Game 10: #18 TCU at #7 Boise St

If you missed the introduction post about the Playoff, no problem! Read it here: http://short-sideoption.blogspot.com/2012/02/ok-cowboy-cardinal-and-duck-fans-this.html

The virtual College Football Playoff is on its way, but first here are the reality bites:

The Bradenton Herald writes about the indecision going on in the BCS meetings; but believes that this is just a means to a 4 team playoff end.  Read about it here:

http://www.bradenton.com/2012/02/22/3892730/bcs-chiefs-try-to-keep-revenue.html

The Big East added its 13^th member yesterday, the Temple Owls.  Finally an addition that makes geographic sense.  Read about it here:  http://brett-mcmurphy.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/29532522/34946571

The Sporting News updates information on what went on in the BCS meetings yesterday; including a push to move the season up and starting games in late August.  I’m all in favor of that.  Read more here:  http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2012-02-22/bcs-bowl-championship-series-plus-one#ixzz1n9LhnwDV

Georgia State is exploring moving to FBS level competition by joining the Sun Belt in its expansion, read more here:  http://www.ajc.com/sports/georgia-state/georgia-state-exploring-fbs-1357698.html

Matt Hayes of the Sporting News writes an article here about the ramifications of the BCS meetings going on, including an 8 or even 16 team playoff:  http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2012-02-22/plus-one-college-football-playoff-bcs-bowl-championship-series#ixzz1n9bWUVnI

The results of the vote to over-ride the previous ruling by the NCAA to make scholarships binding for 4 years are in, and the Big 12 is the only AQ conference in favor of the over-ride (which failed by 2 votes), see how your conference and team voted here:  http://chronicle.com/blogs/players/files/2012/02/MultiyearOverrideVote.pdf

Some good news coming out of the BCS meetings, no BCS games after January 1^st is a theme being pushed.  Read more here:  http://www.cleveland.com/ohio-sports-blog/index.ssf/2012/02/bcs_national_championship_supp.html

Oklahoma offensive coordinator, Jay Norvell, committed secondary NCAA violations last week when he openly tweeted more the one player during the NCAA mandated ‘quiet recruiting’ period, read more here:  http://www.sbnation.com/college-football-recruiting/2012/2/21/2814321/oklahoma-coach-jay-norvell-twitter-commits-recruit-violations-ncaa?xid=si_topstories

…..and now, on with the College Football Playoff!

Game 10:  #18 TCU at #7 Boise St

December 24, 2011

Kickoff:  11:00 am

Location: Boise, Idaho

Weather: 31 degrees, clear, 3 mph wind

EA Sports Ratings:        Boise St, Overall: A, Offense: A+, Defense: B+

                                        TCU, Overall: A-, Offense: A, Defense: B+

As has happened multiple times in this playoff simulation, this is a re-match from a regular season game.  I agree with the feedback I’ve gotten so far that these games should be avoided if possible; but with a true playoff some re-matches will be inevitable.  In the first matchup TCU ended Boise St’s home winning streak 36-35.  Let’s see how the simulation plays out.

1^st Quarter:

            -Both offenses struggle in the cold to get going, Boise St scores first

             with a 43 yard FG from Jimmy Pavel.                                                                       (3-0 BSU)

-Boise St’s defense forces an Ed Wesley fumble and capitalizes with a

 9 yard TD pass from Kellen Moore to Chris Potter.                                             (10-0 BSU)

            -TCU responds with a drive ending in a 1 yard TD run from Ed Wesley.               (10-7 BSU)

            -TCU’s defense sacks Kellen Moore for a safety on the very next possession.       (10-9 BSU)

2^nd Quarter:

            -The offenses continue to struggle until Kellen Moore hits Tyler Shoemaker for

             a 5 yard TD pass                                                                                                           (17-9 BSU)

3^rd Quarter:

            -TCU takes the opening drive of the 2^nd half and gets on the board with a

 47 yard FG from Ross Evans.                                                                                   (17-12 BSU)

-Boise St responds midway through the 3^rd qtr with a 43 yard FG from

 Jimmy Pavel.                                                                                                               (20-12 BSU)

4^th Quarter:

            -TCU starts the scoring off in the 4^th qtr with an 8 yard TD pass from

             Casey Pachall to Antoine Hicks.  They go for 2, but Pachall’s pass is batted down.      (20-18 BSU)

            -TCU gets in FG range for a game winning FG from 43 yards, but it pushes wide left.   (20-18 BSU)

TCU Stats:

Passing:           Casey Pachall, 18/33, 283 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

Rushing:           Ed Wesley, 30 att, 101 yards, 1 TD

Receiving:        Josh Boyce, 6 rec, 113 yards

                          Antoine Hicks, 4 rec, 61 yards, 1 TD

Defense:           4 Sacks, 1 Safety

Total Offense:   405 yards

Passing:            283 yards

Rushing:            122 yards

Boise St Stats

Passing:           Kellen Moore, 20/34, 215 yards, 2 TD

Rushing:           Doug Martin, 26 att, 93 yards

Receiving:        Chris Potter, 6 rec, 73 yards, 1 TD

                          Tyler Shoemaker, 4 rec, 50 yards, 1 TD

Defense:           1 Sack, 1 INT, 1 Fumble Recovery

Total Offense:   365 yards

Passing:            215 yards

Rushing:            150 yards

Box Score

           

                                    1Q        2Q        3Q        4Q        T

TCU                               9          0           3          6        18

Boise St                       10          7          3           0        20

Next Game:  #11 Virginia Tech at #3 Oklahoma St

I will post a new game every weekday before noon.

If you missed the introduction post about the Playoff, no problem! Read it here: http://short-sideoption.blogspot.com/2012/02/ok-cowboy-cardinal-and-duck-fans-this.html

Game 9: #10 Wisconsin at #2 Alabama

If you missed the introduction post about the Playoff, no problem! Read it here: http://short-sideoption.blogspot.com/2012/02/ok-cowboy-cardinal-and-duck-fans-this.html

The first game of the second round in our virtual playoff is on its way, but first here are some reality bites:

Dennis Dodds writes a good article here about the ‘big money bowls’ pushing for a plus one.  He also breaks down what a playoff in college football would mean financially:

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/story/17355599/more-money-bowls-waning-popularity-driving-push-for-a-plusone

Matt Hayes from the Sporting News writes about bracket creep in college football and how diligence plays a big part in the decision process of this next system we are on the cusp of:

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2012-02-20/as-officials-discuss-college-football-postseason-further-expansion-lurks#ixzz1n2ma5ebw

The Chicago Tribune has a story here about how the Big Ten playoff proposal may not fly due to disputes over hosted semi-final games, namely the SEC not wanting to travel north in December for a potential playoff game, read more here: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/chi-source-big-ten-playoff-idea-might-not-fly-20120221,0,6004843.story

The Sporting News is claiming sources inside the process are saying the ‘plus one’ model seems to be the way the committee is headed, yet there are ‘insurmountable’ problems yet with a seeded plus one.  Read more here:  http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2012-02-21/plus-one-model-becoming-preferred-route-to-determine-national-champion

Now on to our College Football Playoff:

Game 9:  #10 Wisconsin at #2 Alabama

December 24, 2011

Kickoff:  6:45 pm

Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Weather: 54 degrees, partly cloudy, 8 mph wind

EA Sports Ratings:        Alabama, Overall: A+, Offense: A, Defense: A+

                                        Wisconsin, Overall: A, Offense: A, Defense: B+

This matchup is probably one of the matchups I wanted to see most this year.  The huge offensive line and blunt force trama of Wisconsin’s offense vs the brutality of the Alabama defense.  Equipment makers would earn their paychecks in this game; collisions would be premium.  The issue for Wisconsin would be if their defense could hold up against Trent Richardson and a steady Alabama offense.  Let’s get the second round started.

1^st Quarter:

            -Both teams initially trade punts, Alabama then scores first with a 23 yard TD

             pass from AJ McCarron to Darius Hanks.                                                          (7-0 Bama)

-Wisconsin holds serve with a drive of its own and a 1 yard TD run from

 Montee Ball.                                                                                                         (7-7 Tied)

2^nd Quarter:

            -Alabama takes the opening drive of the 2^nd qtr and scores with a 39 yard FG

 from Jeremy Shelley.                                                                                          (10-7 Bama)

            -Alabama intercepts Russell Wilson and turns the mistake into points with a

4 yard TD run from Trent Richardson.                                                              (17-7 Bama)

-After trading punts, Alabama takes the next possession into FG range

 and scores with a Jeremy Shelley 39 yard FG                                                 (20-7 Bama)

-Alabama scores the last points of the 1^st half with a Jeremy Shelley

 33 yard FG                                                                                                          (23-7 Bama)

3^rd Quarter:

            -Wisconsin starts the second half by holding the Alabama offense to a

3 and out, however, the Badgers block the punt and recover it for a TD.          (23-14 Bama)

-Wisconsin takes the last drive of the 3^rd qtr and scores with a 5 yard TD run

 from Montee Ball.                                                                                                   (23-21 Bama)

4^th Quarter:

            -Alabama starts the 4^th qtr scoring with a 29 yard FG from Jeremy Shelley          (26-21 Bama)

            -After holding the Badger offense to a 3 and out, the Tide offense capitalizes

 with a 2 yard TD run from Trent Richardson.                                                        (33-21 Bama)

-Wisconsin responds with a drive resulting in a 2 yard TD run from Montee Ball       (33-28 Bama)

-Alabama ices the game late with a drive resulting in a 33 yard FG from

 Jeremy Shelley                                                                                                        (36-28 Bama)

Alabama Stats:

Passing:           AJ McCarron, 19/30, 242 yards, 1 TD

Rushing:           Trent Richardson, 41 att, 221 yards, 2 TD

Receiving:        Darius Hanks, 4 rec, 62 yards, 1 TD

                          Marquis Maze, 4 rec, 59 yards

Defense:           1 Sack, 1 INT

Total Offense:   473 yards

Passing:            242 yards

Rushing:            231 yards

Wisconsin Stats

Passing:           Russell Wilson, 16/26, 190 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT

Rushing:           Montee Ball, 29 att, 84 yards, 3 TD

Receiving:        Nick Toon, 7 rec, 87 yards

                         Jeff Duckworth, 2 rec, 57 yards

Defense:           1 Fumble Recovery, 1 TD, 1 Punt Block

Total Offense:   301 yards

Passing:            190 yards

Rushing:            111 yards

Box Score

           

                                    1Q        2Q        3Q        4Q        T

Alabama                       7        16         0          13       36

Wisconsin                    7          7        14          7        28

Next Game:  #18 TCU at #7 Boise St

I will post a new game every weekday before noon.

If you missed the introduction post about the Playoff, no problem! Read it here: http://short-sideoption.blogspot.com/2012/02/ok-cowboy-cardinal-and-duck-fans-this.html

Round 1 Recap

If you missed the introduction post about the Playoff, no problem! Read it here: http://short-sideoption.blogspot.com/2012/02/ok-cowboy-cardinal-and-duck-fans-this.html
Round 1 of the 2011 College Football Playoffs is complete, here’s a brief recap:

#9 South Carolina beat #24 Texas (35-17)

#10 Wisconsin beat #23 West Virginia (40-38)

#11 Virginia Tech beat #22 Penn St (31-30)

#21 Southern Miss beat #12 Baylor (49-35)

#13 Michigan beat #20 Nebraska (38-24)

#14 Oklahoma beat #19 Houston (33-21)

#18 TCU beat #15 Clemson (24-20)

#17 Michigan St beat #16 Georgia (30-28)

Round 2 will start tomorrow, here are the Round 2 matchups:

#10 Wisconsin at #2 Alabama

#18 TCU at #7 Boise St

#11 Virginia Tech at #3 Oklahoma St

#14 Oklahoma at #6 Arkansas

#21 Southern Miss at #4 Stanford

#13 Michigan at #5 Oregon

#17 Michigan St at #8 Kansas St

#9 South Carolina at #1 LSU

Game 8: #17 Michigan St at #16 Georgia

If you missed the introduction post about the Playoff, no problem! Read it here: http://short-sideoption.blogspot.com/2012/02/ok-cowboy-cardinal-and-duck-fans-this.html

The last game of the first round in the virtual playoffs is on its way, but first here are some reality bites:

The vote opposing multi-year scholarships came up short Monday, read about it here: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/story/2012-02-17/multiyear-scholarships-survives-close-vote/53137194/1

Jordan Schultz of the Huffington Post has a good Q&A with Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney here:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/20/big-ten-commissioner_n_1231831.html

UGA President Michael Adams supports a playoff which is discussed here:  http://blogs.ajc.com/mark-bradley-blog/2012/02/17/a-college-football-playoff-uga-prez-adams-blazed-that-trail/?cxntfid=blogs_mark_bradley_blog

BCS Founder Roy Kramer says that only Conference Champions should play for the National Title, read more here:  http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/story/17310262/bcs-founding-father-kramer-in-favor-of-amendment-to-system

Now on to the Playoff!

Game 8:  #17 Michigan St at #16 Georgia

December 17, 2011

Kickoff:  2:30 pm

Location: Athens, Georgia

Weather: 53 degrees, clear, 10 mph wind

EA Sports Ratings:        Georgia, Overall: B+, Offense: B+, Defense: B+

                                        Michigan St, Overall: B+, Offense: A-, Defense: B+

This is an interesting matchup to simulate because these two teams actually met up during bowl season, Michigan St won that matchup in reality 33-30 in OT.  Like in reality, this should be a very even game in simulation as both these teams have very similar strengths and weaknesses.  Both have a very accurate although streaky QB, and both have very stingy defenses capable of disrupting any offense they face.

1^st Quarter:

            -Michigan St takes the opening kickoff and scores the qtr’s only points with a 1 yard

             TD run from Edwin Baker.                                                                                                    (7-0 MSU)

2^nd Quarter:

            -Michigan St strikes first in the 2^nd qtr with a 31 yard FG from Dan Conroy.                    (10-0 MSU)

            -Georgia responds on the next possession with a 16 yard TD pass from

              Aaron Murray to Orson Charles.                                                                                       (10-7 MSU)

-After trading punts, Michigan St takes the next possession into FG range

 and scores with a Dan Conroy 38 yard FG                                                                     (13-7 MSU)

-Michigan St scores the last points of the 1^st half with a Dan Conroy

 30 yard FG                                                                                                                         (16-7 MSU)

3^rd Quarter:

            -Georgia starts the second half with the ball and marches down the field

 Ending with a 4 yard TD run from Isaiah Crowell.                                                            (16-14 MSU)

-Michigan St hits on a 80 yard screen pass for a TD from Kirk Cousins

 to Le’Veon Bell.                                                                                                                  (23-14 MSU)

-Georgia responds on the very next drive with a 5 yard TD pass from

 Aaron Murray to Taverres King.                                                                                       (23-21 MSU)

4^th Quarter:

            -Michigan St scores the first points midway through the 4^th qtr with a

             8 yard TD pass from Kirk Cousins to B.J. Cunningham                                                   (30-21 MSU)

            -Georgia’s comeback falls just short as they score their final points with

 a 7 yard TD pass from Aaron Murray to Isaiah Crowell.                                               (30-28 MSU)

Georgia Stats

Passing:           Aaron Murray, 22/34, 279 yards, 3 TD

Rushing:           Isaiah Crowell, 26 att, 100 yards, 1 TD

Receiving:        Orson Charles, 7 rec, 72 yards, 1 TD

                         Taverres King, 3 rec, 72 yards, 1 TD

Defense:           2 Sacks

Total Offense:   402 yards

Passing:             279 yards

Rushing:            123 yards

Michigan State Stats

Passing:           Kirk Cousins, 20/32, 330 yards, 2 TD

Rushing:           Le’Veon Bell, 20 att, 89 yards

                          Edwin Baker, 18 att, 91 yards

Receiving:        BJ Cunningham, 6 rec, 89 yards, 1 TD

                          Keshawn Martin, 5 rec, 77 yards

Defense:           1 Fumble Recovery

Total Offense:   522 yards

Passing:            330 yards

Rushing:            192 yards

Box Score

           

                                    1Q        2Q        3Q        4Q        T

Georgia                          0          7        14          7        28

Michigan St                    7          7          7          7        30

Next Game:  #10 Wisconsin at #2 Alabama

I will post a new game every weekday before noon.

If you missed the introduction post about the Playoff, no problem! Read it here: http://short-sideoption.blogspot.com/2012/02/ok-cowboy-cardinal-and-duck-fans-this.html