What Would a 64-Team College Football Tournament Bracket Look Like?
A 64-team college football playoff is a ridiculous concept that will never be realized. Let’s admit that before we go cannonballing our way down the hypothetical rabbit hole. With that firmly out in the open, I’ve crafted a 64-team college football bracket because…just imagine how spectacular and ludicrously time consuming it would be.
Also, offseason.
College football has a playoff now, aptly titled the College Football Playoff. It features four teams, and it’s pure, uncut brilliance in its original format. It should not move to six teams or eight teams or 16 teams. It’s just perfect the way it is, with its modest ceiling and limited bracketing.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
But what if—just go along for the ride for a little while—March Madness morphed into some sort of lovely December-January Madness and switched sports? Oh, what if.
For starters, all personal relationships, careers and responsibilities would suffer deeply. Leaving the house—the TV—would be almost unthinkable. Football, in all its bracketed glory, would be celebrated in a way unique to its sporting origins.
That's precisely why this 64-team bracket was created, and it was created using last season’s results. I repeat, because this part has been difficult to convey in the past, it takes final polls, final records, bowl results, end-of-season momentum and a strong pinch of the good ol’ fashion eye test into account.
Those are the secret ingredients. Here is your 2015 64-team college football bracket.
Please express your hypothetical outrage accordingly.
Midwest Region
Ohio State, unsurprisingly, is the No. 1 seed overall. In a lovely twist of “We’re going to say we didn’t plan this, but we totally did, and there’s no way you can prove it,” the Buckeyes will take on Houston in their first game. Yes, the same Houston team now coached by former Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman.
In terms of potential first-round upsets, look no further than No. 4 Arizona State going up against No. 13 Oklahoma State. Although the Pokes struggled mightily at times last season, they looked like a different squad with Mason Rudolph manning the offense—just ask Washington.
The most underrated game of the bracket is without question Stanford vs. Minnesota in the No. 7 vs. No. 10 game. It's also a celebration of tight ends, past and present.
Georgia Tech is perhaps the sneakiest seed in the whole bracket, although its No. 2 seed is fully warranted. Even with the season complete, the Yellow Jackets never quite got the respect they deserved last year. They’re getting it now, and I’m sure Paul Johnson will add me to his Christmas-card list lickety-split.
West Region
Even after its undoing in the national championship, Oregon was a lock for a No. 1 seed. The Ducks will draw San Diego State in the first round and could see Texas A&M in an offensively charged second-round matchup. The West region could have plenty of scoreboard malfunctions as a whole.
In terms of strength on strength, Baylor’s offense going up against Penn State’s excellent defense will be one of the game-within-the-game storylines to follow. And I can’t help but look down the region and gaze at the empty space that could be Arkansas and Baylor in Round 2 and Oregon vs. Baylor deeper down the line. These need to happen.
Elsewhere in the bracket, the committee has decided to loosen up its throwing arm. The 5-12 matchup between Utah and BYU will call for a statewide holiday. And along those same lines, a Boise State and Washington matchup in the 4-13 game—more aptly titled “The Chris Petersen Bowl”—will be another early contest that will generate a bushel of interest—and deservingly so.
And yes, keeping along the theme of fascinating high-seed-versus-low-seed matchups, No. 3 UCLA will meet up with No. 14 South Carolina. This hypothetical Steve Spurrier press conference will be excellent and informative, just like always.
East Region
Nick Saban’s latest national championship bid was not to be, thanks in large part to young Cardale Jones. But Saban gets another crack at it in our hypothetical bracket as a No. 1 seed. I’m certain he is just beaming about the honor.
Alabama draws Maryland in its first game before getting the winner of Duke-Georgia Southern in the No. 8 vs. No. 9 contest—a highly underrated matchup, I might add. Although Georgia Southern was not allowed to play in a bowl game because this was its first year in the Football Bowl Subdivision, such absurd and cryptic legislation won't apply here. The Sun Belt champs are in.
In terms of brand power, the 2-15 game will certainly generate a fair amount of buzz. It may not show up in the results, although it will in name power. Miami and Michigan State pair up, and the winner will draw either Notre Dame or Toledo.
As for potential upsets, don’t sleep on Boston College as a No. 14 seed. While Mississippi State has a clear talent edge in many areas, the Eagles are a crafty bunch. Speaking of which, the Trojans could be in line for a juicy second-round matchup against Wisconsin, which is one you’d probably want to miss work for.
(Hint: You’d probably want to miss work for all of these.)
South Region
The nation’s most controversial hypothetical bracket lies in the South, where TCU—not Florida State—has No. 1 seed honors.
The Horned Frogs made enough of an impression—and the Seminoles did the same—to warrant this secondary playoff adjustment some were clamoring for all along. But have no fear—the Seminoles can heal all wounds by breaking through this bracket as a No. 2 seed.
That road will begin with a game against No. 15 Texas, which celebrated its last game of the season by totaling 59 yards against Arkansas in its bowl game. Hopefully, Charlie Strong’s team is more competitive its next time out, although this is not the most joyous of matchups.
TCU draws Rutgers in its first game with a potentially fascinating matchup against LSU on deck. Georgia, coming off an impressive offensive showing in its bowl victory over Louisville, will take on East Carolina as the No. 3 seed.
When it comes to opening intrigue, Arizona and Tennessee—both with ample momentum heading into next year—will play in about as good of a No. 5 vs. No. 12 matchup as you could draw up. Although it might not have that same high-profile feel, Memphis and West Virginia could deliver a marvelous showing in the No. 6 vs. No. 11 game.
The Road to the Final Four
Simply seeding the bracket just isn’t enough. No, to truly embrace the hypothetical madness and vacuum up unimportant offseason hours, one simply cannot stop there. And I haven’t.
How would the bracket actually play out with the regions above? I’m glad you asked. You asked, right?
Answers ahoy.
Round of 32
Midwest: Ohio State (No. 1) vs. Nebraska (No. 8), Navy (No. 12) vs. Oklahoma State (No. 13), Auburn (No. 6) vs. Missouri (No. 3), Stanford (No. 7) vs. Georgia Tech (No. 2)
West: Oregon (No. 1) vs. Texas A&M (No. 8), Utah (No. 5) vs. Boise State (No. 4), Kansas State (No. 6) vs. UCLA (No. 3), Arkansas (No. 7) vs. Baylor (No. 2).
East: Alabama (No. 1) vs. Duke (No. 8), USC (No. 5) vs. Wisconsin (No. 4), Marshall (No. 6) vs. Boston College (No. 14), Notre Dame (No. 7) vs. Michigan State (No. 2).
South: TCU (No. 1) vs. LSU (No. 8), Tennessee (No. 12) vs. Clemson (No. 4), Memphis (No. 6) vs. Georgia (No. 3), Louisville (No. 7) vs. Florida State (No. 2)
With the field cut in half, the second round of our hypothetical bracket is jam-packed with games you would ignore family for. With a handful of potential Cinderella teams still alive—headlined by Boston College, Oklahoma State, Tennessee and Navy—the potential for an unexpected run is still in place for a select few.
But with the chalk still playing to form and looking mighty tough in the process, how long can it last?
Sweet 16
Midwest: Ohio State (No. 1) vs. Navy (No. 12), Missouri (No. 3) vs. Georgia Tech (No. 2)
West: Oregon (No. 1) vs. Boise State (No. 4), UCLA (No. 3) vs. Baylor (No. 2)
East: Alabama (No. 1) vs. USC (No. 5), Marshall (No. 6) vs. Michigan State (No. 2)
South: TCU (No. 1) vs. Tennessee (No. 12), Memphis (No. 6) vs. Florida State (No. 2)
What a glorious slate of games.
Imagine if all of these were played over the course of one weekend; the sporting world would shut down, and I would personally self-destruct. The West’s matchups would be tough to beat overall, although the brand power between USC and Alabama in the East would be a network’s dream.
Elite Eight
Midwest: Ohio State (No. 1) vs. Missouri (No. 3)
West: Oregon (No. 1) vs. Baylor (No. 2)
East: Alabama (No. 1) vs. Michigan State (No. 2)
South: TCU (No. 1) vs. Florida State (No. 2)
Notice anything, well, different?
Those higher seeds that were once commandeering the bracket are now gone; all that remains is chalk. Missouri was the lone seed above a No. 2 to make it to this point, which should come as no shocker.
TCU and Florida State go toe-to-toe in the most notable game of the round, although Oregon vs. Baylor isn’t far behind. The only downside of this game is that it will likely take 13 hours and feature roughly 1,700 points. Come to think of it, that’s not really a downside at all.
Final Four
Ohio State (No. 1 Midwest) vs. Oregon (No. 1 West)
TCU (No. 1 in South) vs. Michigan State (No. 2 East)
Finally, a No. 1 seed goes down. Alabama, thanks to a historic performance by Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook, loses in the best game of the tournament. The Big Ten, having played the role of pinata for far too long, has two teams in the Final Four. Sparty will now draw TCU, however, which isn’t exactly the most ideal development.
Ohio State, meanwhile, keeps cruising right along. And yes, your eyes do not deceive you; this year’s national championship game is now a playoff semifinal. Can the Big Ten possibly get an all-Big Ten title game?
National Championship
Ohio State vs. TCU
The answer to the question above is an emphatic "no," although having one team in the championship is familiar and welcome news for the B1G. Ohio State, behind a slew of rushing yards from running back Ezekiel Elliott, cruises past Oregon (again).
TCU got the best of Michigan State thanks in large part to the performance of Trevone Boykin. This seems like an appropriate time to point out that he was a wide receiver not long ago and that the sport you love is magical and weird.
The Horned Frogs get their shot after all…although the end results don’t budge.
Cardale Jones does the spectacular. Ezekiel Elliott does the spectacular. Joey Bose and Darron Lee do the spectacular. Although TCU keeps the game close deep into the second half, the hypothetical world plays out a lot like the real world.
Buckeyes it is. Again.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
