DaSho03Champs
11-03-2008, 03:54 AM
Now we all know that in the perfect world, there would be no BCS. Instead there would be a playoffs just like every major sport out there. So being that i have a lot of time in my hands, i came up with the following:
I decided to invite 12 teams to my playoffs. I was originally thinking 8, but that would have left out a lot of very deserving teams. Then i thought of having 16, but that scenario would have included some teams, well to put it nicely, just don't deserve it. The top 4 seeds received a bye to the quarter-finals. The other 8 teams will play in a "play-in" game. I based my seedings as of this weekend and considered the schedules that the teams still have left in the regular season.
Without further adieu, let me introduce the 12 teams: (ranked order)
1) ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE: #1 ranked team in the BCS. do they deserve this ranking? who knows. but they are the lone undefeated team in what the majority consider the best conference in the nation (SEC).
2) PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS: they are actually ranked #3 in the BCS, but i have them as the #2 seed in my rankings. they are not exciting to watch by any means. but they have gotten the job done so far. its not their fault that the usual powers of the Big 10 (Ohio St/Michigan) are having down years and the rest of the conference is simply mediocre.
3) TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS: the biggest win in their program's history certainly makes them the "flavor of the week". their offense can score on anyone, but it was their defense against Texas (well, at least during the 1st half) that elevated this team to elite status.
4) TEXAS LONGHORNS: two "flukish" plays away from being undefeated and still being the overall #1 team. and in a playoff scenario, Texas just might be the favorite against anyone they play (sidenote: I am an aggie, so definitely no homerisms here).
5) FLORIDA GATORS: is there a hotter team in the nation right now? their destruction of Georgia was simply amazing. i was thinking about putting them at #4 and Texas at #5, but their loss came against Ole Miss at home, while Texas's loss was against Texas Tech on the road. With those in consideration, i gave the Longhorns the nod.
6) OKLAHOMA SOONERS: everyone talks about Texas Tech and Texas for good reason, but the Sooners just may be the best overall team in the loaded Big 12 South. The loss against Texas in the RRS certainly doesn't help their case. But i would not bet against this team in a one-game, must win scenario.
7) USC TROJANS: if it wasn't for that little hiccup against Oregon State, the Trojans would be at the worst the #2 ranked team in the BCS right now. Say what you want about the Pac-10, but USC when they are motivated and are playing to their full potential are still one of the most dangerous teams in the nation.
8) UTAH UTES: the original BCS "party crashers" are once again undefeated like they were in 2004 when they were led by Coach Urban Meyer and QB Alex Smith. did you know that one of their wins came against Oregon State, who as mentioned beat USC?
9) TCU HORNED FROGS: i know you're reading this and saying why is TCU on this list and why are they ranked #9? well, for selfish reasons which will make sense later. its not like TCU hasn't been impressive this season. they did defeat a previously unbeaten BYU team and their lone loss this season was against Oklahoma on the road.
10) BOISE STATE BRONCOS: what Gonzaga is in NCAA hoops is the equivalent of Boise State in college football. a mid-major powerhouse who none of the "big boys" want to face. they are once again undefeated in the WAC and one of their OOC wins include a victory over Oregon on the road.
11) OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS: the forgotten team of the Big 12 South. a case can be made for them to be ranked as high as #8. but just like TCU, i have them ranked here for a selfish reason which will also make more sense later. their only blemish so far is a 4 point loss to Texas on the road, a game where they had a chance to win in the final drive.
12) BALL STATE CARDINALS: there are only 6 unbeaten teams left (ALABAMA, PENN STATE, TEXAS TECH, UTAH, BOISE STATE, and............BALL STATE). are they one of the top 12 teams in the country? definitely not. would it make more sense (competitive wise) to replace them with either Ohio State, LSU, Missouri, Georiga? the answer is a resounding yes. You can even throw in a one-loss BYU over them. but hey, if George Mason can reach the NCAA Final Four as an #11 seed, why not give Ball State a chance.
MATCHUPS:
PLAY-IN ROUND:
#5 FLORIDA vs #12 BALL STATE (@ NEYLAND STADIUM) WINNER PLAYS #4 TEXAS: Does Ball State have any chance to pull off a major upset? Probably not. But, as mentioned earlier, George Mason's final four run included wins against UCONN and North Carolina. The fact that i am talking about basketball, instead of the actual match-up in hand, should say what i think about Ball State's chances of winning this game. < MY PICK> The Gators should win this in a cake-walk.
#6 OKLAHOMA vs #11 OKLAHOMA STATE (@ RELIANT STADIUM) WINNER PLAYS #3 TEXAS TECH: see i told you i had selfish reasons why Oklahoma State is ranked #11. as if the bedlam rivalry game wasn't intense enough already right? and as an added bonus, the winner of this game faces none other than #3 Texas Tech in the next round. Fitting considering that this scenario is actually gonna happen on the field in the next few weeks. <MY PICK> Oklahoma in a very close, very hard fought game.
#7 USC TROJANS vs #10 BOISE STATE BRONCOS (@ UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX STADIUM) WINNER PLAYS #2 PENN STATE: Boise State has actually played and beaten some Pac-10 teams in the past (including Oregon earlier this season). they say that they would love to eventually join the Pac-10. well, what better way to show that they belong by beating the elite program of the conference. <MY PICK> USC actually takes Boise State seriously from the get-go and wins comfortbaly.
#8 UTAH UTES VS #9 TCU HORNED FROGS (@ MILE HIGH STADIUM) WINNER PLAYS #1 ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE: this is why i had TCU at #9. and the fact that these two Mountain West teams actually play each other this weekend (Thursday) makes this match-up even sweeter. just like the actual game, the loser's dreams of crashing the BCS party will get crushed and the winner can continue its hopes of playing in one of the New Year's Day Bowl Games. <MY PICK> The Horned Frogs in a mild-upset.
QUARTER-FINALS:
#1 ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE vs #9 TCU HORNED FROGS (@ ARROWHEAD STADIUM)
#2 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS vs #7 USC TROJANS (@ MICHIGAN STADIUM's "BIG HOUSE")
#3 TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS vs #6 OKLAHOMA SOONERS (@ DALLAS COWBOYS's NEW STADIUM)
#4 TEXAS LONGHONRS vs #5 FLORIDA GATORS (@ LOUISIANA SUPER DOME)
TO BE CONTINUED.........
I decided to invite 12 teams to my playoffs. I was originally thinking 8, but that would have left out a lot of very deserving teams. Then i thought of having 16, but that scenario would have included some teams, well to put it nicely, just don't deserve it. The top 4 seeds received a bye to the quarter-finals. The other 8 teams will play in a "play-in" game. I based my seedings as of this weekend and considered the schedules that the teams still have left in the regular season.
Without further adieu, let me introduce the 12 teams: (ranked order)
1) ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE: #1 ranked team in the BCS. do they deserve this ranking? who knows. but they are the lone undefeated team in what the majority consider the best conference in the nation (SEC).
2) PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS: they are actually ranked #3 in the BCS, but i have them as the #2 seed in my rankings. they are not exciting to watch by any means. but they have gotten the job done so far. its not their fault that the usual powers of the Big 10 (Ohio St/Michigan) are having down years and the rest of the conference is simply mediocre.
3) TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS: the biggest win in their program's history certainly makes them the "flavor of the week". their offense can score on anyone, but it was their defense against Texas (well, at least during the 1st half) that elevated this team to elite status.
4) TEXAS LONGHORNS: two "flukish" plays away from being undefeated and still being the overall #1 team. and in a playoff scenario, Texas just might be the favorite against anyone they play (sidenote: I am an aggie, so definitely no homerisms here).
5) FLORIDA GATORS: is there a hotter team in the nation right now? their destruction of Georgia was simply amazing. i was thinking about putting them at #4 and Texas at #5, but their loss came against Ole Miss at home, while Texas's loss was against Texas Tech on the road. With those in consideration, i gave the Longhorns the nod.
6) OKLAHOMA SOONERS: everyone talks about Texas Tech and Texas for good reason, but the Sooners just may be the best overall team in the loaded Big 12 South. The loss against Texas in the RRS certainly doesn't help their case. But i would not bet against this team in a one-game, must win scenario.
7) USC TROJANS: if it wasn't for that little hiccup against Oregon State, the Trojans would be at the worst the #2 ranked team in the BCS right now. Say what you want about the Pac-10, but USC when they are motivated and are playing to their full potential are still one of the most dangerous teams in the nation.
8) UTAH UTES: the original BCS "party crashers" are once again undefeated like they were in 2004 when they were led by Coach Urban Meyer and QB Alex Smith. did you know that one of their wins came against Oregon State, who as mentioned beat USC?
9) TCU HORNED FROGS: i know you're reading this and saying why is TCU on this list and why are they ranked #9? well, for selfish reasons which will make sense later. its not like TCU hasn't been impressive this season. they did defeat a previously unbeaten BYU team and their lone loss this season was against Oklahoma on the road.
10) BOISE STATE BRONCOS: what Gonzaga is in NCAA hoops is the equivalent of Boise State in college football. a mid-major powerhouse who none of the "big boys" want to face. they are once again undefeated in the WAC and one of their OOC wins include a victory over Oregon on the road.
11) OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS: the forgotten team of the Big 12 South. a case can be made for them to be ranked as high as #8. but just like TCU, i have them ranked here for a selfish reason which will also make more sense later. their only blemish so far is a 4 point loss to Texas on the road, a game where they had a chance to win in the final drive.
12) BALL STATE CARDINALS: there are only 6 unbeaten teams left (ALABAMA, PENN STATE, TEXAS TECH, UTAH, BOISE STATE, and............BALL STATE). are they one of the top 12 teams in the country? definitely not. would it make more sense (competitive wise) to replace them with either Ohio State, LSU, Missouri, Georiga? the answer is a resounding yes. You can even throw in a one-loss BYU over them. but hey, if George Mason can reach the NCAA Final Four as an #11 seed, why not give Ball State a chance.
MATCHUPS:
PLAY-IN ROUND:
#5 FLORIDA vs #12 BALL STATE (@ NEYLAND STADIUM) WINNER PLAYS #4 TEXAS: Does Ball State have any chance to pull off a major upset? Probably not. But, as mentioned earlier, George Mason's final four run included wins against UCONN and North Carolina. The fact that i am talking about basketball, instead of the actual match-up in hand, should say what i think about Ball State's chances of winning this game. < MY PICK> The Gators should win this in a cake-walk.
#6 OKLAHOMA vs #11 OKLAHOMA STATE (@ RELIANT STADIUM) WINNER PLAYS #3 TEXAS TECH: see i told you i had selfish reasons why Oklahoma State is ranked #11. as if the bedlam rivalry game wasn't intense enough already right? and as an added bonus, the winner of this game faces none other than #3 Texas Tech in the next round. Fitting considering that this scenario is actually gonna happen on the field in the next few weeks. <MY PICK> Oklahoma in a very close, very hard fought game.
#7 USC TROJANS vs #10 BOISE STATE BRONCOS (@ UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX STADIUM) WINNER PLAYS #2 PENN STATE: Boise State has actually played and beaten some Pac-10 teams in the past (including Oregon earlier this season). they say that they would love to eventually join the Pac-10. well, what better way to show that they belong by beating the elite program of the conference. <MY PICK> USC actually takes Boise State seriously from the get-go and wins comfortbaly.
#8 UTAH UTES VS #9 TCU HORNED FROGS (@ MILE HIGH STADIUM) WINNER PLAYS #1 ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE: this is why i had TCU at #9. and the fact that these two Mountain West teams actually play each other this weekend (Thursday) makes this match-up even sweeter. just like the actual game, the loser's dreams of crashing the BCS party will get crushed and the winner can continue its hopes of playing in one of the New Year's Day Bowl Games. <MY PICK> The Horned Frogs in a mild-upset.
QUARTER-FINALS:
#1 ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE vs #9 TCU HORNED FROGS (@ ARROWHEAD STADIUM)
#2 PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS vs #7 USC TROJANS (@ MICHIGAN STADIUM's "BIG HOUSE")
#3 TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS vs #6 OKLAHOMA SOONERS (@ DALLAS COWBOYS's NEW STADIUM)
#4 TEXAS LONGHONRS vs #5 FLORIDA GATORS (@ LOUISIANA SUPER DOME)
TO BE CONTINUED.........