Second Round (Left)

SECOND ROUND (Left Bracket)

Here are the 4 Second Round Games on the left side of the bracket of our computer simulated historical Champions Tournament. The order of games below is in order of the bracket. REMEMBER: These are simulations completed by the algorithms of "What-If Sports", NOT simply our opinions. We set up the bracket and are publishing the results with commentary.

2001 Miami defeats 2007 LSU, 33-10

The second round kicked off with the Top-seeded 2001 Miami Hurricanes taking on the lowest seeded Champion, the 2-loss LSU Tigers of 2007. The result wasn't too surprising, but the dominance was. This LSU squad lost both its games in Triple-Overtime, so the 17-0 halftime deficit was uncharted territory for the Bayou Bengals. Miami QB Ken Dorsey lit up the Tiger secondary, passing for 337 yards and 3 TDs (Andre Johnson, Jeremy Shockey, Ethenic Sands). RB Clinton Portis put in another solid performance, rushing for 120 yards on 22 carries. Ed Reed and Phillip Buchanon picked off QB Matt Flynn, who struggled to get any offense started here. The Canes again proved their #1 overall seed, and will be a force the rest of the way.

2000 Oklahoma defeats 2010 Auburn, 34-23

This matchup of Undefeated National Champions didn't disappoint, as it was tied at 20 entering the fourth quarter. The final quarter was all Sooners: QB Josh Heupel tossed 2 TDs and the Sooner defense picked off Heisman Winner Cam Newton twice. Auburn had no trouble rushing the ball, with Michael Dyer and Newton going over 100 yards, but when they were forced to pass, the Sooner secondary tightened up. However, it was Oklahoma RB Quentin Griffin that stole the show here, rushing for 140 and 2 scores. This Sooner squad was clutch all 2000, and it is carrying over into the tournament. 'Big Game Bob' Stoops has his hands full next round, as he will face the overall top seed 2001 Miami Hurricanes.

2002 Ohio State defeats 1999 Virginia Tech, 17-12

In another resilient comeback win, the Buckeyes were in true form here. Michael Vick and Virginia Tech held 9-3 and 12-10 leads in the fourth quarter, but both times the Buckeyes answered with Touchdowns. The Silver Bullet defense bottled up Vick's scrambling but had some issues stopping the pass game (270 yards). Ohio State QB Craig Krenzel was clutch when it mattered, including his 11-yard TD pass to WR Michael Jenkins. Then trailing by 2 late in the fourth, it was freshman phenom Maurice Clarett with the game-winning 14-yard TD run. Ohio State was actually heavily out-gained, but had the instinct of champions in the 4th. The Buckeyes advance to the Final 8.

2008 Florida defeats 2009 Alabama, 30-16

These two rivals met in the SEC title game in both 2008 and 2009 as #1 vs. #2. Here we are for Bama-Florida v.3 with their best teams matching up again. Alabama opened with 3 straight Field Goals for a 9-0 lead, but that red-zone innefficiency would end up being the difference in this one. Tim Tebow rallied the Gators and converted 3 second-quarter Touchdowns to take a 21-9 lead at half. In the second half it was Florida that chipped away with the FGs while the defense chomped the Tide offense, limiting Heisman RB Mark Ingram to just 43 rush yards. Greg McElroy played well (21/33 for 256 and a TD) but couldn't keep up with Tebow. Urban Meyer outclassed Nick Saban in Volume 3 of a great late 2000's rivalry. The Orange and Blue move on.

THE OTHER HALF OF SECOND ROUND WILL BE RELEASED JANUARY 31

                Tournament Schedule:
                    January 10th - Team Selection "Meet the Teams"
                    January 14th - Bracket Released
                    January 17th - Play-in games
                    January 21st - Opening Round pt. 1
                    January 24th - Opening Round pt. 2
                    January 28th - Second Round pt. 1
                    January 31st- Second Round pt. 2
                    February 7th - Elite Eight
                    February 14th - FINAL FOUR
                    February 21st - CHAMPIONSHIP

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