NCAA Football Tournament of Champions from Whatifsports.com

With the NFL in a state of flux, and college football still a few months away, Whatifsports.com wanted to provide a fix for fans craving football. We've teamed up with FOXSports.com and created "The Champs are Here: NCAA Football Tournament of Champions 1996-2010."

Using our college football simulation engine, we simulated each match-up 2,001 times. The team with the higher winning percentage advanced in our bracket. We'll unveil the simulation results round-by-round over the next four weeks until a champion in crowned.

For more information about our tournament simulation, be sure to check out this Beyond the Box Score article.

Semifinals

Miami (FL) vs. Texas 

The last time Miami played Texas, Russell Maryland was named the game MVP. Yeah, it has been two decades since the Hurricanes 1991 Cotton Bowl win. The game plan was executed by Maryland on defense and co-MVP Craig Erickson on offense. 

Miami's offense and defense collaborated once again in this Tournament of Champions semifinal simulation. 

Halfway through the third quarter, Vince Young ran the ball in from 13 yards out to give Texas a 20-6 lead. With little signs of life from the Miami offense, the game moved to the fourth quarter. 

On the first play of the final quarter, Ken Dorsey found Andre Johnson, who made a defender miss before he reached the zone. The touchdown brought the 'Canes within seven, 20-13. Eight minutes later, and with Texas in position to score again, Young's pass was picked off by Ed Reed at the Miami 2-yard line and returned 98 yards for the pick six and game-tying touchdown. 

The spark on the defensive side of the football knocked Texas off its game. The Longhorns went three and out on their next possession. Dorsey and Miami took over after the punt and scored on the first play from scrimmage. The quarterback hit Kevin Beard, who outran the defense for the game-winning touchdown. 

The Hurricanes rallied to win 27-20. 

Winning Percentage of 1,001 Simulations: Miami-FL 77.8% - Texas 22.2%

View more of Whatifsports.com's NCAA Football Tournament of Champions.