(632) 1992 North Carolina State - 25 (1417) 2004 Minnesota - 20
(905) 2004 Boston College - 21 (1144) 2008 Northwestern - 17
(120) 2006 Boise State - 46 (1929) 1993 San Diego State - 20
Round 2 Matchups- (9) 1986 Penn State vs (1016) 1997 Syracuse (504) 1996 Iowa vs (521) 1993 Colorado (265) 1990 Florida State vs (760) 2000 Ohio State (248) 1998 Florida vs (777) 2001 Toledo (137) 1989 Auburn vs (1161) 1993 Fresno State (376) 1987 Clemson vs (649) 1983 East Carolina (393) 2002 Kansas State vs (632) 1992 North Carolina State (120) 2006 Boise State vs (905) 2004 Boston College
RESULTS - BRACKET 62 Round 1 (seed) year school - score
(62) 1999 Nebraska - 38 (1987) 1982 Oklahoma State - 11 This one was over as soon as the Cornhuskers took the field. Jimmy Johnson's defense wasn't ready for prime time and C Dominic Raiola dominated DL Brent Guy in the trenches. Sophomore QB Eric Crouch ran for 112 yards and three touchdowns.
(963) 1997 USC - 19 (1086) 1991 West Virginia - 17 In one of the uglier games of the tournament so far, USC linebacker Chris Claiborne made the difference with 13 tackles. He shadowed RB Adrian Murrell all game long and made the game winning tackle on fourth down on the Mountaineers final possession.
(574) 1985 BYU - 27 (1475) 2006 Tulsa - 17 BYU QB Robbie Bosco paced a workmanlike offense that looked like it was holding back for the later rounds. There wasn't even a hint of panic on LaVell Edwards' face when QB Paul Smith found WR Idris Moss for a 27-yard TD that cut the BYU lead down to 20-17 late in the third quarter. Then Vai Sikahema delivered the knockout punch (much like his knockout of Jose Canseco) with an 11-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.
(451) 2001 South Carolina - 24 (1598) 1992 Auburn - 15 If Pat Dye's Auburn Tigers had brought as much energy to this game as their mascot Aubie, they might have had a chance. Instead, RB Andrew Pinnock ran up, around, over, and through the Auburn defense all day long.
(318) 1999 Tennessee - 30 (1731) 1977 Arkansas State - 10 Tennessee wasted no time putting away this out-matched Arkansas State team. The RB duo of Jamal Lewis and Travis Henry accounted for over 200 yards on the ground.
(707) 1998 Virginia Tech - 28 (1342) 2003 New Mexico - 17 The Virginia Tech defense was the story here. UNM RB DonTrell Moore was taken out of the game early thanks to a Pierson Prioleau blocked punt that he returned for a touchdown. Lobo QB Casey Kelly had no chance against the pass rush of Hokie bookends Corey Moore and John Engelberger.
(830) 1993 Indiana - 19 (1219) 2004 New Mexico - 15 Rocky Long's Lobos take another hit in the tournament, with the 2004 team getting eliminated immediately after the 2003 team bit the dust. Indiana's defense, paced by LB Charles Beauchamp, were able to corrall RB DonTrell Moore.
(195) 1985 Iowa - 37 (1854) 2008 Louisiana Tech - 14 Hayden Fry's 1985 Hawkeyes are a team to watch in this tournament. The run pass duo of QB Chuck Long and RB Ronnie Harmon looked great against rookie coach Derek Dooley's defense.
(190) 1992 Texas A&M - 23 (1859) 1987 TCU - 10 The Wrecking Crew was every bit as good as advertised. Sam Adams and company held the potent TCU ground game to only 26 rushing yards. TCU coach Jim Wacker was not pleased.
(835) 1999 Colorado State - 29 (1214) 1994 Georgia - 26 Georgia RB Terrell Davis, who some Rams players were calling "overrated" prior to the game, never got loose in this one. He was held to 64 meaningless yards, placing the entire burden on QB Eric Zeier. Zeier played well, but not well enough. The Dawg defense couldn't stop Colorado State down the stretch and QB Matt Newton found WR Dallas Davis for the game winning touchdown.
(702) 1977 Colorado State - 24 (1347) 1986 Texas Tech - 17 Another Colorado State advances to the second round. The '77 edition, coached by Sark Arslanian, picked up the win thanks to the play of their defense.
(323) 2002 Notre Dame - 25 (1726) 1990 Western Michigan - 15 The 2002 Notre Dame formula for winning games was to rely on the defense to force turnovers. Shane Walton didn't let anybody down. The senior picked off two Brad Tayles passes and LB Derek Curry forced two fumbles as the Irish defense outscored the offense yet again.
(446) 1990 BYU - 39 (1603) 1988 Oregon State - 21 The 1990 BYU team is another sleeper in Bracket 62, if for no other reason than their high scoring offense. QB Ty Detmer threw for 436 yards and 4 touchdowns against a bad Beaver defense.
(579) 1979 Wake Forest - 21 (1470) 1981 Iowa State - 19 Somehow, Wake Forest coach John Mackovic managed to pull this game out. Despite failing to score a single point on three trips to the red zone, the Deacons still had enough fire power to reach the end zone three times on big plays.
(958) 1989 Oregon - 29 (1091) 1994 Syracuse - 21 Syracuse needs to find some coaching. Despite bringing some great players, the Orange are already 0-fer-3 in this tournament. This time it's WR Marvin Harrison and RB Kirby Dar Dar going home. Despite a solid '94 season, LB Antwaune Ponds was no match for Oregon RB Derek Loville, who piled up 143 yards on the soft Syracuse D.
(67) 1985 Florida - 27 (1982) 1984 Michigan State - 10 The 1985 Gators might have had their SEC title stripped due to NCAA violations, but that doesn't disqualify them from this tournament. Coach Galen Hall's defense was dominant in this contest, and QB Kerwin Bell was as elusive in the pocket as ever. At least the 1984 Spartans will be home in time to support their Cheer Squad in the Championships.
Round 2 Matchups- (62) 1999 Nebraska vs (963) 1997 USC (451) 2001 South Carolina vs (574) 1985 BYU (318) 1999 Tennessee vs (707) 1998 Virginia Tech (195) 1985 Iowa vs (830) 1993 Indiana (190) 1992 Texas A&M vs (835) 1999 Colorado State (323) 2002 Notre Dame vs (702) 1977 Colorado State (446) 1990 BYU vs (579) 1979 Wake Forest (67) 1985 Florida vs (958) 1989 Oregon
(462) 2002 Maryland - 34 (1587) 1982 Long Beach State - 14
(563) 1998 Purdue - 28 (1486) 1981 Colgate - 19
(974) 1977 Brown - 22 (1075) 1982 San Diego State - 18
(51) 1995 Florida - 45 (1998) 1998 Rice - 13
Round 2 Matchups- (78) 1986 Miami vs (947) 1995 UCLA (435) 1979 North Carolina vs (590) 2004 Texas Tech (334) 1984 Nebraska vs (691) 2004 Virginia (179) 2002 Texas vs (846) 1995 Auburn (206) 1988 West Virginia vs (819) 1982 Miami (307) 1982 Auburn vs (718) 1991 Stanford (462) 2002 Maryland vs (563) 1998 Purdue (51) 1995 Florida vs (974) 1977 Brown
(5) 1999 Florida State - 41 (2044) 1983 Hawaii - 12 FSU WR Peter Warrick is ready for this tournament. His three touchdowns (including one on a punt return) set the stage for a blowout of Dick Tomey's Rainbow Warriors.
(1020) 1987 BYU - 18 (1029) 1984 Arkansas - 22 The first "upset" of the tournament. Ken Hatfield's wishbone offense outlasted LaVell Edwards and BYU QB Bob Jensen. The halftime show was pretty sweet too.
(517) 2008 Oregon - 32 (1532) 1989 Georgia - 22 Two big backs squared off in Oregon's LeGarrette Blount and Georgia's Rodney Hampton. It was Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli's mobility that gave the Bulldog defense fits though.
(508) 1996 Miami - 31 (1541) 2000 Arizona State - 18 The Miami defense held ASU TE Todd Heap in check by pounding QB Jeff Krohn into oblivion. DL Kenard Lang even pressured Krohn into this amazing one handed interception in the second quarter.
(261) 1982 Washington - 27 (1788) 1980 Ball State - 15 Washington QB Steve Pelluer led Don James' Huskies to an easy, workmanlike win over Dwight Wallace's Cardinals.
(764) 1987 Wyoming - 27 (1285) 1998 Southern Miss - 24 A key 3rd down conversion, in which QB Craig Burnett somehow escaped the pass rush of DE Adalius Thomas to find WR Anthony Sargent for the first down, set up a last second field goal that did in a talented and upset-minded Golden Eagle squad. Sherrod Gideon (pictured) was disappointed, but his 1999 team is still in the mix.
(773) 1990 Mississippi - 21 (1276) 2001 Colorado State - 20 Ole Miss DL Kelvin Pritchett was in QB Bradlee Van Pelt's pocket all game long. That didn't stop the Rams from pulling off a trick play for a touchdown to take the lead in the fourth quarter. Ole Miss answered with a touchdown drive that ate up most of the rest of the clock, and was capped by RB Randy Baldwin's game winning 2-yard touchdown plunge with just over a minute to play.
(252) 1999 Penn State - 26 (1797) 1991 Miami, Ohio - 13 Will this tournament be an opportunity for the uber-talented 1999 Penn State Nittany Lions to finally fulfill their vast potential? A struggle in the first round against Randy Walker's scrappy Miami (Ohio) team doesn't bode well.
(133) 1995 Toledo - 34 (1916) 2008 Virginia - 14 Some might say the #133 seed is a bit too high for Toledo. But Gary Pinkel and talented freshman RB Wasean Tate proved everybody wrong in this game. Virginia coach Al Groh couldn't pick a quarterback and the inability to get the offense jump started led to an easy rout for the Rockets.
(892) 1981 Kansas - 22 (1157) 1989 Air Force - 25 Look out for Fisher DeBerry's Falcons! QB Dee Dowis is a force to be reckoned with, and EVERYBODY in this bracket better take notice of this upset. Dowis set the stage early with a 73-yard TD on an option keeper on the second play of the game. Kansas RB Garfield Taylor kept pace with Dowis on the ground, with 183 rushing yards of his own. But the Jayhawks inability to stop Dowis and the option on third downs did them in. If Dowis keeps this up they'll have to make another glass with his picture to sell in Colorado Springs gas stations.
(645) 1996 Army - 30 (1404) 1979 Utah - 18 The Utah duo of Tony Lindsay and Del Rodgers might have been good back in 1979, but the '96 Cadets shut the pair down. Army QB Ronnie McAda did his best Dee Dowis impression by leading the Cadets in both rushing and passing yardage.
(380) 1987 Notre Dame - 31 (1669) 2005 Northern Illinois - 21 Lou Holtz wasn't expecting to have to score 30+ points to win this game, but he wasn't counting on NIU RB Garrett Wolfe gouging his Irish defense to the tune of 165 yards and 2 tds. Luckily Holtz has QB Tony Rice and WR Tim Brown to score points when he needs to.
(389) 2006 California - 34 (1660) 1981 Syracuse - 18 Cal's athleticism was more than the '81 Orange could handle. Coach Richard MacPherson's plan to eat up the clock with RB Joe Morris backfired the first time the Orange had to punt to DeSean Jackson.
(636) 2008 Missouri - 38 (1413) 2001 Miami, Ohio - 23 Gary Pinkel has been busy in the first round so far. His Toledo teams are 2-0 already, and in this matchup he took a rest and let QB Chase Daniel and WR Jeremy Maclin do all the work. Miami, Ohio QB Ben Roethlisberger did his best to keep the Redhawks in the game, but he didn't get any help from his defense.
(901) 1979 Syracuse - 25 (1148) 2005 Toledo - 30 Another Toledo team in the field - another win. This time it's Tom Amstutz's turn to lead the Rockets. Another Joe Morris team bites the dust. This time he takes WR Art Monk along with him.
(124) 1980 North Carolina - 23
(1925) 1989 Baylor - 10 Grant Teaff didn't bring one of his better Baylor teams to the table in this matchup, but it wouldn't have mattered anyway. LB Lawrence Taylor looked like he was going to destroy anything in gold and green that got anywhere near the field! UNC RB Amos Lawrence (pictured) sank his teeth into the first round of the tournament with a solid 118 yard effort.
Round 2 Matchups: (5) 1999 Florida State vs (1029) 1984 Arkansas (508) 1996 Miami vs (517) 2008 Oregon (261) 1982 Washington vs (764) 1987 Wyoming (252) 1999 Penn State vs (773) 1990 Mississippi (133) 1995 Toledo vs (1157) 1989 Air Force (380) 1987 Notre Dame vs (645) 1996 Army (389) 2006 California vs (636) 2008 Missouri (124) 1980 North Carolina vs (1148) 2005 Toledo
Once again, big ups to James Howell, whose relentless data entry skillz made this tournament a possibility.
RESULTS - BRACKET 3 Round 1 (seed) year school - score
Highlights are available as links in Orange so look at the players, teams and plays that shaped the college football landscape for that particular team.
(126) 1991 Alabama - 31 (1923) 1981 East Carolina - 10 WR David Palmer is too fast for Coach Ed Emory's porous Pirate defense, and John Copeland and Eric Curry eliminated the run game in this very overmatched first round match-up. This game wasn't competitive after halftime and Alabama rested most of its starters in the second half.
(899) 1997 Toledo - 23 (1150) 1997 Clemson - 22 Toledo coach Gary Pinkel rides RB Dwayne Harris to a hard fought victory over a Clemson team from the same year. The very average QB Nealon Greene threw 2 interceptions one for a pick six by sophomore Jameel Turner. Clemson CB Antuan Edwards picked off Toledo QB Chris Wallace in the waning seconds of the 4th qtr but he only made it to the 5 yard line as time expired. So the great LB Anthony Simmons and RB Raymond Priester get eliminated from the tournament.
(638) 1983 UCLA - 28 (1411) 2001 Michigan State - 24 QB Rick Neuheisel outsmarts the Spartans and utilizes the great WR Mike Sherrard to beat this tough Michigan State team featuring the triplets: QB Jeff Smoker, WR Charles Rogers, and RB T.J. Duckett. Charles Rodgers had a great catch in this one for a 50 yard touchdown to bridge the gap to 4. But UCLA held on and sealed the victory with a interception of a hail mary by DB Ron Pitts.
(387) 1983 Illinois - 30 (1662) 2003 Washington - 24 The QB Jack Trudeau to David Williams connection outgunned the Cody Pickett-to-Reggie Williams duo. This was a shootout but a key pick by Craig Swoope turned the tide and a fumble by Rich Alexis sealed the victory for the Illni. But here is a tribute to Cody Pickett and one of his eliminations from the tournament, good luck with your 2001 and 2002 teams.
(382) 1978 Houston - 28 (1667) 1996 Texas A&M - 20 In the first of what is sure to be many intra-state matchups, Bill Yeoman's Houston squad takes advantage of a young Aggie defense and RB Emmett King runs for 120 and 3 TD's and FB Randy Love pounded a 35 yard run straight up the gut to seal this first round matchup. Sophomore A&M LB's Warrick Holdman and Dat Nguyen were overmatched by the running game of the Cougs. QB Branndon Stewart's interception late in the 4th quarter locked the game for the Cougars.
(643) 1989 Fresno State - 28 (1406) 1981 Tulsa - 21 Tulsa coach John Cooper and the Golden Hurricane can't keep up with Fresno St. QB Mark Barsotti lights them up for 343 and 4 TD's and all the Tulsa TD's came in garbage time.
(894) 1977 Arizona State - 25 (1155) 1990 North Carolina - 17 Mack Brown has a lot of teams in this bracket, but this one, featuring RB Natrone Means and WR Corey Holliday, doesn't have enough firepower to keep up with the Sun Devils and WR John Jefferson. QB Dennis Sproul hit Jefferson for a 50 yarder and a 42 yard touchdown to give Jefferson 6 catches for 223.
(131) 1985 Tennessee - 28 (1918) 1997 Wyoming - 13 It's not 2008 anymore (when Wyoming beat the Vols) this game is being played in a black hole somewhere that allows teams from different decades to play on the same field! And here, coach Johnny Majors atones for the 2008 loss by defeating Dana Dimel's Jay Stoner-quarterbacked Cowboys. The OL for Tennessee controlled the game from the get go with Harry Galbreath and Bruce Wilkerson paving the way for TB Keith Davis.
(254) 2001 Illinois - 30 (1795) 2002 Tulane - 22 This was a more star-studded matchup than it looked on paper. Ron Turner's Illinois offense, led by the dynamic QB Kurt Kittner and WR Brandon Lloyd, overcame their mistake prone defense to outscore a Green Wave offense paced by RB Mewelde Moore and QB J.P. Losman. The Illni defense was paced by a stellar performance by CB Eugene Wilson and the rush by Jeff Schumacher forced the elusive Losman into several on the run decisions. Despite the Green Wave staying composed it wasn't enough to beat the Great Kurt Kittner.
(771) 1981 Washington State - 26 (1278) 2006 Texas Tech - 23 Even across time lines, defense wins big games. Despite this being QB Graham Harrel's first year at QB he was constantly under pressure by Keith Millard and the Cougar D and they slowed him down. A fumble by RB Shannon Woods on a screen pass with 1:20 at their own 20 brought on K Kevin Morris to hit the game winner for the Cougars. So say good bye to the 2006 Texas Tech Team.
(766) 2000 LSU - 24 (1283) 1997 New Mexico - 23 Nick Saban named Rohan Davey over his starting quarterback Josh Booty for this tournament due to off the field trouble. The Lobos kept the game close but Rohan Davey threw for 318 and Josh Reed caught 3 TD's Two tipped passes late by LB Bradie Smith sealed the victory and skated the upset for LSU.
(259) 1986 Alabama - 31 (1790) 2005 Michigan State - 19 QB Mike Shula and RB Bobby Humphrey rolled over the the very pedestrian and uninspired John L Smith coached Spartans. The Crimson Tide Defense punished poor Drew Stanton all day and linebacker Cornelius Bennett finished the game with 4 sacks, 2 pass deflects and a forced fumble to pave the way for the easy first round victory. This was the only year Drew Stanton started all the games and it was Javon Ringer's first year as the starter lets have a moment of silence for Drew Stanton.
(510) 2001 Marshall - 31 (1539) 1998 TCU - 23 Who isn't excited for this game? Dennis Franchione guided his second team in the bracket (the other being 1997 New Mexico, who lost a heart breaker to 2000 LSU) to face QB Byron Leftwich. Unfortunately, Franchione's defense wasn't fine tuned enough to keep up with the Marshall offense. Byron Leftwich to Darius Watts was the story all day as they combined for 160 yards and 2 td's. Leftwich slightly hurt his ankle but was able to finish the game so this injury will be monitored for the second round match up. The TCU RB duo Basil Mitchell and sophomore LaDainian Tomlinson are sent home early. But watch out for 1999 TCU.
(515) 1981 Michigan - 29 (1534) 2003 Notre Dame - 14 A classic rivalry matchup that spans decades. Bo Schembechler gets the better of Tyrone Willingham here, and this game turns into the Anthony Carter show. thanks to a defense that forced QB Carlyle Holliday into bad decisions all day, which had the crowd calling for Quinn, but he is already suited up for the Irish in 2004, 2005, 2006 teams, this was his freshman year.
(1022) 1998 West Virginia - 26 (1027) 1993 Washington - 23 Two teams with excellent quarterbacks (Marc Bulger and Damon Huard) let their running backs do the talking in this tightly contested affair. In the end it was Amos Zereoue out-gaining Napoleon Kaufman that gave the Mountaineers the edge. This was a back and forth struggle but a late in the game sack of Huard by Gary Stills sealed the victory for the Mountainers.
(3) 1978 USC - 35 (2046) 1981 Arizona -10 No hint of an upset here. Heisman Trophy winning RB Charles White paced the Trojans to an early 17-0 lead and then let the backups take care of the second half in order to rest for what coach John Robinson hopes will be a deep tournament run. Arizona coach Larry Smith was just glad to be a part of the field. He knows his hopes lay elsewhere (namely in QB Corby Jones and the 1997 Missouri squad). Ronnie Lott makes his appearance late in this one as a sophomore.
Round 2 Matchups: (126) 1991 Alabama vs (899) 1997 Toledo (387) 1983 Illinois vs (638) 1983 UCLA (382) 1978 Houston vs (643) 1989 Fresno State (131) 1985 Tennessee vs (894) 1977 Arizona State (254) 2001 Illinois vs (771) 1981 Washington State (259) 1986 Alabama vs (766) 2000 LSU (510) 2001 Marshall vs (515) 1981 Michigan (3) 1978 USC vs (1022) 1998 West Virginia
The Greatest Tournament of All Time is only a little more than a day away from kicking off, which means I better squeeze in an explanation about how this thing is going to work.
It took a little help from my partner in Excel, Curtis, to be able to seed 2,048 teams, but we got the job done. To determine which team got what seed, we ordered every team that played in Division 1-A in my lifetime (1977-present) by their power rating. The power rating came from my own top secret formula, and wouldn't have been possible without the wonderful resource that is James Howell.
The top 2,048 teams qualified for this tournament. To give you an idea of how grand in scope this is, that's more than half of the 3,719 teams that were eligible. Florida State, Georgia, and Nebraska are the only three schools to have all 32 years worth of teams make the bracket. Even Princeton and Yale are represented in the field!
To make this whole ordeal manageable, we divided the BIG bracket into 64 smaller, 32-team brackets. That means in a couple months we'll have 64 bracket winners ready to be plugged into the final "Bracket of Champions".
Now for some actual data. On Thursday, the tournament will officially get under way with the first round of games, starting with Bracket #3. Without further ado, here is the first bracket (click for larger image).
