Playoff Wrap Up

Thoughts from watching the games last night and today...

• Hey, remember when the Big 12 used to play defense? Yeah, me too.
• I wonder how Chase Daniel's family is feeling during his bowl game- Are they there? Oh, that's right.
• Man, what I wouldn't give to have a constant update on the ESPN ticker about Brett Favre's current situation- You mean he's going to think about returning for a while before letting us know? Whatever will I do in the meantime...

And now, let the totally imaginary games that will never happen in real life because money and television are too much of a factor begin!

One glitch has emerged: The NFL is considering moving the Pro Bowl to the week before the Super Bowl (when our hypothetical National Championship Game was to take place). Personally, I don't think this will work out, especially when none of the players from the Super Bowl teams participate. So there's still a chance for our plan.

Here's where we left it:
First Round: January 2-3, 2009

• West Region: Fiesta Bowl (Arizona)- Boise State and U$C
  
• South Region: Sugar Bowl (Louisiana)- Virginia Tech and Florida
  
• Central Region: Cotton Bowl (Dallas)- Texas and Oklahoma
  
• North Region: Bailout Bowl (Detroit)- Cincinnati and Penn State
  

Second round: January 9-10, 2009

• Rose Bowl (Pasadena): West verses Central
  
• Orange Bowl (Miami): North verses South
  

National Championship Game : January 24, 2009

• Indianapolis

As I look at this, there may not be many surprises. Let's go game by game:

NORTH (Bailout Bowl)- Penn State and Cinci would be a great game against two regional teams that don't typically face each other. But it wouldn't get any more interesting than that- Penn State in a blowout.

WEST (Fiesta Bowl)- The darlings of the NCAA against the only true power on the West Coast. Guess who wins? U$C by two touchdowns.

SOUTH (Sugar Bowl)- Florida has to travel to hostile territory in N'Awlin's to face the Hokies. It will be more difficult for Coach Meyer to keep the Gators off of Bourbon Street than it will be to keep Va Tech out of the endzone. Florida wins big.

CENTRAL (Cotton Bowl)- This is where things get interesting. First, it's the rematch of the Red River Shootout, on the same field in Dallas. Second, it would address the "neutral field"/"neutral computer" debate that was all over the place prior to the Big 12 Conference championship. You don't often get a "do over", in life or in college football- but I can guarantee that the tickets and ratings for this game would be insane.

I still believe that Oklahoma wins a close one- they seemed to be playing better at the end of the season, and I think they will have figured out how to stop Texas from running (something that cost them the first match up), but the ramifications are interesting. Mostly because:

SEMIFINAL 1 (Rose Bowl)- U$C versues the "Red River Rematch" winner- and that's the interesting part. As good as the Trojan's defense is, I don't think that they could beat Oklahoma (even in a home game), but I've thought that before. But if Texas happens to beat OU in the first round, I see a U$C victory here (in part because Vince Young has no more elligibility) . I'm not the only person who sees these results as probable.

SEMIFINAL 2 (Orange Bowl)- Florida and Penn State meet in Miami. The Gators win, and Joe Pa can stay in state for his retirement, if he so choses.

FINALS (NC Game- Indianapolis)- Either Oklahoma or U$C versus Florida. Some guys who gamble on things (something I bet I would never do) say that the odds would favor a Trojan victory. In my opinion, OU beats Texas and then U$C, but loses to the Gators.

At least that's the result I've got in my picks league- and we all know how well that is going.

Tomorrow: CC update, with promising news.