2011-12 NCAA Simulated Football Playoffs–Simper Bowl V

Simper Bowl V

The championship round of the PiRate Ratings Computer Simulated College Football Playoffs was simulated Friday morning, January 6, 2012, and the results and statistics are listed below.

 

For those of you new to this experiment, here is how the PiRates conduct this simulated National Championship playoff:

 

The champions of the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC received automatic bids.

 

Any other conference champion that finished in the top 12 of the BCS rankings also receives an automatic bid.

 

After these two rules were applied, at-large invitations were extended to the number of teams needed to complete a 12-team tournament, based on BCS ranking.

 

Our 12-team tournament gave the top four BCS-ranked teams a bye, while teams seeded 5-12 played in the opening round. 

 

The Dandy Dozen For This Season Were:

Automatic Bids

ACC Champion: Clemson 10-3  BCS #15

Big East Champion: West Virginia 9-3   BCS #23

Big Ten Champion: Wisconsin 11-2   BCS # 10

Big 12 Champion: Oklahoma State 11-1   BCS #3

Pac-12 Champion: Oregon 11-2   BCS #5

SEC Champion: L S U 13-0   BCS #1

 

Other Qualifying Conference Champions

No other conference champions finished in the BCS top 12.

 

At-large Bids (6)

BCS #2: Alabama 11-1

BCS #4: Stanford 11-1

BCS #6: Arkansas 10-2

BCS #7: Boise State 11-1

BCS #8: Kansas State 10-2

BCS #9: South Carolina 10-2

 

The Opening Round Results

Kansas State 30  South Carolina 20

Oregon 41  West Virginia 17

Wisconsin 38  Boise State 26

Clemson 50  Arkansas 44 3ot

 

The Elite 8 Results

L S U  44  Kansas State  16

Oregon 38  Stanford 27

Wisconsin 24  Alabama 19

Oklahoma State 44  Clemson 20

 

The Final Four Results

Oregon 39  L S U 34

Wisconsin 41  Oklahoma State 38

 

Simper Bowl Facts

The Oregon Ducks and Wisconsin Badgers actually played in this year’s Rose Bowl, and the Simper Bowl takes place in the same vicinity at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.  This marked the second time in Simper Bowl history that the computer simulated National Championship Game featured teams that actually squared off in a bowl.

 

We went ahead and simulated this game 100 times after we simulated it the one time to represent the Simper Bowl.  The winner of the Simper Bowl only won 37 of the 100 simulations performed after the Simper Bowl, so we would call the winner of this game an upset.

 

And, the 2011-12 Simper Bowl Champions Are: THE OREGON DUCKS!

 

Congratulations to the Ducks, as they defeated Wisconsin 38-30 in the lone simulation prior to the 100 sims performed afterwards.  Wisconsin won 63 of the 100 simulations performed after we recorded the results of the Simper Bowl.

 

Here are the Simper Bowl Stats:

 

Ore	Team	Wis
20	FD	23
35-206	Rush	41-209
271	Passing	257
17-29-0	Passes	22-33-1
64	Plays	74
477	Tot Yds	466
4-92	KR	6-132
2-19	PR	1-0
1-13	Int Ret	0-0
1-0	Fum-Lst	2-1
6-47	Pen	8-58
2-43.5	Punt	3-46.7
27:12	Time	32:48
1-6	Sacks	0-0
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
Ore	10	14	7	7	38
Wis	3	10	10	7	30
Rushing Leaders
Oregon: James 21-135 and 2 touchdowns
Wisconsin: Ball 25-143 and one touchdown
Passing Leaders
Oregon: Thomas 17-29-0 271 yards and 2 touchdowns
Wisconsin: Wilson 22-33-1 257 yards and one touchdown
Receiving Leader
Oregon: Tuinei 6-118 and one touchdown
Wisconsin: White 3-90 and one touchdown

 

On Monday morning, January 9, 2012, we will reveal the results of 100 simulations of the BCS’s mythical national title game between L S U and Alabama.

2011-12 NCAA Simulated Football Playoffs–Semifinal Round

The Road To Simper Bowl V

The semifinal round of the PiRate Ratings Computer Simulated College Football Playoffs was simulated Friday, December 30, and the results and statistics are listed below.

 

For those of you new to this experiment, here is how the PiRates conduct this simulated National Championship playoff:

 

The champions of the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC receive automatic bids.

 

Any other conference champion that finishes in the top 12 of the BCS rankings also receives an automatic bid.

 

After these two rules have been applied, at-large invitations are extended to the number of teams needed to complete a 12-team tournament, based on BCS ranking.

 

Our 12-team tournament gives the top four BCS-ranked teams a bye, while teams seeded 5-12 play in the opening round. 

 

The Dandy Dozen For This Season Are:

Automatic Bids

ACC Champion: Clemson 10-3  BCS #15

Big East Champion: West Virginia 9-3   BCS #23

Big Ten Champion: Wisconsin 11-2   BCS # 10

Big 12 Champion: Oklahoma State 11-1   BCS #3

Pac-12 Champion: Oregon 11-2   BCS #5

SEC Champion: L S U 13-0   BCS #1

 

Other Qualifying Conference Champions

No other conference champions finished in the BCS top 12.

 

At-large Bids (6)

BCS #2: Alabama 11-1

BCS #4: Stanford 11-1

BCS #6: Arkansas 10-2

BCS #7: Boise State 11-1

BCS #8: Kansas State 10-2

BCS #9: South Carolina 10-2

 

The Opening Round Results

Kansas State 30  South Carolina 20

Oregon 41  West Virginia 17

Wisconsin 38  Boise State 26

Clemson 50  Arkansas 44 3ot

The Elite 8 Results

L S U  44  Kansas State  16

Oregon 38  Stanford 27

Wisconsin 24  Alabama 19

Oklahoma State 44  Clemson 20

 

The Final Four

Oregon at LSU

Wisconsin at Oklahoma State

 

The Results

Oregon 39  L S U 34

 

LSU	Team	Ore
19	FD	20
45-166	Rush	49-260
179	Passing	181
16-28-2	Passes	10-17-0
73	Plays	66
345	Tot Yds	441
5-116	KR	4-107
1-34	PR	3-23
0-0	Int Ret	2-76
1-0	Fum-Lst	2-0
7-57	Pen	5-35
5-42.6	Punt	3-29.3
32:11	Time	27:49
1-4	Sacks	3-22
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
LSU	7	3	10	14	34
Ore	15	14	7	3	39
Summary
The Ducks Struck early when LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson’s
first pass was batted at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by
Oregon linebacker Josh Kaddu and returned for a touchdown.
LaMichael James broke loose for a 53-yard touchdown run to give
the Ducks a 15-0 lead 10 minutes into the game.
After Jefferson was benched in the third quarter following his
second interception of the game, Jarrett Lee brought LSU back
within striking distance, but a final drive was squashed at the OU
19-yard line when Lee’s pass to the end zone was batted away by
John Boyett.
James rushed for 143 yards and quarterback Darron Thomas
rushed for one score and passed for two others.

 

Wisconsin 41  Oklahoma State 38

 

OSU	Team	Wis
26	FD	22
34-156	Rush	45-261
254	Passing	232
24-41-1	Passes	19-26-0
75	Plays	71
410	Tot Yds	493
4-83	KR	5-106
3-19	PR	2-22
0-0	Int Ret	1-13
2-1	Fum-Lst	1-0
11-100	Pen	3-20
4-40.0	Punt	4-41.8
28:47	Time	31:13
0-0	Sacks	4-25
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
OSU	10	14	14	0	38
Wis	6	6	21	8	41
Summary
Wisconsin rallied from a 38-19 deficit with three touchdowns in the
last 21 minutes of the game.  Russell Wilson ran 32 yards for the
first of these scores.  Then, the Badgers recovered an onside kick
and relied on a trick play to score.  Montee Ball threw a halfback
pass to Nick Toon for 48 yards and a touchdown.
UW completed the comeback with a 14-play, 82-yard touchdown
drive culminated by James White’s three-yard plunge.
The drive ate more than seven minutes off the clock leaving
Oklahoma State just 1:18 to try to get into field goal range.
Brandon Weeden completed three passes for 46 yards, but Quinn
Sharp’s 51-yard FG attempt on the final play was short.

 

Championship Game Set

Join us Friday afternoon, January 6, 2012, for Simper Bowl V, as the Oregon Ducks and Wisconsin Badgers face off at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.  This marks the second time that the computer simulated National Championship Game has featured teams actually squaring off in a bowl.

 

On Monday, January 9, 2012, we will reveal the results of 100 simulations of the BCS’s mythical national title game between L S U and Alabama.

2011-12 NCAA Simulated Football Playoffs–Quarterfinal Round

The Road To Simper Bowl V

The quarterfinal round of the PiRate Ratings Computer Simulated College Football Playoffs was simulated Friday, December 23, and the results and statistics are listed below.

 

For those of you new to this experiment, here is how the PiRates conduct this simulated National Championship playoff:

 

The champions of the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC receive automatic bids.

 

Any other conference champion that finishes in the top 12 of the BCS rankings also receives an automatic bid.

 

After these two rules have been applied, at-large invitations are extended to the number of teams needed to complete a 12-team tournament, based on BCS ranking.

 

Our 12-team tournament gives the top four BCS-ranked teams a bye, while teams seeded 5-12 play in the opening round. 

 

The Dandy Dozen For This Season Are:

Automatic Bids

ACC Champion: Clemson 10-3  BCS #15

Big East Champion: West Virginia 9-3   BCS #23

Big Ten Champion: Wisconsin 11-2   BCS # 10

Big 12 Champion: Oklahoma State 11-1   BCS #3

Pac-12 Champion: Oregon 11-2   BCS #5

SEC Champion: L S U 13-0   BCS #1

 

Other Qualifying Conference Champions

No other conference champions finished in the BCS top 12.

 

At-large Bids (6)

BCS #2: Alabama 11-1

BCS #4: Stanford 11-1

BCS #6: Arkansas 10-2

BCS #7: Boise State 11-1

BCS #8: Kansas State 10-2

BCS #9: South Carolina 10-2

 

The Opening Round Results

Kansas State 30  South Carolina 20

Oregon 41  West Virginia 17

Wisconsin 38  Boise State 26

Clemson 50  Arkansas 44 3ot

Today’s Elite 8 Matchups

#8 Kansas State 11-2 at #1 L S U 13-0

#5 Oregon 12-2 at #4 Stanford 11-1

#10 Wisconsin 12-2 at #2 Alabama 11-1

#11 Clemson 11-3 at #3 Oklahoma State 11-1

 

Results

L S U  44  Kansas State  16

 

LSU	Team	KSU
21	FD	12
44-251	Rush	29-83
153	Passing	235
11-19-0	Passes	18-42-2
63	Plays	71
404	Tot Yds	318
1-42	KR	6-118
5-42	PR	2-1
2-34	Int Ret	0-0
0-0	Fum-Lst	1-0
6-38	Pen	7-50
3-42.3	Punt	7-41.6
30:34	Time	29:26
3-19	Sacks	0-0
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
LSU	3	24	14	3	44
KSU	0	0	0	16	16
Summary
LSU broke open a tight game in the second quarter starting with
a 31 yard interception return for touchdown by Tyrann Mathieu.
Following a three-and-out by Kansas State, the Tigers ensuing drive was a nine-play, 68-yard touchdown march culminated by QB Jordan Jefferson’s six yard scamper around left end.
Kansas State did not get on the scoreboard until they trailed 41-0
with 9:32 left to play in the game.

 

Oregon 38  Stanford 27

 

Stan	Team	Ore
23	FD	28
26-99	Rush	42-213
311	Passing	223
26-45-2	Passes	18-26-1
71	Plays	68
410	Tot Yds	436
4-87	KR	4-102
2-11	PR	0-0
1-11	Int Ret	2-31
1-0	Fum-Lst	2-0
7-52	Pen	6-43
4-39.8	Punt	2-41.0
27:51	Time	32:09
0-0	Sacks	2-13
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
Stan	10	10	0	7	27
Ore	7	14	10	7	38
Summary
Oregon broke open a tight game in the 3rd qtr with a 12-play,
80-yard drive that consumed over seven minutes off the clock.
Darron Thomas completed a 12-yard pass to Lavasier Tuinei for
the touchdown.
Following a LaMichael James 46-yard run to the Cardinal 11 yard
line, Alejandro Maldonado kicked a 26-yard field goal to put the
Ducks up by 11 points.  Both teams scored a TD in the final quarter.
Andrew Luck completed a 41-yard pass for a score to Coby
Fleener, while James sprinted 16 yards for the game-clincher.
James led all players with 176 yards rushing.

 

Wisconsin 24  Alabama 19

Ala	Team	Wis
14	FD	19
38-134	Rush	52-213
187	Passing	171
19-32-1	Passes	15-22-0
70	Plays	74
321	Tot Yds	384
3-62	KR	2-41
5-19	PR	2-17
0-0	Int Ret	1-0
3-2	Fum-Lst	1-0
9-62	Pen	5-35
7-39.4	Punt	6-41.5
26:48	Time	33:12
0-0	Sacks	2-13
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
Ala	0	6	6	7	19
Wis	7	3	7	7	24
Summary
The Badgers pulled off the first major upset of the tournament, and they did so by playing old-style football better than the favored Crimson Tide.
On the first possession of the game, UW drove 77 yards on 14 plays, using almost eight minutes of the clock.  The Badgers ran the ball 12 times for 58 yards and passed twice for 19 to gain a lead they kept for the duration of the game.
Montee Ball rushed for 152 yards on 31 carries, many times gaining a first down in crucial moments.  In the fourth quarter, with UW leading 17-12, the Badgers were backed up at their own 10 yard line facing a 3rd and 6.  Ball broke two tackles to pick up
the first down, and UW drove to midfield before punting to the ‘Bama 7.  The defense forced the Tide to punt from the 3, and it gave UW excellent field possession at the Tide 38.  Russell Wilson completed a TD pass to Nick Toon to sew up the victory.

 

Oklahoma State 44  Clemson 20

OSU	Team	Clem
31	FD	16
31-156	Rush	31-119
433	Passing	104
29-43-0	Passes	11-26-1
74	Plays	57
589	Tot Yds	223
2-39	KR	7-229
5-44	PR	0-0
1-(-2)	Int Ret	0-0
1-0	Fum-Lst	2-1
4-25	Pen	7-55
1-46.0	Punt	6-40.3
36:19	Time	23:41
3-20	Sacks	0-0
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
OSU	23	14	7	0	44
Clem	0	14	0	6	20
Summary
This game was never in doubt, starting with the first play from
scrimmage.  Cowboy QB Brandon Weeden tossed a quick screen
pass to Joseph Randle, who ran 74 yards for a touchdown.
Moment later, a Clemson punt attempt was blocked through the
end zone for a safety, and after the ensuing free kick, Oklahoma
State drove 62 yards for their second touchdown, culminated by
Weeden’s 23 yard pass to Justin Blackmon to give OSU a 16-0 lead just five minutes into the game.
Clemson did not score until they trailed 30-0, when Sammy Watkins returned a kick 97 yards for a touchdown.
Randle led all rushers with 128 yards on 18 carries.  The
Cowboys held Andre Ellington to 67 rushing yards.

 

The Final Four Is Set

Oregon ventures to Baton Rouge to face L S U for the second time this season, while Wisconsin travels to Stillwater to take on Oklahoma State in the other semifinal game.  The winners of these games will advance to the Simper Bowl at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

 

Check back New Year’s Eve for the results of those two simulations.

2011-12 NCAA Simulated Football Playoffs–Opening Round

The Road To Simper Bowl V

The opening round of the PiRate Ratings Computer Simulated College Football Playoffs was simulated Friday, December 9, and the results and statistics are listed below.

 

For those of you new to this experiment, here is how the PiRates conduct this simulated National Championship playoff:

 

The champions of the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC receive automatic bids.

 

Any other conference champion that finishes in the top 12 of the BCS rankings also receives an automatic bid.

 

After these two rules have been applied, at-large invitations are extended to the number of teams needed to complete a 12-team tournament, based on BCS ranking.

 

Our 12-team tournament gives the top four BCS-ranked teams a bye, while teams seeded 5-12 play in the opening round. 

 

The Dandy Dozen For This Season Are:

Automatic Bids

ACC Champion: Clemson 10-3  BCS #15

Big East Champion: West Virginia 9-3   BCS #23

Big Ten Champion: Wisconsin 11-2   BCS # 10

Big 12 Champion: Oklahoma State 11-1   BCS #3

Pac-12 Champion: Oregon 11-2   BCS #5

SEC Champion: L S U 13-0   BCS #1

 

Other Qualifying Conference Champions

No other conference champions finished in the BCS top 12.

 

At-large Bids (6)

BCS #2: Alabama 11-1

BCS #4: Stanford 11-1

BCS #6: Arkansas 10-2

BCS #7: Boise State 11-1

BCS #8: Kansas State 10-2

BCS #9: South Carolina 10-2

 

Here Is This Year’s Bracket

Opening Round  12/10/11	Quarterfinals  12/24/11	Semifinals 12/31/11	Championship 1/7/12	Legitimate Champion
#9 South Carolina 10-2
	|
	|
	|	|
@ #8 Kansas St. 10-2	|	|
		|	|
	@ #1 L S U 13-0	|	|
			|
			|
			|
#12 West Virginia 9-3			|	|
	|		|	|
	|		|	|
	|	|	|	|
@ #5 Oregon 11-2	|	|	|	|
		|		|
	@ #4 Stanford 11-1	|		|
				|
				|
			@ L.A. Coliseum	|
#10 Wisconsin 11-2				|
	|			|
	|			|
	|	|		|
@ #7 Boise St. 11-1	|	|		|
		|	|	|
	@ #2 Alabama 11-1	|	|	|
			|	|
			|	|
			|	|
# 11 Clemson 10-3			|
	|		|
	|		|
	|	|	|
@ #6 Arkansas 10-2	|	|	|
		|
	@ #3 Oklahoma St. 11-1	|

 

 

Opening Round Results

#9 South Carolina 10-2 at #8 Kansas St. 10-2

Final Score: Kansas State 30  South Carolina 20

 

Kan St	Team	S Car
21	FD	16
48-196	Rush	38-148
175	Passing	142
12-21-0	Passes	13-25-1
69	Plays	63
371	Tot Yds	290
3-138	KR	5-106
3-27	PR	2-8
1-12	Int Ret	0-0
1-0	Fum-Lst	1-0
7-56	Pen	6-50
5-42.4	Punt	7-41.7
31:47	Time	28:13
2-12	Sacks	0-0
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
Kan St	6	14	10	0	30
S Car	0	7	7	6	20
Scoring
KS:1st Qtr–9:42: Cantele 39 yd FG
KS: 1st Qtr–3:11: Cantele 42 yd FG
SC: 2nd Qtr– 10:26: Shaw 1 yd. run, Wooten Kick
KS: 2nd Qtr–10:09: Lockett 98 yd. Kick Return, Cantele Kick
KS: 2nd Qtr–0:48 Harper 39 yd. pass from Klein, Cantele Kick
SC: 3rd Qtr–11:51 Wilds 8 yd. run, Wooten Kick
KS: 3rd Qtr–6:08: Cantele 37 yd FG
KS: 3rd Qtr–1:19: Hubert 4 yd. run, Cantele Kick
SC: 4th Qtr–5:37: Jeffrey 41 yd. pass from Shaw, 2-pt try failed

 

#12 West Virginia at #5 Oregon

Final Score: Oregon 41  West Virginia 17

 

Ore	Team	WVU
24	FD	17
45-234	Rush	21-69
254	Passing	237
19-27-0	Passes	22-43-2
72	Plays	64
488	Tot Yds	306
3-67	KR	5-93
3-29	PR	0-0
2-16	Int Ret	0-0
1-0	Fum-Lst	2-1
6-42	Pen	7-50
2-42.5	Punt	7-39.4
33:08	Time	26:52
4-32	Sacks	1-4
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
Ore	22	9	3	7	41
WVU	0	7	10	0	17
Scoring
Ore: 1st Qtr–10:39: Barner 7 yd. run, James run for 2
Ore: 1st Qtr–7:28: James 21 yd. run, Maldonado Kick
Ore: 1st Qtr–2:19: Tuinei 14 yd. pass from Thomas, Maldonado Kick
Ore: 2nd Qtr–13:32: WVU holding in end zone
Ore: 2nd Qtr–5:51: Thomas 2 yd. run, Maldonato Kick
WVU: 2nd Qtr–1:04: Bailey 7 yd. pass from Smith, Bitancurt Kick
WVU: 3rd Qtr–12:06: Alstun 3 yd. run, Bitancurt Kick
WVU: 3rd Qtr–6:42: Bitancurt 40 yd. FG
Ore: 3rd Qtr–2:23: Maldonado 38 yd. FG
Ore: 4th Qtr–7:04: Tuinei 23 yd. pass from Thomas, Maldonado Kick

 

#10 Wisconsin at #7 Boise State

Final Score: Wisconsin 38  Boise State 26

 

BSU	Team	Wis
21	FD	26
29-98	Rush	49-256
257	Passing	194
19-35-1	Passes	15-22-0
64	Plays	71
355	Tot Yds	450
6-128	KR	5-117
2-17	PR	3-61
0-0	Int Ret	1-0
1-0	Fum-Lst	1-0
7-54	Pen	6-35
4-39.8	Punt	5-42.6
26:41	Time	33:19
0-0	Sacks	3-19
Team	1	2	3	4	Final
BSU	7	6	3	10	26
Wis	10	0	21	7	38
Scoring
BSU: 1st Qtr–11:27: Martin 2 yd. run, Frisina Kick
Wis: 1st Qtr–6:12 Welch 38 yd. FG
Wis: 1st Qtr–2:31: Abbrederis 24 yd. pass from Wilson, Welch Kick
BSU: 2nd Qtr–7:31: Frisina 42 yd. FG
BSU: 2nd Qtr–0:00: Frisina 41 yd. FG
Wis: 3rd Qtr–12:52: Ball 19 yd. run, Welch Kick
Wis: 3rd Qtr–6:29: Ball 4 yd. run, Welch Kick
BSU: 3rd Qtr–4:11: Frisina 37 yd. FG
Wis: Ball 5 yd. run, Welch Kick
BSU: 4th Qtr–10:55: Shoemaker 20 yd. pass from Moore, Frisina Kick
BSU: 4th Qtr–5:48: Frisina 35 yd. FG
Wis: 4th Qtr–3:26: White 8 yd. run, Welch Kick

 

#11 Clemson at #6 Arkansas

Final Score: Clemson 50  Arkansas 44 3ot

 

Ark	Team	Clem
33	FD	26
40-168	Rush	36-165
316	Passing	307
28-48-2	Passes	19-34-0
88	Plays	70
484	Tot Yds	472
4-78	KR	6-149
0-0	PR	3-41
0-0	Int Ret	2-77
1-0	Fum-Lst	2-1
9-73	Pen	6-44
2-41.0	Punt	3-40.7
35:11	Time	24:49
1-6	Sacks	3-19
Team	1	2	3	4	OT	OT	OT	Final
Ark	14	7	10	3	7	3	0	44
Clem	7	21	3	3	7	3	6	50
Scoring
Ark: 1st Qtr–10:44: Wright 11 yd. pass from Wilson, Hocker Kick
Ark: 1st Qtr–5:56: Wright 9 yd. pass from Wilson, Hocker Kick
Clem: 1st Qtr–1:12: Ellington 7 yd. run, Catanzaro Kick
Ark: 2nd Qtr–11:32: Green 1 yd. run, Hocker Kick
Clem: 2nd Qtr–8:44: Ellington 6 yd. run, Catanzaro Kick
Clem: 2nd Qtr–6:29: Christian 48 yd. Int. Return, Catanzaro Kick
Clem: 2nd Qtr–1:14: Watkins 48 yd. pass from Boyd, Catanzaro Kick
Ark: 3rd Qtr–9:13: Mitchell 1 yd. run, Hocker Kick
Clem: 3rd Qtr–5:44: Catanzaro 44 yd. Field Goal
Ark: 3rd Qtr–0:06: Hocker 39 yd. Field Goal
Clem: 4th Qtr–4:59: Catanzaro 40 yd. Field Goal
Ark: 4th Qtr–0:08 Hocker 48 yd. Field Goal
Ark: 1st OT: Green 2 yd. run, Hocker Kick
Clem: 1st OT: Ellington 14 yd. run, Catanzaro Kick
Clem: 2nd OT: Catanzaro 35 yd. Field Goal
Ark: 2nd OT: Hocker 42 yd. Field Goal
Clem: 3rd OT: Ellington 9 yd. run, no PAT attempted

 

The Updated Bracket

 

Opening Round  12/10/11	Quarterfinals  12/24/11	Semifinals 12/31/11	Championship 1/7/12	Legitimate Champion
#9 South Carolina 10-2
	|
	| Kansas State 30-20
	|	|
@ #8 Kansas St. 10-2	|	|
		|	|
	@ #1 L S U 13-0	|	|
			|
			|
			|
#12 West Virginia 9-3			|	|
	|		|	|
	| Oregon 41-17		|	|
	|	|	|	|
@ #5 Oregon 11-2	|	|	|	|
		|		|
	@ #4 Stanford 11-1	|		|
				|
				|
			@ L.A. Coliseum	|
#10 Wisconsin 11-2				|
	|			|
	| Wisconsin 38-26			|
	|	|		|
@ #7 Boise St. 11-1	|	|		|
		|	|	|
	@ #2 Alabama 11-1	|	|	|
			|	|
			|	|
			|	|
# 11 Clemson 10-3			|
	|		|
	| Clemson 50-44 3ot		|
	|	|	|
@ #6 Arkansas 10-2	|	|	|
		|
	@ #3 Oklahoma St. 11-1	|

Elite 8 Matchups

#8 Kansas State 11-2 at #1 L S U 13-0

#5 Oregon 12-2 at #4 Stanford 11-1

#10 Wisconsin 12-2 at #2 Alabama 11-1

#11 Clemson 11-3 at #3 Oklahoma State 11-1

 

Happy Holidays to All and to All A Good Playoff Sim.

2011-12 NCAA Simulated Football Playoffs–Bracket Reveal

The Dandy Dozen For 2011-12

Welcome to the 2011-12 college football simulated playoffs.  If you despise the ridiculous bowl system where a 6-7 UCLA team gets to play a 14^th game, while a 7-5 Western Kentucky team does not get a bowl bid, because some greedy corporation can squeeze a little more money out of naïve fans, and if you despise the fact that Virginia Tech can lose to Clemson by four touchdowns and still earn a Sugar Bowl bid over TCU, Southern Mississippi, Kansas State, or Boise State, then this is the place for you.

 

This is our fifth year to provide this service.  We call the computer-simulated National Championship, “The Simper Bowl.”  It has annually been our most widely read features.

 

For those of you new to this experiment, here is how the PiRates conduct this simulated National Championship playoff:

 

The champions of the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC receive automatic bids.

 

Any other conference champion that finishes in the top 12 of the BCS rankings also receives an automatic bid.

 

After these two rules have been applied, at-large invitations are extended to the number of teams needed to complete a 12-team tournament, based on BCS ranking.

 

Our 12-team tournament gives the top four BCS-ranked teams a bye, while teams 5-12 play in the opening round. 

 

We have made a couple of changes this year.  We wish to honor the excellent book written by Dan Wetzel, Josh Peter, and Jeff Passan “Death to the BCS.”   In this book, the authors believe a playoff should give home-field advantage to the higher-seeded team.  So, beginning this year, the first three rounds will be played on the home fields of the higher-seeded team.  Only the Simper Bowl will be played on a neutral field.  So as not to give any credence to the fake National Championship Game in New Orleans (the one in which Stanford and Oklahoma State get no chance to state their cases), we have chosen to play this year’s Simper Bowl at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, out of respect for the NFL-AFL’s first Super Bowl.  Thus, home field advantage will be factored into our computer simulator.

 

We are also going back to our old format, where we simulate each game just one time.  Last year, we simulated each game 100 times, but we realized our mistake.  Real games are played just once, and upsets occur when that happens.  When teams play 100 times, the better team is going to win more than 50 of those games.  So, this year’s simulation should be much more exciting with a higher standard deviation from the expected norm—at least we hope.

 

We have access to a university simulator in which a sports fanatic has implemented college and pro football data going back to 1960.  He originally attempted to predict the outcome of games against the spread, but he found out his simulator only works in predicting outright winners.  When simulated 1,000 times, his simulator predicts the winners with about 87% accuracy (but only 53% against the spread).

 

We will simulate each game only one time and then reveal the score and statistics.  We have not decided yet whether we will transcribe the play-by-play data for the Championship Game like we did last year when there were six contributors to this blog (there are just two this year, and one will be away from home for most of the holiday season).

 

The Dandy Dozen

Here are our 12 playoff teams for 2011-12:

Automatic Bids

ACC Champion: Clemson 10-3  BCS #15

Big East Champion: West Virginia 9-3   BCS #23

Big Ten Champion: Wisconsin 11-2   BCS # 10

Big 12 Champion: Oklahoma State 11-1   BCS #3

Pac-12 Champion: Oregon 11-2   BCS #5

SEC Champion: L S U 13-0   BCS #1

 

Other Qualifying Conference Champions

No other conference champions finished in the BCS top 12.

 

At-large Bids (6)

BCS #2: Alabama 11-1

BCS #4: Stanford 11-1

BCS #6: Arkansas 10-2

BCS #7: Boise State 11-1

BCS #8: Kansas State 10-2

BCS #9: South Carolina 10-2

 

The Bracket

Opening Round  12/10/11	Quarterfinals  12/24/11	Semifinals 12/31/11	Championship 1/7/12	Legitimate Champion
#9 South Carolina 10-2
	|
	|_____________________
	|	|
@ #8 Kansas St. 10-2	|	|_________________
		|	|
	@ #1 L S U 13-0	|	|
			|
			|
			|___________________
#12 West Virginia 9-3			|	|
	|		|	|
	|_____________________		|	|
	|	|	|	|
@ #5 Oregon 11-2	|	|_________________	|	|
		|		|
	@ #4 Stanford 11-1	|		|
				|
				|
			@ L.A. Coliseum	|_____________
#10 Wisconsin 11-2				|
	|			|
	|_____________________			|
	|	|		|
@ #7 Boise St. 11-1	|	|_________________		|
		|	|	|
	@ #2 Alabama 11-1	|	|	|
			|	|
			|	|
			|___________________	|
# 11 Clemson 10-3			|
	|		|
	|_____________________		|
	|	|	|
@ #6 Arkansas 10-2	|	|_________________	|
		|
	@ #3 Oklahoma St. 11-1	|

 

 

The opening round games will be simulated Friday morning, December 9, and we will post the results on Saturday evening, December 10, as if the games had been played Saturday afternoon.

 

One other tidbit:  All injured players on December 3 will be considered injured for the opening round games as well, unless we see evidence that they were only out for one week.  All players charged with game suspensions will be suspended for the playoffs for the appropriate number of games.  The simulator reduces each teams’ power ratings if key players are not playing.

 

Happy reading everybody.  Please post your comments during this tournament if you like or dislike.  We are interested in seeing opinions.

 

If you want to be proactive in your desire to see this ridiculous post-season bowl system end and be replaced by a legitimate national championship playoff (like every other NCAA/NAIA sport that is not prostituted to greedy corporations), then let the sponsors of the bowl games know of your opinion.  It is simple to find all the sponsors of every bowl game on each bowls’ official website.  Note the sponsoring companies that you currently patronize and find their customer service e-mail addresses.  Send them an e-mail notifying them of your choice to stop using their products as long as they host a bowl game.  Clarify that if they stop sponsoring bowls, you will begin to use their products once again.  To make your point more forceful, include a CC to their competitor, as long as the competitor does not sponsor bowls.

 

For example, let us look at the Fiesta Bowl.  The main sponsor is Frito-Lay, maker of Tostito’s.  They can be e-mailed at: www.fritolay.com/about-us/contact-us.html.  This “bowlcott” will benefit you because you will stop consuming their products made with unhealthy genetically modified corn and oils.  Send a CC to Kettle Chips at: www.kettlebrand.com/.  Kettle Chips are free of trans fats, GMO ingredients or oils, and artificial ingredients.  They make an organic chip as well.

 

These same corporations could just as easily sponsor 35 opening-week “classic” games.  Instead of 35 FBS vs. FCS matchups in week one, there could be 35 games like Oregon vs. LSU and Boise State vs. Georgia.  With a playoff, teams would need to schedule for the highest possible strength of schedule.  Instead of rewarding Virginia Tech with a Sugar Bowl invitation following a stellar non-conference slate of Appalachian State, East Carolina, Arkansas State, and Marshall, the Hokies would be forced to start their season against Boise State or Alabama, like they did in 2009 and 2010m when they participated in “classics.” 

 

This would work great all the way through the lower-tier conferences.  MAC teams could face Sunbelt or WAC teams in the opening week.  Mountain West teams could line up against Conference USA teams. 

 

Just like early season basketball matchups like North Carolina vs. Kentucky and Michigan State vs. Duke, imagine an opening week of the 2012 season with these 12 games from among a great list of 35 “classics:”

LSU vs. Stanford

Alabama vs. Oregon

Oklahoma State vs. Notre Dame

Arkansas vs. Texas

Michigan vs. Kansas State

South Carolina vs. Wisconsin

Clemson vs. West Virginia

Oklahoma vs. Nebraska

T C U vs. Texas A&M

Boise State vs. Florida State

Penn State vs. Pittsburgh

Southern Cal vs. Ohio State