NCAA Football Replay 2: What-If Playoffs, 2007

[StLee]

Hi, again. I last worked on an NCAA Football Replay dynasty a couple of years ago: NCAA 128: Battle to ONE (2011 Football Replay) - Front Office Football Central. I could never quite figure out how I wanted to approach it, so it was like five dynasties all in one. This time I plan to do things a little simpler and more focused.

As we approach the FBS' first-ever playoffs, limited as they are, I wanted to go back in time to create playoffs using WhatIfSports: Free Online Simulation Games, Sim Leagues, Sim Games to recreate the what-if scenario. It's not perfect, but it works.

What if the FBS used the FCS style of playoffs? All 11 conference champions would get in and 5 at-large teams would enter, all vying for the national championship. Seeding is based on the BCS Formula, thus placing teams into their slot based on their final BCS standings of the season. All games are played on a neutral field using whatifsports.com’s engine for simulating.

In the first round, conference opponents cannot play. If there is a chance for conference opponents to clash, the lower-seeded team would be reseeded. For example, in 2007, Georgia finished as the #5 team in the BCS standings and Florida finished at #12. Florida would have to drop a seed to #13 to avoid playing a conference opponent in the first round.

In this replay, I will look at the muddled 2007 NCAA season. In that season, LSU became the first two-loss team to win a championship, defeating #1 Ohio State in the final game. LSU’s inclusion was one of controversy since no team seemed to want the #2 spot throughout the season. LSU got in thanks to a few upsets in the season’s final few games, allowing the SEC to continue what would later become a historic run of championships.

[StLee]

Automatic bids
#1 Ohio State – Big Ten champions
#2 LSU – SEC champions
#3 Virginia Tech – ACC champions
#4 Oklahoma – Big 12 champions
#7 USC – Pac 10 champions
#9 West Virginia – Big East champions
#10 Hawaii – WAC champions
#12 BYU – MWC champions
#14 UCF – Conference USA champions
#15 FAU – Sun Belt champions
#16 Central Michigan – MAC champions


At-large bids
#5 Georgia – SEC
#6 Missouri – Big 12
#8 Kansas – Big 12
#11 Arizona State – Pac 10
#13 Florida - SEC (Was #12 in BCS Standings, but switched to prevent first-round match up with a conference opponent)


Brackets

[StLee]

North Regional - All games played at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

#1 Ohio State 51, #16 Central Michigan 30

Chris Wells rushed for 190 yards and scored three second-half touchdowns to help the Buckeyes pull away from MAC Conference champions Central Michigan.

After falling behind 7-0 in the first quarter on a Dan LeFevour to Taylor Bradley connection, Ohio State answered when Brandon Saine scampered 24 yards for a touchdown to tie the game after one quarter.

The Buckeyes then took a sizeable lead in the second quarter. Maurice Wells scored on an 18-yard run, followed by two Boeckman to Brian Robiskie touchdown passes for a 27-7 halftime lead.

In the second half, the Chippewas started to chip away at the Ohio State lead. LeFevour scored on a one-yard run to cut the score to 27-14. After Chris Wells answered on a 59-yard TD run, Justin Hoskins and LeFevour scored on short runs for CMU. That made the score 34-27 heading into the final quarter.

Chris Wells then helped keep Ohio State ahead. He scored on a 12-yard run to make it 41-27. After the Chippewas Andrew Aguila kicked a 34-yard field goal to cut the lead to 41-30, Chris Wells scored again on a 19-yard run for a 48-30 lead. Ryan Pretorius added a late field goal for the 51-30 final.


#9 West Virginia 17, #8 Kansas 14

Pat McAfee’s 48-yard fourth quarter field goal with 4:24 left to play proved to be the difference as ninth-seed West Virginia topped eighth-seed Kansas 17-14 in the first round of the 2007 playoffs.

Neither team was able to find much success on offense, with the Jayhawks outgaining the Mountaineers 285 to 193. West Virginia was held to just 15 yards passing in the game but still found a way to win.

The Mountaineers took the game’s first lead. Owen Schmitt plunged in from a yard out with 4:58 left in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead.

In the second quarter, the Jayhawks finally got on board. Todd Reesing connected with Brandon McAnderson from three yards out to tie the game, 7-7, with 10:13 to play in the half. With 4:43 left in the half, Angus Quigley gave Kansas a lead with a one-yard touchdown run and a 14-7 lead going into the half.

West Virginia tied the game in the third quarter when Noel Devine broke a 27-yard run. McAfee’s fourth quarter field goal then won the game.

Linebacker Marc Magro of the Mountaineers was the game’s MVP, racking up three of WVU’s six sacks in the game. Devine was the leading rusher with 54 yards on eight carries and a touchdown. Quarterback Patrick White added 53 yards on 17 carries and Steve Slaton had 51 yards on 21 carries. White was 2 of 4 for 15 yards in the game.

Kansas was led offensively by Reesing who went 21 of 31 for 245 yards with a touchdown and interception. His top target was Dexton Fields with 71 yards on five catches. McAnderson was the leading rusher with 37 yards on 21 carries.

The Mountaineers now move on to face off with first-seed Ohio State in the quarterfinals round of the 2007 playoffs.

[StLee]

West Regional - All games played at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

#4 Oklahoma 33, #13 Florida 31

Garrett Hartley’s 47-yard field goal with 3:46 to play proved to be the difference as the fourth-seeded Sooners survived against Florida.

Despite the Gators’ Percy Harvin rushing for 194 yards and a touchdown, Oklahoma was able to slip by in the game. Sam Bradford led the Sooners by going 24 of 33 for 285 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Throughout the game, Florida seemed to be able to put itself in winning position, never letting the highly-ranked Sooners pull away.

After Hartley kicked a field goal in the first quarter, Tim Tebow answered for Florida with an eight-yard QB scramble for a touchdown and a 7-3 lead.

In the second quarter, Hartley connected again and Bradford found Malcolm Kelly for a 13-yard score for a 13-7 Oklahoma lead. However, Harvin then broke free for a 62-yard run to make the score 14-13 in favor of the Gators at half time.

In the third quarter, Bradford connected with DeMarco Murray for a 23-yard score to give Oklahoma the lead again. Bradford was hurt on the play and knocked out of the game. After Tebow found Andre Caldwell for a six-yard touchdown, backup Sooners quarterback Joey Halzle found Joe Jon Finley for a five-yard score and a 27-21 Oklahoma lead.

Hartley added his third field goal to start the fourth, giving the Sooners their largest lead of nine points, 30-21. Florida had answers, though. Tebow connected with Caldwell a second time and Joey Ijjas kicked a 50-yard field goal with 6:26 to play to give the Gators a 31-30 lead. With 3:46 left, Hartley sealed the game with a 47-yarder and a 33-31 lead.


#12 BYU 26, #5 Georgia 24

Brigham Young became the first lower seed in the tournament to pull off an upset, edging the Bulldogs 26-24. Mitch Payne’s 29-yard field goal with 5:16 to play proved to be the game-winning kick for the Cougars.

BYU’s Harvey Unga was named the game’s MVP, rushing 32 times for 127 yards with two touchdownsm and adding 77 yards on four catches.

The game looked to be all Georgia early. After Brandon Coutu kicked an early field goal for a 3-0 lead, Kelin Johnson picked off a Max Hall pass and returned it 51 yards for a score, giving the Bulldogs an early 10-0 lead. BYU was then able to drive down field for a field goal. Georgia answered that with a 16-yard touchdown from Matthew Stafford to Sean Bailey for a 17-3 Bulldogs lead after one quarter.

In the second quarter, the Cougars started to push back. Payne kicked his second field goal midway through the quarter and Unga added a touchdown to cut the lead to 17-13. Payne then connected on his third field goal of the half with no time left for a 17-16 Georgia lead at halftime.

BYU took its first lead with 4:34 left in the third quarter when Unga ran for his second touchdown, a 15-yarder, for a 23-17 BYU lead heading into the final quarter.

Georgia too back the lead early in the quarter when Stafford hit Demiko Goodman on a seven-yard touchdown pass to make it 24-23 in favor of the Bulldogs. However, Georgia never scored again, making Payne’s fourth field goal on the day the game winner.

Stafford was 15 of 33 for 206 yards with two touchdowns in the losing effort. Knowshown Moreno added 90 yards on 15 carries.

[StLee]

All-SEC championship possibility already denied.

[StLee]

South Regional - All games played at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

#2 LSU 30, #15 Florida Atlantic 16

LSU got off to a slow start, falling behind 9-3 at half time before Matt Flynn found his passing arm. Flynn connected with Demetrius Byrd and twice with Early Doucet in the second half to rally the Tigers to a 14-point victory.

Doucet was the game’s MVP, finishing with six catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns.

The first half was a battle of field goals, with the Owls’ Warley Leroy kicking field goals of 35, 50, and 30 yards for the 9-3 lead.
LSU took its first lead of the game at the 12:38 mark of the third quarter when Flynn connected with Byrd on a 33-yard scoring pass. Colt David’s extra point kick made the score 10-9 in favor of the Tigers.

Florida Atlantic then answered when Di’Ivory Edgecomb plunged in from one yard out to retake the lead at 16-10. With 4:30 left in the quarter, Flynn hit Doucet on a seven-yard touchdown pass for a 17-16 LSU lead heading into the final quarter.

After two David field goals extended the lead to 23-16, Flynn connected with Doucet on a 47-yard touchdown to stretch the LSU lead to 14, something FAU could never overcome.


#7 USC 31, #10 Hawaii 30

John David Booty’s desperation 55-yard pass fell true into the hands of Brad Walker, and USC pulled off a miracle victory in defeating Hawaii, 31-30, following David Buehler’s extra-point kick.

The Trojans were down to their last chance after the Warriors’ Dan Kelly kicked a 39-yard field goal with 39 seconds left for a 30-24 lead. However, the Trojans used just three plays for the 62-yard scoring drive, capped off by the Hail Mary.

Hawaii seemed to dominate the game from the start, taking a huge lead into halftime, before the Trojans stormed back in the second half. Kelly kicked a 40-yard field goal in the first quarter to make the score 3-0 after one. In the second quarter, Colt Brennan found Leon Wright-Jackson on a five-yard touchdown and Ryan Grice-Mullins on a six-yard pass for a 17-0 lead at the half.

USC finally got on board early in the third quarter. Booty connected with Patrick Turner for a 23-yard touchdown with 12:59 left in the quarter for a 17-7 deficit. Nearly six minutes later, Booty found Turner again to cut the Warriors’ lead to 17-14. Kelly and Buehler each then traded field goals to make the score 20-17 heading to the final quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Trojans took their first lead of the game. Chauncey Washington ran it in from four yards out with 5:52 to play for a 24-20 advantage. Hawaii then answered by driving the ball 80 yards, capped off by Daniel Libre’s two-yard plunge for a 27-24 advantage. After a USC turnover, Hawaii looked to run out the clock, but stalled, electing to go for the field goal with just 39 seconds to play. As it turned out, that decision not to go for the first on 4th and 1 was a mistake.

USC’s Booty was the MVP by going 17 for 37 for 288 yards for 3 touchdowns and an interception. Fred Davis was his top target with five receptions for 84 yards. Washington led the Trojans in rushing with 92 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown.

Brennan was the leader on offense for Hawaii. He finished 37 of 50 for 412 yards and two touchdowns. His top target was Grice-Mullins with 135 yards receiving on ten catches and a touchdown.

USC will now face off with LSU, subject of a controversial 2003 finish where a concluding match up never happened in the split national championship season.

[StLee]

East Regional - All games played at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

#3 Virginia Tech 36, #14 Central Florida 33, 3 OT

Jud Dunlevy kicked a 49-yard game-tying field goal late in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime, and his foot ultimately outdueled UCF’s Jake Howard when his 46-yard field goal in triple overtime was true, giving the Hokies a tough first round victory.

Howard’s field goal attempt in the third overtime was blocked, giving Virginia Tech the chance to go for the win.

The Hokies’ Branden Ore paced the offense in the game, finishing with 132 yards on 27 carries for two touchdowns and another 47 yards on three receptions. Kevin Smith rushed for 221 yards and a touchdown for the Golden Knights.

UCF took an early lead in the game behind the foot of Howard. He kicked field goals of 50 and 48 yards for an early 6-0 lead. Virginia Tech got on the board with 21 seconds left in the first quarter when Tyrod Taylor hit Eddie Royal for a 10-yard touchdown.

After Smith’s 25-yard scamper gave the Golden Knights a 13-7 lead, Ore found the end zone twice on runs of 16 and 1 for a 21-13 advantage at halftime.

Central Florida was the only team to score in the third quarter. Israel hit Brian Watters on a five-yard touchdown pass to close the gap to 21-20 heading into the final quarter.

In the fourth, Dunlevy kicked a 31-yard field goal for a 24-20 lead before Israel found Watters again for UCF and made the score 27-24 in favor of the Golden Knights. Dunlevy then kicked a field goal from 49 yards out with 3:07 to play to tie the game and send it to overtime.

In the first two overtimes, each team exchanged field goals before Virginia Tech was able to beat down the Golden Knights in the final overtime for the 36-33 final.


#11 Arizona State 36, #6 Missouri 35

The field goal has been the difference in several of the first-round match ups. This one was no different with Arizona State’s Thomas Weber kicking a game-winning 45-yard field goal with 2:49 left to propel the Sun Devils to an upset victory over Missouri, 36-35.

Both teams traded leads throughout the game, with six lead changes, beginning in the second quarter. The Sun Devils jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter on a Weber field goal and a two-yard Keegan Herring run. Missouri got on the board with 2:48 left in the quarter on a five-yard Tony Temple scamper.

After Weber kicked his second field goal in the second quarter, the Tigers took their first lead with 12:57 left in the half on Jimmy Jackson’s 45-yard run. The Sun Devils answered, though, when Rudy Carpenter found Ryan Torain on a 51-yard bomb to make the score 20-14 with 6:53 left in the second. Missouri was able to retake the lead going into halftime thanks to Jeremy Maclin’s 40-yard run. That gave the Tigers a 21-20 lead at the break.

In the third quarter, each team traded a touchdown. Arizona State started the scoring with Carpenter’s second touchdown pass. He found Rudy Burgess from three yards out for the 27-21 lead. The Tigers again took the lead with 6:09 left in the quarter when Chase Daniel found Martin Rucker on a 14-yard slant route for the 28-27 lead.

Missouri extended its lead to eight in the fourth quarter behind Temple’s 15-yard run, his second of the game. With 8:15 left, Carpenter found Torain for a second time, scoring from 16 yards out to pull the score to 35-33.

However, on the two-point conversion, the draw play failed. After the Tigers failed to run down the clock, Arizona State got the ball back with four minutes to play. After a big pass of 32 yards from Carpenter to Torain, the Sun Devils found themselves in scoring position. A penalty pushed them back, but Weber’s field goal was true. Missouri then failed to move the ball far, allowing the Sun Devils to kneel out the clock.

Torain was named the game’s MVP thanks to his three big catches. He finished with 97 yards on those catches with two touchdowns and a third that set up the game-winning field goal. He also rushed for 78 yards on 24 carries. Carpenter finished 22 of 34 for 334 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Daniel finished 17 of 27 for 230 yards and a touchdown for the Tigers. His top target was Jeremy Macklin who had five catches for 100 yards. Tempe led the rushing attack with 81 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns.

[StLee]

[StLee]

We're a day away from the REAL playoffs. Let's start moving teams into the semifinals of this tournament.

North Regional Final - Game played at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

#9 West Virginia 7, #1 Ohio State 6

Patrick White’s five-yard run with 10:05 left in the game proved to be the winning score as West Virginia shocked top-ranked Ohio State, 7-6, in the Quarterfinal Round of the 2007 NCAA Playoffs.

The Buckeyes scored its only points in the first quarter when Todd Boeckman hit Brian Hartline for a one-yard touchdown pass. However, Ohio State kicker Ryan Pretorius missed the extra point, which proved to be the difference in the game.

Each team depended on its run game versus stout defenses to move the ball, with the Mountaineers outrushing the Buckeyes 149-147.

Steve Slaton led WVU in rushing with 82 yards on 22 carries. Noel Devine added 25 yards on nine carries. Darius Reynaud was the leading receiver with four catches for 80 yards. Pat White went 8 for 10 for 130 yards and added 14 yards rushing on 13 carries and the game-winning TD for the game’s MVP honor.

Ohio State was led in rushing by Chris “Beanie” Wells with 71 yards in 29 carries. Brandon Saine added 57 yards on eight attempts. Brian Robiskie was the leading receiver with 54 yards on four receptions. Boeckman finished 17 of 27 for 176 yards with a touchdown and interception.

West Virginia's victory places them in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, where they will take on the West Regional champions.


Analysis:
The first real surprise of the tournament. I really expected OSU to be there in at least the semifinals. Even though they lost in the REAL championship to LSU, they most certainly deserved to be there, and I thought they had enough firepower to handle a pretender like the Mountaineers.

However, anything can happen in the playoffs, and, as we see here, that means the #1 team in the final BCS standings is going home, while West Virginia will move on to the Rose Bowl.

[StLee]

West Regional Final - Played at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

#4 Oklahoma 33, #12 BYU 21

Oklahoma used a strong running game, racking up 270 yards on the ground in blowing out BYU, 33-21. The Sooners become the only of the top four seeds to make it to the Semifinals Round of the 2007 NCAA Football Playoffs.

Allen Patrick and DeMarco Murray shared MVP honors thanks to long runs. Patrick finished with 15 carries for 137 yards and a touchdown. Murray added another 106 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.

The Sooners took a huge lead in the first half. Murray scored from five yards out for a 7-0 lead with 9:21 left in the first quarter. Garrett Hartley kicked a 25-yard field goal early in the second quarter, thanks in part to Murray’s 56-yard run. Five minutes later, Patrick broke off a 74-yard run. Hartley missed the extra point to make it 16-0. Hartley then kicked a 34-yard field goal with 42 seconds left in the half to give the Sooners a 19-0 lead at halftime.

Max Hall finally woke up in the second half. Hall found Matt Allen twice in the third quarter for touchdowns of four and 12 yards to cut the Sooners’ lead to 19-14 heading into the final frame.

Oklahoma answered with two scores to start the fourth quarter. Sam Bradford threw his first touchdown of the game with 11:55 to play when he connected with Malcolm Kelly from 17 yards out. That made the score 26-14. Three minutes later, Chris Brown powered in from a yard out to make it 33-14 and out of reach. Hall added one more TD late in the game, finding Austin Collie for a three-yard strike for the final 33-21 score.

Hall finished 32 of 49 for 356 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions to lead the Cougars. Collie topped all receivers with 100 yards on six catches and a touchdown. Harvey Unga rushed for 82 yards on 22 carries.

Bradford was 15 of 28 for 167 with a touchdown for Oklahoma. Juaquin Iglesias led all Sooners’ receivers with four receptions for 41 yards. Ian Pleasant had three sacks to lead the defensive effort.

Oklahoma now moves on as the highest remaining seed where they will face ninth-ranked West Virginia in the national semifinal game in the Rose Bowl.

[StLee]

My wife was on vacation, so I was busy doing "stuff" and could not find time to dynasty write. Now to try to finish this before or about the same day as this year's real NCAA Football Championship.

South Regional Final - Played at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

#7 USC 23, #2 LSU 13

(Not only no repeat, but the last two standing in the real BCS field did not make it to the semifinals.)

USC was able to build a 13-point first half lead and then hold off the #2-ranked LSU Tigers in a 23-13 victory in the Quarterfinal Round of the 2007 NCAA Playoffs.

John David Booty defeated his home state team to earn MVP honors. He finished 23 of 33 for 257 yards with two touchdowns.

The Trojans took an early lead in the first quarter on David Buehler’s 25-yard field goal. He later added a 39-yarder for a 6-0 USC lead heading into the second quarter.

On the first play of the second quarter, Booty found Patrick Turner on a two-yard pass to give USC a 13-0 lead. The drive came following an interception by LSU’s Matt Flynn, giving USC a short field. The Tigers were able to answer, though, cutting the lead to 13-7 when Jacon Hester plunged in from five yards out. USC scored again, though, with 3:50 left in the half on Booty’s touchdown pass to David Ausberry from 11 yards out. That gave USC a 20-7 advantage at the break.

Colt David kicked field goals of 35 and 41 yards in the third quarter to cut the Trojans’ lead to 20-13 heading into the final quarter. However, the only score in the final quarter came on Buehler’s late 36-yard field goal to clinch the win.

LSU struggled to score despite having two 100-yard rushers in the game. Keiland Williams led the way with 107 yards on just nine carries, his longest being a 50-yard burst. Hester added 106 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Flynn finished 12 of 22 for 172 yards with an interception. His top target was Early Doucet with four catches for 55 yards.

Chauncey Washington was the Trojans’ leading rusher with 23 carries and 92 yards. He also added 19 yards on two receptions. Fred Davis led the way in receiving with five catches for 63 yards.

USC now moves on to the semifinals in the Orange Bowl in Miami where they will await the winner of third-ranked Virginia Tech and 11th-ranked Arizona State.

[StLee]

East Regional Final - Played at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#11 Arizona State 13, #3 Virginia Tech 10

Thomas Weber’s 49-yard field goal as time expired gave eleventh-seed Arizona State a 13-10 victory over third-ranked Virginia Tech. The loss by the Hokies marks losses by the three top seeds in the NCAA Football Playoffs.

The Sun Devils trailed 10-0 late in the fourth quarter before their improbable comeback. After a punt return to the Virginia Tech 42-yard line, Arizona State was in position for its first score with just under 8 minutes to play. Ryan Torain then led them on a 12-play, 42-yard drive, capped off with his three-yard run with 4:41 to play.

After holding the Hokies to a three and out, the Sun Devils got the ball back at their own 34. On the first play, Torain bolted ahead for a 56-yard gain to put ASU in first and goal range and a chance to take the lead. However, the drive stalled at the six, and Weber had to kick the game-tying field goal with 1:10 to play.

Again, Virginia Tech was held to a three and out, being forced to punt the ball with 56 seconds left. Arizona State’s Kyle Williams broke free on the punt retrn, finally going down at the Hokies 25-yard line with 45 seconds to play. After losing seven yards in total, the Sun Devils attempted the game-winning field goal.

The Hokies scored the game’s first points with 11:54 left in the second quarter. On the play, Tyrod Taylor found Eddie Royal for a 22-yard score and a 7-0 halftime lead. Virginia Tech extended that lead to 10-0 on Jud Dunlevy’s 40-yard field goal with 12:55 left in the game.

Arizona State was led offensively by Torain’s feet, earning him the game’s MVP award. Torain rushed 22 times for 106 yards and a touchdown. He also added 44 yards on two catches. Carpenter finished 21 of 37 for 230 yards with an interception. Chris McGaha had four catches for 44 yards to lead the receivers.

Virginia Tech was led by Branden Ore on the ground. He rushed 23 times for 62 yards. He also added three receptions for 24 yards. Royal led the way on the receiving corp with 60 yards on four receptions. Taylor finished 14 of 19 for 139 yards with a touchdown.

The Sun Devils will now meet seventh-seed and Pac Ten rival USC in the semifinals.

[StLee]

[StLee]

#9 West Virginia 9 vs #4 Oklahoma 26

Sam Bradford threw for nearly 300 yards and a touchdown in leading fourth-ranked Oklahoma to a 26-9 victory over ninth-ranked West Virginia in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The Sooners will now move on to play in the National Title Game in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

Bradford finished 19 of 33 for 282 yards and a touchdown, including a 54-yard first quarter strike to Malcolm Kelly that proved to be the difference in the game. Bradford's desperation touchdown pass gave the Sooners a 10-0 lead after one half, a deficit the Mountaineers could never overcome.

Running backs Allen Patrick and DeMarco Murray helped to spur the offense to 182 yards and two more touchdowns on the ground. Patrick finished with 130 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Murray added 16 carries for 56 yards and a touchdown.

Quarterback Pat White was the leader for the West Virginia offense. He led the team with 61 yards rushing on 13 carries. He also completed 8 of 10 passes for 93 yards with an interception.

After the Sooners took their 10-0 lead into the second half, West Virginia answered with a Pat McAfee field goal to cut the deficit to seven points, 10-3. However, Oklahoma answered when Garrett Hartley kicked his second field goal, a 29-yarder, to give the Sooners a 13-3 lead at the end of three.

Oklahoma extended its lead to 16 points in the fourth quarter when Patrick ran in from 13 yards out. Hartley's extra point try was no good to make it 19-3. The Mountaineers then got their first and only touchdown of the game with 7:07 left when Owen Schmitt scored from five yards out. The two-point try was no good, giving the Sooners a 19-9 lead.

Oklahoma then sealed the victory when Murray broke the game's longest run, a 34-yard touchdown scamper for the final 26-9 score.

[StLee]

#11 Arizona State 27 vs #7 USC 30

USC took a 19-point lead into halftime and held on in the second half to defeat Pac Ten rival Arizona State, 30-27, in the semifinals of the NCAA Football Playoffs. The seventh-ranked Trojans will now move on to the National Championship Game in New Orleans where they will face fourth-ranked Oklahoma.

USC scored early in the game to set the tone. Just over three minutes into the game, John David Booty connected with Fred Davis for a 10-yard score. Following two David Buehler field goals, the Trojans took a 13-0 lead into the second frame.

In the second quarter, Buehler kicked two more field goals for four in the first half, giving USC a 19-0 lead heading into the half.

Arizona State finally got on the board early in the second half. On just the third play of the half, Sun Devils' quarterback Rudy Carpenter connected with Chris McGaha for a 52-yard bomb. Following the PAT, Arizona State trailed 19-7. Later in the quarter, Carpenter found Michael Jones for a 20-yard score. The PAT was no good this time for a 19-13 USC lead heading into the final quarter.

The Sun Devils took their first lead, 20-19, with 12:12 left in the game. Carpenter threw his third touchdown pass on the play, this time to running back Ryan Torain, for a 39-yard score.

However, the Trojans answered the call. Booty threw his second touchdown with 7:43 left, a 13-yarder to Brad Washington. Chauncey Washington then ran the ball in for a two-point conversion and a 27-20 lead. Three minutes later, Buehler kicked his fifth field goal of the game to give USC a 30-20 lead.

Arizona State had one more touchdown in them, but it was not enough. With 1:41 left in the game, Carpenter hit Kyle Williams on a 73-yard score to cut the lead to 30-27. The Sun Devils got the ball back one more time at their own 33 with five seconds left, but Carpenter could not get a pass off, ending the game and sending USC to the championship.

Despite the loss, Carpenter was named the game's most valuable player. He completed 21 of 32 passes for 372 yards with four touchdowns and an interception.

On the other sideline, Booty finished 29 of 46 for 393 yards with two touchdowns and two picks.

USC finished with only 38 yards rushing. Washington was the leading ball carrier with 35 yards on 19 carries. Stafon Johnson added 32 yards on seven carries.

Ten different players had catches for the Trojans. Vidal Hazelton led the team in receiving yards with 83 yards on four receptions. Davis had the most catches with five for 77 yards and a touchdown.

The Sun Devils' leading receiver was Williams with four receptions for 103 yards, including that 73-yard touchdown. McGaha added four receptions for 88 yards with a touchdown. Torain led Arizona State in total yards with 112 gained from 50 rushing yards on 20 carries and 62 receiving yards and a touchdown on three receptions.

[StLee]

[collegesportsfanms]

Ick! Oklahoma and USC in the championship, 2 teams I really don't care for. Would be interested to see how it plays out however. If I had to pick a team to go for, I think it would be OU.

[StLee]

#7 USC 35, #4 Oklahoma 24

John David Booty threw four touchdown passes in leading the USC Trojans to an unlikely national championship, defeating fourth-ranked Oklahoma, 35-24, in the Louisiana Superdome.

Booty connected on touchdown passes of 62, 11, 3, and 1 yards to help build a 28-14 Trojans lead midway through the third quarter. For his performance--20 of 39, 346 yards, 4 touchdowns, and an interception--Booty was named the game's most valuable player.

USC struck early in the game when Booty found Vidal Hazelton on a 62-yard score only 49 seconds into the game. That score gave the Trojans a 7-0 lead after one.

In the second quarter, Booty again got an early score in the quarter when he hit Fred Davis for an 11-yard touchdown just 30 seconds into the quarter. Oklahoma was able to answer back on its next drive, though, when Sam Bradford found Quentin Chaney on a 25-yard strike to make it 14-7 in favor of USC. The Trojans later score with just under two minutes left in the half when Booty found Hazelton for a second time, this time on a three-yard pass. With just under a minute to play, the Sooners found their answer when Allen Patrick broke out of a jam for a 35-yard scamper and a 21-14 USC lead at the half.

Booty was hot early again in the second half. After Oklahoma punted on its first possession of the third quarter, the Trojans drove down the field, finishing the drive off when Booty found tight end David Ausberry for a one-yard score.

Oklahoma was not ready to give up, though. The Sooners fought back into the game later in the third. Garrett Hartley kicked a 39-yard field goal to cut the score to 28-17. Then Bradford found Malcolm Kelly for a six-yard touchdown late in the quarter to cut the USC lead to 28-24 heading into the final frame.

In the fourth quarter, the Trojans' defense did its job by keeping the Sooners off the scoreboard. The lone score of the quarter was Chauncey Washington's 11-yard rush for the final 35-24 score. Hartley missed a field goal in the quarter, his second miss of the game, which could have changed the outcome of the game.

Though both teams were nearly identical in rushing yards (117 for USC compared to 105 for Oklahoma), the Trojans outpassed Oklahoma by nearly 70 yards (346-278). Bradford had an OK game, but nothing like Booty's. His final statistics were 24 of 40 for 278 yards with two touchdowns.

Washington led all rushers with 99 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown. USC's Patrick Turner was the leading receiver in the game, catching four passes for 119 yards, despite not getting a touchdown. Davis had the most catches for the Trojans with five catches.

Offensively, Patrick was the Sooners' best weapon. He finished the game with 73 yards rushing on 20 carries and nine yards receiving on one reception. Kelly led the team in receptions with five for 50 yards. Chaney had the most receiving yards with 63 on three catches. USC's Demarrio Pleasant had a sack and interception in the game.

[StLee]

This concludes this edition of the NCAA Football Replay dynasties. I'm not sure when I'll do another one or if I'll do it similarly to this one, but I enjoy checking out the replays. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this very brief NCAA Football redo. Now I can only hope the real NCAA Football playoffs expand beyond just four teams. I really wanted to see what TCU could do this season!

Final Brackets

[StLee]

Originally Posted by collegesportsfanms

Ick! Oklahoma and USC in the championship, 2 teams I really don't care for. Would be interested to see how it plays out however. If I had to pick a team to go for, I think it would be OU.

Yeah, I'm no fan of either team. Of course, I wanted the team that actually won it that year to win it again, but I won't cry over my fake simulation. The real game was satisfying enough for me!