WIS NCAA Football 2016 World Cup

[collegesportsfanms]

Seeing as how it's been a while since anybody did one of these, and I'm not at all happy about the 4 teams in the CFP, I decided to do a world cup myself. I've normally done these with college basketball using the What-if Sports sim engine, but I decided to do it with football this time. However, unlike the ones that were done in the past, that had 120 teams, there are now 128 FBS teams in NCAA Football. So.. I have a couple different options that I want to run by you guys and see which one sounds more fitting:

Option 1: 32 pools, 4 teams in each pool. Each team plays a home and away series with the other 3 teams in their pool. Top 2 teams in each pool advance, plus the 4 best 3rd place teams, making 68 teams. Teams 60-68 play each other to get it down to a 64 team tournament.

Option 2: eliminate 8 teams, dropping it down to 120. The teams eliminated could be the worst ranked teams (including Idaho since they are going to the FCS in a couple years) or any other teams I choose to eliminate, then I could go 20 pools of 6 teams each, top 3 teams from each pool plus best 4 4th place teams, making it a straight 64 team tournament.

But.. I'm not sure I really want to cut any teams, because you never know when that big upset might happen. But I'm really not sure I'm keen on just having 4 teams in a pool either. I feel like 6 teams pools garner more interest. What do you guys think?

[Young Drachma]

128 but with the bottom 64 playing amongst themselves for a shot into the main 64 bracket.

Bottom 64 --> 32 --> 16 ---> 8 ---> 4

First Four ---> Field of 64

So basically like FA Cup qualifying rounds but without the home and away.

[collegesportsfanms]

128 but with the bottom 64 playing amongst themselves for a shot into the main 64 bracket.

Bottom 64 --> 32 --> 16 ---> 8 ---> 4

First Four ---> Field of 64

So basically like FA Cup qualifying rounds but without the home and away.

That's not a bad idea either, so teams 65-128 play single elimination games, then jump into pool play for the 64. Basic soccer style. My only issue with your idea is, I was kind of looking forward to pool play all the way through. And, doing it the way you suggest, I think you'd have to have 1-128 all playing single elimination to get into the 64 team bracket. I dunno, I still like pool play though lol

[DavidCorperial]

What about 8 team pools, giving us 16 pools, with the top four advancing into single elimination 64 team bracket.

[collegesportsfanms]

What about 8 team pools, giving us 16 pools, with the top four advancing into single elimination 64 team bracket.

I think I briefly thought about that idea too, but then I got to wondering if the 8 team pools would be too much. I guess it's never been done before (at least on any of these pool play tournament style threads that I've ever seen) so it would be something new. If I did it that way, I'm not sure if I would want to do home and away or not. I'd have to consider that.

I'm still kind of excited about the idea of having wildcards, to make it 68 teams, but I certainly wouldn't have to.

[collegesportsfanms]

I think I'm going to give the 16 groups, with 8 teams in each group idea a try. No wildcards, just top 4 teams from each group advance. (Next project I do, I'll include wildcards again as I'm sure I'll do something with college basketball sometime next year). I will begin placing the teams within the next couple days. Top 16 teams as of the last CFP top 25 poll will be the placed, 1 in each group (#1 in Group A, #2 in Group B, and so on). The rest of the teams will be randomly selected to be in a group, with the only rule being no group will have multiple teams from a conference. In other words, each group will be represented by 8 different conferences. I'm almost 100% sure this is doable.

Each team will play the other 7 teams in their group once, with all games being at a neutral site, so there will (or shouldn't) be any home field advantage for any team.

I am still debating whether I want to go through the groups 1 at a time, or if I want to be different and play the first set of games in each group, then the second set, so that all of the groups finish pretty much at the same time. I think, for seeding purposes, I will do it like I always have, finish group A, then Group B, and so on. Again, I'll get started in placing the teams sometime in the next couple days, and hopefully can get the groups announced sometime next week.

[Young Drachma]

Cool

[collegesportsfanms]

ok fans, the groups have been drawn, and I have double checked to make sure no group has more than 1 team from any particular conference. As far as the top 25 goes, I took it straight from the final BCS Top 25. The top 16 headline each of the 16 groups, and teams ranked 17-25 were randomly placed in groups. So there are some groups that have 2 ranked teams, and I think there might be a group that actually has 3 ranked teams in it. Now, without further adieu it's time to start announcing the groups.

I will announce the groups in this format:

Team, Conference, Conference Record, Overall Record (Current record as of the time I announce the group, may or may not take into effect bowl game results).


Group A

#1 Alabama (SEC, 8-0, 13-0)
#19 Utah (Pac 12, 5-4, 8-4)
Ball State (MAC, 1-7, 4-8)
Duke (ACC, 1-7, 4-8)
ECU (American, 1-7, 3-9)
Georgia State (Sun Belt, 2-6, 3-9)
Nevada (Mountain West, 3-5, 5-7)
UTEP (Conference USA, 2-6, 4-8)

If Alabama doesn't win every game by at least 3 touchdowns, I'll be shocked. Even Utah, which is the ranked team in the group with them, wasn't overly impressive this season. Spots 1 and 2 of this group should be locked up already. Nevada/UTEP could be in a battle for #3, and the rest of the teams will be battling for #4.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group B

#2 Clemson (ACC, 7-1, 12-1)
Army (Independents, NA, 7-5)
Boise State (Mountain West, 6-2, 10-2)
Central Michigan (MAC, 3-5, 6-7)
Rutgers (Big Ten, 0-9, 2-10)
South Florida (American, 7-1, 10-2)
Texas (Big 12, 3-6, 5-7)
Western Kentucky (7-1, 10-3)

Wow! I haven't looked up the records for the teams in the other groups, but I think it's safe to say we can definitely call this a group of death. Although there is only 1 ranked team, there are 3 non-BCS teams that could advance. Clemson is definitely not a lock to win this group, as we know the prestige Boise State has. It'll be interesting to see if Army and Central Michigan can hang with any of the other teams. And don't sleep on Texas. This group is way too tough to predict, but whichever 4 teams advance, they will have certainly earned it.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group C

#3 Ohio State (Big Ten, 8-1, 11-2)
#20 LSU (SEC, 5-3, 7-4)
Akron (MAC, 3-5, 5-7)
Boston College (ACC, 2-6, 6-6)
Fresno State (Mountain West, 0-8, 1-11)
Kansas State (Big 12, 6-3, 8-4)
Memphis (American, 5-3, 8-4)
Old Dominion (Conference USA, 7-1, 9-3)

Another group that has 2 ranked teams. Unlike Alabama in their group though, Ohio State should get some tests here, especially from LSU and Kansas State. It'll be interesting to see how Old Dominion and Memphis fair against the likes of OSU, LSU, and K-State. I like those 3 teams as #1, #2, and #3 respectively. The battle for #4 is going to be intense. Can a subpar Boston College team that plays in a BC conference overtake a couple of the better non-BCS teams in Old Dominion and Memphis? I don't think so, I think ultimately the Memphis/Old Dominion winner gets #4.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group D

#4 Washington (Pac 12, 8-1, 12-1)
#22 Virginia Tech (ACC, 6-2, 9-4)
Appalachian State (Sun Belt, 7-1, 10-3)
BYU (Independents, NA, 8-4)
Kentucky (SEC, 4-4, 7-5)
Maryland (Big Ten, 3-6, 6-6)
Texas Tech (Big 12, 3-6, 5-7)
UCF (American, 4-4, 6-7)

I think Washington should win this group fairly easily, the 2 burning questions coming out of this group both involve Appalachian State and BYU: Can either or both of them overtake VA Tech for #2, or do they have a reversal of fortunes and get overtaken by middle of the pack teams like Kentucky, Maryland, and Texas Tech. I think #3 will either be Appalachian or BYU, and #4 will either be Kentucky or Texas Tech. I don't think Maryland or UCF have enough to make the top 4.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group E

#5 Penn State (Big Ten, 8-1, 11-2)
California (Pac 12, 3-6, 5-7)
Houston (American, 5-3, 9-4)
Miami (OH) (MAC, 6-2, 6-6)
Mississippi State (SEC, 3-5, 5-7)
N.C. State (ACC, 3-5, 6-6)
New Mexico (Mountain West, 6-2, 9-4)
Texas State (Sun Belt, 0-8, 2-10)

Penn State shouldn't have much to worry about as far as advancing out of this group, they should win it. Their biggest competition will be between Houston and New Mexico who will probably be battling for #2. It's possible that either Cal, Miss. St., or N.C. State could advance out of this group, and if things go right, 2 or even 3 of these teams could advance. It all depends on how Houston and New Mexico fare against them.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group F

#6 Michigan (Big Ten, 7-2, 10-2)
#23 Pittsburgh (ACC, 5-3, 8-4)
Arkansas State (Sun Belt, 7-1, 8-5)
Cincinnati (American, 1-7, 4-8)
Colorado State (Mountain West, 5-3, 7-5)
Missouri (SEC, 2-6, 4-8)
Oregon (Pac 12, 2-7, 4-8)
Southern Miss (Conference USA, 4-4, 7-6)

2 things jump out at me from this group. First, Pitt might not make it out of this group. 2nd, Missouri and Oregon, who both had subpar seasons in real life, have a major chance for redemption. The non-power 4 schools in this group don't seem overwhelming at all, and it's not far fetched to think that all 4 power 5 schools in this group could and should advance.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group G

#7 Oklahoma (Big 12, 9-0, 10-2)
Georgia Southern (Sun Belt, 4-4, 5-7)
Iowa (Big Ten, 6-3, 8-4)
North Texas (Conference USA, 3-5, 5-7)
Notre Dame (Independents, NA, 4-8)
Texas A&M (SEC, 4-4, 8-4)
Utah State (Mountain West, 1-7, 3-9)
Wake Forest (ACC, 3-5, 6-6)

I am really looking forward to seeing how the battle between Oklahoma and Texas A&M plays out. It'll be fun to see that former Big 12 rivalry be renewed. As for the group, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Texas A&M look to be locks to advance. The #4 spot will probably be a battle between Notre Dame and Wake Forest. I can't really see the other 3 teams doing much to make noise in this group.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group H

#8 Wisconsin (Big Ten, 7-2, 10-3)
Georgia Tech (ACC, 4-4, 8-4)
Middle Tennessee (Conference USA, 5-3, 8-4)
Ole Miss (SEC, 2-6, 5-7)
South Alabama (Sun Belt, 2-6, 6-6)
San Jose State (Mountain West, 3-5, 4-8)
Toledo (MAC, 6-2, 9-4)
UMass (Independents, NA, 2-10)

This group is Wisconsin's to lose. Toledo and GA Tech might offer some resistance, but I don't think it'll be enough. I think Toledo and GA Tech will be battling for #2, with the other being #3. Another group where a power 5 school that struggled in real life has a chance to make amends in this World Cup. Ole Miss gets that opportunity, and they should have a battle with Mid. Tenn. for #4.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group I

#9 USC (Pac 12, 7-2, 9-3)
#25 Navy (American, 7-1, 9-4)
Buffalo (MAC, 1-7, 2-10)
Charlotte (Conference USA, 3-5, 4-8)
Northwestern (Big Ten, 5-4, 6-6)
South Carolina (SEC, 3-5, 6-6)
UL Lafayette (Sun Belt, 5-3, 6-7)
Virginia (ACC, 1-7, 2-10)

Yuck! There is a major drop off in this group after USC and Navy. They'll be battling for #1 and #2, and I see USC winning the group with Navy taking #2. As for #3 and #4, it's a complete toss=up. I don't know that Buffalo, Charlotte, or even Virginia will be able to compete, so I see 3 teams battling for those 2 spots, with Northwestern and South Carolina the other 2 that advance.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group J

#10 Colorado (Pac 12, 8-1, 10-3)
#24 Temple (American, 7-1, 10-3)
Arkansas (SEC, 3-5, 7-5)
FIU (Conference USA, 4-4, 4-8)
Hawaii (Mountain West, 4-4, 6-7)
Indiana (Big Ten, 4-5, 6-6)
Kent State (MAC, 2-6, 3-9)
Miami (FL) (ACC, 5-3, 8-4)

An interesting group to say the least. Colorado had their best season in quite some time, but they'll have some tests in this group. Temple, Miami, and even Arkansas could cost them a group title. There really aren't any non-power 5 teams in this group that I feel could make any noise. I actually like Colorado to win the group, but Miami to overtake Temple for #2, with Temple getting #3, and #4 being a battle between Arkansas and Indiana.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group K

#11 Florida State (ACC, 5-3. 9-3)
Eastern Michigan (MAC, 4-4, 7-5)
Illinois (Big Ten, 2-7, 3-9)
Iowa State (Big 12, 2-7, 3-9)
Oregon State (Pac 12, 3-6, 4-8)
San Diego State (Mountain West, 6-2, 11-3)
Tulsa (American, 6-2, 10-3)
UL Monroe (Sun Belt, 3-5, 4-8)

The big question out of this group is will the successful non-power 5 schools in San Diego State and Tulsa be able to overtake the prestigious Florida State Seminoles? I'm saying probably not. Unless we have some upsets though, San Diego State and Tulsa should be battling for #2, with the other being #3. As for #4, it's pretty ugly, and I don't even know who to predict here. 5 subpar (at best) teams battling for 1 spot to advance, should be very interesting.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group L

#12 Oklahoma State (Big 12, 7-2, 9-3)
#21 Tennessee (SEC, 4-4, 8-4)
Arizona (Pac 12, 1-8, 3-9)
Bowling Green (MAC, 3-5, 4-8)
Louisiana Tech (Conference USA, 6-2, 8-5)
North Carolina (ACC, 5-3, 8-4)
Purdue (Big Ten, 1-8, 3-9)
Troy (Sun Belt, 6-2, 9-3)

Not really a group of death here, as even the 2nd ranked team in this group isn't overly impressive. I mean Tennessee was good this season, but not great. Same with North Carolina. Can Troy and LA Tech overtake Tennessee and N. Carolina? It'll be fun to watch. I think Oklahoma State will win the group, with Tennessee and N. Carolina finishing #2 and #3, and #4 a battle between LA Tech and Troy.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group M

#13 Louisville (ACC, 7-1, 9-3)
#17 Florida (SEC, 6-2, 8-4)
Marshall (Conference USA, 2-6, 3-9)
Michigan State (Big Ten, 1-8, 3-9)
Ohio (MAC, 6-2, 8-5)
TCU (Big 12, 4-5, 6-6)
UConn (American, 1-7, 3-9)
Washington State (Pac 12, 7-2, 8-4)

It's going to be a battle between Louisville, Florida, and Washington State for that top spot. This could easily compare to Group B for the Group of Death. All 3 of those teams should advance fairly easily, but #4 is going to be the tricky spot. It's a good chance for teams like TCU or Michigan State to redeem themselves after a rough year in reality. Ultimately, I see that #4 spot going to TCU.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group N

#14 Auburn (SEC, 5-3, 8-4)
Baylor (Big 12, 3-6, 6-6)
Northern Illinois (MAC, 5-3, 5-7)
Nebraska (Big Ten, 6-3, 9-3)
New Mexico State (Sun Belt, 2-6, 3-9)
Rice (Conference USA, 2-6, 3-9)
UCLA (Pac 12, 2-7, 4-8)
UNLV (Mountain West, 3-5, 4-8)

Not a lot to work with in this group, after Auburn and Nebraska the rest of the teams in this group didn't have great seasons. I'm actually going out on a limb here and picking Nebraska to win this group with Auburn #2. This should be a great chance for both Baylor and UCLA to redeem themselves in this World Cup and advance out of group play, but if any of the non-power 5 teams can make some noise, it would be N. Illinois.

[collegesportsfanms]

Well, 2 more groups to announce, and I was hoping to get them in today, but it's been crazier at work than I expected. For those curious, I am doing this project during my down time at work, of which I usually have a lot, but not so much this week with it being Christmas week and everything.

So, plan on me announcing the last 2 groups tomorrow, and hopefully at least getting games for Group A started.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group O

#15 Western Michigan (MAC, 8-0, 13-0)
Arizona State (Pac 12, 2-7, 5-7)
Florida Atlantic (Conference USA, 2-6, 3-9)
Idaho (Sun Belt, 6-2, 8-4)
Kansas (Big 12, 1-8, 2-10)
Tulane (American, 1-7, 4-8)
Vanderbilt (SEC, 3-5, 6-6)
Wyoming (Mountain West, 6-2, 8-6)

I feel like this might be the most wide open group of all of them. Yes, Western Michigan was undefeated in the season (not counting their upcoming bowl game in which many people think they'll get slaughtered) and yes they did play some decent teams in the MAC, but they'll have competition in this group. Some pretty strong non-power 5 schools in Idaho and Wyoming, as well as a couple power 5 schools who struggled in reality, but have a chance for redemption here (Arizona State, Vanderbilt, maybe even Kansas). Another tough group to predict. Western Michigan is still the favorite, and I think they'll win the group, but they'll have a couple setbacks. I'm sold on Wyoming advancing, but not Idaho. As for the #3 and #4 spots, it's wide open.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group P

#16 West Virginia (Big 12, 7-2, 10-2)
#18 Stanford (Pac 12, 6-3, 9-3)
Air Force (Mountain West, 5-3, 9-3)
Georgia (SEC, 4-4, 7-5)
Minnesota (Big 10, 5-4, 8-4)
SMU (American, 3-5, 5-7)
Syracuse (ACC, 2-6, 4-8)
UTSA (Conference USA, 5-3, 6-7)

A very tough group to finish off with, another "group of death" type group. Any of the first 5 teams listed have a very legit shot to advance. Our 2 ranked teams should get some major tests from Air Force, Georgia, and Minnesota. I don't see the group winner going through undefeated, I think whoever wins this group will have at least 1, maybe 2 losses. And don't sleep on SMU or Syracuse to pull an upset or 2 and slide into the top 4. A wide open group in my opinion, and another one that might be too tough to call.

[collegesportsfanms]

All the groups are in! Anybody that wants to make their own predictions, feel free. I'm going to get started on Group A, and try and get Group A finished today.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group A

#1 Alabama (SEC, 8-0, 13-0)
#19 Utah (Pac 12, 5-4, 8-4)
Ball State (MAC, 1-7, 4-8)
Duke (ACC, 1-7, 4-8)
ECU (American, 1-7, 3-9)
Georgia State (Sun Belt, 2-6, 3-9)
Nevada (Mountain West, 3-5, 5-7)
UTEP (Conference USA, 2-6, 4-8)

-------------------------------------------------

Week 1

Alabama- 41, UTEP- 0
Utah- 45, Nevada- 26
Ball State- 25, Georgia State- 22 (OT)
ECU- 34, Duke- 20

As expected, Bama pitches a shutout, even though UTEP put up some yards, they never could get in the end zone. Utah jumped out to a 21-0 first quarter lead in their win over Nevada, while Ball State needed a late field goal to force OT against Georgia State, then got the win in OT. ECU used a 21 point 3rd quarter and led 34-6 after 3. Duke tried to come back but it was too little, too late.

Week 2

Alabama- 34, Nevada- 9
Georgia State- 20, UTEP- 17 (OT)
Utah- 38, ECU- 24
Duke- 34, Ball State- 27

Nevada actually scored first in their game against Alabama, but it was all Crimson Tide from there. Georgia State plays their 2nd OT game in as many games, and actually wins this one. ECU was held to just 20 rushing yards in their loss to Utah, while Duke and Ball State traded leads several times, but Duke scored the last 10 points to earn their first victory in group play.

Week 3

Alabama- 58, Georgia State- 10
Nevada- 38, ECU- 31
Duke- 52, UTEP- 20
Utah- 44, Ball State- 13

Lots of blowouts in Week 3. No overtime for Georgia State this week, as Bama rushes for over 300 yards. Nevada scored their game winning TD with 30 seconds left in the closest game of week 3. UTEP threw 3 interceptions, 1 which was returned for a touchdown, in their big loss to Duke. Utah was only up 13-10 early in the 3rd quarter, but scored 31 of the last 34 points to stay undefeated.

--------------------------------------------

Standings after three weeks, with point differential in parenthesis (first tiebreaker is head-to-head, but point differential is likely to be very important when seeding teams for the second round, where ties exist between teams that haven't played each other).

Alabama 3-0 (+114)
Utah 3-0 (+64)
Duke 2-1 (+25)
ECU 1-2 (-7)
Ball State 1-2 (-35)
Nevada 1-2 (-37)
Georgia State 1-2 (-48)
UTEP 0-3 (-76)

[collegesportsfanms]

Group A

Week 4

Alabama- 58, ECU- 24
Duke- 28, Georgia State- 17
Nevada- 31, Ball State- 14
Utah- 30, UTEP- 9

Alabama wins easily despite giving up over 400 passing yards to ECU, but they held the Pirates to just 2 rushing yards. Duke and Georgia State combined for 5 turnovers, but Duke scored 14 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to win. Nevada was 11/19 on 3rd down attempts, not a bad percentage at all, as they even their record at 2-2. UTEP is the only winless team in this group after Utah handles them easily.

Week 5

Alabama- 28, Duke- 7
ECU-49, Ball State- 13
Utah- 24, Georgia State- 7
Nevada- 37, UTEP- 10

The Crimson Tide continues to use a balanced attack on offense, getting 225 passing yards and 220 rushing yards in beating a game Duke team. Give the Blue Devils some credit though, they've held Bama to the least points in a game so far. ECU scores 35 unanswered points to roll over Ball State, while Utah struggles a bit against Georgia State. Nevada broke open a close game by scoring the last 21 points, as they are now 3-2 and help their advancement chances.

Week 6

Alabama- 27, Ball State- 13
Utah- 37, Duke- 18
ECU- 48, UTEP- 24
Nevada- 23, Georgia State- 14

The Tide, while still undefeated, have been tested a bit more in their last 2 games. The arm and legs both of Jalen Hurts leads them to a win over Ball State. Utah also stays undefeated with a 20 point outburst in the 4th quarter, setting up a winner take all game next week between Utah and Alabama. ECU and UTEP were tied at 24 going into the 4th quarter, but ECU explodes for 24 straight to keep UTEP winless. Nevada forces 4 Georgia State turnovers to get a win, but they didn't look too good offensively.

------------------------------------------------

Standings after 6 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Alabama 6-0 (+183)
Utah 6-0 (+121)
Nevada 4-2 (+16)
ECU 3-3 (+19)
Duke 3-3 (-4)
Georgia State 1-5 (-85)
Ball State 1-5 (-102)
UTEP 0-6 (-148)

Week 7 Schedule

Utah vs. Alabama
UTEP vs. Ball State
Duke vs. Nevada
ECU vs. Georgia State

- Alabama and Utah have already clinched advancement out of this group. The winner of the Bama/Utah game will win the group, with the loser still finishing 2nd place. All Nevada needs to do to advance is beat Duke, which won't be an easy task. There's a very good chance of a tiebreaker in this group, as there are 2 possibilities: if Duke beats Nevada and ECU beats Georgia State, we'll have 3 teams tied at 4-3, battling for 2 spots. However, if ECU and Duke both lose, then they'll both be 3-4 and tied for 4th place. If that were to happen, ECU would advance based on the fact they beat Duke head to head. Simply put, Duke must beat Nevada to have a chance to advance, while Nevada and ECU can still advance with losses this week. Georgia State and Ball State are playing for pride this week, while UTEP is playing to not go winless in group play.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group A

Week 7

Alabama- 28, Utah- 27
UTEP- 38, Ball State- 31
Duke- 40, Nevada- 21
Georgia State- 28, ECU- 14

What a game Bama and Utah had! Believe it or not, the Utes actually led 27-16 going into the 4th quarter, but the Tide would not be denied! Still down 27-22 with just mere seconds on the clock, Jalen Hurts found ArDarius Steward from 20 yards out as the buzzer went off, stealing the win and the group title right out of Utah's hands!! Heartbreak for the Utes. UTEP avoids the winless group play by hanging on against Ball State, while Duke keeps their advancement hopes alive by outscoring Nevada 26-0 in the 2nd half. So it would all hinge on what ECU did, and what they did was lose, as Georgia State got 5, count em, 5 field goals from their kicker Rogier ten Lohuis to shock the Pirates and eliminate them from further competition.

-----------------------------------------------

Final Group A standings, with point differential in parenthesis:

#1- Alabama 7-0 (+184)
#2- Utah 6-1 (+120)
#3- Duke 4-3 (+15)
#4- Nevada 4-3 (-3)
#5- ECU 3-4 (+5)
#6- Georgia State 2-5 (-71)
#7- UTEP 1-6 (-141)
#8- Ball State 1-6 (-109)

So Alabama wins Group A thanks to a last second miracle against Utah. I figured Utah and Bama would advance out of this group easy, but I'm shocked by UTEP. I thought they were better than the 4-8 record they had this season, but apparently not.

Alabama sets the tone early in this tournament. If you want to be the overall #1 seed in the Round of 64, you have to not only go undefeated in your group, but also wins some games by lopsided scores. Just think how much worse it could have been had they not slowed down on the scoring in their last 3 games.

Duke comes through with a big win at the time they had to have one, and actually win both the head to head and point differential tiebreakers against Nevada. I'm not sure why I discounted Duke so much, after all, if memory serves, they did win their only conference game against a pretty good North Carolina team this season.

1 group done, 15 more to go.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group B

#2 Clemson (ACC, 7-1, 12-1)
Army (Independents, NA, 7-5)
Boise State (Mountain West, 6-2, 10-2)
Central Michigan (MAC, 3-5, 6-7)
Rutgers (Big Ten, 0-9, 2-10)
South Florida (American, 7-1, 10-2)
Texas (Big 12, 3-6, 5-7)
Western Kentucky (7-1, 10-3)

----------------------------------------------------

Week 1

Western Kentucky- 52, Clemson- 21
Army- 24, Texas- 17
South Florida- 52, Boise State- 31
Central Michigan- 30, Rutgers- 23 (2 OT)

Wow! I certainly didn't see that coming. Western Kentucky absolutely hammers the #2 ranked Tigers, forcing 2 Deshaun Watson interceptions and holding him to just 8 yards on the ground. Army took advantage of 3 Texas turnovers, all interceptions, to beat the Longhorns. South Florida used big 1st and 4th quarters to handle Boise State and it took Central Michigan 2 overtimes to finally dispose of Rutgers. A couple early shocks in Group B.

Week 2

Clemson- 45, Texas- 42
Western Kentucky- 33, South Florida- 28
Army- 33, Rutgers- 20
Boise State- 45, Central Michigan- 38

The ranked Tigers were on the verge of going 0-2 in this group, until Deshaun Watson hooked up with Mike Williams to give Clemson the lead with just over a minute left. A defensive stand later, and it is Texas that is 0-2. The WKU/S. Florida game was a shootout, with the lead changing several times. It was the Hilltoppers that scored last though, moving to 2-0 in group play. Army also moves to 2-0, rushing for an amazing 480 yards in from, guess who, Deshaun Watson, and also converted the 2 point try to the process! They had 2 players with over 100 yards rushing. Boise State gets on the winning side of things, scoring the game winning TD with just under 2 minutes to go.

Week 3

Clemson- 51, South Florida- 45 (3 OT)
Texas- 30, Rutgers- 16
Western Kentucky- 39, Central Michigan- 21
Army- 28, Boise State- 23

This group is already producing some ESPN Instant Classics. The Tigers went into the 4th quarter down 31-6 and made a furious rally. Even down 8 with time for 1 more play, they wouldn't be denied, as they got a TD pass send the game to OT. Both teams scored TDs in the first 2 overtimes, and Clemson got a stop in the 3rd OT and went down and scored on their end to cap an amazing comeback! Meanwhile, Texas picks up their first win of group play, while Western Kentucky and Army continue to roll. The Black Knights continued to dominate the ground game, picking up 391 rushing yards to send Boise State to a surprising 1-2.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Standings after three weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Western Kentucky 3-0 (+54)
Army 3-0 (+25)
Clemson 2-1 (-22)
South Florida 1-2 (+10)
Texas 1-2 (+4)
Central Michigan 1-2 (-18)
Boise State 1-2 (-19)
Rutgers 0-3 (-34)

[collegesportsfanms]

Group B

Week 4

Clemson- 33, Rutgers- 12
South Florida- 42, Central Michigan- 35
Boise State- 41, Texas- 17
Western Kentucky- 55, Army- 7

After Rutgers scored a touchdown to start the second half and made it a 14-10 game, the Tigers scored 19 unanswered to put the game away. South Florida and Central Michigan combined for over 1200 yards of offense in their game, but South Florida scored last. Boise State and Western Kentucky roll, as Texas is in major trouble now, and Army was majorly exposed. The Broncos passed for over 400 yards in their win and the Hilltoppers picked up 37 first downs and had almost 700 yards of total offense to remain undefeated.

Week 5

Clemson- 34, Central Michigan- 17
Boise State- 38, Rutgers- 24
South Florida- 51, Army- 17
Western Kentucky- 52, Texas- 20

The bulk of the scoring was done in the 2nd and 4th quarters in this one, as the Tigers never really could pull away. If not for 2 red zone interceptions thrown by the Chippewas, this game could have had a different result. Boise State got 164 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns from Jeremy McNichols to stave off upset minded Rutgers. Army has now been blown out twice in a row after somehow winning their first 3. The difference was the passing game, as the Black Knights had just 19 yards passing. Western Kentucky all but clinched a spot in the round of 64 with another impressive victory, as they scored 28 of the first 31 points against the Longhorns and never looked back.

Week 6

Boise State- 37, Clemson- 18
Army- 49, Central Michigan- 24
Western Kentucky- 48, Rutgers- 30
South Florida- 48, Texas- 21

4 blowouts this week. Deshaun Watson threw for 343 yards, but the Tigers couldn't mount a ground game, nor could they stop Boise State defensively, as the Broncos get a big win. Army gets back on track, continuing to impress on the ground. They had 419 rushing yards in their win over the Chippewas. 2 Black Knights had over 100 yards rushing, including Andy Davidson who had 190. Wow! In a game that saw no turnovers from either team, the Hilltoppers took a 38-13 lead into halftime and put it on cruise control in the 2nd half to remain undefeated. South Florida also had 2 players rush for over 100 yards in their win over Texas.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Standings after 6 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Western Kentucky 6-0 (+152)
South Florida 4-2 (+78)
Boise State 4-2 (+38)
Clemson 4-2 (-3)
Army 4-2 (-32)
Central Michigan 1-5 (-67)
Texas 1-5 (-79)
Rutgers 0-6 (-87)

Week 7 Schedule

Army vs. Clemson
Western Kentucky vs. Boise State
Central Michigan vs. Texas
Rutgers vs. South Florida

- Here's what we know from this group: Western Kentucky has already clinched the group title, while Central Michigan, Texas, and Rutgers are eliminated. That gives us 4 teams playing for 3 spots in the round of 64. Group of death? I think so. The C. Michigan/Texas game is meaningless, as it is nothing but a game of pride. S. Florida should clinch advancement by rolling over Rutgers. The other 2 games are games to watch. The Army/Clemson loser will be at 4-3 and will have to hope some of the other 4-2 teams lose. Army needs to really win big, with their point differential so far in the negative. The game of the week is Western Kentucky and Boise State. The Army/Clemson loser will really be hoping for Boise State to lose, although it would be even tougher for Clemson if they lose to Army, because they also lost to Boise State. Simply put, Clemson pretty much has to beat Army. Boise State won't be eliminated right away with a loss, but that loss to Army really hurts, as it puts more pressure on them to beat the Hilltoppers. All that is on the line for Western Kentucky is an undefeated run through group play and a possible top 5 seed in the round of 64, so they have something to play for too.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group B

Week 7

Clemson- 21, Army- 14
Boise State- 41, Western Kentucky- 27
Texas- 34, Central Michigan- 16
South Florida- 41, Rutgers- 16

It wasn't easy, but the Tigers held off Army. It actually took a Deshaun Watson hookup to Artavis Scott with 24 seconds left in the game to put the Tigers on top, but it was enough. Boise State shocked Western Kentucky, ending their undefeated run. The Broncos scored 14 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to win. As expected, Texas and South Florida roll in their games.

------------------------------------------------

Final Group B standings, with point differential in parenthesis:

#1- Western Kentucky 6-1 (+138)
#2- South Florida 5-2 (+103)
#3- Boise State 5-2 (+52)
#4- Clemson 5-2 (+4)
#5- Army 4-3 (-39)
#6- Texas 2-5 (-61)
#7- Central Michigan 1-6 (-85)
#8- Rutgers 0-7 (-112)

A surprising group to say the least. Western Kentucky comes out on top, but will not be happy with that Boise State loss. That could cost them a few precious seeds in the round of 64. The 4 teams that I thought would advance did, just not in the order I expected. I didn't count on Army doing as well as they did, and I figured Texas might fare better. In a different group, maybe. The Longhorns were definitely overmatched in this group.

As you can see, we had a 3 way tiebreaker. Just to recap, from other world cups I've done, I used the same tiebreaker format that Molson used for his World Cups. In case you forgot, here it is:

-2 Team Tie:
1. Head-to Head (if applicable)
2. Point Differential in Group Stage
3. Winning % Of Teams Defeated
4. Total Points Scored in Group Stage
5. Coin Toss

-3+ team tie
(every step seeks to eliminate the bottom team, or bottom tied teams. Then the remaining teams go back to the first step of the tiebreaker procedure)
1. Head-To-Head within tied teams (if they've all played each other)
2. Point Differential in Group Stage
3. Winning % Of Teams Defeated
4. Total Points Scored in Group Stage
5. Coin Toss

So since Boise St., S. Florida, and Clemson all went 1-1 against each other, that threw that one out. Clemson had the lowest point differential which locked them into the #4 seed. South Florida beat Boise State in Week 1 for the head to head tiebreaker for the #2 seed. So the point differential works out all the way in this one. Just a note, steps 3 and 4 of the tiebreaker will probably rarely, if ever, need to be used during group play, but they could need to be used once we get to round of 64 seedings.

So, the Group of Death is complete, and it is exactly what I thought it would be.. rough. No team came through unscathed.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group C

#3 Ohio State (Big Ten, 8-1, 11-2)
#20 LSU (SEC, 5-3, 7-4)
Akron (MAC, 3-5, 5-7)
Boston College (ACC, 2-6, 6-6)
Fresno State (Mountain West, 0-8, 1-11)
Kansas State (Big 12, 6-3, 8-4)
Memphis (American, 5-3, 8-4)
Old Dominion (Conference USA, 7-1, 9-3)

---------------------------------------------------

Week 1

Ohio State- 24, Old Dominion- 21
LSU- 37, Memphis- 30
Kansas State- 27, Akron- 26
Boston College- 18, Fresno State- 13

Lots of close games this week, as Ohio State needed a late FG to get by a scrappy Old Dominion team. Both LSU and Kansas State need big 4th quarter comebacks to stave off upsets, as both were down by 10 in the 4th quarter. Kansas State actually got down 26-10 in the 4th quarter of their game. As it stands, all the teams that were expected to win in Week 1 did, but they were much, much too close.

Week 2

Ohio State- 41, Memphis- 33
Old Dominion- 30, Kansas State- 27
LSU- 49, Fresno State- 3
Boston College- 29, Akron- 27

Some more excitement this week, as we had 2 games decided by field goals within the last 2 minutes. Boston College broke Akron's heart again when their kicker Mike Knoll kicked a FG with 1:18 left, while Old Dominion also got a last minute FG to stun Kansas State. The Ohio State/Memphis score was not nearly as close as the score indicates, as Memphis scored 23 points in the 4th quarter against an Ohio State relaxed defense. LSU had no such trouble, taking care of business in fine fashion.

Week 3

Ohio State- 35, Kansas State- 10
Memphis- 45, Fresno State- 10
Boston College- 27, Old Dominion- 24
LSU- 35, Akron- 27

Ohio State and Memphis have no trouble this week, as the Buckeyes surprisingly took it to K-State. Fresno State is just awful, they might not win a game. Akron loses another heartbreaker to LSU, especially after leading 14-3 after the 1st quarter, and might be the best 0-3 team so far in any of the groups that we've had (which isn't a lot to go off of yet!). Boston College got another late game victory with a Davon Jones 16 yard TD run with 37 seconds left in the game to seal another close victory.

------------------------------------------------------

Standings after 3 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

LSU 3-0 (+61)
Ohio State 3-0 (+36)
Boston College 3-0 (+10)
Memphis 1-2 (+20)
Old Dominion 1-2 (-3)
Kansas State 1-2 (-27)
Akron 0-3 (-11)
Fresno State 0-3 (-86)

No surprise to see LSU and Ohio State undefeated so far, although LSU did have a couple scares. Was really surprised to see the score of that K-State/OSU game, figured it would be closer. Speaking of my Wildcats, they've got some work to do to advance out of this group. That Old Dominion loss may come back to haunt them big time. Still too early to tell, but I don't expect BC to stay undefeated much longer, they still have to play the 3 big dogs (yes I'm still including Kansas State among the big dogs of this group). Akron is bound to get a win or 2, they've come way too close 3 times already. Fresno State might be looking for moral victories at this point, like perhaps single digit losses instead of double digit losses. Their best chance for a victory may be Akron.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group C

Week 4

Ohio State- 31, Fresno State- 14
Kansas State- 24, Boston College- 22
Memphis- 66, Akron- 24
LSU- 33, Old Dominion- 16

Only 1 really close game in Week 4, as Kansas State hung on to hand BC their first loss. Ohio State didn't pull away from Fresno State like most figured, needing 14 4th quarter points to get the job done. So much for Akron and their close games, Memphis took care of that by having almost 650 yards of total offense. Definitely didn't see that coming. Old Dominion is now having a tough time and will have to get some help to advance.

Week 5

Ohio State- 33, Boston College- 6
Fresno State- 34, Akron- 31
Kansas State- 37, LSU- 20
Memphis- 45, Old Dominion- 20

The big surprise this week is Kansas State handling LSU. The Wildcats scored the final 21 points of the game after going into the 4th quarter down 20-16. Another shocker, based on how this group has gone, is Fresno State beating Akron. 1 of those teams had to get their first win this week, but it wasn't who I thought it would be. Fresno had to come from behind to do it though, getting a go ahead TD with 1:28 left. Ohio State and Memphis roll, and BC hasn't fared well against the big dogs, which doesn't bode well for their chances.

Week 6

Akron- 22, Ohio State- 9
LSU- 23, Boston College- 9
Old Dominion- 23, Fresno State- 9
Kansas State- 20, Memphis- 13

What a crazy, crazy week! Look at that Ohio State score. They lose to Akron, the only team that hadn't won a game yet. And the consistency? 3 of the 4 games this week had either 22-9 or 23-9 scores. Lots of teams put themselves in good position to advance this week, but Kansas State has themselves in the best position.

----------------------------------------------

Standings after 6 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

LSU 5-1 (+75)
Ohio State 5-1 (+67)
Kansas State 4-2 (-1)
Memphis 3-3 (+80)
Boston College 3-3 (-33)
Old Dominion 2-4 (-31)
Fresno State 1-5 (-114)
Akron 1-5 (-43)

Week 7 Schedule

LSU vs. Ohio State
Old Dominion vs. Akron
Boston College vs. Memphis
Fresno State vs. Kansas State

The LSU/Ohio State game was going to decide the group title anyways, but with the Buckeyes losing in Week 6, now the game takes extra meaning. While the winner will still win the group title, the loser could fall to 3rd in the group, depending on who loses. We're assuming K-State beats Fresno State. If that happens, they would hope for an Ohio State win, because the Cats own the tiebreaker over LSU, but Ohio State has the tiebreaker over the Cats. Now, if Kansas State somehow loses, then they'll be locked into 3rd no matter who wins the Memphis/BC game, as the Cats have defeated both teams. The winner of the Memphis/BC game would take 4th, the loser would be eliminated. Old Dominion, Akron, and Fresno State are already eliminated.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group C

Week 7

LSU- 26, Ohio State- 13
Old Dominion- 28, Akron- 13
Memphis- 33, Boston College- 15
Kansas State- 34, Fresno State- 19

Crazy finish to this group, as LSU pretty much dominates Ohio State to win the group, while Memphis dominates BC to get the 4th spot out of this group. K-State takes care of business and Old Dominion beats Akron in a meaningless game.

----------------------------------------------------

Final Group C standings, with point differential in parenthesis:

#1- LSU 6-1 (+88)
#2- Ohio State 5-2 (+54)
#3- Kansas State 5-2 (+14)
#4- Memphis 4-3 (+98)
#5- Boston College 3-4 (-51)
#6- Old Dominion 3-4 (-16)
#7- Fresno State 1-6 (-129)
#8- Akron 1-6 (-58)

So LSU wins the group and becomes the 2nd SEC team to win a group out of the 3 completed so far. Not a bad percentage. Kansas State is really, really kicking themselves for that 3 point loss to Old Dominion. Had they won that game and the rest of the results stayed the same, they would have won the group by virtue of their win over LSU. Instead, since they were pounded by Ohio State, they finish 3rd in group. Boston College is another team kicking themselves. After winning their first 3 games, they lost their last 4 to finish out of the top 4 in their group. They do finish 5th on tiebreakers by virtue of their win over Old Dominion, and Fresno State won the head to head over Akron to finish 7th, but neither of those things means anything.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group D

#4 Washington (Pac 12, 8-1, 12-1)
#22 Virginia Tech (ACC, 6-2, 9-4)
Appalachian State (Sun Belt, 7-1, 10-3)
BYU (Independents, NA, 8-4)
Kentucky (SEC, 4-4, 7-5)
Maryland (Big Ten, 3-6, 6-6)
Texas Tech (Big 12, 3-6, 5-7)
UCF (American, 4-4, 6-7)

-----------------------------------------------------

Week 1

Washington- 61, UCF- 14
Texas Tech- 31, Virginia Tech- 28
Maryland- 41, Appalachian State- 23
Kentucky- 31, BYU- 23

The Huskies forced 4 UCF turnovers in rolling to an easy group opening victory. Meanwhile, we had some surprises in the other games, as Texas Tech got a late TD to stun Virginia Tech, while Maryland was all over App. State. Some surprising results IMO from Week 1.

Week 2

Washington- 48, Texas Tech- 32
Maryland- 24, UCF- 20
Virginia Tech- 27, Kentucky- 17
Appalachian State- 37, BYU- 9

The Huskies led by as many as 28 in this one, rolling to another victory. Virginia Tech gets their first win after trailing by 10 at one point. Maryland got up by 21 in their game but had to hold off a furious UCF rally, while App. St. shocked BYU by scoring 28 unanswered.

Week 3

Washington- 41, Maryland- 24
Texas Tech- 41, Kentucky- 27
BYU- 9, UCF- 3
Virginia Tech- 34, Appalachian State- 13

Washington continues to roll, leading from start to finish in their game. The BYU/UCF game was an absolute dud. 4 FG and barely 550 yards of total offense amongst the teams. Geez. What can you expect from 2 winless team that lost their first 2 games by an average of 24 points each (give or take). The Techsters seem like they are back in contention. Both VA Tech and Texas Tech.

--------------------------------------------------------

Standings after 3 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Washington 3-0 (+80)
Virginia Tech 2-1 (+28)
Maryland 2-1 (+5)
Texas Tech 2-1 (+1)
Appalachian State 1-2 (-2)
Kentucky 1-2 (-16)
BYU 1-2 (-39)
UCF 0-3 (-57)

No surprise to see Washington at the top of the group, but I am a little surprised to see BYU and Kentucky near the bottom. Maryland is doing a bit better than I expected. Still pretty early, but the road to the group title goes through Washington.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group D

Week 4

Washington- 48, Kentucky- 21
Maryland- 24, BYU- 19
Texas Tech- 31, Appalachian State- 17
Virginia Tech- 30, UCF- 9

20 points in the 4th quarter sealed the deal for the Huskies and kept them undefeated. The rest of the results went as planned, and unless something majorly crazy happens, the 4 teams coming out of this group are already close to being decided.

Week 5

Washington- 49, BYU- 10
Appalachian State- 40, Kentucky- 37
Maryland- 51, Virginia Tech- 27
Texas Tech- 31, UCF- 24

2 shocking scores here, as Maryland continued to roll, hammering the Hokies by 24. Meanwhile, Washington continues to pound their opponents, furthering BYU's troubles in this group. Appalachian State wins a wild one against Kentucky to give themselves a fighting chance, while Texas Tech staves off UCF late.

Week 6

Washington- 31, Appalachian State- 30
Virginia Tech- 19, BYU- 13
Kentucky- 38, UCF- 31 (2 OT)
Texas Tech- 34, Maryland- 17

A gallant effort by App. St in this one, as it took a 32 yard FG from Washington kicker Cameron Van Winkle to secure the victory and clinch the group title for the Huskies! Also a gallant effort by UCF, who took Kentucky to double overtime. Better effort by BYU, but they are still completely tanking in this World Cup. Texas Tech clinches the #2 seed out of Group D with their win over Maryland.

-----------------------------------------------------

Standings after 6 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Washington 6-0 (+147)
Texas Tech 5-1 (+39)
Maryland 4-2 (+17)
Virginia Tech 4-2 (+31)
Appalachian State 2-4 (-14)
Kentucky 2-4 (-39)
BYU 1-5 (-89)
UCF 0-6 (-92)

Week 7 Schedule

Virginia Tech vs. Washington
UCF vs. Appalachian State
BYU vs. Texas Tech
Kentucky vs. Maryland

This could very well be the most uneventful Week 7 we've had in any of the groups so far. Everything is pretty much decided. We know the 4 teams advancing from Group D, and we pretty much know what place they will finish in the group. Washington has won the group. Even if they lose and Texas Tech wins in Week 7, because Washington beat Texas Tech head to head. The Red Raiders beat both Maryland and Virginia Tech, so even if they lose, they'll hold the head to head tiebreaker over both the Terps and the Hokies. Maryland beat Virginia Tech easily so they have that head to head. The only way we'll see a shake-up in placing is if Maryland loses to Kentucky, and Virginia Tech beats Washington. Otherwise, the only thing these teams are playing for in Week 7 is for seeding in the Round of 64, trying to be the top seed amongst the teams that placed the same way they did. Should be a boring Week 7 sim coming up.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group D

Week 7

Washington- 38, Virginia Tech- 27
Appalachian State- 26, UCF- 20
BYU- 27, Texas Tech- 24
Kentucky- 45, Maryland- 34

Washington finishes off an undefeated run in group play, as the top 3 teams behind Washington all lose. Again, everything had already been decided, but it was good for App. St., Kentucky, and BYU to finish with wins.

---------------------------------------------------

Final Group D standings, with point differential in parenthesis:

#1- Washington 7-0 (+158)
#2- Texas Tech 5-2 (+36)
#3- Maryland 4-3 (+6)
#4- Virginia Tech 4-3 (+20)
#5- Appalachian State 3-4 (-8)
#6- Kentucky 3-4 (-28)
#7- BYU 2-5 (-86)
#8- UCF 0-7 (-98)

Tough going for BYU, who was definitely the most disappointing team in this group. Meanwhile, Virginia Tech becomes the second top 25 ranked team in the CFP rankings to finish 4th in their group. Not a good trend. Clemson is the only one so far with a 5-2 record though, they just had tough luck in tiebreakers. Texas Tech, Maryland, and VA Tech will be kicking themselves for not having better results in week 7, as it could make the difference in seed lines. No real surprise to see Washington run away with this group.

25% of the groups are done, and a fair amount of surprises so far. Group E tomorrow.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group E

#5 Penn State (Big Ten, 8-1, 11-2)
California (Pac 12, 3-6, 5-7)
Houston (American, 5-3, 9-4)
Miami (OH) (MAC, 6-2, 6-6)
Mississippi State (SEC, 3-5, 5-7)
N.C. State (ACC, 3-5, 6-6)
New Mexico (Mountain West, 6-2, 9-4)
Texas State (Sun Belt, 0-8, 2-10)

-----------------------------------------------------

Week 1

Penn State- 47, Texas State- 6
New Mexico- 31, California- 28
N.C. State- 33, Houston- 20
Mississippi State- 24, Miami (OH)- 17

No big surprise to see Penn St. roll, as that should be the theme for this entire group. The biggest shock is how easily N.C. State handled Houston. The Wolfpack scored the last 16 points of the game, while New Mexico got a TD pass with just over a minute left to beat Cal.

Week 2

Penn State- 48, New Mexico- 21
N.C. State- 23, Texas State- 21
California- 51, Mississippi State- 30
Houston- 37, Miami (OH)- 23

We almost had the shocker of the tournament so far, as it took a made FG at the buzzer for the Wolfpack to beat Texas State. A gallant effort on their part. Meanwhile, Penn State continued to roll, while Cal put up some points in an impressive showing over the Bulldogs. Houston gets on track with a win as well.

Week 3

Penn State- 24, N.C. State- 10
New Mexico- 27, Mississippi State- 17
Miami (OH)- 30, Texas State- 13
California- 38, Houston- 31

The surprise right now continues to be Houston, as they lost another game to a team they should have beaten. Meanwhile, Miami (OH) gets a win in the battle of winless teams, while Penn State survives their worst offensive game of the tournament thus far. Fortunately, the defense stepped up as the Nittany Lions won in the battle of unbeaten.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Standings after 3 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Penn State 3-0 (+82)
California 2-1 (+25)
N.C. State 2-1 (+1)
New Mexico 2-1 (-14)
Miami (OH) 1-2 (-4)
Houston 1-2 (-6)
Mississippi State 1-2 (-24)
Texas State 0-3 (-60)

No surprise to see Penn State leading the way. I figured Houston would make a better showing than they have so far. Kind of interesting to see Miami (OH) and Houston having a better point differential than New Mexico, especially when the Lobos have 2 wins already and the other teams only have 1. All that really mean is that the margin of New Mexico's loss was greater than the margin of the 2 losses that Miami (OH) and Houston each have. Still gotta win the games, because a 1 point win holds more weight than a 1 point loss.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group E

Week 4

Penn State- 34, Mississippi State- 17
N.C. State- 38, Miami (OH)- 16
Houston- 29, New Mexico- 17
California- 49, Texas State- 0

A nice statement game for Cal. Even though it was against one of the worst teams in NCAA football, they still pitched a shutout which is impressive no matter who it's against. Houston rights the ship, for now.

Week 5

Penn State- 35, Miami (OH)- 33
Mississippi State- 18, Houston- 10
N.C. State- 41, California- 34
New Mexico- 27, Texas State- 13

What a game between Penn State and Miami (OH). The Nittany Lions trailed by 14 points twice but rallied to take the lead. Down 8 points late, Miami (OH) got a 10 yard TD run from Spencer McInnis with 51 seconds left in the game, but couldn't convert the 2 point attempt, so they still trailed by 2. Penn State recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock to stay undefeated in what wasn't expect to be a test, but was. Houston continues their up and down streak, losing again to fall under .500 while N.C. State gets a big win against Cal, all but putting Penn State in the drivers seat to win the group.

Week 6

Penn State- 41, Houston- 38 (3 OT)
California- 34, Miami (OH)- 24
Mississippi State- 24, Texas State- 10
N.C. State- 55, New Mexico- 14

Another instant classic for the Nittany Lions, who keep hanging on by a thread, literally. The Cougars forced overtime after a Mulbah Car 4 yard TD run with 20 seconds left in the game. This was Car's only carry of the game, and it came at a huge time. After both teams scored the TD + 1 in the first 2 OTs, the Penn State defense came up huge, forcing a Houston fumble as the Cougars started with the ball in the 3rd OT. This was all Penn State kicker Tyler Davis needed, as he booted a 36 yard FG to win the game, keep the Nittany Lions undefeated, and all but eliminate the Cougars from this World Cup. N.C. State made a statement of their own, pounding the Lobos to clinch 2nd place in this group. Meanwhile, Mississippi State beat winless Texas State to stay alive, and Cal also won, helping their chances to advance.

-------------------------------------------------------

Standings after 6 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Penn State 6-0 (+104)
N.C. State 5-1 (+71)
California 4-2 (+77)
New Mexico 3-3 (-53)
Mississippi State 3-3 (-19)
Houston 2-4 (-5)
Miami (OH) 1-5 (-38)
Texas State 0-6 (-137)

Week 7 Schedule

California vs. Penn State
Texas State vs. Houston
Miami (OH) vs. New Mexico
Mississippi State vs. N.C. State

Penn State has clinched the Group E title. Even if Cal beats them and N.C. State beats Mississippi State, Penn State handed the Wolfpack their only loss so far, so they own that tiebreaker. Same thing with N.C. State and Cal. If Cal wins and N.C. State loses, N.C. State would still finish second on a head to head tiebreaker. So.. the first 2 seeds in this group are locked up, and we have 3 teams battling for 3rd and 4th place. Cal will lock up their spot in the round of 64 by beating Penn State, no easy task. Mississippi State also has an unenviable task as well, needing to beat a very hot N.C. State squad. New Mexico is licking their chops as they get the best possible deal, going up against Miami (OH). It's quite possible that we could have a 3 team tiebreaker, as I expect Cal to lose to Penn State. It's also just as possible for a 2 team tiebreaker. We'll see what the cards hold. Houston, Miami (OH), and Texas State are just playing for pride at this point, all 3 having been officially eliminated.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group E

Week 7

California- 34, Penn State- 12
Houston- 34, Texas State- 3
New Mexico- 27, Miami (OH)- 25
N.C. State- 38, Mississippi State- 20

Wow! Did not expect that Cal result. Penn State must have rested their starters or something. That loss will definitely knock them down a few seeds. Good for Cal though, as they clinch a spot, and although it wouldn't have mattered with Mississippi State losing, New Mexico needed a failed 2 point conversion from Miami (OH) to escape with a victory. Houston finishes on a good note, while Miami (OH) and Texas State bring up the rear.

---------------------------------------------------

Final Group E standings, with point differential in parenthesis:

#1- Penn State 6-1 (+82)
#2- N.C. State 6-1 (+89)
#3- California 5-2 (+99)
#4- New Mexico 4-3 (-51)
#5- Mississippi State 3-4 (-37)
#6- Houston 3-4 (+26)
#7- Miami (OH) 1-6 (-40)
#8- Texas State 0-7 (-168)

That loss to Cal is going to knock Penn State down quite a few seeds. Not only did it ruin a chance to go undefeated in group play, but as of now, of the 3 teams that won their group with a 6-1 record, they have the smallest point differential. N.C. State is in good position with their 6-1 record, and Cal is a good bet to finish at the top of all the 3rd place finishers, especially with that point differential. I don't see too many 6-1 teams finishing 3rd place in their group. On the other hand, New Mexico will probably be leading the bottom of the 4th place finishers, especially with that lousy point differential.

Group F will be a few days, as I am off for the next 4 days, so plan on Group F being simmed next Tuesday.

[bbgunn]

Good stuff so far!

[collegesportsfanms]

Group F

#6 Michigan (Big Ten, 7-2, 10-2)
#23 Pittsburgh (ACC, 5-3, 8-4)
Arkansas State (Sun Belt, 7-1, 8-5)
Cincinnati (American, 1-7, 4-8)
Colorado State (Mountain West, 5-3, 7-5)
Missouri (SEC, 2-6, 4-8)
Oregon (Pac 12, 2-7, 4-8)
Southern Miss (Conference USA, 4-4, 7-6)

--------------------------------------------------------

Week 1

Michigan- 38, Southern Miss- 16
Pittsburgh- 38, Oregon- 17
Arkansas State- 22, Missouri- 17
Colorado State- 29, Cincinnati- 28

A 21 point 2nd quarter all but sealed this one for the Wolverines. Pitt surprisingly has no trouble with Oregon, I kinda thought maybe this would be a redemption game for the Ducks, but I guess not. Although record wise, it really isn't, I consider Arkansas State beating Missouri an upset, and Colorado State scored twice in the last 5 minutes, both touchdowns, with the final one coming with 5 seconds left, to overcome a 28-16 deficit and stun Cincinnati.

Week 2

Oregon- 31, Michigan- 24
Southern Miss- 37, Missouri- 24
Pittsburgh- 38, Colorado State- 21
Arkansas State- 30, Cincinnati- 14

Unbelievable! The Ducks get walloped by Pitt, but somehow recover to stun Michigan. This has the makings of a wild group. That was the closest game this week, as the rest were double digit wins. Pitt continues to put up the points, and Arkansas State continues to surprise, at least they are surprising me.

Week 3

Michigan- 50, Missouri- 31
Colorado State- 49, Oregon- 48
Southern Miss- 24, Cincinnati- 20
Arkansas State- 27, Pittsburgh- 23

Another week of stunners, as Arkansas State continues to roll, beating 3 teams I really thought they'd struggle with. The Wolverines get back in control of things, hammering a hapless Missouri defense. Southern Miss got out to a 21-0 lead and held on to beat Cincinnati. The meltdown of the week, and probably the tournament to this point, has to go to Oregon though. They led Colorado State 41-14 at halftime, but the Rams dominated the 2nd half, outscoring the Ducks 35-7. The comeback was complete when Dalyn Dawkins got a 3 yard TD run with 1:25 left. The defense held, and Oregon left the field wondering what the heck just happened.

--------------------------------------------

Standings after 3 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Arkansas State 3-0 (+25)
Michigan 2-1 (+34)
Pittsburgh 2-1 (+34)
Southern Miss 2-1 (-5)
Colorado State 2-1 (-15)
Oregon 1-2 (-15)
Cincinnati 0-3 (-21)
Missouri 0-3 (-37)

Anybody else surprised to still see Arkansas State undefeated, and Michigan with a loss already? I for sure am. Not just Michigan, but both the Wolverines and Pitt have lost already. I was pretty confident they could both get through undefeated until they had to play each other. That Oregon collapse could be monumental, let's see how it effects them the rest of this group. Cincinnati and Missouri continue to struggle, looking for their first win. Ironically, they play each other in Week 4, so one of them will get that win very soon.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group F

Week 4

Michigan- 25, Colorado State- 20
Missouri- 45, Cincinnati- 16
Oregon- 34, Arkansas State- 31
Pittsburgh- 51, Southern Miss- 17

In what continues to be one of the most unpredictable groups, the Wolverines struggled this week, getting down 14-3 and having to rely on a Wilton Speight to Ty Isaac 17 yard TD pass with 43 seconds left to escape with the victory. Oregon was involved in another 2nd half collapse, but this time they benefited from it. The Ducks fell behind 28-0 after 1 quarter, but played stellar defense the last 3 quarters, getting a 19 yard Aiden Schneider FG at the buzzer to hand Arkansas State their first loss. Meanwhile, Pitt got the offense going again, pounding Southern Miss.

Week 5

Michigan- 33, Cincinnati- 9
Arkansas State- 24, Colorado State- 21
Missouri- 30, Pittsburgh- 23
Southern Miss- 45, Oregon- 38 (OT)

You really have to feel for Oregon. I mean really. For the 3rd straight week, they were involved in a 2nd half collapse, and once again, they were on the wrong end of it. They jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the 2nd quarter, but Southern Miss fought back, sending the game to OT with a 49 yard FG from Parker Shaunfield. The Ducks couldn't score in OT, and a 4 yard TD run by Ito Smith completed the comeback for the Golden Eagles and had the Ducks once again saying, what if. Meanwhile, Missouri is starting to get hot, as they get a 37 yard Ish Witter TD run with 18 seconds left to stun Pitt, and the Wolverines dominate Cincinnati, keeping them winless.

Week 6

Michigan- 45, Arkansas State- 3
Pittsburgh- 29, Cincinnati- 14
Colorado State- 66, Southern Miss- 28
Oregon- 49, Missouri- 42

Another crazy week, as the Wolverines completely destroyed Arkansas State in a battle of 1 loss teams, while Colorado State also kept their chances alive by atoning for over 700 yards of offense in a 38 point whoopin of Southern Miss. Pitt got by old Big East rival Cincinnati, while Oregon won a shootout in a battle of the 2 teams most looking for redemption in this tournament, leaving Week 7 wide open.

Standings after 6 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Michigan 5-1 (+105)
Arkansas State 4-2 (-17)
Pittsburgh 4-2 (+76)
Colorado State 3-3 (+15)
Oregon 3-3 (-12)
Southern Miss 3-3 (-70)
Missouri 2-4 (-8)
Cincinnati 0-6 (-89)

Week 7 Schedule

Pittsburgh vs. Michigan
Southern Miss vs. Arkansas State
Cincinnati vs. Oregon
Colorado State vs. Missouri

Believe it or not, Michigan is the only team to have clinched advancement into the Round of 64. Cincinnati is eliminated, and the other 6 schools still have life. Even Missouri, at 2-4, still has a chance, but A LOT of things would have to go right for them to advance. The Wolverines still need to beat Pitt to clinch the group, while Pitt is hoping to beat Michigan and have Arkansas State lose. If that were to happen, Pitt would own the head to head tiebreaker over Michigan. If Pitt beats Michigan and Arkansas State beats Southern Miss, then we would have a 3 way tie for 1st place with 3 teams at 4-2, and all having went 1-1 against each other, it would go to point differential. There is where Arkansas State is in a tough position with their negative point differential, they would need to win by about 100. Not gonna happen, so simply put, the Michigan-Pitt winner ultimately will win this group. Missouri MUST beat Colorado State and then have Oregon and Southern Miss lose as well, that's the only chance they have. Arkansas State clinches advancement with a win. Lots of scenarios that could play out, and the way this group has unfolded so far, probably will.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group F

Week 7

Michigan- 19, Pittsburgh- 3
Southern Miss- 61, Arkansas State- 53 (4 OT)
Oregon- 45, Cincinnati- 37
Colorado State- 30, Missouri- 3

So the Wolverines take care of business, holding Pitt to just over 250 yards in a group clinching win. Oregon holds off Cincinnati as the Bearcats finish winless, while Colorado State has no trouble with the Tigers. The game of the week saw 7 lead changes and 4 overtimes, as neither team could gain an advantage over the other. In the end, Southern Miss prevailed to cap off a wild, wild week and a wild, wild group.

---------------------------------------------------------

Final Group F standings, with point differential in parenthesis:

After that loss to Oregon, the Wolverines end up winning the group easily. Now, that leaves 5 teams at 4-3, fighting for 3 spots. So guess what, tiebreaker galore coming up. We would first need to eliminate 2 teams, starting with the lowest ranked team. So I figured the records for head to head amongst the 5 teams, and Oregon, with those 2 embarrassing collapses, falls short with a 1-3 mark, while the other 4 teams were either 2-2 or 3-1. So Oregon finishes 6th in the group. Now we still needed to eliminate 1 more team, so we put the 4 teams together head to head against the 3 other teams. Arkansas State and Pitt were 2-1 against the others, while Colorado State and Southern Miss were 1-2. So that meant we went to point differential, and Southern Miss had the lowest point differential, so they are eliminated. Now we get to do it again for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place. 3 teams, head to head against the other 2 teams. Colorado State lost to both Pitt and Arkansas State, so they get the 4th seed out of this group. And since Arkansas State beat Pitt, they take 2nd, the Panthers take 3rd. Whew, what a mess, but when it is all said and done, these are the final standings for Group F:

#1- Michigan 6-1 (+124)
#2- Arkansas State 4-3 (-25)
#3- Pittsburgh 4-3 (+57)
#4- Colorado State 4-3 (+42)
#5- Southern Miss 4-3 (-62)
#6- Oregon 4-3 (-4)
#7- Missouri 2-5 (-35)
#8- Cincinnati 0-7 (97)

Not really surprised to see the Wolverines run through this group like they did. I think they got totally shafted in the real CFP (but hey, that's another matter). I was just waiting for the group that was so messed up that I would need a million tiebreakers to figure it out, and I got one today with this group. Gotta feel for Oregon. Take away those 2 games where they completely collapsed, with being the only team to beat Michigan, they would have won the group. As it stands, now they are on the outside looking in. Well, my brain is completely fried now, I'm still not 100% sure I'm applying the tiebreakers as they should truly be applied, but screw it. It's close enough. Next group coming up tomorrow.

[tgray649]

Good stuff. How did you determine your pools?

[collegesportsfanms]

Good stuff. How did you determine your pools?

Basically I placed the top 16 teams per the final CFP standings as the top teams in each group, then for the rest, I just went conference by conference, using a random dice roller to place the rest of the teams in a group, making sure there was no more than 1 member of each conference in a group.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group G

#7 Oklahoma (Big 12, 9-0, 10-2)
Georgia Southern (Sun Belt, 4-4, 5-7)
Iowa (Big Ten, 6-3, 8-4)
North Texas (Conference USA, 3-5, 5-7)
Notre Dame (Independents, NA, 4-8)
Texas A&M (SEC, 4-4, 8-4)
Utah State (Mountain West, 1-7, 3-9)
Wake Forest (ACC, 3-5, 6-6)

--------------------------------------------------

Week 1

Oklahoma- 73, Wake Forest- 7
Utah State- 45, Georgia Southern- 12
Iowa- 29, Texas A&M- 23
Notre Dame- 37, North Texas- 0

Lots of blowouts this week, with Notre Dame shutting out N. Texas, getting the first shoutout of this group. Did not see Oklahoma beating Wake Forest by 66 points. That's crazy. Iowa/Texas A&M didn't disappoint, but for the most part, the Hawkeyes even dominated in that game.

Week 2

Oklahoma- 40, Utah State- 17
Texas A&M- 30, Wake Forest- 6
Notre Dame- 69, Georgia Southern- 22
Iowa- 34, North Texas- 13

Another week full of blowouts, as we are quickly separating the pretenders from the contenders in this group. Notre Dame had over 600 yards of offense in their pasting of GA Southern. North Texas looked like they were going to be shutout again until rallying to score 13 late points, against Iowa's 2nd and 3rd string defense of course. A&M gets on the winning side and Oklahoma is making a strong case for the overall #1 seed early on.

Week 3

Texas A&M- 45, Oklahoma- 24
Notre Dame- 50, Utah State- 17
North Texas- 17, Wake Forest- 13
Iowa- 36, Georgia Southern- 14

The Aggies pull the first upset (albeit a mild one) of this tournament, blanking the Sooners in the 2nd half to break open a 24-24 halftime tie and get themselves right back into contention. The Irish continue to roll, and now they are making a case for the overall #1 seed. Iowa stays undefeated, and North Texas gets their first win of group play by in a defensive struggle.

--------------------------------------------------

Standings after 3 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Notre Dame 3-0 (+114)
Iowa 3-0 (+49)
Texas A&M 2-1 (+39)
Oklahoma 2-1 (+68)
Utah State 1-2 (-23)
North Texas 1-2 (-54)
Wake Forest 0-3 (-94)
Georgia Southern 0-3 (-99)

So the 2 undefeated teams still have to play each other and while Iowa has the edge on Notre Dame based on the fact they've already beaten Texas A&M, neither of these teams have an easy path in the last 4 weeks. Notre Dame won their games that they were supposed to win, but still have to do battle with Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and Iowa. I feel like there is still a major separation between the top 4 teams and bottom 4 teams in this group though.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group G

Week 4

Oklahoma- 52, Notre Dame- 31
Texas A&M- 35, North Texas- 14
Iowa- 26, Utah State- 21
Georgia Southern- 38, Wake Forest- 23

No big surprise to see the Fighting Irish lose when they have to battle a tough opponent, it's been kind of their theme the last few seasons. Iowa is now the only undefeated team in this group, but they had to hang on against a scrappy Utah State team. Wake Forest continues to disappoint, as they are still winless, and Texas A&M wins the battle of the 2 Texas schools rather handily.

Week 5

Oklahoma- 30, North Texas- 20
Iowa- 20, Notre Dame- 13
Texas A&M- 37, Georgia Southern- 24
Utah State- 35, Wake Forest- 13

It took the Sooners a while to wake up in this one as they fell behind 14-0 in the 1st Quarter, but they finally got it together to escape what would have been a disastrous loss. After being held in check for almost 55 minutes of this game, Iowa finally found some offense, scoring 2 TDs in the last 4 minutes of the game to stun the Irish and stay undefeated. Texas A&M continues to roll, and Wake Forest continues to suck.

Week 6

Iowa- 41, Oklahoma- 20
Georgia Southern- 23, North Texas- 20
Notre Dame- 23, Wake Forest- 8
Utah State- 41, Texas A&M- 38

A lot of surprises this week, as Iowa clinches the group title by pounding Oklahoma, and Utah State stays alive for possible advancement by stunning Texas A&M in a game which saw 6 lead changes. The final lead change came when Utah State's Kent Myers hit LaJuan hunt for a 9 yard TD pass with just over 2 minutes to go. The Irish keep Wake Forest winless, and GA Southern gets a who cares win in a meaningless game over North Texas.

-----------------------------------------------------

Standings after 6 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Iowa 6-0 (+81)
Notre Dame 4-2 (+101)
Oklahoma 4-2 (+78)
Texas A&M 4-2 (+70)
Utah State 3-3 (-2)
Georgia Southern 2-4 (-94)
North Texas 1-5 (-88)
Wake Forest 0-6 (-146)

Week 7 Schedule

Georgia Southern vs. Oklahoma
Wake Forest vs. Iowa
North Texas vs. Utah State
Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M

We know that Iowa has won the group, and should beat Wake Forest to finish the group undefeated and earn a fairly high seed in the Round of 64. Even if Wake pulls the upset, the Hawkeyes would still be a top 16 seed. Then we have some drama. Not much, but a bit. Utah State still has life because either Notre Dame or Texas A&M will fall to 4-3. First, Utah State needs to do their part by beating North Texas, which won't be quite as easy as it sounds. If they lose to North Texas, nothing else matters. However, if they win, then they will be pulling for the Irish to beat Texas A&M. If that happens, Utah State would be in by virtue of head to head tiebreaker. Even if Utah State wins, it won't matter if Texas A&M beats Notre Dame, because the Irish hold the head to head tiebreaker over Utah State.

As for 2nd place, we're just going to assume that Oklahoma runs all over Georgia Southern, which means we'd have a 2 way tie for 2nd place. If Oklahoma wins and Notre Dame wins, Oklahoma would take 2nd on a head to head tiebreaker. If Oklahoma wins and Texas A&M wins, then Texas A&M would take 2nd based on head to head tiebreaker. In the rare case that Utah State wins and Oklahoma loses, now we're looking at a 3 way tiebreaker for 3rd place, but the chances of that happening have to be less than 1%. Then again, stranger things have happened.

[collegesportsfanms]

Week 7 is going to be delayed for a few hours as I have to get to a meeting, but I'll have it done sometime this afternoon.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group G

Week 7

Oklahoma- 28, Georgia Southern- 23
Iowa- 23, Wake Forest- 6
Utah State- 24, North Texas- 13
Texas A&M- 54, Notre Dame- 29

Wow! Oklahoma needed 2 late field goals to survive against Georgia Southern, but they got it done to safely advance to the round of 64. Iowa again struggles offensively, but plays good enough defense to get through the group undefeated. Utah State does their part to advance by beating North Texas, but Texas A&M completely obliterated Notre Dame, and Utah State knows that means their tournament is over.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Final Group G standings, with point differential in parenthesis:

#1- Iowa 7-0 (+98)
#2- Texas A&M 5-2 (+95)
#3- Oklahoma 5-2 (+83)
#4- Notre Dame 4-3 (+76)
#5- Utah State 4-3 (+9)
#6- Georgia Southern 2-5 (-99)
#7- North Texas 1-6 (-99)
#8- Wake Forest 0-7 (-163)

Another surprising group, as Iowa goes through undefeated. The 7-0 mark will earn them a high seed, but there are a couple other undefeated teams that have much higher point differentials. Texas A&M wins the head to head tiebreaker with Oklahoma, so the Aggies get 2nd place and Oklahoma slides to 3rd. Notre Dame wins the head to head tiebreaker with Utah State, so the Irish qualify as the 4th team out of Group G, and Utah State is eliminated, but what a gutsy effort. This group played out kind of like I thought it would, with the big 4 teams advancing, but I'm most disappointed in Wake Forest, who couldn't even figure out a way to win against teams like GA Southern and North Texas. Very disappointing.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group H

#8 Wisconsin (Big Ten, 7-2, 10-3)
Georgia Tech (ACC, 4-4, 8-4)
Middle Tennessee (Conference USA, 5-3, 8-4)
Ole Miss (SEC, 2-6, 5-7)
South Alabama (Sun Belt, 2-6, 6-6)
San Jose State (Mountain West, 3-5, 4-8)
Toledo (MAC, 6-2, 9-4)
UMass (Independents, NA, 2-10)

-----------------------------------------------------------

Week 1

Wisconsin- 30, UMass- 29 (2 OT)
Georgia Tech- 23, Toledo- 20
Middle Tennessee- 47, San Jose State- 24
Ole Miss- 37, South Alabama- 14

We almost had the upset of the tournament in the Wisconsin/UMass game, as the Minutemen hung tough the entire game, matching score for score with the Badgers. The difference was in the 2nd OT though. UMass got the ball first and scored the TD, but UMass kicker Logan Laurent missed the XP on what looked to be a bad snap. Wisconsin got their chance and got in the end zone, so it all came down to the extra point, which Wisconsin kicker Andrew Endicott put straight through the uprights in a heartbreaker for UMass. The GA Tech/Toledo game was also an instant classic, as GA Tech kicker Harrison Butker made a 20 yard FG as time expired. The other 2 games.. not so good.

Week 2

Wisconsin- 49, Toledo- 45
San Jose State- 22, UMass- 21
Georgia Tech- 45, South Alabama- 40 (4 OT)
Middle Tennessee- 41, Ole Miss- 23

This is definitely the group for Instant Classics. 3 of the 4 games this week were decided by 5 points or less. The 2nd close scare in a row for the Badgers, who led by 19 at one point, but needed a Corey Clement 2 yard TD run with 44 seconds left to secure the victory. San Jose State also got a last minute TD to beat UMass, while GA Tech and South Alabama needed 4 OTs to decide their game. This coming after the teams literally matched each other score for score, until South Alabama had to settle for a FG in the 4th OT. On a side note, I hate the fact that What If Sports has the teams go for unnecessary XP or 2 point conversions when the game has already been won. Case it point, GA Tech going for 2 after they had won the game in the 4th OT. But that's what WIS does, so guess what? I'm going to acknowledge it in the point differential, so as not to confuse myself.

Week 3

Wisconsin- 45, San Jose State- 6
Toledo- 36, South Alabama- 23
Ole Miss- 55, UMass- 9
Georgia Tech- 33, Middle Tennessee- 24

This week was the complete opposite of Week 2, as 3 of the 4 games were blowouts. Only the GA Tech/Mid Tenn. game was close, but even in that game, the Yellow Jackets led from start to finish.

----------------------------------------------------------

Standings after 3 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Wisconsin 3-0 (+44)
Georgia Tech 3-0 (+17)
Ole Miss 2-1 (+51)
Middle Tennessee 2-1 (+32)
Toledo 1-2 (+6)
San Jose State 1-2 (-61)
South Alabama 0-3 (-41)
UMass 0-3 (-48)

[collegesportsfanms]

Group H

Week 4

Wisconsin- 20, South Alabama- 17
Ole Miss- 36, San Jose State- 16
Middle Tennessee- 40, Toledo- 38
Georgia Tech- 26, UMass- 24

More exciting games this week. For the 2nd week in this group, GA Tech needed a FG from Harrison Butker as time expired to get the win. Middle Tennessee was down by 10 at halftime but outscored Toledo 23-7 in the 3rd quarter then had to get a stop on a 2 point conversion attempt to secure their win. Wisconsin also needed a late FG to stay undefeated. Ole Miss again delivered another blowout, as they are owning the point differential, but do have that loss going against them.

Week 5

Ole Miss- 28, Wisconsin- 27
Middle Tennessee- 34, South Alabama- 27
Georgia Tech- 40, San Jose State- 6
UMass- 36, Toledo- 29

It was only a matter of time before Wisconsin's luck ran out, and it did so against Ole Miss, as Chad Kelly got a 14 yard TD run with just over 2 minutes to go, and the Rebel defense held strong, handing the Badgers their first loss. Toledo continues to be the most disappointing team in this group, as they were down 24-3 against UMass at one point. GA Tech and Mid. Tenn. held strong, as the 4 advancing teams from this group are already decided with 2 weeks to go.

Week 6

Middle Tennessee- 44, Wisconsin- 20
Georgia Tech- 51, Ole Miss- 38
South Alabama- 34, UMass- 21
Toledo- 38, San Jose State- 6

Not much excitement in Week 6, as all 4 winners ended up winning by double digits. Georgia Tech stays undefeated and has actually clinched the Group H title with their win this week. And what has gotten into Wisconsin. Another subpar outing as they got rocked by a hot Mid. Tenn. team. Toledo gets back on track, but it's much too late.

---------------------------------------------------

Standings after 6 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Georgia Tech 6-0 (+66)
Middle Tennessee 5-1 (+65)
Ole Miss 4-2 (+59)
Wisconsin 4-2 (+22)
Toledo 2-4 (+29)
South Alabama 1-5 (-38)
UMass 1-5 (-56)
San Jose State 1-5 (-147)

Week 7 Schedule

Georgia Tech vs. Wisconsin
UMass vs. Middle Tennessee
Ole Miss vs. Toledo
South Alabama vs. San Jose State

- As mentioned earlier, GA Tech has already clinched the group. Even if they lose to Wisconsin and Mid. Tenn. beats UMass, the Yellow Jackets own the head to head against Mid. Tenn. by beating them in Week 3. Also, Middle Tennessee has beaten both Ole Miss and Wisconsin, so they are locked into 2nd place no matter what happens. Even if they lose and Ole Miss and Wisconsin both win, Mid. Tenn. will own the head to head 3 team tiebreaker. So it's really a battle between Ole Miss and Wisconsin for 3rd. And Ole Miss owns that head to head tiebreaker, so the only real drama in this group is.. will GA tech beat Wisconsin to go undefeated in group play, and if Wisconsin beats GA Tech, will Toledo beat Ole Miss to jump Wisconsin to 3rd place in the group? Other than that, it's a pretty meaningless week.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group H

Week 7

Georgia Tech- 32, Wisconsin- 24
Middle Tennessee- 28, UMass- 27
Toledo- 43, Ole Miss- 38
South Alabama- 36, San Jose State- 18

So the Yellow Jackets get it done, putting Wisconsin into a tailspin at the end of group play, while going undefeated themselves. Mid. Tenn. rallied from being down 27-14, but got the win to get 2nd place in Group H. Too little, too late for Toledo, who won their last 2 games but it was moot at that point. Even against Ole Miss, they jumped out to a 36-7 halftime lead and had to hang on. South Alabama takes care of business in their win over San Jose State.

---------------------------------------------------------

Final Group H standings, with point differential in parenthesis:

#1- Georgia Tech 7-0 (+73)
#2- Middle Tennessee 6-1 (+66)
#3- Ole Miss 4-3 (+54)
#4- Wisconsin 4-3 (+15)
#5- Toledo 3-4 (+34)
#6- South Alabama 2-5 (-20)
#7- San Jose State 1-6 (-165)
#8- UMass 1-6 (-57)

Another surprising group winner, as GA Tech becomes the 4th team in 8 groups to go undefeated. On the other side of things, Wisconsin is the 3rd ranked team and group favorite to finish 4th in their group, so there are going to be some interesting Round of 64 games. Ole Miss beat Wisconsin by 1 to win the tiebreaker for 3rd place. Not that it matters, but San Jose State beat UMass to win that tiebreaker for 7th place, despite the -165 point differential. Poor Toledo, they finally figured it out in their last 2 games, but it was the bad losses to teams like UMass, and the oh so close games against GA Tech and Wisconsin that are keeping them out of the Round of 64.

We're halfway through group play, and there have been some major, major surprises so far.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group I

#9 USC (Pac 12, 7-2, 9-3)
#25 Navy (American, 7-1, 9-4)
Buffalo (MAC, 1-7, 2-10)
Charlotte (Conference USA, 3-5, 4-8)
Northwestern (Big Ten, 5-4, 6-6)
South Carolina (SEC, 3-5, 6-6)
UL Lafayette (Sun Belt, 5-3, 6-7)
Virginia (ACC, 1-7, 2-10)

--------------------------------------------

Week 1

USC- 48, Virginia- 24
UL Lafayette- 28, Navy- 27
South Carolina- 28, Buffalo- 14
Northwestern- 19, Charlotte- 14

The Trojans rolled over Virginia by amassing over 600 yards of total offense. Meanwhile, UL Lafayette shocks Navy, building a lead as big as 13 in the first half. Despite that, they still had to rally at the end, getting a 10 yard TD pass from Anthony Jennings to Elijah McGuire to steal a victory. Northwestern also needed a late comeback to win, getting a 25 yard Justin Jackson TD run with just 30 seconds left. The Gamecocks handled Buffalo in an uneventful game.

Week 2

USC- 41, UL Lafayette- 7
South Carolina- 34, Virginia- 28
Northwestern- 31, Navy- 13
Charlotte- 17, Buffalo- 14

No upset this week for UL Lafayette, as the Trojans demolished them. However, Navy is already in a hole as Northwestern took care of business. South Carolina also stays undefeated early on, and Charlotte gets their first win of group play in a good defensive battle.

Week 3

USC- 38, South Carolina- 29
Northwestern- 30, UL Lafayette- 7
Virginia- 37, Charlotte- 14
Navy- 13, Buffalo- 10

Not much adventure this week, as we had 2 blowouts, plus our top ranked teams struggle to victories.

Standings after 3 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

USC 3-0 (+67)
Northwestern 3-0 (+46)
South Carolina 2-1 (+11)
Virginia 1-2 (-7)
Navy 1-2 (-16)
Charlotte 1-2 (-25)
UL Lafayette 1-2 (-56)
Buffalo 0-3 (-20)

No surprise to see the Trojans on top of the standings, but I really expected Navy to be right there behind them. They are definitely the most disappointing team so far, with 2 upset losses and an uninspiring win against a winless Buffalo. Already a logjam for that final spot, but unless something changes, that top spot seems to be USC's to lose.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group I

Week 4

USC- 48, Northwestern- 23
South Carolina- 28, Charlotte- 20
Buffalo- 20, UL Lafayette- 7
Navy- 27, Virginia- 0

The battle between undefeated teams was good for 1 half, but the Trojans outscored Northwestern 27-3 in the 2nd half to take a convincing win. Meanwhile South Carolina scores late to get by Charlotte, and UL Lafayette has lost 3 straight after upsetting Navy to open group play. Speaking of Navy, they seem to be getting it figured out, as they shutout the Cavaliers, holding them to just 43 yards rushing and 220 yards overall.

Week 5

USC- 41, Charlotte- 0
Northwestern- 37, Buffalo- 16
South Carolina- 24, Navy- 19
Virginia- 27, UL Lafayette- 13

The Trojans match Navy's shutout win in Week 4 with one of their own. The offense was better, but USC's defense gave up more yards in their shutout. Spoke too soon about Navy, as they drop another one, and makes it almost a given that USC, Northwestern, and South Carolina will be the top 3 teams in this group. Virginia continues to put UL Lafayette in a deep hole, and Northwestern takes care of business. Pretty uneventful week other than the South Carolina/Navy game.

Week 6

USC- 59, Buffalo- 13
Charlotte- 29, Navy- 27
Northwestern- 40, Virginia- 37 (2 OT)
South Carolina- 17, UL Lafayette- 10

The Trojans were phenomenal in this one, pitching a shutout until the 4th quarter. They led 49-0 after 3 quarters, then put some 3rd and 4th string players in. Buffalo scored 13 in the quarter, but even the 3rd string offense for USC managed 10 points in the quarter. The upset of the group came when Charlotte stunned Navy when Hasaan Klug found T.L Ford in the end zone with no time left to absolutely shock and crush the Midshipmen's chances of moving forward. Klug threw 4 TD passes, none bigger than the last one. Northwestern played a classic with Virginia, as neither team led by more than 7 points. In the end, Virginia wasn't able to answer Northwestern's FG in the 3rd OT. South Carolina played more sharp defense in getting the win.

Standings after 6 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

USC 6-0 (+179)
Northwestern 5-1 (+45)
South Carolina 5-1 (+31)
Navy 2-4 (+4)
Virginia 2-4 (-23)
Charlotte 2-4 (-72)
Buffalo 1-5 (-74)
UL Lafayette 1-5 (-90)

Week 7 Schedule

Navy vs. USC
Virginia vs. Buffalo
Charlotte vs. UL Lafayette
Northwestern vs. South Carolina

My goodness, I knew this group would be bad, but I didn't think it would be this bad. We are guaranteed to have a team with a losing record in group play advancing to the Round of 64, as either Navy, Virginia, or Charlotte will be the 4th place team out of this group. USC has won the group already as they've beaten both Northwestern and South Carolina. If they can beat Navy, then they have a very good chance of being the overall #1 seed in the round of 64. The Northwestern/South Carolina winner will finish 2nd in the group, the loser will finish 3rd. As far as 4th place goes, Navy has the toughest chance, as they have to meet undefeated USC. Virginia and Charlotte have much easier games. In the event that all 3 of those teams win, or all 3 lose, then we'll have to go to the point differential tiebreaker as they all went 1-1 against each other in group play. This might be the first time in all of the groups that all 4 Week 7 games actually do matter for seeding and advancement purposes.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group I

Week 7

USC- 38, Navy- 28
Virginia- 38, Buffalo- 28
Charlotte- 20, UL Lafayette- 7
Northwestern- 34, South Carolina- 30 (OT)

This week's theme: Fast starts and 4th quarter comebacks. It took a huge 4th quarter comeback, but the Trojans fought back from 28-16 down to score 22 unanswered points, finish group play undefeated, and likely make Navy the first top 25 team not to advance to the Round of 64. Unbelievable! Virginia scored the games first 24 points to beat Buffalo, while Charlotte held UL Lafayette to just over 200 yards in their win. Northwestern also had to come from behind, as they trailed 27-17 early in the 4th quarter, but rallied to force OT, hold Carolina to a FG, and got the winning TD on a Justin Jackson 12 yard TD run.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Final Group I standings, with point differential in parenthesis:

#1- USC 7-0 (+189)
#2- Northwestern 6-1 (+49)
#3- South Carolina 5-2 (+27)
#4- Virginia 3-4 (-13)
#5- Charlotte 3-4 (-59)
#6- Navy 2-5 (-6)
#7- Buffalo 1-6 (-84)
#8- UL Lafayette 1-6 (-103)

So USC does what they needed to do, and that point differential has them sitting with a very, very good chance to be the overall #1 seed in the Round of 64. Unfortunately, on the other end, Virginia, with their losing record, is almost a certainty to be the #64 seed, which gives us a rematch in the 1/64 game. I was hoping to avoid any group rematches in the Round of 64, but if that's the way the seedings play out, so be it. Virginia gets the 4th spot out of this group by winning the head to head tiebreaker, as they beat Charlotte handily back in Week 3. I never expected that the possible 1 and 64 seeds would both come from the same group, which just shows how crazy this group really was. Poor Navy. Too many upset losses, they just couldn't get it together, and they will become the first (and quite possibly only) top 25 team not to reach the Round of 64.

Group J next, and it also features 2 top 25 teams. As we've seen already, anything can happen.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group J

#10 Colorado (Pac 12, 8-1, 10-3)
#24 Temple (American, 7-1, 10-3)
Arkansas (SEC, 3-5, 7-5)
FIU (Conference USA, 4-4, 4-8)
Hawaii (Mountain West, 4-4, 6-7)
Indiana (Big Ten, 4-5, 6-6)
Kent State (MAC, 2-6, 3-9)
Miami (FL) (ACC, 5-3, 8-4)

------------------------------------------------------

Week 1

Miami (FL)- 27, Colorado- 26
Temple- 46, Kent State- 12
Arkansas- 36, Indiana- 10
Hawaii- 45, FIU- 30

A big game to open up play in Group J, as the Hurricanes came from 16 points down to score the winning TD with 3 minutes to go, putting Colorado in a jam early. That was the only good game in week 1 though, as the rest were blowouts.

Week 2

Colorado- 29, Kent State- 3
Miami (FL)- 40, Indiana- 25
Temple- 33, Hawaii- 11
Arkansas- 41, FIU- 31

The Buffs get their first win of group play, forcing 3 turnovers in this one, as some of those turnovers came at critical times. Kent State was able to move the ball on the ground without much resistance. Arkansas had a much tougher time than expected with FIU, while Temple didn't give up any points until the 4th quarter. The Hurricanes took control of Indiana early, which was good because Indiana played even with them after that.

Week 3

Colorado- 24, Indiana- 17
Hawaii- 19, Kent State- 14
Miami (FL)- 39, FIU- 26
Temple- 23, Arkansas- 21

The Buffaloes continue to play uninspired ball, falling behind Indiana by 8 points in the 4th quarter before rallying back. Hawaii led Kent State from start to finish, and in the game of the week, Temple got an Aaron Boumerhi 55 yard FG with 10 seconds left to stay undefeated and hand Arkansas their first loss in a classic back and forth game.

---------------------------------------------------

Standings after 3 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Temple 3-0 (+58)
Miami (FL) 3-0 (+29)
Arkansas 2-1 (+34)
Colorado 2-1 (+32)
Hawaii 2-1 (-2)
FIU 0-3 (-38)
Indiana 0-3 (-48)
Kent State 0-3 (-65)

So this group is getting some separation already, with 3 teams winless after the first 3 weeks. I see no hope for FIU or Kent State, and Indiana has been run through the gauntlet already with Miami, Colorado, and Arkansas. The Hoosiers should bounce back to get at least 2, maybe 3 wins, and if they can pull an upset against Temple, they might have a chance to advance. There is still going to be a lot of shake-up, as Temple still has to play Miami and Colorado, and Miami still has to play Arkansas, so the top half of this group is going to start to see some changes. Hawaii sitting at 2-1 probably won't last much longer. They still have some tough games coming up.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group J

Week 4

Hawaii- 27, Colorado- 24 (OT)
Indiana- 28, FIU- 14
Arkansas- 38, Kent State- 27
Miami (FL)- 29, Temple- 27

Colorado is in a bit of trouble now, as Hawaii's Rigoberto Sanchez kicked 4 FG's in the game, his last 2 being the biggest. He kicked a 52 yard FG to tie the game at 24 with 32 seconds left and send it to overtime, then kicked a 32 yarder to stun the Buffs. This all after Colorado kicker Chris Graham hit a 44 yarder with just under 2 minutes to go, that gave Colorado a 24-21 win. Now the Buffs find themselves in a bit of a jam. And this week it was Temple that found themselves the victim of a close loss, but to be honest, Miami dominated this game. They led 26-6 entering the 4th quarter when Temple tried to come back, but ran out of time as the Canes survive the battle of the undefeated.

Week 5

Colorado- 37, FIU- 21
Hawaii- 36, Arkansas- 17
Temple- 25, Indiana- 17
Miami (FL)- 43, Kent State- 7

Colorado gets back on the winning way, while Hawaii continues to shock in group play, this time getting by Arkansas. Temple scores the last 15 points of their game against Indiana, while Miami has no trouble with Kent State.

Week 6

Colorado- 41, Arkansas- 24
FIU- 30, Temple- 10
Miami (FL)- 54, Hawaii- 24
Indiana- 27, Kent State- 13

The stunner this week was FIU all over Temple, as they scored 20 2nd half points to put the Owls in a tough spot. The Hurricanes clinch Group J with an impressive win over Hawaii in which they used a very balanced offensive attack. The Buffaloes have gotten it figured out with 2 straight impressive wins, and Indiana gets their 2nd win of group play.

------------------------------------------------------

Standings after 6 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Miami (FL) 6-0 (+97)
Colorado 4-2 (+62)
Temple 4-2 (+44)
Hawaii 4-2 (-10)
Arkansas 3-3 (+9)
Indiana 2-4 (-28)
FIU 1-5 (-48)
Kent State 0-6 (-126)

Week 7 Schedule

Temple vs. Colorado
Miami (FL) vs. Arkansas
FIU vs. Kent State
Hawaii vs. Indiana

Here's what we know, Indiana, FIU, and Kent State are eliminated. Arkansas must find a way to beat Miami to have a chance to advance. The Hurricanes are going for an undefeated run in group play. If Arkansas wins, then they will be tied at 4-3 with the Colorado-Temple loser, and we'll have at least 1 tiebreaker. On the other hand, if Hawaii beats Indiana, they'll be tied at 5-2 with the Colorado-Temple winner. To put it mildly, we should have 1, possibly 2 tiebreakers out of this group, depending on the results.

[collegesportsfanms]

It was brought to my attention by ntndeacon that I had started Group K before I completed Group J. So I've deleted the post with the first 3 weeks of Group K (but don't worry, I copied and saved it so all I'll have to do is paste it back in a new post) and here is Week 7 of Group J

Group J

Week 7

Colorado- 25, Temple- 14
Miami (FL)- 38, Arkansas- 35
FIU- 51, Kent State- 10
Hawaii- 40, Indiana- 30

So Colorado gets the big win over Temple, and Miami gets through the group undefeated thanks to a Michael Badgley 40 yard FG with 12 seconds left. FIU obliterates Kent State and Hawaii gets a nice win.

Final Group J Standings, with point differential in parenthesis:

#1- Miami (FL) 7-0 (+100)
#2- Hawaii 5-2 (0)
#3- Colorado 5-2 (+73)
#4- Temple 4-3 (+33)
#5- Arkansas 3-4 (+6)
#6- Indiana 2-5 (-38)
#7- FIU 2-5 (-7)
#8- Kent State 0-7 (-167)

So Miami gets through undefeated, and Hawaii is the surprise team out of this group, finishing 2nd thanks to a head to head tiebreaker win over Colorado. Both our ranked teams in this group do advance to the Round of 64, but they finished 3rd and 4th place, respectively. Tough luck for Arkansas, who was victimized by that loss to Hawaii. That was probably the only real surprise in this group, Hawaii overtaking Arkansas.

Group K is next, where we take a look at Florida State, who I consider the heavy favorite in the group.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group K

#11 Florida State (ACC, 5-3. 9-3)
Eastern Michigan (MAC, 4-4, 7-5)
Illinois (Big Ten, 2-7, 3-9)
Iowa State (Big 12, 2-7, 3-9)
Oregon State (Pac 12, 3-6, 4-8)
San Diego State (Mountain West, 6-2, 11-3)
Tulsa (American, 6-2, 10-3)
UL Monroe (Sun Belt, 3-5, 4-8)

------------------------------------------------------

Week 1

Florida State- 38. UL Monroe- 3
Eastern Michigan- 24, Tulsa- 21
San Diego State- 42, Illinois- 17
Iowa State- 43, Oregon State- 28

No real surprises in Week 1 of this group. If you could consider anything a surprise, it would be Eastern Michigan beating Tulsa, but Eastern Michigan wasn't a terrible team. Iowa State scored 17 unanswered in the 4th quarter to come back against the Beavers, while Florida State and San Diego State demolished their opponents.

Week 2

Florida State- 35, Tulsa- 15
San Diego State- 55, UL Monroe- 17
Oregon State- 27, Eastern Michigan- 13
Iowa State- 29, Illinois- 24

Only 1 game was really close this week, as Iowa State got a 1 yard Mike Warren TD run with 1:33 left to take the lead over Illinois. The Cyclones failed the 2 point conversion, but with the Illini needing a touchdown, they weren't able to do it, so Iowa State starts group play 2-0! A bit of a surprise to see Oregon State beat Eastern Michigan, and really surprised to see Tulsa at 0-2 already. They've got some work to do.

Week 3

San Diego State- 20, Florida State- 19
Oregon State- 38, Tulsa- 20
Iowa State- 40, UL Monroe- 7
Illinois- 48, Eastern Michigan- 29

More blowouts, except for 1. An exciting one as Florida State got behind early, but couldn't quite complete the comeback as they fall short. Illinois used a 21 point 1st quarter and a 20 point 4th quarter to get their first win of group play, while Oregon State puts Tulsa even farther down, keeping them winless.

Standings after 3 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

San Diego State 3-0 (+64)
Iowa State 3-0 (+53)
Florida State 2-1 (+54)
Oregon State 2-1 (+17)
Illinois 1-2 (-11)
Eastern Michigan 1-2 (-30)
Tulsa 0-3 (-41)
UL Monroe 0-3 (-106)

[collegesportsfanms]

Group K

Week 4

Florida State- 45, Oregon State- 21
Iowa State- 19, San Diego State- 12
Tulsa- 32, Illinois- 21
Eastern Michigan- 55, UL Monroe- 24

The stunner of the week has to be Iowa State, who in reality won 3 games in the 2016 NCAA season, but has already eclipsed that win total in group play here. Jacob Park found Trever Ryen from 11 yards out with just over 2 minutes to go, and the Cyclones' defense got the big stops when they needed to as Iowa State stays undefeated in group play. Florida State and Eastern Michigan take care of business, and Tulsa gets their first win by scoring 16 unanswered to beat Illinois.

Week 5

Florida State- 34, Iowa State- 16
Oregon State- 48, Illinois- 34
Eastern Michigan- 31, San Diego State- 26
UL Monroe- 33, Tulsa- 28

Well, it was a lot to ask for the Cyclones to beat Florida State. It didn't happen. 2 more stunners, as Eastern Michigan hands the Aztecs their second straight loss, while UL Monroe gets their first win of the season and in the process all but eliminates Tulsa's possibility to advance. It wouldn't have happened except for Ben Luckett broke free with a 4 yard TD run with 13 seconds to go to steal the win for UL Monroe.

Week 6

Florida State- 36, Illinois- 20
Iowa State- 63, Eastern Michigan- 26
Oregon State- 34, UL Monroe- 3
San Diego State- 45, Tulsa- 13

This was definitely the week for blowouts. The closest game, surprisingly, was the Florida State game, in which they shut out Illinois in the second half to preserve the victory. Tulsa continues to fall apart in this tournament, making it another 9+ win team that will fail to advance. And how about Iowa State? You think they were mad about that loss to the Seminoles? They amounted over 600 yards of total offense and scored 28 third quarter points to put Eastern Michigan in a win and get help situation in Week 7.

------------------------------------------------------

Standings after 6 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Florida State 5-1 (+112)
Iowa State 5-1 (+79)
San Diego State 4-2 (+84)
Oregon State 4-2 (+38)
Eastern Michigan 3-3 (-31)
Illinois 1-5 (-52)
Tulsa 1-5 (-67)
UL Monroe 1-5 (-163)

Week 7 Schedule

Eastern Michigan vs. Florida State
UL Monroe vs. Illinois
Iowa State vs. Tulsa
Oregon State vs. San Diego State

Obviously the game to watch in Week 7 is the San Diego St.-Oregon St. game. The winner assure themselves of advancement, the loser has to wait and see. We know that Florida State and Iowa State are advancing no matter what, and Illinois, Tulsa, and UL Monroe are eliminated. Eastern Michigan is in the toughest spot. First, they have to find a way to beat Florida State, and if they lost by 37 points to the Cyclones, what the heck is going to happen to them against the Seminoles? Assuming they find a way to pull an upset, they'll need Oregon State to beat San Diego State, because Eastern Michigan holds the head to head tiebreaker over San Diego State, while the Beavers hold the head to head over Eastern Michigan. Simply put, the only way Eastern Michigan can advance is if they upset Florida State and Oregon State beats San Diego State.

All Florida State needs to do to clinch the group title is to beat Eastern Michigan. If they lose and Iowa State wins, then Iowa State would win the group. If both Iowa State and Florida State lose and San Diego State wins, we would have a 3 way tie for the group title. Not likely, but as we've seen, anything is possible.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group K

Week 7

Florida State- 42, Eastern Michigan- 28
Illinois- 34, UL Monroe- 10
Iowa State- 31, Tulsa- 14
San Diego State- 46, Oregon State- 29

The Seminoles get the win, but it took them almost the entire half to wake up. They were down 21-10 late in the 2nd quarter before they got a late TD to trail 21-17 at halftime. The telling quarter was the fourth quarter, in which Florida State scored 22 unanswered points to get the win and clinch the group title. San Diego State also needed a big second half, outscoring the Beavers 39-15 to coast to victory and clinch 3rd place in the group. Illinois picks up their 2nd win of group play, and Iowa State continues to be the shock of the tournament, beating up on Tulsa.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Final Group K standings, with point differential in parenthesis:

#1- Florida State 6-1 (+126)
#2- Iowa State 6-1 (+96)
#3- San Diego State 5-2 (+101)
#4- Oregon State 4-3 (+21)
#5- Eastern Michigan 3-4 (-45)
#6- Illinois 2-5 (-28)
#7- UL Monroe 1-6 (-187)
#8- Tulsa 1-6 (-84)

I'm still in complete amazement at what Iowa State did in group play. A 3 win team in reality wins 6 games in their group, while a 9 win team wins 1 game in their group? That's why I do things like this. Sure, for the most part, the teams that are expected to win and advance do, but every now and then you have a group like this. I love it.

Florida State has to feel a bit perturbed though, a lousy 1 point loss took them from a potential top 5, maybe even top 3 seed in the Round of 64, to a seed somewhere between 6-10 probably. Still very good, but what could have been. Iowa State will just be happy to still be playing, while The Aztecs and Beavers round it out. Tough luck for Tulsa, you know they'd love a chance to redeem themselves. Next we head to Group L, which has 2 ranked teams, as well as 3 other teams in the group that post 8+ wins. This group is gonna be a dogfight for sure, with no real clear favorite.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group L

#12 Oklahoma State (Big 12, 7-2, 9-3)
#21 Tennessee (SEC, 4-4, 8-4)
Arizona (Pac 12, 1-8, 3-9)
Bowling Green (MAC, 3-5, 4-8)
Louisiana Tech (Conference USA, 6-2, 8-5)
North Carolina (ACC, 5-3, 8-4)
Purdue (Big Ten, 1-8, 3-9)
Troy (Sun Belt, 6-2, 9-3)

--------------------------------------------------------

Week 1

Oklahoma State- 33, Troy- 19
Purdue- 31, Tennessee- 23
North Carolina- 37, Arizona- 23
Bowling Green- 41, Louisiana Tech- 27

14 was the magic number this week, as 3 of our 4 games ended up with a 14 point margin of victory. The one that didn't was also the most stunning, as Purdue jumped out to a 28-13 lead on Tennessee and held on. Oklahoma State also got out to a big lead on Troy, as they led 27-6 at halftime. LA Tech didn't help their chances right off the bat, as they fumbled twice (but recovered both) and had 3 interceptions in a bit of an upset loss to Bowling Green. North Carolina jumped out to a 30-10 lead against Arizona to seal that game early.

Week 2

Oklahoma State- 45, Purdue- 24
North Carolina- 48, Troy- 14
Louisiana Tech- 40, Tennessee- 30
Arizona- 31, Bowling Green- 15

No upset this week for Purdue, as the Cowboys scored early and often. Same thing with North Carolina against Troy. Tennessee is in a real jam already, with 2 losses that would both have to be considered upsets, and Arizona gets on the winning side of things by allowing just 3 second half points.

Week 3

Oklahoma State- 35, North Carolina- 31
Louisiana Tech- 43, Purdue- 17
Troy- 23, Bowling Green- 16
Tennessee- 40, Arizona- 28

The battle of 2-0 teams didn't look like much of a battle early on, as the Cowboys jumped out to a 21-0 lead, but North Carolina fought all the way back to take a 31-28 lead with 4 minutes to go on a Nick Weiler 39 yard FG. But Oklahoma State wasn't done, and with 8 seconds left, Rennie Childs ran it in from 8 yards out to salvage the win for the Pokes, who almost blew it. Troy got their first win of group play by scoring 10 points in both the first and fourth quarters, while Purdue has come back down to earth after 2 straight blowout losses. Tennessee gets their first win of group play by jumping out to a 30-7 lead over Arizona then hanging on.

----------------------------------------------------------

Standings after 3 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Oklahoma State 3-0 (+39)
North Carolina 2-1 (+44)
Louisiana Tech 2-1 (+22)
Tennessee 1-2 (-6)
Bowling Green 1-2 (-9)
Arizona 1-2 (-10)
Purdue 1-2 (-39)
Troy 1-2 (-41)

What a mess, with 5 teams at 1-2. Surely there will be some separation there in the coming weeks.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group L

Week 4

Oklahoma State- 38, Louisiana Tech- 31
North Carolina- 55, Bowling Green- 21
Arizona- 33, Purdue- 23
Troy- 34, Tennessee- 18

The struggles are real for Tennessee, who is in danger of being the 2nd ranked team not to advance to the Round of 64. They didn't help themselves by committing 3 turnovers against Troy. No such trouble for the Cowboys, who stay undefeated. North Carolina continues to put up gaudy offensive numbers. Even in their loss last week, they scored 31. Arizona was unstoppable on the ground, piling up 443 rushing yards in their win over Purdue.

Week 5

Oklahoma State- 51, Bowling Green- 22
Louisiana Tech- 41, Arizona- 34
North Carolina- 26, Tennessee- 20
Purdue- 26, Troy- 23 (2 OT)

Lots of exciting games this week, as North Carolina all but eliminated Tennessee from Round of 64 contention with 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to come back from a 20-10 deficit. Louisiana Tech had the reverse in their game, as they bounced out to a 31-0 lead, only to see the Wildcats come all the way back and tie it at 34 with 4 minutes to go. But the Bulldogs would not be denied, as Ryan Higgins ran it in from 6 yards out with 45 seconds left, as the Techsters become the 2nd team in group play to jump to a big lead, give it up, and then score late to win. And Troy kicker Ryan Kay kicked a 25 yard FG to send that game into OT. The teams traded FGs in the 1st OT, then in the 2nd OT, Troy couldn't score, and Purdue won it on with a J.D Dellinger 40 yard FG to keep their Round of 64 hopes alive.

Week 6

Oklahoma State- 28, Arizona- 20
Tennessee- 20, Bowling Green- 16
Louisiana Tech- 34, Troy- 17
North Carolina- 38, Purdue- 17

The Cowboys stay undefeated, while Tennessee gets their 2nd win of group play and guess what, they are STILL in contention for the Round of 64. More on that later. LA Tech with another big win as they jumped out to a 31-7 lead. Purdue QB David Blough threw 6, count em, 6 interceptions in the loss to the Tarheels. My question is, what the heck was he still doing out there? Don't the Boilermakers have a back-up QB? Wow.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Standings after 6 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Oklahoma State 6-0 (+83)
North Carolina 5-1 (+105)
Louisiana Tech 4-2 (+39)
Arizona 2-4 (-15)
Tennessee 2-4 (-24)
Troy 2-4 (-45)
Purdue 2-4 (-67)
Bowling Green 1-5 (-76)

Week 7 Schedule

Tennessee vs. Oklahoma State
Troy vs. Arizona
Bowling Green vs. Purdue
Louisiana Tech vs. North Carolina

What...a....mess! All we know about this group is that Oklahoma State has won the group, and Bowling Green is eliminated. The North Carolina-LA Tech winner will finish 2nd in the group, with the loser finishing 3rd. And once again, we will have a team with a losing record advancing to the Round of 64. This is great news for Virginia, who just might get bumped up and out of the #64 spot, which is where they are likely to be headed. So the Troy-Arizona winner will stay alive, and both Tennessee and Purdue will have to win their games to stay alive. If Oklahoma State beats Tennessee and Bowling Green beats Purdue, then the Arizona-Troy winner will lock up the #4 spot in the group. If UNC wins and Purdue loses, or vice versa, we'll have a 2 way tiebreaker for slot #4. If both UNC and Purdue win, then we'll have a 3 way tie for slot #4. So still a lot to play for, but the teams that are 2-4 MUST win to have a chance.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group L

Week 7

Oklahoma State- 35, Tennessee- 31
Troy- 31, Arizona- 21
Purdue- 49, Bowling Green- 17
North Carolina- 48, Louisiana Tech- 20

The last 2 games of the group weren't exciting at all, as Purdue and North Carolina ran out to big leads and never looked back. Troy got by Arizona, and Oklahoma State stunned Tennessee with another late second comeback. This time it was Chris Carson running it in from 3 yards out with 5 seconds to go to give the Cowboys the win and break the hearts of the Volunteers and their fans, who will miss out on the Round of 64. That forces a tiebreaker between Troy and Purdue for the 4th spot.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Final Group L standings, with point differential in parenthesis:

#1- Oklahoma State 7-0 (+87)
#2- North Carolina 6-1 (+133)
#3- Louisiana Tech 4-3 (+11)
#4- Purdue 3-4 (-35)
#5- Troy 3-4 (-35)
#6- Tennessee 2-5 (-28)
#7- Arizona 2-5 (-25)
#8- Bowling Green 1-6 (-108)

So Purdue wins the head to head tiebreaker with Troy and becomes the 2nd 3-4 team to advance to the Round of 64, and Virginia is very happy as the Boilermakers take over the likely #64 spot. Not that there should be a lot of difference between #63 and #64, but you never know. On the flip side, Tennessee becomes the 2nd ranked team not to qualify for the Round of 64, as they had just a disastrous group run. Oklahoma State is our 7th team in 12 groups to finish group play undefeated, but they have one of the lowest point differentials among those 7 teams. Meanwhile, North Carolina had the highest point differential among the 6-1 teams that finished 2nd in their group, so it's very likely they'll be the 17th seed in the Round of 64. All those big wins early certainly helped, but they sure would have liked to get that one against Oklahoma State.

Group M is next, and it also features 2 ranked teams.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group M

#13 Louisville (ACC, 7-1, 9-3)
#17 Florida (SEC, 6-2, 8-4)
Marshall (Conference USA, 2-6, 3-9)
Michigan State (Big Ten, 1-8, 3-9)
Ohio (MAC, 6-2, 8-5)
TCU (Big 12, 4-5, 6-6)
UConn (American, 1-7, 3-9)
Washington State (Pac 12, 7-2, 8-4)

-------------------------------------------------

Week 1

Washington State- 45, Louisville- 20
Florida- 41, UConn- 3
Marshall- 27, TCU- 17
Michigan State- 51, Ohio- 19

A few surprises in this opening week of Group M, as Louisville was completely handled by Washington St. The Cougars outscored them 21-3 in the first half and never looked back. Also was a bit surprising to see Marshall get by TCU, and Michigan St. beating an 8 win Ohio team by that much. Looks to be an interesting group.

Week 2

Louisville- 52, UConn- 6
TCU- 35, Washington State- 34
Florida- 41, Ohio- 13
Michigan State- 56, Marshall- 38

The battle of former Big East foes was a laugher, as Louisville gets their first win by gaining 375 yards on the ground. TCU stunned Washington State by jumping out to a 21-10 first half lead and holding on, while the Gators had another dominating performance. Sparty goes to 2-0 after a shootout with Marshall in which the 2 teams combined for 1250 total yards, and Michigan State had almost 700 of them.

Week 3

Louisville- 63, TCU- 16
Ohio- 25, UConn- 3
Washington State- 57, Michigan State- 31
Florida- 27, Marshall- 26

Wow! Talk about taking care of business. The Cardinals left no doubt that they have woken up, beating TCU by 47 points! Louisville intercepted TCU Quarterback Kenny Hill 5 times in this one. Ohio wins the battle of winless teams, while Washington State exploded offensively again, outscoring the Spartans 40-7 in the first and fourth quarter combined. The Gators stayed undefeated, but barely, as they trailed 26-13 late in the third quarter but got the final 2 touchdowns.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Standings after 3 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Florida 3-0 (+67)
Louisville 2-1 (+68)
Washington State 2-1 (+50)
Michigan State 2-1 (+24)
Marshall 1-2 (-9)
Ohio 1-2 (-38)
TCU 1-2 (-56)
UConn 0-3 (-106)

[collegesportsfanms]

Group M

Week 4

Louisville- 28, Ohio- 18
TCU- 30, Michigan State- 17
Marshall- 37, UConn- 21
Florida- 52, Washington State- 34

It wasn't easy, but Louisville survived upset minded Ohio, while TCU and Michigan State both continue to live in mediocrity. Marshall is back in the hunt, keeping UConn winless, while Florida gets the shootout win this time around, getting 3 interceptions in the process.

Week 5

Michigan State- 23, Louisville- 10
Marshall- 35, Ohio- 13
TCU- 40, Florida- 37
Washington State- 38, UConn- 17

I'd like to say I'm surprised by Michigan State beating Louisville, but as inconsistent as this group has been, I'm really not. The Spartans held Louisville to just 319 total yards and pitched a shutout in the second half. Marshall and Washington State took care of business, all but eliminating the possibility of advancement for Ohio and UConn. And TCU kicker Brandon Hatfield kicked 2 huge field goals in the last 5 minutes of the game. First, a 41 yarder to tie the game at 37, then the even bigger one: a 53 yarder at the buzzer to win it for the Horned Frogs, shocking the Gators and ensuring that there will NOT be an undefeated team coming out of Group M.

Week 6

Louisville- 45, Marshall- 17
Florida- 37, Michigan State- 27
Washington State- 58, Ohio- 28
UConn- 35, TCU- 34

The Cardinals started and ended well against Marshall, scoring 35 of their 45 points in the first and fourth quarters combined, rolling to an easy victory. Florida got back on the winning side, breaking it open in the fourth quarter, and only a last second Spartan touchdown made the game seem closer than it really was. Washington State had no trouble with Ohio, while UConn pulls the upset of the tournament so far, getting a Bryant Shirreffs to Noel Thomas 23 yard TD pass with 7 seconds to go to absolutely crush TCU.

--------------------------------------------

Standings after 6 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Florida 5-1 (+92)
Washington State 4-2 (+83)
Louisville 4-2 (+93)
Michigan State 3-3 (+14)
Marshall 3-3 (+1)
TCU 3-3 (-41)
Ohio 1-5 (-100)
UConn 1-5 (-142)

Week 7 Schedule

Florida vs. Louisville
Washington State vs. Marshall
Michigan State vs. UConn
Ohio vs. TCU

So we know that Ohio and UConn are eliminated from Round of 64 contention. If Florida can beat Louisville, then the Gators win the group. However, if Louisville beats Florida, we'll have a 2 way tie for the group title, and if Washington State beats Marshall, as we expect them to, it would be a 3 way tie for the group title. Michigan State and Marshall really need a win to boost their chances, and TCU not only needs to beat Ohio, but really, really dismantle Ohio. Their point differential is so bad that a win of any kind may not be enough. It's quite possible that we could still be looking at a 3 or 4 way tiebreaker.. or worst case scenario.. god forbid, if Florida beats Louisville, Marshall beats Washington State, and Michigan State and TCU both win, we would have 5, count em, 5 teams at 4-3, vying for 3 spots. Yikes!

[collegesportsfanms]

Group M

Week 7

Louisville- 42, Florida- 24
Washington State- 34, Marshall- 16
Michigan State- 34, UConn- 13
TCU- 31, Ohio- 10

Louisville kept themselves in the hunt for the group title by handling the Gators, jumping out to a 28-14 halftime lead and using a balanced offense. The Cougars make it a 3 way tie for the group title by beating Marshall, and both Michigan State and TCU take care of business, but will it be enough? We'll soon find out.

---------------------------------------------------

Final Group M standings, with point differential in parenthesis:

#1- Washington State 5-2 (+101)
#2- Louisville 5-2 (+111)
#3- Florida 5-2 (+74)
#4- TCU 4-3 (-20)
#5- Michigan State 4-3 (+35)
#6- Marshall 3-4 (-17)
#7- Ohio 1-6 (-121)
#8- UConn 1-6 (-163)

I'm going to post the 3+ team tiebreaker criteria again, just so there's no questions.

3+ team tie
(every step seeks to eliminate the bottom team, or bottom tied teams. Then the remaining teams go back to the first step of the tiebreaker procedure)
1. Head-To-Head within tied teams (if they've all played each other)
2. Point Differential in Group Stage
3. Winning % Of Teams Defeated
4. Total Points Scored in Group Stage
5. Coin Toss

This is the way I've done it all tournament, and I didn't want to change it now. So going by that, since Washington State, Louisville, and Florida all went 1-1 against each other, we move to point differential. Florida had the lowest point differential, so that locks them into 3rd place in the group. Then it becomes a head to head between Washington State and Louisville for the group title. Since the Cougars beat Louisville in Week 1, Washington State wins Group M, with Louisville in 2nd. We had another tiebreaker for the 4th and final spot out of Group M. It went to TCU, since the Horned Frogs beat Michigan State head to head.

Washington State will likely be the #16 seed in the Round of 64, as of now they are the only 2 loss group winner. They can jump up to a #13 seed if the last 3 group winners all lose twice in their group, but that's very unlikely. Louisville has the highest point differential of all the 2nd place 5-2 finishers, so they should be a top 25 seed in the Round of 64. The Gators and TCU are both looking at their week 5 matchup, but for different reasons. Florida knows that last second loss probably cost them the group title, while TCU knows that last second win is a big reason why they are going to the Round of 64, despite their lousy point differential.

Next up is Group N, where we have Nebraska, Auburn, Baylor, and UCLA as the teams expected to advance.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group N

#14 Auburn (SEC, 5-3, 8-4)
Baylor (Big 12, 3-6, 6-6)
Northern Illinois (MAC, 5-3, 5-7)
Nebraska (Big Ten, 6-3, 9-3)
New Mexico State (Sun Belt, 2-6, 3-9)
Rice (Conference USA, 2-6, 3-9)
UCLA (Pac 12, 2-7, 4-8)
UNLV (Mountain West, 3-5, 4-8)

-----------------------------------------------

Week 1

Auburn- 29, UNLV- 10
UCLA- 33, Baylor- 21
Northern Illinois- 41, Rice- 27
Nebraska- 24, New Mexico State- 20

A pretty uneventful week for what I feel will be a pretty uneventful group. Nebraska did have a scare in their game, although New Mexico State never led, they did cut the Husker lead to 21-20 at one point. Auburn looked impressive over subpar competition, and UCLA beat Baylor in a match-up of teams that had disappointing seasons that are trying to make up for it here in this tournament.

Week 2

Auburn- 40, UCLA- 20
Rice- 47, UNLV- 17
Baylor- 47, New Mexico State- 17
Nebraska- 31, Northern Illinois- 21

Another game which saw a quarterback get lit up defensively. Auburn forced UCLA QB Mike Fafaul into 6 interceptions and were able to get short field and score off many of them. This was a very interesting week, as the results were pretty much expected, but I'm not sure we've ever had a week where we had 2 or more games with identical scores, and I'm almost positive we've never had a week where each game had a margin of victory with a multiple of 10 (10,20,30). Wonder if that will be a recurring theme.

Week 3

Auburn- 28, Rice- 21
UCLA- 34, New Mexico State- 10
Nebraska- 38, UNLV- 27
Baylor- 42, Northern Illinois- 10

The Tigers survived an early scare in this one, falling behind both 7-0 and 14-7, but they rallied to stay undefeated. The Huskers also had a scare, falling behind UNLV 27-14, but they rallied to score the final 24 points of the game to also stay undefeated. UCLA and Baylor took care of business and had no such struggles.

---------------------------------------------------

Standings after 3 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Auburn 3-0 (+46)
Nebraska 3-0 (+25)
UCLA 2-1 (+16)
Baylor 2-1 (+50)
Northern Illinois 1-2 (-28)
Rice 1-2 (+9)
New Mexico State 0-3 (-58)
UNLV 0-3 (-60)

[collegesportsfanms]

Group N

Week 4

Auburn- 36, New Mexico State- 17
Nebraska- 37, Rice- 19
Northern Illinois- 34, UCLA- 27
UNLV- 20, Baylor- 17

The Tigers again found themselves down early, as they trailed 17-10 at halftime. They pitched a shutout in the second half though to remain undefeated. Nebraska used a big fourth quarter to put their game away and set up a battle of the undefeated teams between Auburn and the Huskers next week. Northern Illinois trailed most of the game, but got it going in the last quarter to stun UCLA. Another stunner was UNLV, who got their first win by leading Baylor through the first 2 and a half quarters before Baylor got back in front. The Rebels scored last though, and it was enough.

Week 5

Nebraska- 26, Auburn- 23
New Mexico State- 19, Northern Illinois- 17
Baylor- 52, Rice- 7
UCLA- 24, UNLV- 14

The Nebraska/Auburn game was a battle of field goals in the first half, but the scoring opened up as Auburn looked to take control, building a 20-9 lead. The Huskers came storming back and took the lead for good at the 4 minute mark with Terrell Newby running it in from 31 yards out and the 2 point conversion good. The Huskers have taken full control of the group with this win. New Mexico State stunned Northern Illinois to get their first win of group play, getting a Tyler Rogers to Izaiah Lottie 11 yard TD conversion with 1:29 left. Baylor took care of Rice in big fashion, and UCLA stayed in the hunt.

Week 6

Auburn- 37, Northern Illinois- 24
Nebraska- 51, Baylor- 44 (OT)
UNLV- 45, New Mexico State- 14
Rice- 19, UCLA- 9

Auburn gets back on the winning track over Northern Illinois, and the battle between former Big 12 foes was a classic. Baylor controlled most of the game and led by as many as 21 points in the 2nd half. But again Nebraska came storming back, getting a Terrell Newby 1 yard TD run with 35 seconds left to force OT. In the overtime period, Baylor failed to score, while Tommy Armstrong Jr. hooked up with Brandon Reilly from 24 yards out, and WIS added the meaningless XP, but the Huskers clinch the group with the big comeback victory. The Rebels had no such drama in their win, and while the Bruins outgained Rice by over 100 yards total, UCLA QB Mike Fafaul again had problems throwing the ball to his teammates, throwing 3 interceptions in this one as Rice pulls the mild upset.

----------------------------------------------------------

Standings after 6 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Nebraska 6-0 (+53)
Auburn 5-1 (+75)
UCLA 3-3 (+9)
Baylor 3-3 (+85)
Northern Illinois 2-4 (-36)
UNLV 2-4 (-36)
Rice 2-4 (-44)
New Mexico State 1-5 (-106)

Week 7 Schedule

Baylor vs. Auburn
UNLV vs. Northern Illinois
Nebraska vs. UCLA
New Mexico State vs. Rice

So here's what we know: Nebraska and Auburn have clinched advancement to the Round of 64. Nebraska has clinched the Group N title. Even if they lose to UCLA and Auburn beats Baylor, the Huskers beat Auburn in week 5 to control the head to head tiebreaker. New Mexico State is eliminated, and the other 5 teams are battling for the final 2 spots. Now, if UCLA and Baylor can both win, then that's it. But with having to play the top 2 teams in the group that'll be tough. Not improbable, but tough. I certainly don't expect both of them to win. This opens up the door for the 2-4 teams and brings up the possibility of yet another 3-4 (or maybe 2 3-4 teams) advancing to the Round of 64. Although, Northern Illinois and UNLV will play each other in Week 7, so the loser of that game will be 2-5 and be out of the hunt. We could be seeing the potential for a 4 team tiebreaker for 2 spots coming up.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group N

Week 7

Auburn- 31, Baylor- 21
Northern Illinois- 43, UNLV- 7
UCLA- 30, Nebraska- 13
Rice- 52, New Mexico State- 16

The Tigers intercepted Baylor QB Seth Russell 3 times and scored the last 11 points to get the victory, putting Baylor in a tiebreaker situation. The Huskies of Northern Illinois did even better, getting 5 interceptions and rolling to victory, eliminating UNLV from Round of 64 contention. The Bruins decided they wanted to earn the spot in the Round of 64 on the field. No tiebreaker situation for them as they took control early, holding Nebraska to just over 300 total yards of offense, handing Nebraska their first loss of the tournament. This clinches the 3rd place spot in Group N for UCLA. Rice stayed alive with a huge victory over the Aggies, using a balanced offense and outscoring New Mexico State 31-3 in the second half. So it's not as disastrous as it could have been, we'll have a 3 team tiebreaker to determine the 4th place slot in Group N.

------------------------------------------------------------

Final Group N standings, with point differential in parenthesis:

#1- Nebraska 6-1 (+36)
#2- Auburn 6-1 (+85)
#3- UCLA 4-3 (+26)
#4- Baylor 3-4 (+75)
#5- Northern Illinois 3-4 (0)
#6- Rice 3-4 (-8)
#7- UNLV 2-5 (-72)
#8- New Mexico State 1-6 (-142)

So Nebraska backs into the group title, even though they lost in Week 7, as they beat Auburn in Week 5 to get the head to head tiebreaker. The 3 team tiebreaker between Baylor, Northern Illinois, and Rice was solved easily. Baylor crushed both Northern Illinois and Rice, so that gives them the 3+ team head to head tiebreaker and gets them in 4th place, as they get the final slot in the Round of 64 out of Group N. Northern Illinois beat Rice in Week 1, for those that care, so they take 5th place. It even worked out with point differential, so thankfully that was one of the easier 3+ team tiebreakers I've had to deal with. However, that does mean a 3rd 3-4 team in the Round of 64, but don't sleep on Baylor. They are tough! With that point differential, they'll likely be the #62 seed, and will be a tough out for whoever the #3 seed is.

Next up, Group O, which features just 3 teams that had a winning record in the actual 2016 season, including our MAC darlings of Western Michigan, who played in a BCS game. This is the group that I think is most up for grabs. It also features Kansas, and I'll be interested to see how they fare in this wide open group.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group O

#15 Western Michigan (MAC, 8-0, 13-0)
Arizona State (Pac 12, 2-7, 5-7)
Florida Atlantic (Conference USA, 2-6, 3-9)
Idaho (Sun Belt, 6-2, 8-4)
Kansas (Big 12, 1-8, 2-10)
Tulane (American, 1-7, 4-8)
Vanderbilt (SEC, 3-5, 6-6)
Wyoming (Mountain West, 6-2, 8-6)

---------------------------------------------------------

Week 1

Western Michigan- 48, Wyoming- 20
Vanderbilt- 48, Arizona State- 10
Florida Atlantic- 44, Tulane- 27
Idaho- 41, Kansas- 31

Not much for interesting games in this first week of Group O. Surprisingly, the Kansas/Idaho game was the closest, but that's not saying much. Western Michigan and Vanderbilt looked really good to open the group.

Week 2

Western Michigan- 44, Vanderbilt- 42
Tulane- 37, Wyoming- 17
Kansas- 38, Arizona State- 23
Idaho- 38, Florida Atlantic- 31

In a battle of the 2 teams that looked the best in Week 1, it became an instant classic. Western Michigan jumped out to a 38-21 lead in the 4th quarter, but Vanderbilt came storming back to take a 42-41 lead with 25 seconds to go, but Western Michigan drove downfield quickly and put it in the hands (or in this case, the legs) of kicker Butch Hampton, from 52 yards out, and he drilled it at the buzzer to cap a miracle 25 second (not 2 minute, but 25 second) drill. Tulane put Wyoming in a hole early, while the Jayhawks scored 17 4th quarter points to stun Arizona State. Idaho blew a 2 touchdown lead in the 4th quarter, but got the game winning TD with a minute to go, improving to 2-0.

Week 3

Western Michigan- 19, Tulane- 14
Vanderbilt- 42, Kansas- 35
Wyoming- 31, Idaho- 27
Arizona State- 32, Florida Atlantic- 29

Western Michigan again relied on the leg of Butch Hampton, who kicked 4 field goals in the narrow win over Tulane to stay undefeated. Kansas led 21-7 early but couldn't hang on, and both Wyoming and Arizona State got last minute scores to get their first wins in group play, making sure we would have no winless teams when Group O is finished.

-------------------------------------------------------

Standings after 3 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Western Michigan 3-0 (+35)
Vanderbilt 2-1 (+43)
Idaho 2-1 (+13)
Florida Atlantic 1-2 (+7)
Kansas 1-2 (-2)
Tulane 1-2 (-2)
Wyoming 1-2 (-44)
Arizona State 1-2 (-50)

Based on what I've seen out of the first 3 weeks, it's very likely we'll have another 3-4 team advancing to the Round of 64 once this group is finished.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group O

Week 4

Western Michigan- 33, Kansas- 17
Tulane- 38, Idaho- 27
Vanderbilt- 35, Florida Atlantic- 21
Arizona State- 19, Wyoming- 10

Western Michigan had no trouble with Kansas, as they stayed undefeated, while all but 14 of the points between Tulane and Idaho came in the first half. The second half was all defense, but Tulane prevailed. Vanderbilt jumped out to a 21-0 lead and coasted to victory, while Arizona State got 4 field goals from Zane Gonzalez in their win.

Week 5

Western Michigan- 30, Idaho- 24
Florida Atlantic- 37, Kansas- 31
Tulane- 27, Arizona State- 22
Wyoming- 20, Vanderbilt- 17

Strong starts were the theme in our first 3 games of the week, as Western Michigan, Florida Atlantic, and Tulane all jumped out to double digit leads before their opponents could get on the board. Wyoming forced 2 key turnovers at critical times, handing Vanderbilt their second loss and all but assuring that Western Michigan will win the group.

Week 6

Western Michigan- 62, Florida Atlantic- 7
Arizona State- 17, Idaho- 3
Wyoming- 49, Kansas- 14
Vanderbilt- 34, Tulane- 14

The Broncos finally got that big blowout they were looking for, holding the Owls to just 241 yards of total offense and forcing 3 Florida Atlantic turnovers. That win clinched the group O Title for Western Michigan. In fact, all the games were double digit margin of victories, with the closest being the Arizona State/Idaho game. Both teams moved the ball well on offense, but the Sun Devils forced 4 Idaho turnovers.

------------------------------------------------------------

Standings after 6 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Western Michigan 6-0 (+112)
Vanderbilt 4-2 (+74)
Tulane 3-3 (-6)
Wyoming 3-3 (-15)
Arizona State 3-3 (-32)
Idaho 2-4 (-18)
Florida Atlantic 2-4 (-56)
Kansas 1-5 (-59)

Week 7 Schedule

Arizona State vs. Western Michigan
Wyoming vs. Florida Atlantic
Idaho vs. Vanderbilt
Kansas vs. Tulane

So all we really know about this group is that Western Michigan has clinched it, and that Kansas is eliminated (go figure, I thought they had a decent chance after beating Arizona State). Vanderbilt can clinch 2nd place in the group by beating Idaho. On the other hand, Idaho and Florida Atlantic MUST win their games just to have a chance, and then they'd still probably be reduced to a tiebreaker. Tulane and Wyoming would put themselves in great positions with wins too, as would Arizona State. Unfortunately, the Sun Devils have to do battle with a hot Western Michigan team who is looking for an undefeated run through group play and a top 10 seed in the Round of 64. Not gonna be easy. There's still a very good chance that we'll have a tiebreaker of some sort, with 6 teams battling for 3 spots, but there's a bit less of a chance of having a 3-4 team advance now, as I fully expect Tulane and Vanderbilt to win at least.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group O

Week 7

Arizona State- 20, Western Michigan- 14
Wyoming- 27, Florida Atlantic- 20
Vanderbilt- 44, Idaho- 13
Tulane- 34, Kansas- 26

For the second straight group, an undefeated team loses in Week 7 and will back their way into the group title and see their seed in the round of 64 lowered drastically. Although the score was close, Arizona State dominated this game, as they scored first, and led from start to finish. As for the other games, worst case scenario for sure, as Tulane and Wyoming also won, which means that we have 3 teams at 4-3 battling for the 3rd and 4th place spots in the Round of 64. Hopefully this tiebreaker will be as easy to figure out as the last one was.

----------------------------------------------------------

Final Group O standings, with point differential in parenthesis:

#1- Western Michigan 6-1 (+106)
#2- Vanderbilt 5-2 (+105)
#3- Tulane 4-3 (+2)
#4- Arizona State 4-3 (-26)
#5- Wyoming 4-3 (-8)
#6- Idaho 2-5 (-49)
#7- Florida Atlantic 2-5 (-63)
#8- Kansas 1-6 (-67)

It must be my lucky day for 3+ team tiebreakers, as Tulane made it easy for me as they defeated both Arizona State and Wyoming, so they get 3rd place in Group O, while Arizona State defeated Wyoming, so the Sun Devils get 4th place. Wyoming, unfortunately, is eliminated. Tulane is definitely the surprise as far as teams that exceeded expectations. I'm not too shocked that Idaho vastly underperformed, I rather expected that. I'm disappointed the Jayhawks couldn't muster up a few more wins to at least give themselves a chance, but so be it. Arizona State will definitely be looking back on that Week 7 win over Western Michigan as the key moment of their group run.

1 more group to go, it's group P, and it has 2 ranked teams in it: West Virginia and Stanford, along with 2 other solid teams in Air Force and Minnesota.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group P

#16 West Virginia (Big 12, 7-2, 10-2)
#18 Stanford (Pac 12, 6-3, 9-3)
Air Force (Mountain West, 5-3, 9-3)
Georgia (SEC, 4-4, 7-5)
Minnesota (Big 10, 5-4, 8-4)
SMU (American, 3-5, 5-7)
Syracuse (ACC, 2-6, 4-8)
UTSA (Conference USA, 5-3, 6-7)

-----------------------------------------------------

Week 1

West Virginia- 52, UTSA- 19
Stanford- 42, Syracuse- 22
Air Force- 22, SMU- 14
Minnesota- 21, Georgia- 20

Down 16-10 at halftime, the Mountaineers outscored UTSA 42-3 in the second half to roll to victory. Stanford and Air Force took care of business, while Minnesota got a Mitch Leidner to Rashad Still 20 yard TD pass with 2 minutes to go to get a big Week 1 win there.

Week 2

West Virginia- 28, Syracuse- 21
SMU- 35, UTSA- 21
Stanford- 34, Minnesota- 17
Air Force- 41, Georgia- 6

The battle of former Big East foes went the way of the Mountaineers, while SMU had to rally from a 21-10 halftime deficit, but pitched a second half shutout. The big surprise was how much Air Force dominated Georgia. Air Force held the Bulldogs to just 196 yards of total offense and 11 first downs in the most dominating performance of the group so far.

Week 3

West Virginia- 30, SMU- 10
Minnesota- 37, Syracuse- 10
Georgia- 27, UTSA- 26
Stanford- 40, Air Force- 14

Lots of blowouts this week, with the only close game being a game I figured would be a blowout as well. Georgia trailed 19-7 early in the third quarter, but came back to take the lead on a Nick Chubb 17 yard TD run with 38 seconds left to get their first win of group play and to avoid what would have been an upset.

------------------------------------------------------

Standings after 3 weeks with point differential in parenthesis:

Stanford 3-0 (+63)
West Virginia 3-0 (+60)
Air Force 2-1 (+17)
Minnesota 2-1 (+11)
SMU 1-2 (-14)
Georgia 1-2 (-35)
UTSA 0-3 (-48)
Syracuse 0-3 (-54)

[collegesportsfanms]

Group P

Week 4

Minnesota- 24, West Virginia- 7
Georgia- 32, SMU- 8
Air Force- 30, Syracuse- 3
Stanford- 48, UTSA- 42

The Golden Gophers held West Virginia scoreless in the 4th quarter to get a surprise victory and get themselves back in the hunt for a group title. Georgia and Air Force won easily, while Stanford stayed undefeated, but it was much closer than anticipated. The Cardinal built a 38-14 lead but a late TD by UTSA made the score 48-42. Stanford recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock to hang on.

Week 5

West Virginia- 40, Georgia- 17
Minnesota- 51, Air Force- 28
Stanford- 55, SMU- 20
Syracuse- 33, UTSA- 21

A lot of blowouts this week, as West Virginia and Minnesota both had over 400 yards rushing in their victories and Stanford took care of business, getting a balanced attack in their win. That just left the battle of winless teams, and Syracuse won that battle by outscoring UTSA 19-0 in the 2nd half.

Week 6

West Virginia- 33, Air Force- 23
Georgia- 50, Stanford- 38
Minnesota- 24, UTSA- 19
Syracuse- 62, SMU- 21

The biggest shock this week was Georgia jumping to a 26-9 lead over Stanford and holding on, knocking off the previously undefeated Cardinal and totally opening up this group again, as well as giving Georgia an outside chance to advance to the Round of 128. The other shock was Minnesota needing a last second TD to keep UTSA winless. Syracuse seems to be peaking at the right time, with a monster win this week, but it's too little, too late for them.

-------------------------------------------------------

Standings after 6 weeks, with point differential in parenthesis:

Stanford 5-1 (+92)
West Virginia 5-1 (+76)
Minnesota 5-1 (+56)
Air Force 3-3 (+11)
Georgia 3-3 (-22)
Syracuse 2-4 (-28)
SMU 1-5 (-114)
UTSA 0-6 (-71)

Week 7 Schedule

Stanford vs. West Virginia
UTSA vs. Air Force
Georgia vs. Syracuse
Minnesota vs. SMU

We know that West Virginia, Minnesota, and Stanford are all advancing to the Round of 128. The Stanford/West Virginia winner will clinch at least a tie for the group title, depending on what Minnesota does. If Minnesota beats SMU, then the Stanford/West Virginia winner will have a head to head tiebreak with Minnesota for the group title. However, if SMU beats Minnesota, then the Stanford/West Virginia winner will clinch the group title outright, and the loser of that game will have a head to head tiebreaker with Minnesota. Either way, Minnesota is having a head to head tiebreaker with either Stanford (who they lost to), or West Virginia (who they beat).

The other big scenario in this is between Air Force and Georgia, who are battling for 4th place in the group. Since Air Force beat Georgia handily in Week 2, then the Bulldogs not only have to beat a hot Syracuse team, but then Air Force would have to lose to a winless UTSA team. Not likely. In short, Georgia needs a miracle.

[collegesportsfanms]

Group P

Week 7

Stanford- 38, West Virginia- 30
UTSA- 14, Air Force- 13
Georgia- 38, Syracuse- 20
Minnesota- 25, SMU- 10

Stanford clinches at least a tie for the Group P title by getting the best of West Virginia, which will drop the Mountaineers to 3rd place in the group. And the stunner of the tournament is Air Force losing to UTSA! UTSA got a TD run with 6 seconds to go to stun Air Force, and Georgia took care of Syracuse, knocking out the Falcons in unbelievable fashion. Minnesota took care of SMU to also clinch a tie for the Group P title, setting up a head to head tiebreaker between Stanford and Minnesota to decide the Group P winner.

---------------------------------------------------

Final Group P standings, with point differential in parenthesis:

#1- Stanford 6-1 (+100)
#2- Minnesota 6-1 (+71)
#3- West Virginia 5-2 (+68)
#4- Georgia 4-3 (-4)
#5- Air Force 3-4 (+10)
#6- Syracuse 2-5 (-46)
#7- SMU 1-6 (-129)
#8- UTSA 1-6 (-70)

Stanford beat Minnesota back in Week 2, so they win Group P and Minnesota takes 2nd. And poor Air Force. All they had to do was beat a winless UTSA team in Week 7 and they would have advanced to the Round of 64, but they couldn't do it. Then they had to pray for Syracuse to beat Georgia, and that didn't happen either. So just like that, the Falcons are on the outside looking in, and are yet another team that did really well in real life but didn't do so great in this tournament.

Round of 64 seedings will be announced tomorrow, as it'll take me some time to set it all up.

[bbgunn]

Can't believe I completely missed Hawaii finishing 2nd in its group. Amazing.

[collegesportsfanms]

I am still trying to figure out what I am going to do once the Round of 64 is completed and we get to the Round of 32. The Round of 64 will be seeded like normal (1 plays 64, 2 plays 63 and so on) and then the Round of 32 itself will be drawn at random. Then from there, I haven't decided if I'll make it straight thru single elimination from that point, or if I'll reseed the bracket for the round of 16 and have the highest remaining seed #1, 2nd highest #2, and so on, then have it go into straight bracket form from there. I like the sound of both options, so if anybody as an opinion or a vote, I'd be glad to hear it.

[collegesportsfanms]

PRELIMINARY KNOCK OUT STAGE SEEDING

We started with 128 teams, and with the group stage complete, 64 advance to the next round, the preliminary knock-out stage. Here, the teams are seeded 1-64. The first place group stage teams are seeded first, then the 2nd place teams, then the 3rd place teams, then the 4th place teams. Point differential is the first tiebreaker, followed by group winning % of teams defeated in the group stage, followed by total points scored in group stage (head-to-head tiebreaker doesn't come into play here since none of the tied teams would have played each other in group stage). In this stage, #1 plays #64, #2 plays #63, and so on. The winners of the matchups in the preliminary knock-out stage advance to the Round of 32, and that format is still TBD. I do know it will be a random draw for the Round of 32, but I don't know what the Round of 16 and on will be.

Group Winners
(Top 25 teams of the final CFP poll of 2016-2017 are in bold, there are 2 that didn't make the Round of 128)

#1- USC 7-0 (+189)
#2- Alabama 7-0 (+184)
#3- Washington 7-0 (+158)
#4- Miami (FL) 7-0 (+100)
#5- Iowa 7-0 (+98)
#6- Oklahoma State 7-0 (+87)
#7- Georgia Tech 7-0 (+73)
#8- Western Kentucky 6-1 (+138)
#9- Florida State 6-1 (+126)
#10- Michigan 6-1 (+124)
#11- Western Michigan 6-1 (+106)
#12- Stanford 6-1 (+100)
#13- LSU 6-1 (+88)
#14- Penn State 6-1 (+82)
#15- Nebraska 6-1 (+36)
#16- Washington State 5-2 (+101)

2nd Place Teams

#17- North Carolina 6-1 (+133)
#18- Utah 6-1 (+120)
#19- Iowa State 6-1 (+96)
#20- N.C. State 6-1 (+89)
#21- Auburn 6-1 (+85)
#22- Minnesota 6-1 (+71)
#23- Middle Tennessee 6-1 (+66)
#24- Northwestern 6-1 (+49)
#25- Louisville 5-2 (+111)
#26- Vanderbilt 5-2 (+105)
#27- South Florida 5-2 (+103)
#28- Texas A&M 5-2 (+95)
#29- Ohio State 5-2 (+54)
#30- Texas Tech 5-2 (+36)
#31- Hawaii 5-2 (0)
#32- Arkansas State 4-3 (-25)

3rd Place Teams

#33- San Diego State 5-2 (+101)
#34- California 5-2 (+99)
#35- Oklahoma 5-2 (+83)
#36- Florida 5-2 (+74)
#37- Colorado 5-2 (+73)
#38- West Virginia 5-2 (+68)
#39- Boise State 5-2 (+52)
#40- South Carolina 5-2 (+27)
#41- Kansas State 5-2 (+14)
#42- Pittsburgh 4-3 (+57)
#43- Ole Miss 4-3 (+54)
#44- UCLA 4-3 (+26)
#45- Duke 4-3 (+15)
#46- Louisiana Tech 4-3 (+11)
#47- Maryland 4-3 (+6)
#48- Tulane 4-3 (+2)

4th Place Teams

#49- Clemson 5-2 (+4)
#50- Memphis 4-3 (+98)
#51- Notre Dame 4-3 (+76)
#52- Colorado State 4-3 (+42)
#53- Temple 4-3 (+33)
#54- Oregon State 4-3 (+21)
#55- Virginia Tech 4-3 (+20)
#56- Wisconsin 4-3 (+15)
#57- Nevada 4-3 (-3)
#58- Georgia 4-3 (-4)
#59- TCU 4-3 (-20)
#60- Arizona State 4-3 (-26)
#61- New Mexico 4-3 (-51)
#62- Baylor 3-4 (+75)
#63- Virginia 3-4 (-13)
#64- Purdue 3-4 (-35)

The Round of 64 Matchups will be announced tomorrow

[bbgunn]

I like the idea of reseeding up until the Round of 16, then going from there.

[collegesportsfanms]

Round of 64 Match-ups

(conference, group record, point differential)
Teams in bold were BCS Top 25 teams as of the final BCS poll of the 2016-2017 season.

#1 USC (Pac 12, 7-0, +189) vs. #64 Purdue (Big Ten, 3-4, -35)
#2 Alabama (SEC, 7-0, +184) vs. #63 Virginia (ACC, 3-4, -13)
#3 Washington (Pac 12, 7-0, +158) vs. #62 Baylor (Big 12, 3-4, +75)
#4 Miami (FL) (ACC, 7-0, +100) vs. #61 New Mexico (Mountain West, 4-3, -51)
#5 Iowa (Big Ten, 7-0, +98) vs. #60 Arizona State (Pac 12, 4-3, -26)
#6 Oklahoma State (Big 12, 7-0, +87) vs. #59 TCU (Big 12, 4-3, -20)
#7 Georgia Tech (ACC, 7-0, +73) vs. #58 Georgia (SEC, 4-3, -4)
#8 Western Kentucky (Conference USA, 6-1, +138) vs. #57 Nevada (4-3, -3)
#9 Florida State (ACC, 6-1, +126) vs. #56 Wisconsin (Big Ten, 4-3, +15)
#10 Michigan (Big Ten, 6-1, +124) vs. #55 Virginia Tech (ACC, 4-3, +20)
#11 Western Michigan (MAC, 6-1, +106) vs. #54 Oregon State (Pac 12, 4-3, +21)
#12 Stanford (Pac 12, 6-1, +100) vs. #53 Temple (American, 4-3, +33)
#13 LSU (SEC, 6-1, +88) vs. #52 Colorado State (Mountain West, 4-3, +42)
#14 Penn State (Big Ten, 6-1, +82) vs. #51 Notre Dame (Independent, 4-3, +76)
#15 Nebraska (Big Ten, 6-1, +36) vs. #50 Memphis (American, 4-3, +98)
#16 Washington State (Pac 12, 5-2, +101) vs. #49 Clemson (ACC, 5-2, +4)
#17 North Carolina (ACC, 6-1, +133) vs. #48 Tulane (American, 4-3, +2)
#18 Utah (Pac 12, 6-1, +120) vs. #47 Maryland (Big Ten, 4-3, +6)
#19 Iowa State (Big 12, 6-1, +96) vs. #46 Louisiana Tech (Conference USA, 4-3, +11)
#20 N.C. State (ACC, 6-1, +89) vs. #45 Duke (ACC, 4-3, +15)
#21 Auburn (SEC, 6-1, +85) vs. #44 UCLA (Pac 12, 4-3, +26)
#22 Minnesota (Big Ten, 6-1, +71) vs. #43 Ole Miss (SEC, 4-3, +54)
#23 Middle Tennessee (Conference USA, 6-1, +66) vs. #42 Pittsburgh (ACC, 4-3, +57)
#24 Northwestern (Big Ten, 6-1. +49) vs. #41 Kansas State (Big 12, 5-2, +14)
#25 Louisville (ACC, 5-2, +111) vs. #40 South Carolina (SEC, 5-2, +27)
#26 Vanderbilt (SEC, 5-2, +105) vs. #39 Boise State (Mountain West, 5-2, +52)
#27 South Florida (American, 5-2, +103) vs. #38 West Virginia (Big 12, 5-2, +68)
#28 Texas A&M (SEC, 5-2, +95) vs. #37 Colorado (Pac 12, 5-2, +73)
#29 Ohio State (Big Ten, 5-2, +54) vs. #36 Florida (SEC, 5-2, +74)
#30 Texas Tech (Big 12, 5-2, +36) vs. #35 Oklahoma (Big 12, 5-2, +83)
#31 Hawaii (Mountain West, 5-2, 0) vs. #34 California (Pac 12, 5-2, +99)
#32 Arkansas State (Sun Belt, 4-3, -25) vs. #33 San Diego State (Mountain West, 5-2, +101)

[collegesportsfanms]

Round of 64 Conference Breakdown

ACC- 11
Big Ten- 10
Pac 12- 10
SEC- 9
Big 12- 8
MWC- 6
American- 4
Conference USA- 3
Independents- 1
MAC- 1
Sun Belt- 1

[collegesportsfanms]

#1 USC (Pac 12, 7-0, +189) vs. #64 Purdue (Big Ten, 3-4, -35)

USC is 1 of 7 teams that went undefeated in group play, putting up an incredible offensive display in which they averaged 44.7 points a game. The only scored below 40 points twice, and both those games they scored 38 points. Purdue, on the other hand, is 1 of 3 teams that come into the Round of 64 with a losing record. They started strong and finished strong, as they upset Tennessee in Week 1, and beat Bowling Green by 32 in Week 7. Even then, they had to go to a head to head tiebreaker with Troy to advance, and since they beat Troy, it's fair to say all 3 of their wins were of equal importance.

Game Results

#1 USC- 42, #64 Purdue- 28

This game was a wild one, as Purdue jumped out to a 13-0 lead after 1 quarter, and also scored the last 15 points of the game. In between that, though, the Trojans scored their 42 points in the 2nd and 3rd quarters to eliminate the first of our 3-4 teams. A good effort by the Boilermakers, but they couldn't stop USC's ground game: more specifically, Ronald Jones II who had 230 of USC's 323 rushing yards.

[collegesportsfanms]

#2 Alabama (SEC, 7-0, +184) vs. #63 Virginia (ACC, 3-4, -13)

The 2nd of our 3 7-0 vs. 3-4 match-ups to start the Round of 64. Alabama surprised nobody by going through their group undefeated, but it didn't come easy after Week 5. In Week 6, they only won by 14 points, and in week 7, they had to come from behind to beat Utah, so they were a little rocky in their last 2 games of group play. Virginia was in the same group as USC, needing to win their Week 7 game to advance. They did that by beating Buffalo, and had to go to a head to head tiebreaker with Charlotte to earn the 4th spot out of Group I. Nothing special about the Cavaliers, they won the games they were expected to win, and lost the games they were expected to lose. If not for Navy falling apart in this group, Virginia probably wouldn't even be here.

Game Results

#2 Alabama- 29, #63 Virginia- 21

For the 2nd straight game, Alabama had to come from behind to win. This time, they jumped out to a quick 16-0 lead, but the Cavaliers took a 21-19 lead into the 4th quarter. They couldn't hold it though, as the Crimson Tide locked down defensively to get the victory, but they are certainly not wowing anybody at the moment.

[collegesportsfanms]

#3 Washington (Pac 12, 7-0, +158) vs. #62 Baylor (Big 12, 3-4, +75)

Washington fans are a little worried by this game, and they probably have a right to be. Baylor is not the typical low seed you would expect. As for the Huskies, they were really only tested once in group play. They needed a last second FG to beat a very solid Appalachian State team. Their point differential was helped with 2 big wins, a 61-14 victory over UCF, and a shocking 49-10 victory over a BYU team that was expected to advance out of their group. Now, back to Baylor. Talk about a Jekyll and Hyde performance in group play. In their 3 wins, they outscored their opponents 141-34. But an upset loss to UNLV, plus not being able to get a significant victory over either Nebraska or Auburn, had them (go figure) needing a head to head tiebreaker win over Northern Illinois to advance. If only they could have pulled out a couple more victories, with the point differential they had from their 3 wins, they could have finished a lot higher in their group.

Game Results

#3 Washington- 49, #62 Baylor- 17

The Huskies made sure they wouldn't be the first upset victims, scoring 28 straight points in the 2nd and 3rd quarters using a balanced rushing/passing attack. They had 2 100+ yard rushers in Myles Gaskin and Lavon Coleman, and QB Jake Browning threw for 3 TDs.

[collegesportsfanms]

#4 Miami (FL) (ACC, 7-0, +100) vs. #61 New Mexico (Mountain West, 4-3, -51)

The Hurricanes became the first of our surprise group winners, as they found a way to beat both the ranked teams (Colorado, Temple) in their group. The combined margin of victory in those 2 games was just 3 points. 3 points is really all that led them to the group title. If not for that, plus back to back 30+ point wins over Kent State and Hawaii, then Miami would be looking at a much lower seed. New Mexico started strong, but was just not good down the stretch, as they lost to N.C. State by 31 points in Week 6, then needed a missed 2 point conversion by Miami (OH) to preserve the victory in Week 7. That 31 point loss to N.C. State plus a 27 point loss to Penn State is a big reason why the Lobos' point differential is so low.

Game Results

#4 Miami (FL)- 35, #61 New Mexico- 23

A tight game that saw 5 lead changes, but the Hurricanes forced 2 turnovers in the second half and created some distance in the 3rd quarter. Aside from the 2 interceptions that New Mexico QB Austin Apodaca threw, the Lobos also had 2 fumbles that they were able to recover, but lost momentum because of it. Through the first 4 games, the higher seeds are holding strong, but I look for that to change very soon.

[collegesportsfanms]

Because I am ready to get this project done and move on to one of the NCAA Basketball tournaments I usually do, I'm just going to post quick scores from all the games in all the rounds and be done with it. A little anti-climactic I know, but hey, I'm a basketball guy. Anyways, here are the rest of the scores from the Round of 64, and a lot of lower seeds won:

#5 Iowa- 41, #60 Arizona State- 16
#6 Oklahoma State- 43, #59 TCU- 7
#58 Georgia- 26, #7 Georgia Tech- 21
#8 Western Kentucky- 48, #57 Nevada- 17
#9 Florida State- 48, #56 Wisconsin- 10
#10 Michigan- 47, #55 Virginia Tech- 36
#54 Oregon State- 35, #11 Western Michigan- 24
#12 Stanford- 36, #53 Temple- 25
#13 LSU- 34, #52 Colorado State- 24
#51 Notre Dame- 37, #14 Penn State- 31
#15 Nebraska- 42, #50 Memphis- 27
#16 Washington State- 52, #49 Clemson- 28
#17 North Carolina- 28, #48 Tulane- 21
#18 Utah- 47, #47 Maryland- 26
#46 Louisiana Tech- 52, #19 Iowa State- 21
#20 N.C. State- 41, #45 Duke- 22
#21 Auburn- 57, #44 UCLA- 7
#43 Ole Miss- 45, #22 Minnesota- 38 (2 OT)
#23 Middle Tennessee- 60, #42 Pittsburgh- 57 (3 OT)
#41 Kansas State- 37, #24 Northwestern- 24
#40 South Carolina- 45, #25 Louisville- 43 (3 OT)
#39 Boise State- 23, #26 Vanderbilt- 10
#27 South Florida- 34, #38 West Virginia- 21
#37 Colorado- 36, #28 Texas A&M- 33
#36 Florida- 34, #29 Ohio State- 27
#35 Oklahoma- 38, #30 Texas Tech- 37
#34 California- 52, #31 Hawaii- 35
#32 Arkansas State- 27, #33 San Diego State- 17

Match-ups for the Round of 32 will be selected using a random dice roller, so it's a possibility that you could have the top 2 seeds playing each other, or the bottom 2 remaining seeds. I will try to get those match-ups set today, but it might not be until Monday.

[collegesportsfanms]

The Round of 32 Match-ups are set, and let's have a look:

#17 North Carolina vs. #3 Washington
#35 Oklahoma vs. #2 Alabama
#34 California vs. #18 Utah
#51 Notre Dame vs. #23 Middle Tennessee
#37 Colorado vs. #5 Iowa
#54 Oregon State vs. #4 Miami (FL)
#40 South Carolina vs. #21 Auburn
#12 Stanford vs. #1 USC
#16 Washington State vs. #8 Western Kentucky
#58 Georgia vs. #39 Boise State
#13 LSU vs. #6 Oklahoma State
#43 Ole Miss vs. #36 Florida
#10 Michigan vs. #9 Florida State
#32 Arkansas State vs. #27 South Florida
#46 Louisiana Tech vs. #41 Kansas State
#20 N.C. State vs. #15 Nebraska

Some powerful Round of 32 Match-ups. In any tournament, you have to beat who you have in front of you, and for several teams, they have a very tough draw. 4 of the 16 match-ups are between teams that play in the same conference. I decided not to change it, that's just how the dice rolled. There are 13 teams left from the last CFP Top 25 of the actual 2016 college football season, and in looking at the Round of 32 schedule, we know at least 4 of them will be eliminated, so there will be no more than 9 in the Round of 16. A non-CFP Top 25 team still has a chance to win this thing.

[collegesportsfanms]

Round of 32 Results

#17 North Carolina- 53, #3 Washington- 42
#2 Alabama- 31, #35 Oklahoma- 24
#18 Utah- 44, #34 California- 29
#51 Notre Dame- 24, #23 Middle Tennessee- 21
#5 Iowa- 33, #37 Colorado- 21
#4 Miami (FL)- 42, #54 Oregon State- 17
#21 Auburn- 27, #40 South Carolina- 6
#12 Stanford- 27, #1 USC- 24
#8 Western Kentucky- 34, #16 Washington State- 20
#39 Boise State- 38, #58 Georgia- 31
#13 LSU- 36, #6 Oklahoma State- 13
#36 Florida- 37, #43 Ole Miss- 33
#10 Michigan- 27, #9 Florida State- 13
#32 Arkansas State- 42, #27 South Florida- 34
#46 Louisiana Tech- 38, #41 Kansas State- 24
#20 N.C. State- 26, #15 Nebraska- 10

Totally bummed that Kansas State lost, was hoping they'd at least make it to the Round of 16.

6 of the 13 remaining CFP Top 25 teams lost, which means that only 7 remain in the Round of 16. A non-CFP Top 25 team still has a great chance to win this thing.

[collegesportsfanms]

The 16 remaining teams have been reseeded, and the way I've done it is by going to teamrankings.com and getting each teams predictive ranking as of Jan. 10, 2017. Here are the new seeds that will stay pat for the rest of the tournament.

#1- Alabama
#2- Michigan
#3- LSU
#4- Auburn
#5- Miami (FL)
#6- Stanford
#7- Western Kentucky
#8- Florida
#9- North Carolina
#10- Notre Dame
#11- Iowa
#12- Utah
#13- Boise State
#14- N.C. State
#15- Louisiana Tech
#16- Arkansas State

Match-ups for the Round of 16 are as follows:

#16 Arkansas State vs. #1 Alabama
#9 North Carolina vs. #8 Florida
#12 Utah vs. #5 Miami (FL)
#13 Boise State vs. #4 Auburn
#11 Iowa vs. #6 Stanford
#14 N.C. State vs. #3 LSU
#10 Notre Dame vs. #7 Western Kentucky
#15 Louisiana Tech vs. #2 Michigan

[collegesportsfanms]

For those that are following this, I apologize. With everything else going on it got lost in the shuffle. I will get back to it next week when I get back to the office and get the files and everything. I want to get it finished up so that I have one less project to worry about now that I'm a full time student with a possible full time job coming in the fall.