oregon territory in the first half resulted in just one touchdown. After Ohio State could not convert a fourth down at the Duck 29-yard line on its opening possession, Thomas found Jeff Maehl practically uncovered down the sideline on a 71 yard TD pass.
Maehl scored for a second time on a 3-yard pass in the third quarter, breaking the game open after Devin Barclay's 42-yard field goal put Ohio State back within two scores. Maehl's TD gave the Ducks a 29-10 lead in the third, and two more Oregon field goals ended the scoring. Ohio State's only other score came in the first quarter on a 5-yard Pryor touchdown pass.
So unlike last season in Syracuse, when #5 Florida upended #1 Alabama and #6 Boise State nipped #2 Texas, this season we have played eight games just to see #1 and #2 play for it all in Arizona in two weeks.
UPDATED TOURNAMENT RESULTS:
FIRST ROUND:
In Arlington, TX:
7 Oklahoma 48
10 Connecticut 20
In Charlotte:
8 Arkansas 22
9 Virginia Tech 12
BCS BOWLS (Quarterfinals):
Sugar:
1 Auburn 22
7 Oklahoma 16
Rose:
4 Stanford 37
5 Wisconsin 20
Fiesta:
2 Oregon 19
8 Arkansas 12
Orange:
3 Texas Christian 30
6 Ohio State 31
Semi-finals in St Petersburg FL:
1 Auburn 39
4 Stanford 17
2 Oregon 35
6 Ohio State 10
BCS Championship in Glendale AZ: (results posted here, exclusively(!), on January 29th)
1 Auburn
2 Oregon
Thursday, January 13, 2011
A Quartet of Quarterbacks Sails into Saturday's St. Pete Semi-Finals
When Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg was given the opportunity years ago to host the 2011 college football semi-finals, certainly visions of Florida Gators, maybe even Florida State and Miami, and even further, South Florida and Central Florida, danced in their heads. Certainly a big SEC presence would be expected, because three of the past four years have featured two SEC teams in the semis. Instead, the 2010-2011 reality was that no Florida teams even made the post-season tournament, much less the semi-finals. Yes, Auburn will be there to represent the SEC, but this set of teams features two Pac-10 schools, so not exactly around the corner from Tampa Bay. And Pac-10 fans often don't even want to sojourn around the corner to attend a bowl game. However, the inclusion of Auburn and the always willing to caravan Ohio State Buckeyes will make sure all of the seats are accounted for at Tropicana Field.
This year's Football's Final Four also features:
A star-filled list of quarterbacks: To start off, a little award known as, the Heisman Trophy! Auburn's Cam Newton, winner of the Heisman, will be in the house. Also Stanford's Andrew Luck is the top quarterback NFL prospect in the country. Throw in Terrelle Pryor of Ohio State, one of the most highly recruited players of recent memory. Last but not least, there is Darron Thomas who drives Oregon's scoring machine. All of these quarterbacks playing on the same day in the same stadium, wow, it feels like a college football version of the Yalta Conference.
It's been five long years: During the season prior to the tournament expanding to ten teams, USC and Ohio State were in the 2005-2006 Semi-Finals. That is the last time a Big Ten or Pac-10 team was in the Semi-Finals. And to get there fie years ago, then fourth seed Ohio State won 27-14 over then fifth seed Oregon, their opponent this Saturday.
Sanctions, shmanctions: Maybe Cam Newton, Terrelle Pryor, and his inked Buckeye comrades can have some laughs about those annoying, pesky NCAA investigators and their probing questions. NCAA cleared everybody to play in the post-season, so we can all enjoy a suspension free tourney.
This year's Football's Final Four also features:
A star-filled list of quarterbacks: To start off, a little award known as, the Heisman Trophy! Auburn's Cam Newton, winner of the Heisman, will be in the house. Also Stanford's Andrew Luck is the top quarterback NFL prospect in the country. Throw in Terrelle Pryor of Ohio State, one of the most highly recruited players of recent memory. Last but not least, there is Darron Thomas who drives Oregon's scoring machine. All of these quarterbacks playing on the same day in the same stadium, wow, it feels like a college football version of the Yalta Conference.
It's been five long years: During the season prior to the tournament expanding to ten teams, USC and Ohio State were in the 2005-2006 Semi-Finals. That is the last time a Big Ten or Pac-10 team was in the Semi-Finals. And to get there fie years ago, then fourth seed Ohio State won 27-14 over then fifth seed Oregon, their opponent this Saturday.
Sanctions, shmanctions: Maybe Cam Newton, Terrelle Pryor, and his inked Buckeye comrades can have some laughs about those annoying, pesky NCAA investigators and their probing questions. NCAA cleared everybody to play in the post-season, so we can all enjoy a suspension free tourney.
Sorry Texas Christian, Maybe My Tournament Should Run on Dunkel
My college tournament plays out the initial rounds by using a combination of how the teams (say A versus B and C versus D) performed in their bowl games, and then using computer ratings to determine how games would turn out if A played C and B played D, if that was how my tournament pairings were laid out. If I was lucky, I'd have some actual bowl games that corresponded to one of my pretend games, like Oklahoma versus Connecticut this year. One memorable real life bowl that also happened to be one of my tournament match-ups was #2 Texas losing to #7 Georgia in the 1984 Cotton Bowl. If I would have generated a result like that from my method, it probably would have seemed improbable. Another real life game that was one of my tournament games was Oklahoma and Boise State's Fiesta Bowl. Again, if I had come up with a Bronco win using my method, it probably would have seemed flawed.
As a Chicago native, I initially used the Dunkel Index, a computer ranking system that was available in the Chicago Tribune's Sports Section. Time went by, newspapers scaled back, and the Dunkel Ratings became harder to find. So I switched to USA Today's Sagarin Ratings for my tournament. These ratings are part of my "pre-specified" methods, so that no matter what happens with the games, all I have to do is plug numbers into a spreadsheet to get my results.
Anyway, in my tournament, the #3 versus #6 game was between TCU and Ohio State. TCU won by two over Wisconsin in real life, and Ohio State beat Arkansas by five. My methods plugged these results along with the Sagarin ratings to speculate that OSU would beat TCU by one if they had met on the field, and play they way they did in their bowls. The main reason TCU was down-graded was that Sagarin ranked one-loss Wisconsin as the 14th best team in the country, whereas Arkansas was in the top 10. TCU beating Wisconsin by only two left the door wide open for Ohio State in my tournament, although Arkansas had a chance in the last minute to win, which would have given the Horned Frogs a win versus the Buckeyes in my pretend world. And just from my perspective, I think early Sugar Bowl OSU was the most impressive team of those four in their bowl, and I think if the Buckeyes had lined up for the two-point conversion rather than the Badgers to tie TCU in the waning minutes of the Rose Bowl, I think the Bucks would have gotten the job done.
Just because I am a curious guy, I took a look at the Dunkel Index last week, which is now run by a third generation of Dunkels and published on-line. I immediately noticed that Dunkel had TCU #4 and Wisconsin #5 prior to the bowls, with OSU and Arkansas in the bottom five of the top ten. I didn't need to do the calculations, it was immediately apparent. If I had used Dunkel, TCU would have beaten OSU by four to five points.
Now, there were things I always liked about Dunkel. It seemed to allow the top team or teams to get a much higher rating than their peers than Sagarin seems to do. For instance, I bet the Auburn post-bowl Dunkel rating is much higher than their peers, whereas Sagarin has Auburn and Stanford only 0.01 apart. At this stage of the tournament, I use the computer ratings with a distribution based on how variable teams play based on the non-BCS bowl games. In short, my Auburn-Stanford semi-final is basically a coin flip. Based on Auburn pushing around Oregon's offensive line, I think that seems less plausible that Auburn and Stanford are basically even Steven. Or maybe Andrew Luck would provide more passing precision for Stanford than Oregon showed, and the Cardinal would have greater offensive success.
But the downside of Dunkel is what I referred to in the last paragraph, I have to speculate on the post-bowl ratings. Dunkel hasn't updated them yet, and I use the post bowl ratings for my semi-finals and championship game. Sagarin's were published soon after the last piece of confetti hit the University of Phoenix turf after the championship. So for this year, Sagarin is my system. Sorry TCU, you narrowly beat a team that Sagarin didn't love. In general, his scores don't love most of the Big Ten. Michigan State beat Wisconsin, and lost to only Iowa and Alabama, yet they finish the season as #31 in Sagarin's post-bowl standings.
As a Chicago native, I initially used the Dunkel Index, a computer ranking system that was available in the Chicago Tribune's Sports Section. Time went by, newspapers scaled back, and the Dunkel Ratings became harder to find. So I switched to USA Today's Sagarin Ratings for my tournament. These ratings are part of my "pre-specified" methods, so that no matter what happens with the games, all I have to do is plug numbers into a spreadsheet to get my results.
Anyway, in my tournament, the #3 versus #6 game was between TCU and Ohio State. TCU won by two over Wisconsin in real life, and Ohio State beat Arkansas by five. My methods plugged these results along with the Sagarin ratings to speculate that OSU would beat TCU by one if they had met on the field, and play they way they did in their bowls. The main reason TCU was down-graded was that Sagarin ranked one-loss Wisconsin as the 14th best team in the country, whereas Arkansas was in the top 10. TCU beating Wisconsin by only two left the door wide open for Ohio State in my tournament, although Arkansas had a chance in the last minute to win, which would have given the Horned Frogs a win versus the Buckeyes in my pretend world. And just from my perspective, I think early Sugar Bowl OSU was the most impressive team of those four in their bowl, and I think if the Buckeyes had lined up for the two-point conversion rather than the Badgers to tie TCU in the waning minutes of the Rose Bowl, I think the Bucks would have gotten the job done.
Just because I am a curious guy, I took a look at the Dunkel Index last week, which is now run by a third generation of Dunkels and published on-line. I immediately noticed that Dunkel had TCU #4 and Wisconsin #5 prior to the bowls, with OSU and Arkansas in the bottom five of the top ten. I didn't need to do the calculations, it was immediately apparent. If I had used Dunkel, TCU would have beaten OSU by four to five points.
Now, there were things I always liked about Dunkel. It seemed to allow the top team or teams to get a much higher rating than their peers than Sagarin seems to do. For instance, I bet the Auburn post-bowl Dunkel rating is much higher than their peers, whereas Sagarin has Auburn and Stanford only 0.01 apart. At this stage of the tournament, I use the computer ratings with a distribution based on how variable teams play based on the non-BCS bowl games. In short, my Auburn-Stanford semi-final is basically a coin flip. Based on Auburn pushing around Oregon's offensive line, I think that seems less plausible that Auburn and Stanford are basically even Steven. Or maybe Andrew Luck would provide more passing precision for Stanford than Oregon showed, and the Cardinal would have greater offensive success.
But the downside of Dunkel is what I referred to in the last paragraph, I have to speculate on the post-bowl ratings. Dunkel hasn't updated them yet, and I use the post bowl ratings for my semi-finals and championship game. Sagarin's were published soon after the last piece of confetti hit the University of Phoenix turf after the championship. So for this year, Sagarin is my system. Sorry TCU, you narrowly beat a team that Sagarin didn't love. In general, his scores don't love most of the Big Ten. Michigan State beat Wisconsin, and lost to only Iowa and Alabama, yet they finish the season as #31 in Sagarin's post-bowl standings.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Sugar Bowl: Auburn's Defense Overcomes Oklahoma's Persistence, 22-16
Oklahoma, coming off an easy First Round win over Connecticut, seemed to have a defense in sync to stop Heisman winner Cam Newton early, and Auburn initially struggled against the defense of Bob Stoops. A raucous Superdome filled with Sooner booming and fired up, top seeded Auburn faithful created a lot of noise, but no scoring early, as the first frame ended with, what Harry Caray used to say, "The little boy shot at, nothing."
Three minutes into the second quarter, one of the goose eggs was removed from the scoreboard as Auburn broke through on a 35 yard Newton pass to Kodi Burns, to grab a Tiger 7-0 lead. The Sooners showed they were not here to be a second tier walkover, and tied the game on a Ryan Broyles 5 yard touchdown reception from Landry Jones.
In what seemed to be a big break for the Sooners soon appeared to be a reversal of fortune. Auburn took a chance on fourth and goal, and a dropped pass seemed to give Oklahoma momentum. But Auburn turned the opportunity in a safety, and took the ensuing kick to start a drive capped by a Newton 30 yard TD pass to Emory Blake, and suddenly Auburn led 16-7. The Sooners knew they had to stay in the game, and chipped away with a Jimmy Stevens field goal, and the game set at 16-10 and halftime.
In the second half, it was Auburn's defense seemed to begin to take the air out of the Sooners hopes of an upset. Wes Byrum's 28 yard field goal put the Tigers up 19-10. Field goals finished the scoring, but the game was not as close as the final score appeared, as Auburn won 22-16. The Tigers stay in SEC country, and move on to the St. Petersburg Semi-Finals to take on Rose Bowl winner Stanford on Saturday, January 15th.
UPDATED TOURNAMENT RESULTS:
FIRST ROUND:
In Arlington, TX:
7 Oklahoma 48
10 Connecticut 20
In Charlotte:
8 Arkansas 22
9 Virginia Tech 12
BCS BOWLS (Quarterfinals):
Sugar:
1 Auburn 22
7 Oklahoma 16
Rose:
4 Stanford 37
5 Wisconsin 20
Fiesta:
2 Oregon 19
8 Arkansas 12
Orange:
3 Texas Christian 30
6 Ohio State 31
Semi-finals in St Petersburg FL: (results posted here, exclusively(!), on January 15th)
Auburn versus Stanford
Oregon versus Ohio State
BCS Championship in Glendale AZ
Three minutes into the second quarter, one of the goose eggs was removed from the scoreboard as Auburn broke through on a 35 yard Newton pass to Kodi Burns, to grab a Tiger 7-0 lead. The Sooners showed they were not here to be a second tier walkover, and tied the game on a Ryan Broyles 5 yard touchdown reception from Landry Jones.
In what seemed to be a big break for the Sooners soon appeared to be a reversal of fortune. Auburn took a chance on fourth and goal, and a dropped pass seemed to give Oklahoma momentum. But Auburn turned the opportunity in a safety, and took the ensuing kick to start a drive capped by a Newton 30 yard TD pass to Emory Blake, and suddenly Auburn led 16-7. The Sooners knew they had to stay in the game, and chipped away with a Jimmy Stevens field goal, and the game set at 16-10 and halftime.
In the second half, it was Auburn's defense seemed to begin to take the air out of the Sooners hopes of an upset. Wes Byrum's 28 yard field goal put the Tigers up 19-10. Field goals finished the scoring, but the game was not as close as the final score appeared, as Auburn won 22-16. The Tigers stay in SEC country, and move on to the St. Petersburg Semi-Finals to take on Rose Bowl winner Stanford on Saturday, January 15th.
UPDATED TOURNAMENT RESULTS:
FIRST ROUND:
In Arlington, TX:
7 Oklahoma 48
10 Connecticut 20
In Charlotte:
8 Arkansas 22
9 Virginia Tech 12
BCS BOWLS (Quarterfinals):
Sugar:
1 Auburn 22
7 Oklahoma 16
Rose:
4 Stanford 37
5 Wisconsin 20
Fiesta:
2 Oregon 19
8 Arkansas 12
Orange:
3 Texas Christian 30
6 Ohio State 31
Semi-finals in St Petersburg FL: (results posted here, exclusively(!), on January 15th)
Auburn versus Stanford
Oregon versus Ohio State
BCS Championship in Glendale AZ
Fiesta Bowl: Oregon Ducks An Upset, Beats Arkansas 19-12
What no one expected after 11 demonstrations of offensive firepower was a replay of their 15-13 regular season clunker win over Cal. But the Fiesta Bowl game featured more of a game saving Oregon defense than offensive machine.
Oregon's high speed offense showed a bit of rust against Arkansas, as the Razorbacks stayed close to the Ducks early. After a scoreless first quarter, the Ducks were on the board first with a Rob Beard 26 yard field goal in the opening minutes of the second quarter, to give Oregon a 3-0 lead. Arkansas tied the game on a Zach Hocker 47 yarder. Oregon roared, or maybe sternly quacked, back with a 4 play, 93 yard, 1:02 drive, or maybe blitz, to score on a Darron Thomas 8 yard pass to LaMichael James. A fake extra point attempt lead to kicker Beard rushing it in, and Oregon appeared to gain control 11-3. But Arkansas kept it close, and posted two more Hocker field goals to stay within 11-9 at halftime.
The game remained this way through third quarter, but a fourth quarter TD and two point conversion gave the Ducks a 19-9 lead. Arkansas added a field goal, but never came close to finding a way to tie it up, and the game ended 19-12. Oregon moves onto the St. Petersburg Semi-Finals to take on Orange Bowl winner Ohio State.
Oregon's high speed offense showed a bit of rust against Arkansas, as the Razorbacks stayed close to the Ducks early. After a scoreless first quarter, the Ducks were on the board first with a Rob Beard 26 yard field goal in the opening minutes of the second quarter, to give Oregon a 3-0 lead. Arkansas tied the game on a Zach Hocker 47 yarder. Oregon roared, or maybe sternly quacked, back with a 4 play, 93 yard, 1:02 drive, or maybe blitz, to score on a Darron Thomas 8 yard pass to LaMichael James. A fake extra point attempt lead to kicker Beard rushing it in, and Oregon appeared to gain control 11-3. But Arkansas kept it close, and posted two more Hocker field goals to stay within 11-9 at halftime.
The game remained this way through third quarter, but a fourth quarter TD and two point conversion gave the Ducks a 19-9 lead. Arkansas added a field goal, but never came close to finding a way to tie it up, and the game ended 19-12. Oregon moves onto the St. Petersburg Semi-Finals to take on Orange Bowl winner Ohio State.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Orange Bowl: Ohio State Outduels Worthy Texas Christian, 31-30
Many predicted this would be THE BCS Bowl of this season's tournament, and even those expectations did not live up to this classic in Miami. Last season, the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian looked starstruck early in their Rose Bowl appearance, but, despite their loss this year, TCU showed they belonged, fighting toe to toe with a fired up Ohio State squad.
Despite two teams known for defense, the first quarter seemed to move up and down the field as much as an 80's Coleco Football game. Ohio State started the game with a 3 minute, 74 yard touchdown drive, capped by a 34 yard Terrelle Pryor run, in which he coughed up the football, only to be recovered in the end zone for a touchdown by Dane Sanzenbacher. Devin Barclay extra point kick gave the Buckeyes the 7-0 lead. But right back came the Horned Frogs. A ten play, 77 yard, 4:30 drive was capped with a Bart Johnson 23 touchdown reception from Andy Dalton, and Ross Evans' extra point tied the game at 7. Back came the Buckeyes. Dan Herron's 9 yard touchdown run ended a 7 play, 68 yard, 2:26 drive, and Ohio State grabbed back the lead. The Coleco football continued, as Dalton's 4 yard run to the end zone completed 5 play, 57 yard, 2:38 drive, and the game was tied at 14, which is the score at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Buckeyes power continued, and they took a 21-14 lead with a Pryor 15 yard pass to Sanzenbacher. This time, with the Buckeye pass rush harassing Dalton in this quarter, TCU could only answer with a Evans field goal, and the Horned Frogs trailed 21-17. The Buckeyes were on a roll, and a 43 yard Pryor TD pass to DeVier Posey put the Buckeyes up 28-17. TCU would not quit, answering with another field goal to trail 28-20 at the break.
The third quarter scoring began with another OSU score, a Barclay 46 yard field goal, and the Buckeyes 31-20 lead seemed to be secure. However, TCU stormed back offensively and defensively. Luke Shivers 1 yard run competed a 71 yard drive, and the Horned Frogs were back in it, trailing 31-27. Another Texas Christian field goal completed the third quarter scoring, and it was 31-30 going into the final frame. The last quarter was full of tension, and Pryor ran the Buckeyes out of several jams, and OSU maintained its 1 point lead. In the waning minutes of the game, TCU erupted with a blocked punt. However, a tipped Dalton pass was intercepted on a miraculous play by Solomon Thomas with 58 seconds remaining to finally allow Pryor to kneel out the game.
Certainly TCU is disappointed, but they gave a tremendous effort against a highly motivated, and seemingly immune to distraction Ohio State team. The Buckeyes move on to another Florida locale, the Semi-Finals in St. Petersburg, to face with winner of the Oregon-Arkansas Fiesta Bowl.
UPDATED TOURNAMENT RESULTS:
FIRST ROUND:
In Arlington, TX:
7 Oklahoma 48
10 Connecticut 20
In Charlotte:
8 Arkansas 22
9 Virginia Tech 12
BCS BOWLS (Quarterfinals):
Sugar: (results available after the completion of the games of 10Jan)
1 Auburn
7 Oklahoma
Rose:
4 Stanford 37
5 Wisconsin 20
Fiesta: (results available after the completion of the games of 10Jan)
2 Oregon
8 Arkansas
Orange:
3 Texas Christian 30
6 Ohio State 31
Semi-finals in St Petersburg FL:
Sugar Bowl winner versus Stanford
Fiesta Bowl winner versus Ohio State
BCS Championship in Glendale AZ
Despite two teams known for defense, the first quarter seemed to move up and down the field as much as an 80's Coleco Football game. Ohio State started the game with a 3 minute, 74 yard touchdown drive, capped by a 34 yard Terrelle Pryor run, in which he coughed up the football, only to be recovered in the end zone for a touchdown by Dane Sanzenbacher. Devin Barclay extra point kick gave the Buckeyes the 7-0 lead. But right back came the Horned Frogs. A ten play, 77 yard, 4:30 drive was capped with a Bart Johnson 23 touchdown reception from Andy Dalton, and Ross Evans' extra point tied the game at 7. Back came the Buckeyes. Dan Herron's 9 yard touchdown run ended a 7 play, 68 yard, 2:26 drive, and Ohio State grabbed back the lead. The Coleco football continued, as Dalton's 4 yard run to the end zone completed 5 play, 57 yard, 2:38 drive, and the game was tied at 14, which is the score at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Buckeyes power continued, and they took a 21-14 lead with a Pryor 15 yard pass to Sanzenbacher. This time, with the Buckeye pass rush harassing Dalton in this quarter, TCU could only answer with a Evans field goal, and the Horned Frogs trailed 21-17. The Buckeyes were on a roll, and a 43 yard Pryor TD pass to DeVier Posey put the Buckeyes up 28-17. TCU would not quit, answering with another field goal to trail 28-20 at the break.
The third quarter scoring began with another OSU score, a Barclay 46 yard field goal, and the Buckeyes 31-20 lead seemed to be secure. However, TCU stormed back offensively and defensively. Luke Shivers 1 yard run competed a 71 yard drive, and the Horned Frogs were back in it, trailing 31-27. Another Texas Christian field goal completed the third quarter scoring, and it was 31-30 going into the final frame. The last quarter was full of tension, and Pryor ran the Buckeyes out of several jams, and OSU maintained its 1 point lead. In the waning minutes of the game, TCU erupted with a blocked punt. However, a tipped Dalton pass was intercepted on a miraculous play by Solomon Thomas with 58 seconds remaining to finally allow Pryor to kneel out the game.
Certainly TCU is disappointed, but they gave a tremendous effort against a highly motivated, and seemingly immune to distraction Ohio State team. The Buckeyes move on to another Florida locale, the Semi-Finals in St. Petersburg, to face with winner of the Oregon-Arkansas Fiesta Bowl.
UPDATED TOURNAMENT RESULTS:
FIRST ROUND:
In Arlington, TX:
7 Oklahoma 48
10 Connecticut 20
In Charlotte:
8 Arkansas 22
9 Virginia Tech 12
BCS BOWLS (Quarterfinals):
Sugar: (results available after the completion of the games of 10Jan)
1 Auburn
7 Oklahoma
Rose:
4 Stanford 37
5 Wisconsin 20
Fiesta: (results available after the completion of the games of 10Jan)
2 Oregon
8 Arkansas
Orange:
3 Texas Christian 30
6 Ohio State 31
Semi-finals in St Petersburg FL:
Sugar Bowl winner versus Stanford
Fiesta Bowl winner versus Ohio State
BCS Championship in Glendale AZ
First Round Charlotte: Arkansas Overcomes Slow First Half, Beats Virginia Tech 22-12
In their last First Round game in Charlotte, Virginia Tech sealed the victory over Mike Leach's Texas Tech with a late safety. For Hokie fans, it was deja vu in the first quarter, as a sack of Ryan Mallett in the end zone provided an early 2-0 lead. Arkansas' offense was slowed by dropped passes, and the score remained two-zip at the end of the first fifteen minutes.
In the second quarter, Tyrod Taylor eluded the pass rush and made a pirouette move along the sidelines before aiming a bullet pass scooped up by David Wilson in the end zone, and Virginia Tech grabbed a 9-0 lead. A subsequent Chris Hazley 37 yard field goal put the Hokies up 12-0. Finally, the Razorbacks drove down the field in the last two minutes of the half, but settled for a short field goal to go into the locker room trailing 12-3.
In the second half, the Razorbacks running game began to hit its stride, and Arkansas scored tallied the first points of the third quarter with a Zach Hocker 46 yard field goal, to cut the Virginia Tech lead to 12-6. Later, Arkansas quarterback Mallett and his receivers began to get in sync, and a perfect 22 yard completion to Jarius Wright gave the Razorbacks their first lead of 13-12.
In the fourth quarter, a 17 yard Mallett touchdown to Joe Adams boosted the Razorbacks lead to 20-12. Though within one score, the Virginia Tech offense never threatened, facing a rejuvenated Arkansas defense that was back on its heels in the first half. Eventually, the Hokies were tackled in their own end zone, this time the victim of a game sealing safety, and Arkansas finished their scoring, with the final score of 22-12, holding Virginia Tech scoreless in the second half.
The eighth seeded Razorbacks move onto the BCS Bowls, where they will take on Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl.
In the second quarter, Tyrod Taylor eluded the pass rush and made a pirouette move along the sidelines before aiming a bullet pass scooped up by David Wilson in the end zone, and Virginia Tech grabbed a 9-0 lead. A subsequent Chris Hazley 37 yard field goal put the Hokies up 12-0. Finally, the Razorbacks drove down the field in the last two minutes of the half, but settled for a short field goal to go into the locker room trailing 12-3.
In the second half, the Razorbacks running game began to hit its stride, and Arkansas scored tallied the first points of the third quarter with a Zach Hocker 46 yard field goal, to cut the Virginia Tech lead to 12-6. Later, Arkansas quarterback Mallett and his receivers began to get in sync, and a perfect 22 yard completion to Jarius Wright gave the Razorbacks their first lead of 13-12.
In the fourth quarter, a 17 yard Mallett touchdown to Joe Adams boosted the Razorbacks lead to 20-12. Though within one score, the Virginia Tech offense never threatened, facing a rejuvenated Arkansas defense that was back on its heels in the first half. Eventually, the Hokies were tackled in their own end zone, this time the victim of a game sealing safety, and Arkansas finished their scoring, with the final score of 22-12, holding Virginia Tech scoreless in the second half.
The eighth seeded Razorbacks move onto the BCS Bowls, where they will take on Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Rose Bowl: Stanford Marches After Halftime Over Wisconsin, 37-20
Compare their marching bands. Wisconsin: traditional, mistake-free, little flash. Stanford: original, occasional sloppiness overcome by merry creativity.
The bands' halftime performances mirrored their football teams on Pasadena's Rose Bowl turf in this match-up of the fourth seeded at-large Cardinal from the Pac 10 versus the Badgers, champions of the Big Ten. The Badgers played solid, non-turnover, minimal penalty football, whereas the Cardinal occasional sloppiness was overcome by a big plays at key times. As the game went on, Stanford's play converged on perfection, and Wisconsin was overwhelmed in the second half.
The first half featured solid bowl control by Wisconsin, but a missed Badger field goal kept the game scoreless early. Stanford's Jeremy Stewart broke loose for a 60 yard TD scamper, and the Cardinal grabbed the 7-0 lead in the first quarter. The Badgers responded with a drive of their own, capped by a 30 yard field goal, to cut the lead to 7-3. Stanford also drove for a field goal before the end of the first quarter increase the lead to 10-3.
In the second quarter, the Badgers continued to control time of possession, and a John Clay 1 yard run finished off the drive to tie the game at 10-10. Stanford's star QB didn't have a stellar first half, but a 25 yard pass to Zach Ertz returned the Cardinal to the lead, 16-10, after a missed PAT. Wisconsin ended the half with a field goal, and seemed to be in reach of victory, trailing by 16-13 at halftime.
But, in the second half, Stanford took control, and scored the third quarter's only touchdown to give the Cardinal a 23-13 lead going into the final frame. Two more fourth quarter touchdowns put Stanford in control 37-13, before a late Wisconsin touchdown made the score 37-20.
Questions about the future of Stanford's coach and QB will have to wait. The Cardinal are headed to the Semi-Finals in St. Petersburg, which would be their only tournament game outside the Pac 10 boundaries, to meet the winner of the Fiesta Bowl.
UPDATED TOURNAMENT RESULTS:
FIRST ROUND:
In Arlington, TX:
7 Oklahoma 48
10 Connecticut 20
In Charlotte: (results available after the completion of the games of 4Jan)
8 Arkansas
9 Virginia Tech
BCS BOWLS (Quarterfinals):
Sugar: (results available after the completion of the games of 10Jan)
1 Auburn
Oklahoma or Virginia Tech
Rose:
4 Stanford 37
5 Wisconsin 20
Fiesta: (results available after the completion of the games of 10Jan)
2 Oregon
Arkansas or Oklahoma
Orange: (results available after the completion of the games of 4Jan)
3 Texas Christian
6 Ohio State
Semi-finals in St Petersburg FL:
Sugar Bowl winner versus Stanford
Fiesta Bowl winner versus Orange Bowl winner
BCS Championship in Glendale AZ
The bands' halftime performances mirrored their football teams on Pasadena's Rose Bowl turf in this match-up of the fourth seeded at-large Cardinal from the Pac 10 versus the Badgers, champions of the Big Ten. The Badgers played solid, non-turnover, minimal penalty football, whereas the Cardinal occasional sloppiness was overcome by a big plays at key times. As the game went on, Stanford's play converged on perfection, and Wisconsin was overwhelmed in the second half.
The first half featured solid bowl control by Wisconsin, but a missed Badger field goal kept the game scoreless early. Stanford's Jeremy Stewart broke loose for a 60 yard TD scamper, and the Cardinal grabbed the 7-0 lead in the first quarter. The Badgers responded with a drive of their own, capped by a 30 yard field goal, to cut the lead to 7-3. Stanford also drove for a field goal before the end of the first quarter increase the lead to 10-3.
In the second quarter, the Badgers continued to control time of possession, and a John Clay 1 yard run finished off the drive to tie the game at 10-10. Stanford's star QB didn't have a stellar first half, but a 25 yard pass to Zach Ertz returned the Cardinal to the lead, 16-10, after a missed PAT. Wisconsin ended the half with a field goal, and seemed to be in reach of victory, trailing by 16-13 at halftime.
But, in the second half, Stanford took control, and scored the third quarter's only touchdown to give the Cardinal a 23-13 lead going into the final frame. Two more fourth quarter touchdowns put Stanford in control 37-13, before a late Wisconsin touchdown made the score 37-20.
Questions about the future of Stanford's coach and QB will have to wait. The Cardinal are headed to the Semi-Finals in St. Petersburg, which would be their only tournament game outside the Pac 10 boundaries, to meet the winner of the Fiesta Bowl.
UPDATED TOURNAMENT RESULTS:
FIRST ROUND:
In Arlington, TX:
7 Oklahoma 48
10 Connecticut 20
In Charlotte: (results available after the completion of the games of 4Jan)
8 Arkansas
9 Virginia Tech
BCS BOWLS (Quarterfinals):
Sugar: (results available after the completion of the games of 10Jan)
1 Auburn
Oklahoma or Virginia Tech
Rose:
4 Stanford 37
5 Wisconsin 20
Fiesta: (results available after the completion of the games of 10Jan)
2 Oregon
Arkansas or Oklahoma
Orange: (results available after the completion of the games of 4Jan)
3 Texas Christian
6 Ohio State
Semi-finals in St Petersburg FL:
Sugar Bowl winner versus Stanford
Fiesta Bowl winner versus Orange Bowl winner
BCS Championship in Glendale AZ
Saturday, January 1, 2011
First Round Arlington: Oklahoma Mushes the Huskies Back to the UConn, Sooners win 48-20
Landry Jones threw for a school bowl-record 429 yards and three touchdowns, and seventh seeded Oklahoma moved on to the BCS Bowl Quarterfinals with a 48-20 win over tenth seeded Connecticut in Arlington, Texas.
FIRST ROUND:
In Arlington, TX:
7 Oklahoma 48
10 Connecticut 20
In Charlotte: (results available after the completion of the games of 4Jan)
8 Arkansas
9 Virginia Tech
BCS BOWLS (Quarterfinals):
Sugar: (results available after the completion of the games of 10Jan)
1 Auburn
Oklahoma or Virginia Tech
Rose: (results available after the completion of the games of 3Jan)
4 Stanford
5 Wisconsin
Fiesta: (results available after the completion of the games of 10Jan)
2 Oregon
Arkansas or Oklahoma
Orange: (results available after the completion of the games of 4Jan)
3 Texas Christian
6 Ohio State
Semi-finals in St Petersburg FL:
Sugar versus Rose
Fiesta versus Orange
BCS Championship in Glendale AZ
Oklahoma (12-2) carried some baggage after losing to Boise State in a 2006 First Round game. The Sooners avoided a repeat performance behind Jones and Ryan Broyles, who had team records of 13 catches and 170 yards to go with the sealing touchdown.
Connecticut (8-5) at least kept close for a while in its first tournament appearance. The hopeful Huskies steadied themselves after an initial barrage from Oklahoma and avoided a complete disaster with hard-nosed running by Jordan Todman and a handful of big plays. However, unlike Boise State, the Huskies basically played it straight with no gadgets, and playing it straight against the Sooners just was not a recipe for UConn victory. When the Sooners grabbed a 34-10 third quarter lead, Oklahoma seemed to begin looking ahead to BCS Bowl opportunities, and the Huskies cut it ti 34-20. However, a repeat of the finish against Boise State was not to be, as the Sooners woke up from their slumber in the fourth quarter to finish off the Huskies.
From above the field, Jerry Jones looked down at his Cowboys Stadium's first participation in the College Football Tournament with visions that this would become a site of BCS Bowl quarterfinals, the permanent site of the semi-finals, or, well, might as well host the whole Texas sized tourney there. For now, Jerry will have to be happy knowing Arlington will host the tournament semi-finals in two seasons, with no concerns of lock-outs.
But the Sooners don't have to wait until next year to be part of the tournament, as their win sends them to a BCS Bowl quarterfinal. Due to the tournament rules to avoid regular season rematches during these rounds, Oklahoma's opponent will not be known until the victor is known of the other First Round game in Charlotte between Arkansas and Virginia Tech. A Razorback win sends the Sooners to the Sugar Bowl to face Auburn, whereas a Hokie victory sends Oklahoma to the Fiesta Bowl to face Oregon.
FIRST ROUND:
In Arlington, TX:
7 Oklahoma 48
10 Connecticut 20
In Charlotte: (results available after the completion of the games of 4Jan)
8 Arkansas
9 Virginia Tech
BCS BOWLS (Quarterfinals):
Sugar: (results available after the completion of the games of 10Jan)
1 Auburn
Oklahoma or Virginia Tech
Rose: (results available after the completion of the games of 3Jan)
4 Stanford
5 Wisconsin
Fiesta: (results available after the completion of the games of 10Jan)
2 Oregon
Arkansas or Oklahoma
Orange: (results available after the completion of the games of 4Jan)
3 Texas Christian
6 Ohio State
Semi-finals in St Petersburg FL:
Sugar versus Rose
Fiesta versus Orange
BCS Championship in Glendale AZ
It's Time!!!!!
The weeks have passed, and it is FINALLY time to play out a college football tournament! January 1st is always my favorite day of the year, because I love the Rose Parade and a day filled with college football. For my tournament, this is what we will know at the end of New Year's Day:
1) The real life Fiesta Bowl is an actual match-up in my mythical tourney, matching Oklahoma and Connecticut in their First Round game, so we will know which advances to the BCS quarterfinals.
2) The real life Rose Bowl performances of Wisconsin and TCU will provide the bar that Stanford (Orange) and Ohio State (Sugar), respectfully, will have to surpass to win their tournament match-ups.
According to reports, the Orange and Fiesta Bowls will not sell out in the real world of BCS. Although it depends upon who wins the First Round games, I believe there will be no unsold seats for my tournament. The real-life Orange Bowl's Stanford-VTU match-up would not have the appeal of a TCU-Ohio State quarterfinal, and we will have to see what my tourney's Fiesta Bowl ends up as, however, Oregon-Oklahoma or Oregon-Arkansas would sell more tix than the real Fiesta Bowl.
But the Oklahoma-UConn game won't sell out in real life, why would it in my tourney as a First Round game? Good question! For one thing, as part of a tournament, it would have more interest to the schools' fans than a BCS Bowl game. Secondly, the First Round games are designed to give one school a "geographic advantage" that will put people in the seats without requiring airfare. If I was told by my blue ribbon advisers that the OU-UConn game would not sell out Arlington TX, then I would put it in Stillwater OK, which I believe would guarantee a full house.
So far, bowl season started with loads of blow-outs, however, games are starting to get more competitive. Of the 22 games so far, 10 have been margins of 20+. Though we will know more by 5pm EST tomorrow, some of the conferences have been surprising: the 3-1 Mountain West with the only loss of future Pac-12 Utah to future Mountain West Boise State; Illinois and Iowa representing the Big Ten quite well; the much maligned Big East at 3-1 with West Virginia, often seen as the most legitimate team nationally looking like the weakest link; ACC holding their own at 4-3; the Pac Ten showing danger signs when Arizona was whipped by Oklahoma State, only to be buoyed by Washington's Holiday Bowl win; Big 12 going 1-4, and the SEC at 0-3. These are big "so far's" since most of the SEC and Big Ten action is still awaiting them.
So, if the trends hold, here are some possible scenarios for my tourney:
1) Big Ten is super, Arizona's game indicates Pac-10 trouble:
First Round:
Oklahoma over Connecticut
Virginia Tech over Arkansas
BCS Bowl quarterfinals:
Auburn over Virginia Tech
Wisconsin over Stanford
Oklahoma over Oregon
Ohio State over TCU
2) Washington showed that the Pac-10 will reign and the top of the Big Ten will return to its weaker form:
First Round:
Oklahoma over Connecticut
Arkansas over Virginia Tech
BCS Bowl quarterfinals:
Oklahoma over Auburn
Stanford over Wisconsin
Oregon over Arkansas
TCU over Ohio State
3) It's all about the SEC and don't forget it!:
First Round:
Oklahoma over Connecticut
Arkansas over Virginia Tech
BCS Bowl quarterfinals:
Auburn over Oklahoma
Stanford over Wisconsin
Arkansas over Oregon
TCU over Ohio State
So will Connecticut shock Oklahoma like Boise State did? Will Oklahoma cruise to a First Round victory? We will know late Saturday, same bat time, same bat blog!
1) The real life Fiesta Bowl is an actual match-up in my mythical tourney, matching Oklahoma and Connecticut in their First Round game, so we will know which advances to the BCS quarterfinals.
2) The real life Rose Bowl performances of Wisconsin and TCU will provide the bar that Stanford (Orange) and Ohio State (Sugar), respectfully, will have to surpass to win their tournament match-ups.
According to reports, the Orange and Fiesta Bowls will not sell out in the real world of BCS. Although it depends upon who wins the First Round games, I believe there will be no unsold seats for my tournament. The real-life Orange Bowl's Stanford-VTU match-up would not have the appeal of a TCU-Ohio State quarterfinal, and we will have to see what my tourney's Fiesta Bowl ends up as, however, Oregon-Oklahoma or Oregon-Arkansas would sell more tix than the real Fiesta Bowl.
But the Oklahoma-UConn game won't sell out in real life, why would it in my tourney as a First Round game? Good question! For one thing, as part of a tournament, it would have more interest to the schools' fans than a BCS Bowl game. Secondly, the First Round games are designed to give one school a "geographic advantage" that will put people in the seats without requiring airfare. If I was told by my blue ribbon advisers that the OU-UConn game would not sell out Arlington TX, then I would put it in Stillwater OK, which I believe would guarantee a full house.
So far, bowl season started with loads of blow-outs, however, games are starting to get more competitive. Of the 22 games so far, 10 have been margins of 20+. Though we will know more by 5pm EST tomorrow, some of the conferences have been surprising: the 3-1 Mountain West with the only loss of future Pac-12 Utah to future Mountain West Boise State; Illinois and Iowa representing the Big Ten quite well; the much maligned Big East at 3-1 with West Virginia, often seen as the most legitimate team nationally looking like the weakest link; ACC holding their own at 4-3; the Pac Ten showing danger signs when Arizona was whipped by Oklahoma State, only to be buoyed by Washington's Holiday Bowl win; Big 12 going 1-4, and the SEC at 0-3. These are big "so far's" since most of the SEC and Big Ten action is still awaiting them.
So, if the trends hold, here are some possible scenarios for my tourney:
1) Big Ten is super, Arizona's game indicates Pac-10 trouble:
First Round:
Oklahoma over Connecticut
Virginia Tech over Arkansas
BCS Bowl quarterfinals:
Auburn over Virginia Tech
Wisconsin over Stanford
Oklahoma over Oregon
Ohio State over TCU
2) Washington showed that the Pac-10 will reign and the top of the Big Ten will return to its weaker form:
First Round:
Oklahoma over Connecticut
Arkansas over Virginia Tech
BCS Bowl quarterfinals:
Oklahoma over Auburn
Stanford over Wisconsin
Oregon over Arkansas
TCU over Ohio State
3) It's all about the SEC and don't forget it!:
First Round:
Oklahoma over Connecticut
Arkansas over Virginia Tech
BCS Bowl quarterfinals:
Auburn over Oklahoma
Stanford over Wisconsin
Arkansas over Oregon
TCU over Ohio State
So will Connecticut shock Oklahoma like Boise State did? Will Oklahoma cruise to a First Round victory? We will know late Saturday, same bat time, same bat blog!
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