After decades of dreaming about it, years demanding it, and months arguing about it, the Playoff Era is finally here. The old BCS system would have produced a National Championship Game of #1 Florida State (only undefeated) and #2 Alabama (SEC Champion), but with both of those squads losing in the National Semifinals, the new system is instantly validated.
This offseason, we will take the role of the Selection Committee and look at how every BCS season (1998-2013) would have played out in the current College Football Playoff setup. As a staff, we will analyze, debate, and ultimately select the 4 most deserving teams and seed them #1 through #4. Once the bracket is set, we will throw the historical matchups into the game simulator over at What If Sports, a complex algorithm that simulates any matchup of teams from 1996 to the present. We will simulate each matchup 25 times for a more accurate sample size, and report the series results and average score. How different would the college football landscape look if the 4-team playoff had come 16 years sooner? Would the SEC still have held the crystal trophy for 7 straight seasons? Would Oregon have a championship by now? How would the famous #3 teams such as 2000 Miami, 2003 USC, 2004 Auburn, and 2011 Oklahoma State fare with a shot at glory? Would the BCS busters prove themselves? Let the games begin - here's what should have been: 2012 SEASON BACKGROUND & SELECTION COMMITTEE Notre Dame survived a gauntlet of a schedule and despite several close calls and controversial finishes, earned the #1 seed as the nation's only undefeated team. Yes, Ohio State went 12-0, but for the sake of this feature we have to place ourselves in the shoes of the Selection Committee the day after the completion of the conference championships. 2012 Ohio State was not eligible for postseason play and will not be considered here. In the dramatic SEC Championship, the Alabama defense held and beat #3 Georgia on the final play, securing the #2 playoff spot. From this point, much debate raged on for the final 2 spots. Does 2-loss UGA still deserve a bid after their strong performance in the conference title? Should Oregon be considered despite not winning its division or conference? What about Pac-12 champion Stanford, whose 2 losses were by less than a score (one of which was a controversial goal line stand at Notre Dame)? Ultimately, the Selection Committee used a combination of weighing losses with the on-field performance. Oregon played like a top 4 team all season, and only loss came in overtime to Stanford on a missed field goal. Kansas State won the Big 12 with an 11-1 record and Heisman finalist Collin Klein at quarterback. All other candidates either had 2 losses or did not win their league. Oregon and Kansas State earned the #3 and #4 spots, respectively.
2012 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF
In a matchup of Heisman finalists, it was Manti Te'o's defense that limited Collin Klein's offense to just an average of 17 points. The luck of the Irish continued, as Notre Dame won 16 of 25 matchups, with an average score of 26-17. This is Notre Dame's first playoff win, and first appearance since 2005.
In a rematch of last season's computer simulated championship game (2011), it was the same result as the Tide rolled past the Ducks, winning 22 of 25 games with a decisive average score of 31-14. Saban seems to have Chip Kelly's number, winning two straight head-to-head playoff games. The luck of the Irish finally ran out. Alabama absolutely dominated Notre Dame in our computer simulated College Football Playoff Championship, winning 24 of 25 games with an incredible average score of 35-8. Notre Dame's 8 points per game is the lowest average score in any of our 16 simulated playoff brackets, and the 24-1 series total is the most dominant championship matchup we have seen. I guess the computer was accurate this time, considering the actual BCS Championship between the two was a lopsided affair, ending in a 42-14 rout. 
LINKS to our other CFB Simulation Features:
|
PICK SIX PREVIEWS ON THE RADIO:
2015 PREVIEW
|
|
|
© 2022 Pick Six Previews LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy |
|