Big Saturday in College Football

On Monday, we put together an 8-team playoff for college football based on our non-expert opinions (The Matchups). The first week of action in our simulated NCAA Football playoffs was just as unpredictable and wild as the regular season, with three of the lower seeds prevailing. Keep an eye out for round two coming soon.

#8 Missouri Tigers 35, #1 Hawaii Warriors 28

Hawaii gave Missouri all they could handle, with Colt Brennan matching Chase Daniels touchdown for touchdown. Brennan threw for all four Hawaii scores, including a fourth quarter touchdown to tie the game. Daniels, however, responded by leading the Bulldogs down the field before running for the winning touchdown. He also threw for 3 touchdowns. Brennan was picked late in the game to seal a Missouri victory.

#7 Virginia Tech Hokies 27, #2 Ohio State Buckeyes 10

The top two teams have been losing all season. Why would we expect the trend to stop come playoff time? Ohio State came up short in its toughest test of the season. Tech, coming off two impressive road wins, was led by the play of quarterback Sean Glennon, who topped 300 yards for the first time all season. Buckeyes QB Todd Boeckman struggled as the Hokies jumped out to an early lead, and Ohio State was never able to close the gap. It was Ohio State’s second loss in their last three games.

#3 LSU Tigers 40, #6 Oklahoma Sooners 37

Oklahoma was coming off a decisive victory over then No. 1 Missouri in the Big 12 championship game, while LSU was also riding high after winning the SEC. In a great matchup, star freshman QB Sam Bradford faced a tough and physical LSU defense. Although the LSU defense allowed only 181 pass yards per game, it struggled against spread offenses like Kentucky. But Les Miles, with enough time to prep his squad, didn't let Oklahoma run wild. Bradford, despite showing great poise all year, got rattled by the LSU defensive pressure led by DT Glenn Dorsey. On offense, the Tigers struggled as well against a stout Oklahoma defense. But the combination of Matt Flynn and Ryan Perrilloux at quarterback, as well as Jacob Hester running for tough yards late in the game, pulled one out for LSU. In an extremely close battle, LSU finally won a triple overtime game.


#5 USC Trojans 37, #4 Georgia Bulldogs 27

Georgia hadn't played since Nov. 24, but the Bulldogs were still riding a hot streak after winning six straight to close out the season. USC also had great momentum, ending the year with four wins, including two against ranked foes. Georgia's defense shored up late in the year and the offense was clicking with a great balanced attack. Freshman Knowshon Moreno is one of the better running backs in the nation, and he is backed up by another dynamic runner in Thomas Brown, who averaged 5.5 yards per carry. Quarterback Matthew Stafford had been solid - taking care of the ball with only 9 interceptions. The Trojan defense had given up less than 80 yards rushing per game, and allowed less than 16 points on average. The Bulldogs attempted to establish the run early, but after falling behind quickly, had to lean a little heavier on the passing attack. Stafford valiantly tried to guide the Bulldogs down the field but struggled to match USC score for score. With a healthy John David Booty behind center, the Trojans put up 37 on Georgia. Faced with the tall task of coming back against a stout USC secondary, Georgia falls short.

Check back next week to find out who will be playing for the National Championship

Picture Credits:
Top: http://images.athlonsports.com/d/3675-2/DanielC170101406_112.jpg
Center: http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2006/1005/ncf_u_dorsey_195.jpg

By Pat and Andrew