College Football: The Push for a Playoff

Plans are in the works for a playoff in FBS. The Bowl Game system has worked for the longest. This is a thread where I will share my playoff prototypes. These prototypes can range between existing models in other playoff series. I made a thread like this before. Only this time, I'm going to make a thread I'm willing to stick with this thread more in talking about and allowing discussion of playoff action.





First are two proposed models.

Prototype 1: The Proposed Model
The model proposed by some people as well as conferences are a sort of Final Four for teams.


Prototype 2: Another Proposed Model
The other model brought about was a +1 format which would use the four BCS Bowl sites as quarterfinal sites. So the Top 8 in the BCS would all go to certain sites for playoff matches.





Now take a look at models I've thought of.

John's Prototype: Based on NCAA Division 2
Here is my prototype based on the BCS. The Top 12 in the BCS are told to be eligible. In NCAA Division 2, 24 teams make it to the NCAA Playoffs in football. If you want to go on the basis of the Top 12 in the BCS to play for a championship or be eligible to play in a bigtime Bowl, I'm going to make a makeshift Top 12 to explain the process:

Sample BCS Top 12
01 - Ohio State
02 - Louisiana State
03 - West Virginia
04 - Southern California
05 - Oklahoma
06 - Georgia
07 - Arizona State
08 - Boston College
09 - Illinois
10 - Virginia Tech
11 - Michigan
12 - Hawaii/Hawai'i

This format puts an emphasis on that making teams 9-12 play their way into the "Elite Eight." The difference is that teams will need to play against the lower-seeded teams if they want to see the postseason. So let me use my hypothetical Top 12 to determine how the quarterfinals. So in my example, here are your Quarterfinal matches:

* #1 Ohio State will meet (the winner of #12 Hawaii vs. #8 Boston College)
* #2 Louisiana State will meet (the winner of #11 Michigan vs. #7 Arizona State)
* #3 West Virginia will meet (the winner of #10 Virginia Tech vs. #5 Oklahoma)
* #4 Southern California will meet (the winner of #9 Illinois vs. #6 Georgia)

In other words, the first action of this playoff would be Hawaii, Michigan, Virginia Tech, and Illinois all playing for their playoff lives. The winner of these first-round games would set up the Quarterfinals. The next Saturday would mean that the Final Four will be set. The winners of this Final Four will set up the National Championship game.

The schedule of this would be similar to the current format. - I'm thinking that the Rose Bowl and the Sugar Bowl would serve as the Final Four sites. Both games are on New Year's Day. January 7th or 8th would be the National Championship. game. Using 2007 and 2008 as an example, I think December 21 and 22 will be the "play-in games" for teams ranked 9-12. December 28 and 29 will be the Quarterfinal games. January 1 will be the Final Four of FBS football. Either January 7 or 8 will serve as the National Championship match at one of the four BCS Bowl games. The thing I fear with my model is that you don't have enough days to practice or rest. I intially thought of starting the Elite Eight matches after Christmas. And by the way... the regular non-BCS Bowl games will still be played. Only that 12 teams get to play for a National Championship.



So with a few schools and company coming up with this playoff format, what model do you favor? Do you like my model? I even have this model in my Myspace blog.

I spent the whole day coming up with a playoff execution format. A VERY long post is coming up in my next post. It's simply a thread that drags out my playoff model using "NCAA Football 08" for the PlayStation 2. Stay tuned! You might like it in action. I even went ahead as to come up with a detailed full report of all playoff action. Reply on about this deal.

What I did was act out the playoff format by setting up demo matches. I'm going to use NCAA Basketball terminology to act out the process of game action. I want to be honest with you. I thought of this since 4PM CST on Wednesday. All the demo games I set up took me until about 1:25 AM Thursday. So this is about as authentic as I can make it. I've acted out the "playoff" games by playing "NCAA Football 08." My games were 3-minute quarters. Didn't really want to do long, drawn-out games.



--- Play-In Games ---
Teams ranked 9-12 must earn their way into the Dance for a championship. The games will be played at the home fields of the higher-ranked team.

Hawaii Wants to Meet Ohio State in the Quarterfinals
* #12 Hawaii {Warriors} at #8 Boston College {Eagles} --- winner meets #1 Ohio State in Elite Eight ---
When I set up the game, Boston College kicked a field goal to make it about 30 seconds left in the game. The Warriors were out of timeouts. The score was 27-21 at this point. But an amazing comeback by Hawaii led to a beautiful touchdown pass with two seconds left. Hawaii would go on to beat the Eagles 28-27. (28-27; #12 Hawaii) *** upset! *** <<< will meet Ohio State in Elite Eight

Some Hounds and Some Devils Want LSU
* #11 Michigan {Wolverines} at #7 Arizona State {Sun Devils} --- winner meets #2 LSU in Elite Eight ---
Time to see how Joey D's beloved Michigan squad will do when they match up against Arizona State. The Wolverines will be without the services of Lloyd Carr. So I'm sure the Ann Arbor boys want to send him home happy. Looking to send Carr and his Wolverines to the body shop are Arizona State. The Sun Devils would love to be the team to beat next season. Michigan put on some big hits against Arizona State's offense. Putting the hurt on the other was Arizona State as they led 7-3 after one half of play. Just like House of Pain rapped about in their 1993(?) "Jump" song, Michigan ain't going out like no punks (b:censored:!). Michigan is ranked #2 in NCAA Football 08, but they're battling for their championship lives in the desert. First drive of the second half resulted in Michigan seeing a Sun Devil in the end zone with the football. Cash in the PAT, and Arizona State leads 14-3. At 1:35 left in the Third Quarter, Michigan was going to make an easy first down... until their receiver drops the ball. Not the way to make a comeback down two scores. Michigan needed a miracle at 29 left in the quarter as they were now down 21-3. Michigan has yet to find the end zone. The fourth quarter is money time. The game shows that Michigan completed their 4th Down pass, but because of backward motion in the game, Michigan turned it over on downs. So Michigan's likely not headed to the Elite Eight of college football. Unless the defense holds for the Wolverines... which did indeed hold. Michigan had a dumb call. They called for a Fair Catch thinking the ball was going into the endzone. But, the Sun Devils downed it into the 1-yard line! So Michigan's chances of a comeback are as dead as Britney Spears returning to relevance. They had to punt from the endzone... and Arizona State embarassed the crap out of Michigan. Tough loss for the Wolverines. (21-3; #7 ARIZONA STATE) *** disappointing loss *** <<< will meet #2 LSU in Elite Eight

Hokies Want to Play Their Way Into the Playoffs Sooner than Later
* #10 Virginia Tech {Hokies} at #5 Oklahoma {Sooners} --- Winner gets #3 West Virginia in Elite Eight ---
An uncharacteristic snowstorm welcomed Virginia Tech and Oklahoma. Who will win the fight against Mother Nature to keep their season alive? The conditions were cold, snowy, and windy. The Hokies are used to this as they carry the hopes and dreams of the Blacksburg, Virginia faithful. Oklahoma can take on ANY challenge... even uncharacteristc bad weather. The crimson and cream Sooners want to take out some birdies here. After a holding call brought back a long first down, VT sacked OU to force a punt on the opening drive. Then, Virginia Tech made Oklahoma pay by running the punt back for a touchdown. Not a good start for the Sooners. The Point After meant that Virginia Tech were handing an early beating to Virginia Tech. Oklahoma got sacked THREE times in the First Quarter alone. The First Quarter came to an end with VT leading 3-0. At around 1:55 left in the half, Oklahoma fumbled. Thankfully, they got it back. Oklahoma tried to kick a long field goal in the snow... close, but no cigar. Two quarters end with VT leading 7-0. The Hokies put on a rushing TD against the Oklahoma secondary. And at 1:14 left in the game, the Extra Point makes it 14-0. At 14 seconds left in the game, Oklahoma gets on the board finally to make sure Virginia Tech don't run away with this one. Oklahoma's hurry-up offense was working beautifully as they got the ball back trying to tie it up. Oklahoma tries to drive it down the field with their hurry-up offense down by seven. Oklahoma's offense stalled when they got to about the VT 39-yard line. Virginia Tech ends Oklahoma's season. Not the Christmas gift the Sooners wanted. (14-7; #10 Virginia Tech) *** upset! ***

OFF-TOPIC
The lady cheerleaders in this game experimented wearing these long-sleeved tops provide lots of warmth in cold-weather games. Their legs were bare. The tops offered see-through navels. Too bad none of the cheerleaders had their navel piercings or "Bad Girl" tattos shown off. Think they're allowed to allow lady cheerleaders to have tattoos or navel piercings while cheering on the sidelines? Weird game. I bet the ladies will be sick after being out in the cold with bare legs in snowy cold weather. Better stock up on cold medicine, ladies!


Let's See Who Has More Bite Than Their Barks
* #9 Illinois {Fighting Illini} at #6 Georgia {Bulldogs} --- winner gets USCal in Elite Eight; ---
The last of our Play-In Games takes us to the Peachtree State. Georgia will square off against Illinois. I'm sure dougiemeats will hope his Illinois boys upset
53-degree weather greeting these two teams with somewhat calm winds and lovely mostly sunny skies at Sanford Stadium. Illinois is sick and tired of being a Big Ten doormat. They knocked off Ohio State AT Ohio State. So it shows the Fighting Illini can put up a fight. So do some Georgia puppies. Athens, GA is home of the University of Georgia

Illinois forced Georgia to fumble the ball. The sun shone on Illinois as they made this crucial fumble and took over the ball. Georgia weren't going to let Illinois embarass Georgia much the same way Arizona State embarassed Michigan. Illinois couldn't do ANYTHING after the fumble but lose yardage and be forced to punt. Not a good series for Juice Williams and R. Mendenhall. The 3rd Down pass by Georgia was reviewed when it shouldn't be. The QB's receiver was CLEARLY out of bounds. It was an official review that confirmed the call on the field. At 1:53 left in the First Half, Georgia tries to kick to get on the board first. With the ball on the Illinois 22, those mangy Dawgs pulled ahead early. It's a baseball score of 3-0. Ron Zook wanted his Fighting Illini to go for it on 4th and 1 on the opposing 32... DIDN'T WORK! Georgia got sacked two straight times to 3rd and 22 to end the half. A defensive firefight ends the first half of play. Georgia drove it down the field, but can only manage 3 points. So it's 6-0 in an all-Georgia 3rd Quarter (remember the time limit I set). Illinois needs a touchdown to tie and a PAT to lead. They were stopped around 2:11 as Illinois punted the ball. Illinois defense holds. Now Illinois needs to get a touchdown no questions asked. Illinois needed some yardage, but pull of a stupid Unsportsmanlike Conduct for celebrating on their first down. At 38 seconds left, Illinois is at 3rd and 34. Another sack happened as it's 4th and 39. They HAD to go for it, and Illinois fell on their faces. Thanks to an Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty for celebration at a crucial time, they defeated themselves and ended any hopes of making the tournament. (6-0; #6 GEORGIA) *** disappointing loss *** <<< will meet USCal in Elite Eight





--- Elite Eight ---
All Elite Eight matches will be on neutral sites. All of which will be at BCS Bowl areas. The higher ranked teams will all be the home teams in this tournament. The higher-ranked team after the Elite Eight matches will be the Home Team for the Final Four at the designated fields. So the winning teams teams after Elite Eight matches

Here are your Elite Eight matches:
ROSE BOWL: #6 Georgia vs. #4 USCal
SUGAR BOWL (national championship site): #12 Hawaii vs. #1 Ohio State
FIESTA BOWL: #10 Virginia Tech vs. #3 West Virginia <<< RIVALRY GAME
ORANGE BOWL: #7 Arizona State vs. #2 LSU

I haven't played this game long enough to unlock every bonus. I love unlocking new stadiums in NCAA Football games. Any stadiums I haven't yet unlocked will just be played at different neutral sites. I'll just pretend them to be BCS Bowl sites. So here's how the Elite Eight would shake up.






Sugar Bowl Quarterfinal: Hawaii is the Ultimate Underdog
* #12 Hawaii {Warriors} vs. #1 Ohio State {Buckeyes}
We're at the Rose Bowl for this match! Welcome to the beautiful Rose Bowl. UCLA's been terrible this season, so some winners will be playing in Pasadena, CA for this match. The Hawaii Warriors pulled off a stunning upset of Boston College and now have momentum on their side in their attempt to take down an even bigger dog. Can the black and green take down the scarlet and gray? Ohio State's playing their way for their chance to play in New Orleans. Ohio State

Hawaii went for it with 1:17 left in the quarter. They failed and gave the ball back to Ohio State. Ohio State failed to make a First Down on their first drive. Neither team scored through one quarter of play. At 46 seconds left in the First Half, Hawaii completed a 4th Down pass... to Ohio State. Ohio State started on their 8-yard line. Neither team has scored. It was an uncharacteristically warm in Pasadena, CA. 80-degree weather with a nice sunset. To start the second half, Kirk Herbstreit's alma mater ran it back for a touchdown. Ohio State led 7-0 to start the second half. Where was this offense in the first half? As Hawaii punted the ball, Ohio State went for a Misdirection play for the punt return. But that went absolutely nowhere. So did their next drive. Hawaii went to work next. Ohio State picked off Hawaii again off a couple of deflections and tips. Ohio State led 7-0 after three quarters. Ohio State were stopped on 3rd down with 37 seconds left. But Hawaii did something about as dumb as what Illinois did- Hawaii celebrated after stopping Ohio State and possibly getting the ball back, but they get called for Unsportsmanlike Conduct and gave Ohio State 15 yards and a first down. Hawaii beat Boston College, but couldn't stun Ohio State. Midnight struck for Hawaii. Ohio State will meet the winner of #6 Georgia and #4 USCal.

FINAL SCORE:
#12 Hawaii - 0
#1 Ohio State - 7​

OFF-TOPIC:
I don't have the Sugar Bowl yet in this game. I accidentally chose to play this SUGAR BOWL match at the ROSE BOWL!



Rose Bowl Quarterfinal: Trojans Look to Tame Some Puppies
* #6 Georgia {Bulldogs} vs. #4 USCal {Trojans} --- Ford Field: Detroit, MI ---
NOTE: I played the last game in the wrong stadium, so I'll do it here as well. This game will be played at another incorrect stadium- Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. Hey, I never said this was a perfect deal. I changed up the penalty settings so that Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalties wouldn't be called. I had it at 10%, but all the way down to 0%.

The USCal Trojans want a shot at the National Title. To do so, the Trojans must beat the Georgia Bulldogs to meet Ohio State in the Final Four. Georgia challenged a First Down completion along the sidelines. John David Booty threw to one of his wide-outs. The play stood, and Georgia lost their challenge and a timeout. USCal got cocky and decided to get a First Down on a 4th and 2... didn't get it. USCal forced a fumble of Georgia, but then went 15 yards in the wrong direction thanks to a Taunting penalty. No score after one. The Second Quarter saw a First Down by USCal turn into 4th Down as Georgia screwed up the USCal pass play. As Georgia got the ball back, they made a first down after two straight incompletions. At 47 seconds left in the half, USCal threw a 43-yard bomb downfield. The Georgia pass coverage couldn't hold the Trojans on two plays. The Trojans thought they had a touchdown at 39 seconds left, until Offensive Holding brought it back. Four straight bass completions meant John David Booty was kicking Bulldog ass in MoTown. The half ended with USCal sacking the daylights out of Georgia. USCal leads after one half of play. Georgia got fumbled by USCal, but the Bulldogs got it back. On the punt, two Bulldogs combined on Special Teams to limit USCal's scramble down the field. That's all that was scored. It's 7-0 in favor of USCal after three quarters. USCal went for a field goal... and hits! The Georgia Bulldogs were looking at a 10-0 score. At about 1:40 left in the game, poor offensive line coverage led to an easy sack by the Trojans. Georgia had to take a seat with this stifling hit. With 1:19 left in the game, the Trojans can just kneel or run out the clock as they can make ready to meet Ohio State in the Final Four. Booty couldn't connect on a 3rd Down pass. The Trojans put on another kick to really put this game out of reach. Georgia let loose when they got the ball back with a huge pass play to the Trojans' 34-yard line. Fourty-seven seconds left. Georgia can climb back into the game. Two incompletions inches from a First Down... A Bulldog slid on the ground catching the ball. Lots of dropped balls mean that the Georgia Bulldogs were having an uphill battle. Georgia would have had First and Goal on the 1 until a Holding call brought it back. Defensive pressure forced the Georgia QB to throw a bad pass... that sent them back to UGA in tears. These doggies didn't have enough bark to win this one.

FINAL SCORE:
#6 Georgia - 0
Southern California - 13


The Final Four matchup here will be #4 Southern California vs. #1 Ohio State.​

ORANGE BOWL QUARTERFINAL: Sun Devils Ready to Burn LSU's Chances of Advancing
#7 Arizona State {Sun Devils} vs. #2 LSU {Tigers} --- Orange Bowl; Coral Gables, Florida ---
The Orange Bowl is no more, but I'm using it for the Orange Bowl match in this demo setup. We got Arizona State meeting LSU in the Miami suburb of Coral Gables. Light rain greeted the two teams. The LSU Tigers are trying to make it back-to-back National Championships for the SEC after Florida won last year. The Tigers would love to go to Baton Rouge and have the entire state of Louisiana on their side in taking on whomever their cpposition will be. But to get there, the Sun Devils have to do well without the sun in the skies. It's a warm night in the Miami area with light rain falling. So let's get this! An early challenge by Arizona State resulted in a pass play by LSU to be reversed. Scoreless after one. Arizona State thought they had six, until Holding brought it back. They need to kick from 32 yards to get on the board first. They got it... but ANOTHER Holding call wiped it out. Now it's a 42-yard kick... and STILL cashed it in. LSU saw Arizona State lead 3-0 with 1:37 left in the First Half. LSU wanted to tie it up at 4 seconds left in the First Half. LSU got it, so it's a 3-3 deadlock. This score is more like a 3-run Home Run in baseball. Both teams have good baseball teams from what I've heard, so I'm sure they know baseball. LSU forced an Arizona State fumble and got the ball back to end the half. It's 3-3 and Game On. Arizona State aired it out for a nice game... until Holding was called. The rain continued, but so did Arizona State's scoring. They hit a 34-yard field goal. All field goals so far. Arizona State goes into the money quarter 6-3. At 1:52 left in the game, LSU was the first team to go into the end zone. The Extra Point means the purple and gold led 10-6 down the wire. In 49 seconds left in the game, Arizona State got a touchdown. Arizona State now leads 13-10 with 49 seconds left. Hold the phone, sweetheart! We got a game. LSU can tie or win now. But they are LSU- Touchdown LSU with 20 seconds left! It means that ASU needs to get a touchdown to win. Who needs a tie? It's win or go home for Arizona State. Arizona State needed to throw the ball downfield to win, but got scared to pull the trigger. LSU advances to the next round.

FINAL SCORE:
#7 Arizona State - 13
#2 Louisiana State - 17​

FIESTA BOWL QUARTERFINAL: Black Diamond Rivals Play to Face LSU
* #10 Virginia Tech vs. #3 Oklahoma --- RIVALRY GAME: Battle for the Black Diamond Trophy ---
NOTE: I don't have the Fiesta Bowl locale, so I'm going to use Invesco Field at Mile High as my true neutral site.

Black Diamond rivals will meet to play for the chance to meet LSU. You know there's nothing like it when two rivals are playing for the same real estate. A beautiful night in Denver greeted the two teams as the beautiful blue and gold colors of West Virginia University made sure to take care of business if they want to see LSU. The Mountaineers faced some mountainous terrain heading to Denver. The Blacksburg boys are ready for a little rematch. Who cares about a rivalry trophy when a much bigger prize is at stake? Still, the Hokies want to dash West Virginia's hopes of playing for a title. Two Virginias, one winner. Let's get it.

Pat White and Steve Slaton ready to make some noise for the blue and gold crew. It was all West Virginia for one quarter of play, though it's still scoreless. But not anymore at the start of the second quarter. WVU finds paydirt and puts a touchdown on the board for the blue and gold. The Mountaineers led 7-0 with only one second off the clock remaining in the second quarter. VT begins their drive and got stopped in the backfield. West Virginia ran a beautiful option run to cash in another touchdown. The bank was open as another WVU Extra Point was on the board. So with a 46-yard run with 1:30 left in the First Half, West Virginia is up 14-0 against their rivals from the other Virginia. Two quarters ended as West Virginia is ahead 14-0. Five Mountaineers failed to stop one Hokie from running a 72-yard pass play into the endzone. Extra point makes it 14-7. Virginia Tech's comeback effort continues on. WVU was facing 3rd and 19 and threw a Home Run ball into Virginia Tech territory. Only a touchdown seperated the two Virginias after three quarters. An option to the endzone (thanks to a quick pitch meant West Virginia pulled ahead and can sense Final Four. Virginia Tech wasn't going to give up. Not only did Virginia Tech miss out on converting for the First Down, they made VT fumble and pick up the live ball. This is basically over at this point. The game ended as Virginia Tech was heading home empty-handed.

FINAL SCORE:
#10 Virginia Tech - 7
#3 West Virginia - 21

This side of the bracket will feature #3 West Virginia vs. #2 LSU.





--- Final Four ---
So we came this far to see who'll be playing for a National Championship. True to NCAA basketball's Final Four, the site for both of these games is New Oreleans, LA's Louiaiana Superdome. I'm actually going to instill a Third Place game. So what do you say we go get this? Here are the matches for you all again:

* #4 USCal vs. #1 Ohio State
* #3 West Virginia vs. #2 LSU

It's party time! Tulane University plays at the Louisiana Superdome. And since I don't have the Sugar Bowl, I'll use Tulane's stadium to decide the National Champion.



The Final Four of FBS Football: Buckeyes Mean Business as USCal May Soon Learn

#4 Southern California {Trojans}
vs.
#1 Ohio State {Buckeyes}​

The USCal Trojans are ready to bring Los Angeles to New Orleans. The Buckeyes want to shut down John David Booty and his offense. It's time to get this Final Four going.

First play from scrimmage, USCal saw the ball end up in Ohio State's hands by way of a fumble. The Ohio State Buckeyes took it home it home with an 11-yard reception. USCal punted to Ohio State to end the quarter. However, Ohio State had butter fingers as they fumbled the ball and gave it back to USCal. It's essentially a long pass play. USCal wanted a touchdown, but ended up with a field goal. There's 2:31 left in the first half, and Ohio State now leads 7-3 over the Trojans. Ohio State threw down the field. That's 42 yards to get Ohio State down the field. The Buckeyes returned to the endzone with 1:34 left in the First Half on the next play. The new score is 14-3 as USCal has never led yet. At 44 seconds left in the half, USCal FINALLY finds the endzone. Extra point makes it 14-10 as the Buckeyes still lead. Ohio State's final play of the half was a long pass play picked off by a Trojan. USCal had an awesome run into the endzone. USCal saw their guy go into the endzone with an amazing 93-yard touchdown run. Ohio State had the ball, ran it back... but fumbled on their first play of their drive. USCal got the ball back ahead 17-14 with less than one minute left in the Third Quarter. They didn't get much out of it... unless you count USCal's 47-yard field goal kick. They lead 20-14 over Ohio State. The Buckeyes ran the ball all the way back from the kickoff to tie it at 20. They took the lead after cashing in the extra point to end the Quarter. Ohio State now leads 21-20 to end the Third Quarter. The Trojans threw to stay alive, but Ohio State picked them off. Same score at 2:12 left in the game. The drive stalled as USCal has another chance to make something happen. On 4th and 1, looks like USCal's going to the Consolation Game because they failed to convert 4th and 1.

FINAL SCORE:
#2 Southern California - 20
#1 Ohio State - 21​

The Final Four of FBS Football: Home-Field Advantage for Some Kittens

#3 West Virginia {Mountaineers}
vs.
#2 Louisiana State {Tigers}​

New Orleans is where this championship's going to be decided. It would be wonderful if someone from the home state wins in their home state. Though LSU is the higher-seeded team, they wore their Away colors to this one as West Virginia brought out their blue and gold.

A big dude for LSU ran the ball for 53 yards to the house with 4 seconds left in the First Quarter. So it's 7-0 early. That's how the first quarter ended as LSU took the lead into the second quarter. Good passing brought LSU down field. They finally came home as they put another touchdown up on the West Virginia secondary. There's fourty seconds left and a two-touchdown lead LSU has over West Virginia. Those Tigers were ruling the jungle after two quarters of play. It's 14-0. Let's get the second half on. Nobody scored in the Third, so we go to the fourth. LSU seems ready for Ohio State as they scored another touchdown with 1:48 left in the game. West Virginia needs a miracle to meet Ohio State in the Championship Game. West Virginia climbed many mountains, but couldn't scale LSU.

FINAL SCORE
#3 West Virginia - 0
#2 Louisiana State - 21





Before we head into the National Championship game, here are the results of the 3rd Place Game. No fancy report here. It doesn't mean too much, so I just added this while I fixed me something to eat past Midnight. So here's your game and winner:

The Final Four of FBS Football: 3rd Place Game
* #4 Southern California {Trojans} vs. #3 West Virginia {Mountaineers}
The game did feature back-to-back kickoff returns for touchdowns as West Virginia got on the board followed by the Mountaineers score. USCal wanted to heave-ho into the endzone, and USCal led 28-7 over West Virginia. West Virginia geting pimp-slapped right now. West Virginia wanted to make a comeback, but USCal brought back the 21-point margin with a clutch touchdown and the Point After. The Trojans knocked off the Mountaineers in a blowout. It's so over that West Virginia punted when they thought they had one last drive to make magic happen.

FINAL SCORE:
#4 Southern California - 35 <<< 3rd Place winner
#3 West Virginia - 14





*+x The Final Four of FBS Football: National Championship Game x+*

#2 Louisiana State {Tigers} vs. #1 Ohio State {Buckeyes}​

It looks like Ohio State will try to make a run going to get over the stunning loss of last season. The Buckeyes will try to shut down the Tigers here. A National Championship is on the line. Who wins it? Let's get it one last time!

LSU's the lower-ranked team. So they will be wearing their road whites. It's still essentially a home game because of the "short" drive from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. Ohio State got their asses handed to them last season when Florida beat them 41-14. It seems like "can't win the big one" is all of a sudden tagged to Ohio State. The first score was a 48-yard kick by the purple and gold. With 22 seconds left, LSU led Ohio State 3-0. That would be the score after one quarter. The halfback for LSU threw a lateral pass that was a fumble... and Ohio State scooped up the live ball. Can the Bucks cash in? They did, only with a field goal. The half ended as LSU went for a long pass and came through BIG! It's 10-3, LSU at the half. It was a turnover on downs for Ohio State as they failed to get a 1st Down on 4th and 2 at the LSU 27. No scores after three quarters. Now it's money time. One minute left as LSU leads 10-3. Ohio State has the ball, but needs to get a touchdown and the PAT to tie. Ohio State got the touchdown. Now they need an Extra Point. Otherwise, make ready to Onside Kick. Forty seconds left as LSU gets the ball back. Twenty game minutes left, LSU drives it home. LSU now leads 17-10. And Louisiana State University is the outright winner and the first winner of the Final Four of FBS Football.

FINAL SCORE
#2 Louisiana State - 17 <<< National Champions of the F.F. of FBS
#1 Ohio State - 10



Here's your podium:

#2 Louisiana State
#1 Ohio State
#3 Southern California
#4 West Virginia





Congratulations to the National Champion LSU Tigers. Job well done.

-end demo



This was a lot of work enacting my model. So what do you guys think NOW about my format? I'll accept "you have no life" or "...a lot of time on your hands" comments! ^_^​

I hope one day there is a playoff system, it would be more fair to all the teams and the winner would truly be the national college champion and truly be #1. I do like you model though, thanks for putting it together 👍.

There are lots of ways to do it. But I think generally speaking College Football really needs at least a 3 round playoff system. The top 8 is probably the minimum set of teams, which requires 3 rounds.

The problem is, it's never gonna happen. The BCS is too well entrenched in College Football - which doesn't seem to have a solid organizational structure. I think there's one way and one way only that we can get a playoff system brought to college football.



Boycott.

That's right, I think we have to start boycotting some of the bowl games to really get the attention of the people in charge. At least we'd need to boycott the national championship game. I don't want to wait for people to lose interest in the sport (may never happen). We have to force the issue.

The common argument is that a playoff system ruins the balance of postseason football. All the Bowl Games from the first to the final have been entrenched in college football history. So much so that it would be much different taking away all the Bowl games. I mean... you think NASCAR will be any better if they got rid of both Daytona races? Then I'm sure the Playoff format wouldn't work too well. I based my 12-team playoff format on the basis of the BCS. I'm surprised I haven't gotten an angry comment for not putting in Kansas in my mock playoff.

Before, I thought of an NCAA Basketball-style playoff system in which conference champions automatically get to play for a National Championship, or at least a chance to play in a National Championship. I even thought previously of a 32-team playoff in which the Top 25 are already in, conference champions are already win, and a few at-large bids would happen. I even envisioned an "NIT" for college football in which "the best of the rest" all play for their share of the pie.

There isn't a playoff right away, but it's being worked on by people who have more control than we do- the presidents and all the authorities. You may continue on with your ideas regarding a playoff in FBS. And by the way, I don't like the idea of "just get rid of a National Champion. It would just mean that you go to school, you get good grades, you play football hard... and it's not going to mean too much because nobody can be the best of the best. So I don't really like that idea of scrapping a National Champion.

@JohnBM01:

If Boise State played in this format last year, how would they have done?

Well, you could never count out Boise State. I think Georgia was much more powerful than Hawaii at the Sugar Bowl. But if you ask me, I think Boise State (and I may be crazy) might end up being a Final Four team. That is, if they don't have to go into a "Play-In" game. What will end up if this is true or not is that Jared Zabranky's not on this squad anymore. He's part of the Houston Texans' practice team. As the saying goes: "stranger things have happened." And that couldn't be any more true in regards to Boise State or any other team trying to stand among the giants.

JohnBM01

Well, you could never count out Boise State. I think Georgia was much more powerful than Hawaii at the Sugar Bowl. But if you ask me, I think Boise State (and I may be crazy) might end up being a Final Four team. That is, if they don't have to go into a "Play-In" game. What will end up if this is true or not is that Jared Zabranky's not on this squad anymore. He's part of the Houston Texans' practice team. As the saying goes: "stranger things have happened." And that couldn't be any more true in regards to Boise State or any other team trying to stand among the giants.

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I was really talking about TWO years ago. Remember, Fiesta Bowl, trick plays, Oklahoma, one of the greatest games in college football history?

Any of that ringing a bell? Because that's what I really meant.

Well, you could have mentioned the 2006 Boise State Broncos. Bet you'll probably ask me how the 1997 Tennessee Volunteers or 1999 Florida State Seminoles would do.

I would still think the Broncos could be up there against the power schools. I'd predict maybe a Quarterfinal or Semifinal finish.