What If There
Was A Playoff? ... 2001
Looking at what might have happened over the years
By Pete Fiutak
What If There Was A Playoff ...
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CFN Playoff Explanation
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Take the six BCS conference champions
and give them automatic bids. Take the highest ranked non-BCS
team (Notre Dame included), and give it an automatic bid. The
eighth and final slot would be a Wild Card going to the top
ranked team in the BCS that isn’t already in. With that in mind,
here are the eight teams that would be in and the best guess
about what would happen.
Final BCS Ranking in parentheses
ACC – Maryland
(10)
Big East –
Miami (1)
Big Ten –
Illinois (8)
Big
12 – Colorado (3)
Pac 10 – Oregon (4)
SEC – LSU (13)
Non-BCS – BYU (NR)
Wild Card – Nebraska
(2)
Bubble Busted:
Florida (5), Tennessee (6), Texas (7)
There would’ve been a lot
of complaining about the automatic spot for the non-BCS team.
There wasn’t a clear-cut team that would’ve deserved the bid
considering few were buying into a 12-1 BYU squad that built up
a 12-0 record by beating no one, and then was exposed in a 72-45
loss to Hawaii. Louisville might have been the choice after
going 10-2, but it didn’t beat anyone of note until a Liberty
Bowl victory over BYU. With Colorado winning the Big 12 title
game and Nebraska finishing No. 2 in the BCS rankings, Texas was
knocked out. Tennessee had a shot to play for the national title
there for the taking, but in a playoff format like this,
would’ve been knocked out after being stunned by LSU. Florida
lost its shot with a home loss to Tennessee.
First Round Matchups
Indianapolis – No. 3 Colorado vs.
No. 6 Illinois
Miami – No. 1 Miami vs. No. 8 BYU
Dallas –
No. 2 Nebraska vs. No. 7 Maryland
Phoenix – No. 4 Oregon vs.
No. 5 LSU
Matchup
Analysis: Colorado might have struggled in the Fiesta Bowl
loss to Oregon, but it was on a roll late in the year with an
opportunistic defense and Chris Brown leading a devastating
running game. Illinois had a high-powered passing attack, but
Kurt Kittner and Brandon Lloyd wouldn’t have been enough to get
the win. Miami would’ve beaten BYU by 50 at home. Maryland was
the upstart team of 2001, but on the big stage against a
Nebraska team that was still good, despite the ugly loss to
Colorado, this wouldn’t have been close. The Oregon vs. LSU
matchup would’ve been interesting. Rohan Davey, Josh Reed and
the LSU passing game would’ve given the Duck secondary fits, but
Oregon proved it could come up big in Phoenix with the Fiesta
Bowl win over Colorado. Joey Harrington would’ve been along for
the ride as the Duck running game would’ve shown surprising
power on the way to the Final Four.
Projected Final Four
Rose Bowl – No. 2 Nebraska vs. No. 3 Colorado
Sugar Bowl –
No. 1 Miami vs. No. 4 Oregon
Matchup Analysis:
Oregon was good with a quick strike offense and enough speed to
keep it close, but Miami had too much talent on defense and too
much firepower on offense to blow it. The Canes played eight
teams that finished with winning records and allowed 117 points
all year. The Nebraska vs. Colorado showdown would’ve been
fascinating. The Buffs got the Huskers once, but the guess is
that it wouldn’t happen again. Again, Nebraska, led by Heisman
winner Eric Crouch, really was good; there was a reason it
finished the year No. 2 in the BCS.
Projected National
Championship: No. 1 Miami vs. No. 2 Nebraska
Projected National
Champion: No. 1 Miami
Matchup Analysis:
The 2002 Rose Bowl:
Miami 37 – Nebraska 14. And it wasn’t even that close.
What If There Was A Playoff ...
-
CFN Playoff Explanation |
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
2006
-
2005
|
2004
|
2003
|
2002
|
2001
|
2000
|
1999 |
1998