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Post by MizzouTiger on Dec 17, 2007 18:03:04 GMT -5
www.kansascity.com/sports/story/395780.htmlCollege football needs a playoff so we created oneBy PETE GRATHOFF The Kansas City Star (Note: This simulated bracket will be re-seeded after the first round to ensure the top seeds receive the most favorable matchups.) Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. The regular season just ended for the wildest college football season in history. No fewer than eight teams can make a case for being in the national championship game. Even the most ardent supporter of the BCS system would grudgingly admit that if there ever was a time for a playoff, this would be the year. For the first time, a two-loss team is in the title game. One-loss Kansas and undefeated Hawaii are on the outside looking in. Ditto for two-loss conference champs Oklahoma, Virginia Tech and Southern California. Who can solve this conundrum? We’ll give it a shot. Starting next week, The Kansas City Star’s dream college football playoff will kick off. OK, we may have gone a tad bit overboard on the hyperbole. But we’ve devised our own sim playoffs using the BCS rankings and the current bowl system. Best of all, this gives you a front seat to the action. Our plan is simple: •The top 12 teams in the final BCS standings make the Sim Playoffs. •The top four seeds each get a bye (the NCAA basketball tournament had byes as recently as 1984). •We’ll use the existing bowls to play the games. •The Web site Whatifsports.com will simulate the results. Viola! Or is it Voila? Either way, look at how easy that was! Of course, in a 12-team system the 13th-place team would feel ripped off. And, in this case, that means Illinois wouldn’t make it to the December Dance (hey, that’s catchy). But, upon further inspection of our proposal, it’s not the only time there’s bad news for the Big Ten, but we’ll get to that later. Because we want to reward the top four teams in the country, Ohio State’s extended break will continue for another week as it earns a bye. Also getting byes are LSU, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma (somehow Bob Stoops would spin this as being bad for the Sooners). Our games will kick off with No. 12 Florida taking on No. 5 Georgia in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. The former Peach Bowl would be the only one to pit conference opponents. No. 7 USC will play No. 10 Hawaii in the Holiday Bowl. Eighth-ranked Kansas will face No. 9 West Virginia in the Outback Bowl, and No. 6 Missouri will square off against No. 11 Arizona State in the Alamo Bowl.And being relegated to the Alamo Bowl wouldn’t be such a bad thing. In fact, the Alamo Bowl probably would be thrilled to have a playoff game. Ditto for the Gator, Capital One and Cotton Bowls, which would make up the quarterfinals, along with the Rose Bowl. The Fiesta and Orange Bowls would be the semifinal matchups with the title game being played at the Sugar Bowl. Because we believe in the sanctity (ahem) of the current bowl structure, the bowls not listed here would continue to be played. You can have your PapaJohn’s.com and Meineke Car Care Bowls, too. Those bowls probably would be thrilled as well, because teams such as Boston College, Tennessee and Texas would be available for their games. The downside? The rash of 7-5 and 6-6 teams (the majority of them from the Big Ten) in bowl games would be gone. Now that doesn’t really seem like a downside at all, does it? More than anything, our playoff is designed to be fun. The Star isn’t looking to crown its own champion. Depending on how things go in the bowls, the BCS and The Associated Press may have different champs. We’re not advocating a third. No, just check in each Sunday starting next week until Jan. 6 and see how things play out. Or, as it were, see how things play off.
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Post by MizzouTiger on Dec 17, 2007 18:09:54 GMT -5
www.kansascity.com/764/story/404925.html1st Round Games Florida 31, Georgia 28Knowshon Moreno rushed for four touchdowns, but the name Georgia fans will remember for years to come is Brandon Coutu. He missed three field goals while Florida's Joey Ijjas made all three of his attempts, including a 26-yard attempt at the final gun that won it for the Gators. www.kansascity.com/764/story/404906.htmlUSC 34, Hawaii 23The Trojans fumbled twice, had an interception and punted four times in the opening 30 minutes, but still handed the Warriors their first loss of the season. Stafon Johnson's 9-yard scamper gave the Trojans a 20-13 lead just seconds into the fourth quarter and he put the game out of reach with a 5-yard run with 1:25 to play. www.kansascity.com/764/story/404913.htmlWest Virginia 26, Kansas 23The Mountaineers converted the game's only two turnovers – both Jayhawk fumbles – into touchdowns and took the lead for good with a 36-yard field goal in the final minutes. KU got the ball back with 1:14 to go, but picked up only one first down. www.kansascity.com/764/story/404905.htmlMissouri 34, Arizona State 27Tigers QB Chase Daniel shook off an interception return for a touchdown that gave the Sun Devils a three-point lead early in the fourth quarter, completing eight of nine passes for 112 yards on the next two Tiger drives that led to a field goal and the go-ahead TD pass.
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Post by MizzouTiger on Dec 18, 2007 10:56:39 GMT -5
Round 2www.kansascity.com/764/story/404973.htmlNo. 2 LSU vs. No. 9 West VirginiaWHEN/WHERE: Capital One Bowl, noon Saturday ABOUT LSU: If you listen to coach Les Miles, the Tigers were 11-0-2 this season, given the pair of triple-overtime losses. The Tigers, actually 11-2, were third in total defense, giving up 283.9 yards per game. Craig Steltz had six interceptions this season. Running back Jacob Hester rushed for 1,017 yards and 11 TDs ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA: The Moutaineers were fourth in the nation in defense (291.9 yards per game) ... They also were 11th in the nation in scoring, averaging 38.9 points per game. ... West Virginia would have been a higher seed had it not lost to Pittsburgh at home in its regular-season finale. www.kansascity.com/764/story/404978.htmlNo. 3 Virginia Tech vs No. 7 USCWHEN/WHERE: Gator Bowl, 3 p.m. Saturday ABOUT VIRGINIA TECH: The Hokies, 11-2, were fifth in the country in yards allowed (293.3 per game) and second in scoring defense (15.5 per game). Eddie Royal was eighth in the nation in punt returns, averaging 15.1 yards per game. He also had two TDs. The Hokies returned four interceptions for touchdowns. ABOUT USC: The Trojans were second in the nation in defense (258.8 yards per game). ... Quarterback John David Booty threw for 2,106 yards and 20 touchdowns, despite playing in just nine games this season. ... Southern California is looking for its third national title in five seasons. www.kansascity.com/764/story/404985.htmlNo. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 6 MissouriWHEN/WHERE: Cotton Bowl, 6 p.m. Saturday ABOUT OKLAHOMA: The Sooners, 11-2, were third in the nation in scoring offense (43.9 points per game). Quarterback Sam Bradford had the best quarterback rating in the nation (180.5), edging out Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow. Oklahoma was ninth in the nation in scoring defense (18.2 points per game). ABOUT MISSOURI: The Tigers only two losses this season came against Oklahoma. ... They were seventh in the nation in scoring, averaging 40.0 points per game. ... The Tigers also were seventh in passing offense, averaging 327.8 yards per game. ... Jeremy Maclin was second in the nation in all-purpose yards (208.7 yards per game). www.kansascity.com/764/story/404972.htmlNo. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 12 FloridaWHEN/WHERE: Rose Bowl, 9 p.m. Saturday ABOUT OHIO STATE: The Buckeyes, 11-1, led the nation in yards allowed (225.3) and scoring defense (10.7 per game). � Running back Chris Wells rushed for 1,463 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. � Quarterback Todd Boeckman threw 23 touchdown passes. � Receiver Brian Robiskie had 10 touchdown catches. ABOUT FLORIDA: The Gators are trying to match the men�s basketball team by winning a second straight national championship. ... Florida crushed Ohio State in last year�s BCS title game, winning 41-14. ... Quarterback Tim Tebow won the Heisman Trophy after having the second-highest QB efficiency rating in the nation (177.9).
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Post by MizzouTiger on Dec 24, 2007 4:00:32 GMT -5
www.kansascity.com/sports/colleges/story/415395.htmlOhio State 29, Florida 24PASADENA, Calif. | Ohio State finally found a Florida team it could beat. All it took was a computer simulation. The Buckeyes won a rematch of last year’s BCS title game, knocking off Florida 29-24. It didn’t come easy, though. Ohio State, the top seed, led 29-17 with 2 minutes remaining. But Gators quarterback Tim Tebow, the Heisman Trophy winner, threw a 1-yard TD pass to Riley Cooper with 43 seconds to play. “Given the way Florida has owned us in every sport the last few years,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said in an imaginary postgame news conference, “I was sweating a bit. Or perhaps I should blame my profuse sweating on my addiction to wearing a sweater vest.” www.kansascity.com/sports/colleges/story/415388.htmlUSC 23, Virginia Tech 17JACKSONVILLE, Fla. | The Trojans’ hopes for a third national title in five years — this one being really mythical — are still alive. Seventh-seeded Southern California jumped to a two-touchdown lead after the first quarter and held off the third-seeded Hokies 23-17 in the Gator Bowl. “Winning a second game in this tournament and preparing for a third game next week sure beats pounding a nondescript Big Ten team in the Rose Bowl year-in and year-out,” Trojans coach Pete Carroll said in an imaginary postgame news conference. The Hokies got within 20-17 in the fourth but never moved inside the USC 40 after that. West Virginia 23, LSU 13ORLANDO, Fla. | The Mountaineers didn’t need overtime to beat LSU in the Capital One Bowl. West Virginia, the ninth-seeded team, took control early and never let the Tigers back into the game. “This one’s for coach (Rich) Rodriguez,” running back Steve Slaton said to a group of computers gathered in an imaginary postgame news conference. “Maybe he’ll change his mind and come back.” Rodriguez was hired last week at Michigan, and it seemed to motivate the Mountaineers, who led 10-0 after the first quarter and expanded the advantage to 16-0 at the half. Slaton’s 21-yard score later gave WVU a 23-6 lead. “We just didn’t compete very well,” said LSU coach Les Miles in his imaginary postgame news conference. “Maybe our fans wish I had taken the Michigan job.” Oklahoma 44, Missouri 27DALLAS | It’s official. Oklahoma is Missouri’s daddy. For the third time, the Sooners beat the Tigers, this time 44-27 at the Cotton Bowl in The Star’s college football simulated playoff. Oklahoma raced to a 21-0 lead after just 10 minutes, and while Mizzou made it interesting briefly, the Sooners won going away. “The lesson we learned,” Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said in an imaginary postgame news conference, “is it’s not that hard to beat a team three times in a season.” The Sooners, the No. 4 seed in the tournament, beat Missouri 41-31 in the regular season and 38-17 in the Big 12 championship game. In The Star’s playoff, Chris Brown’s 2-yard run capped Oklahoma’s drive for a touchdown on the opening drive. Missouri’s first two drives resulted in a Chase Daniel interception and a punt. The Sooners turned both of those into Brown touchdown receptions from Sam Bradford. Tony Temple’s 8-yard TD run pulled the Tigers within 27-20 with 8:55 left in the third quarter. However, Oklahoma responded with a nine-play drive that culminated in a field goal. After MU punted, Bradford connected with Manuel Johnson on a 63-yard TD pass with 24 seconds left in the third quarter that made it 37-20 and effectively ended the game. “They never should have implied we lucked out in that first meeting,” Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops barked in his fake postgame interview. “Never, ever wake the giant.”
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Post by MizzouTiger on Dec 24, 2007 4:07:12 GMT -5
www.kansascity.com/sports/colleges/story/415391.htmlThe Stars dream college football playoff: Our semifinal teamsNo. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 4 OklahomaWhen/where: Fiesta Bowl, 8 p.m. SaturdayThe Star’s mock line: Ohio State by 5 About Ohio StateThe Buckeyes were tied for third in the nation with 42 sacks this season. … Their defense gave up seven or fewer points in seven games. … Ohio State was also sixth in the country in time of possession (32:18 per game). … Chris Wells’ 121.9 rushing yards per game was the 11th best average in the nation. … Receiver Brian Robiskie (left) had 10 TD catches. About OklahomaThe Sooners have the highest-rated offense among the final four teams (18th in the nation at 451.2 yards per game). … Curtis Lofton averaged 10.9 tackles per game, the 12th most in the nation. … OU scored more than 40 points in eight of its regular-season games. … Quarterback Sam Bradford threw 34 touchdowns with just seven interceptions. No. 7 USC vs. No. 9 West VirginiaWhen/where: Orange Bowl, 4 p.m. SaturdayThe Star’s mock line: USC by 1 About USCThe Trojans were fourth in the country in rushing defense, allowing 79.2 yards per game. … USC won the Pac-10 despite not having a 1,000-yard rusher or receiver. … Quarterback John David Booty threw 20 touchdown passes, seven of them to tight end Fred Davis. … Kicker David Buehler made 16 of 19 of his field-goal attempts. About West VirginiaThe Mountaineers’ 18 fumble recoveries were tied for the most in the nation. … In addition to throwing for 1,548 yards, quarterback Patrick White (below) was West Virginia’s leading rusher with 1,185 yards. … Steve Slaton also topped the 1,000-yard plateau with 1,053 this season. … The Mountaineers’ two losses this season were by a combined 12 points.
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Post by MizzouTiger on Jan 2, 2008 16:10:26 GMT -5
www.kansascity.com/dreamcollegefootballplayoffs/story/423227.htmlOhio State stifles OklahomaGLENDALE, Ariz. | The Buckeyes didn’t back into the title game this time. The Buckeyes’ defense held strong in the fourth quarter in a 24-21 win against Oklahoma at the Fiesta Bowl. Ohio State, which had been criticized for advancing to the top of the BCS poll as other teams lost, showed its No. 1 ranking was no fluke. At least as far as simulated computer games go. “We’ve beaten some high-quality teams this year,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said in an imaginary postgame news conference. “There’s been Michigan, Purdue, Minnesota ... and I’d put the Sooners right up there with those teams.” The game was tied 14-14 midway through the third quarter when Jake Ballard took a screen pass from Todd Boeckman and scampered 32 yards to put the Buckeyes up 21-14. Early in the fourth quarter, Ryan Pretorius kicked a 34-yard field goal that pushed Ohio State’s advantage to 24-14. The Sooners, the fourth seed, struck back on Malcolm Kelly’s 52-yard touchdown catch-and-run from Sam Bradford. That made it 24-21 with 9:47 to play. Oklahoma got the ball twice but managed just one first down. The Sooners’ hopes ended when Allen Patrick was stuffed for a 1-yard loss on fourth and 1 from the OU 46 with 1:03 left in the game. It was the second straight loss for the Sooners at the Fiesta Bowl. Last year, they lost 43-42 in overtime to Boise State. “I never liked playing in the Fiesta Bowl,” Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said in an imaginary postgame news conference. “I’d have liked to see how we fared in the Orange Bowl. But that’s the way the bracket was set up.” Ohio State, meanwhile, loves the Fiesta Bowl. It was the Buckeyes’ third straight win in the Fiesta Bowl, although they did lose last year’s BCS championship game to Florida 41-14 on this field. Now, just as in real life, they’ll have another shot at winning the national title. “Obviously, we were outclassed in last year’s title game,” Tressel said in an imaginary postgame news conference. “But at least we have a shot at redemption. Maybe I’ll tell the guys to close their eyes and envision we’re going to Ann Arbor. We always seem to have success there.” www.kansascity.com/dreamcollegefootballplayoffs/story/423232.htmlWest Virginia kicked outMIAMI | Southern California loves southern Florida. For the third time in six years, the Trojans won in the Orange Bowl, this time beating West Virginia 31-28 in The Star’s simulated playoff. Unlike its previous two games here, USC worked hard for this victory, needing David Buehler’s 47-yard field goal as time expired to secure the victory. USC, the seventh seed, advanced to the national-championship game for the third time in the last four years. “Unlike, say, Notre Dame, Alabama or Nebraska, we have a championship pedigree,” USC coach Pete Carroll said in an imaginary postgame news conference. “Although we were a lower seed, I’m not surprised to be playing for another title.” The Trojans, whose previous Orange Bowl appearances including a 38-17 thumping of Iowa in 2003 and a 55-19 pasting of Oklahoma in 2005, trailed 21-10 midway through the third quarter. However, USC scored 18 straight points, the final two coming on a conversion catch by Patrick Turner following Stafon Johnson’s 68-yard run with 8:20 to play in the game. West Virginia had just one first down in four drives following Dorrell Jalloh’s 21-yard TD grab from Patrick White early in the third quarter. But the Mountaineers, the ninth seed, got the ball back at their 45 with 4:59 to play. They converted two third downs and a fourth down and capped the drive with White’s 1-yard TD pass to Jalloh. That tied the game with 47 seconds to play. “I thought we had all the momentum,” White said in an imaginary postgame news conference. “Then it was like Pitt all over again.” West Virginia, which lost a chance to be the No. 1 seed when it lost to unheralded Pittsburgh in the season finale, fell apart. USC got the ball at its own 33 and quickly faced a third-and-3 situation, but the Mountaineers were called for encroachment. Chauncey Washington caught West Virginia napping with a 14-yard run and USC moved to the Mountaineers 30 with 3 seconds to play. Buehler then calmly nailed the game-winner. “After watching us battle this hard and knock off a quality opponent like West Virginia,” Carroll said in an imaginary postgame news conference, “I can’t believe we ever lost to Stanford.”
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Post by MizzouTiger on Jan 2, 2008 16:14:12 GMT -5
www.kansascity.com/dreamcollegefootballplayoffs/story/415610.htmlThe Finalist: Ohio State vs. USCNo. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 7 USCWHEN/WHERE: Sugar Bowl, 7:17 p.m. SaturdayTHE SERIES: USC leads 11-9-1 and has won the last five meetings, including three straight in bowl games. … In 1968, Ohio State was ranked No. 1 and beat the second-ranked Trojans 27-16 in the Rose Bowl, winning the national title. … In 1972, USC was ranked No. 1 and beat the third-rated Buckeyes 42-17 and won the national title. THE STAR’S MOCK LINE: Ohio State by 6 About Ohio StateRunning back Chris Wells has averaged 147.5 yards rushing in the Buckeyes’ first two playoff games. … Ohio State has not allowed a 100-yard rusher and has not trailed in its two games. … The Buckeyes allowed the fewest passing yards (148.2 per game) in the nation during the regular season. About USCRunning back Stafon Johnson has scored five touchdowns in the Trojans’ three playoff games. … USC also has not allowed a 100-yard rusher in its playoff games. … David Buehler has made eight of nine field-goal attempts. … The Trojans were second in the nation in total defense (258.8 yards per game), behind only Ohio State (225.3). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- •CBSSports.com: Using a 16-team playoff, all 11 conference champions make the field. The games are simulated on EA Sports’ NCAA 2008. The championship game pits Oklahoma against Southern California. The result of that game will be made known on Wednesday. •SI.com: Using a 16-team playoff format, the seeds were based on the BCS standings. The fans vote for which team would win. Southern California leads Oklahoma in the championship game. •College Football News: Using a 16-team playoff, which includes the 11 conference champs and five at-large teams. The final four: Ohio State, Oklahoma, USC and Virginia Tech. •ESPN: Had a 10-team playoff, and Oklahoma was the winner.
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Post by MizzouTiger on Jan 9, 2008 18:34:16 GMT -5
www.kansascity.com/dreamplayoffs/story/432374.htmlUSC beats Ohio State 21-18 for the titleBy PETE GRATHOFF The Kansas City Star NEW ORLEANS | Winning ugly suits Southern California just fine. The Trojans punted 10 times, didn’t score in the second half and still came away with a 21-18 victory over Ohio State in overtime of the Sugar Bowl in the championship game of The Star’s simulated playoff. “I had a long conversation with Chiefs coach Herm Edwards before the game,” USC coach Pete Carroll said in an imaginary postgame news conference, “and I saw the wisdom in playing it safe once we had the big lead.” The Trojans led 15-3 at halftime, but in the second half they had seven three-and-outs, lost the ball on downs once, gained just 59 yards and had two first downs. Ohio State tied the game with four Ryan Pretorius field goals, and the Buckeyes took their first lead of the game in overtime when Pretorius booted a 30-yard field goal. All of their points came on six Pretorius field goals, while Southern Cal had three. “I have to say I like this idea of a playoff,” Carroll said in an imaginary postgame news conference. “I don’t care if it was a computer simulation or if we faced another Big Ten patsy in the title game, we’re still the champs.” Quarterback John David Booty, a fifth-year senior, came to life on USC’s possession in overtime. He completed passes of 11 and 13 yards to Patrick Turner that put the ball on the Ohio State 1. On the next play, Booty found Chauncey Washington in the end zone for the winning score.
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