Sunday, January 6, 2008

Giving 111 Percent's own National Championship

#3 LSU Tigers vs. #5 USC Trojans
On the eve of the BCS "National Championship" game between Ohio State and LSU, we here at Giving 111 Percent are announcing the winner of our own national championship game. Over the past few weeks, we've seeded teams and matched them up in an 8-team playoff tournament. In just a chaotic way as the BCS, we've decided which two teams will be represented in the title game. In our playoffs, LSU (the 3 seed) faced USC (the 5 seed).

LSU squeaked out a win against Oklahoma, and then walloped VT to reach the title game. USC beat Georgia by 10 and then slipped by Missouri.

As expected, this game was close and exciting to watch. The teams were evenly matched. Heading into the bowl season, LSU was 11-2 and USC was 10-2. LSU averaged 448 yards per game, while USC gained an average of 418. The Trojans gave up 259 yards per game, while the Tigers gave up 283.

Such a matchup between equally great teams came down to the last play. As USC went to the air in a quick passing attack against the LSU defense, LSU answered with its dual quarterback threat. Trojan QB John David Booty tallied numerous scores, but the Tigers' Matt Flynn led LSU through the air, while SEC Championship game MVP Ryan Perrilloux gave USC fits by running from the QB position.
The game was back and forth all night long until the USC offense finally wilted under the Tiger pressure. With the strong LSU defensive line breaking through a tired Trojan offensive line, Booty was forced into rushing a throw, which was intercepted by strong safety Craig Steltz, who entered the game tied for 12th in the nation with 6 regular season picks.

Steltz brought the ball down to the Trojan 20 yard line, where Perrilloux and RB Jacob Hester pounded the ball down into field goal range and ran the clock down for a time expiring FG

FINAL SCORE: LSU 38, USC 35

...Now if the BCS could only adopt such a playoff (a 4-team one is much more feasible), we could stop doing simulations like this and actually determine a true national champion.

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