2010 Bowl Schedule: How Would This Year's Field Look in a 16-Team Playoff?
As we head in to the bowl games, there are bound to be some people who will grumble that the BCS didn't get the matchups right this year.
It has been arguably the biggest source of contention in college football for years now (excluding Reggie Bush and Cameron Newton, of course).
So for all you dreamers out there, here are the 16 teams that would face each other in a 16-team playoff and how the playoffs would unfold, all the way down to the title game.
The 16 Teams (Based on AP Rankings)
1 of 16
- Auburn
- Oregon
- TCU
- Wisconsin
- Stanford
- Ohio State
- Michigan State
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Boise State
- LSU
- Virginia Tech
- Nevada
- Missouri
- Alabama
- Oklahoma State
Deciding to snub the BCS altogether here, we are taking the AP's Week 15 rankings. That will show the BCS.
The playoff system is simple: the standard bracketed format. In the first round, No. 16 Oklahoma State plays No. 1 Auburn, No. 15 Alabama plays No. 2 Oregon, No. 14 Missouri plays No. 3 TCU, and so on, down to No. 9 Oklahoma playing No. 8 Arkansas.
The next two rounds play out the same way an NFL playoff does in terms of which seeds play against each other.
The only difference is the top seeds don't receive a first-round bye (sorry, Auburn and Oregon).
First Round: No. 16 Oklahoma State vs. No. 1 Auburn
2 of 16
Coming off a crushing defeat to Oklahoma in the last game of the regular season, Oklahoma State is hurting coming into the playoffs.
Auburn, on the other hand, just destroyed South Carolina.
Cameron Newton flies through a defense that gave up 47 points to Oklahoma.
Prediction: Auburn 51, Oklahoma State 27
First Round: No. 15 Alabama vs. No. 2 Oregon
3 of 16
In what is sure to be an entertaining game, Alabama's D, charged up by Cameron Newton's mockery of it, comes roaring out of the gates, holding the vaunted Oregon offense to just 24 points.
Unfortunately for Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide, the team doesn't score enough points to win and is barely edged out.
Prediction: Oregon 24, Alabama 21
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
First Round: No. 14 Missouri vs. No. 3 TCU
4 of 16
Missouri, holding teams to just 15.2 points per game in the regular season, takes a little sting out of the TCU offense and, for the first time, ruffles QB Andy Dalton's feathers.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, TCU is ranked No. 1 in the nation in points allowed per game and quarterback Blaine Gabbert has a tough time throwing against TCU's vaunted secondary.
Prediction: TCU 27, Missouri 21
First Round: No. 13 Nevada vs. No. 4 Wisconsin
5 of 16
Nevada, despite upsetting Boise State in the regular season, plays a battle-tested Wisconsin team that beat Ohio State midway through the year.
Wisconsin just scored 70 points against Northwestern. Nevada's a much better team.
But it doesn't matter. The end result is the same. Wisconsin wins.
Prediction: Wisconsin 38, Nevada 27
First Round: No. 12 Virginia Tech vs. No. 5 Stanford
6 of 16
In my upset of the week, Virginia Tech, coming off 11 straight wins, uses its 16th-ranked defense (19.1 points given up a game) to fluster QB-sensation Andrew Luck to a degree.
Quarterback Tyrod Taylor, playing the best ball of his collegiate career, leads the upset and becomes everyone's darling Little Hokie That Could. Cam Newton takes a backseat for a brief moment.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 33, Stanford 28
First Round: No. 11 LSU vs. No. 6 Ohio State
7 of 16
After two tough losses to Auburn and Arkansas in the regular season, LSU comes into the playoffs with rage in its eyes.
Unfortunately, this rage does the Tigers no good, as Ohio State shows it is still one of the best college football programs in the land.
Prediction: Ohio State 24, LSU 17
First Round: No. 10 Boise State vs. No. 7 Michigan State
8 of 16
Michigan State uses Nevada's blueprint for slowing down Boise State: Run around a lot on defense and hope something miraculous happens, like Kellen Moore injuring his hand punching kicker Kyle Brotzman after missing another field goal.
The Spartans edge out the Broncos behind solid play from quarterback Kirk Cousins and spits on Bronco Stadium's blue turf.
Prediction: Michigan State 38, Boise State 35
First Round: No. 9 Oklahoma vs. No. 8 Arkansas
9 of 16
Oklahoma shocks Arkansas here.
Both teams are coming off two big wins against ranked opponents.
But Landry Jones and DeMarco Murray continue their stellar play and the Sooners win in a shootout with Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett.
Prediction: Oklahoma 37, Arkansas 34
Second Round: No. 12 Virginia Tech vs. No. 1 Auburn
10 of 16
Tyrod Taylor's dream season ends here. So does the Hokies' season.
Cameron Newton runs all over a tough Virginia Tech defense and further establishes himself as one of the best QBs in college football.
Taylor makes some things happen, but it's not enough.
Prediction: Auburn 31, Virginia Tech 26
Second Round: No. 9 Oklahoma vs. No. 2 Oregon
11 of 16
Despite playing great ball in recent games, Oklahoma's run, well, runs out here.
The Sooners find themselves playing a team the likes of which they've never seen before.
"Sure, Oklahoma State scored 41 on us, but we ain't seen nothing like this before," they'll say.
LaMichael James will bob and weave his way for two touchdowns and 100-plus yards, and DeMarco Murray and Landry Jones won't be able to keep up.
Prediction: Oregon 40, Oklahoma 27
Second Round: No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 3 TCU
12 of 16
Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio uses the famous line from 300: "Spartans! Tonight, we dine in Hell!"
It is meant as a rallying cry, but it ends up coming hauntingly true.
Michigan State is beaten the way it was beaten at Iowa and nightmares of the movie 300 haunt the Spartans in their twitchy sleep after the game.
Andy Dalton continues to show he's the real deal and, upon hearing of the Spartans' little pre-game pep talk, he grows a beard after the game to look like Gerard Butler, just to haunt them some more.
Prediction: TCU 37, Michigan State 27
Second Round: No. 6 Ohio State vs. No. 4 Wisconsin
13 of 16
Ohio State marches into its matchup with Wisconsin seeing bright lights (camera bulbs flashing) after its resounding victory against LSU.
But the Buckeyes see different bright lights after getting knocked out of the playoffs by Wisconsin.
Wisconsin wins a shootout. Although the Buckeyes defense slows down the Badgers running attack, Scott Tolzien takes advantage of some opportunities created by the Buckeyes stacking the box.
Prediction: Wisconsin 33, Ohio State 27
Note: Wisconsin beat Ohio State 31-18 in the regular season.
Third Round: No. 4 Wisconsin vs. No. 1 Auburn
14 of 16
Now it gets interesting.
Wisconsin is ranked fourth in the nation with 43.3 points per game. Auburn is ranked sixth, with 42.7.
You could also make the case that Wisconsin has a better defense than Auburn's, despite Auburn being a surprisingly solid defensive team this year.
But I'm going to go back to what I've been saying all year.
I don't think anybody can stop Cameron Newton.
I don't think Wisconsin will find an answer either and will lose a shootout.
Prediction: Auburn 40, Wisconsin 34
Third Round: No. 3 TCU vs. No. 2 Oregon
15 of 16
This is where TCU's run ends.
Andy Dalton has a masterful game, but LaMichael James and the Oregon Ducks are just too much.
It's the classic matchup between No. 1 offense versus No. 1 defense.
But the No. 1 offense wins, barely, as Oregon's 14th-ranked defense holds off Andy Dalton and the Horned Frogs. The Ducks hop up and down like mad.
Prediction: Oregon 30, TCU 27
Title Game: No. 1 Auburn vs. No. 2 Oregon
16 of 16
See, after all that fuss, Auburn and Oregon would still play in the championship game with a playoff system!
And what a championship game it will be.
Both teams shouldn't have much trouble scoring points.
Despite Oregon being ranked 14th in defense, allowing just 18.4 points per game, the Ducks won't have an answer for Cameron Newton.
You saw that prediction coming, didn't you?
You should probably know by now that I'm really high on Cam Newton. When a quarterback effectively can both run and throw at an elite collegiate level, it is truly hard for a defense to stop him. College defenses don't generally have enough collective speed to track down quarterbacks like Cam Newton. And spying him can go out the window.
Newton became only the second quarterback in college football history to throw for more than 20 touchdowns and run for more than 20 touchdowns last week.
I'm gonna stick to my guns and give the game ball to Newton.
Prediction: Auburn 40, Oregon 37
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
