What If There
Was A Playoff? ... 2002
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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1998
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 – Florida State
(14)
Big East –
Miami (1)
Big Ten –
Ohio State (2)
Big
12 – Oklahoma (7)
Pac 10 – Washington State (6)
SEC – Georgia (3)
Non-BCS – Notre Dame
(9)
Wild Card –
USC (4)
Bubble
Busted: Iowa (5), Kansas State (8)
Iowa fans would’ve had a mega-fit
after going unbeaten in Big Ten play along with Ohio State. The
Hawkeyes and Buckeyes didn’t play, but Brad Banks and Iowa
suffered a 36-31 loss to Iowa State for the lone blemish. USC
lost two games but still finished fourth in the BCS before going
on to blowout the Hawkeyes 38-17 in the Orange Bowl. Kansas
State had a wee bit of a beef after going 10-2, but it didn’t
even with the Big 12 North.
First Round Matchups
Indianapolis – No. 2 Ohio State vs.
No. 6 Notre Dame
Miami – No. 1 Miami vs. No. 8 Florida State
Dallas – No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 7 Oklahoma
Phoenix – No. 4 USC
vs. No. 5 Washington State
Matchup Analysis:
Notre Dame was mediocre by the end of 2002, evidenced by a 44-13
loss to USC before getting thumped 28-6 by NC State. The Irish
would’ve been steamrolled over by Ohio State. While a Miami –
Florida State rematch wouldn’t be ideal, it would be the obvious
1 vs. 8 matchup. The Noles provided a push in a 28-27 Hurricane
win in mid-October, but ended up losing four regular season
games before losing to Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Miami would’ve
won a rematch with ease. The USC vs. Washington State game
would’ve been a rematch of a 30-27 Cougar win that ended up
sending Jason Gesser and the boys to the Rose Bowl. It would’ve
made geographic sense to play the game again since Oklahoma
would’ve been almost certain to play in Dallas. The OU battle
with Georgia would’ve been one of the marquee matchups of the
tournament. The Sooners had been upset by Texas A&M and were
stunned by Oklahoma State, but won the Big 12 title and would’ve
provided a brutal matchup for the SEC champions. It would’ve
been a classic with the Sooner running game being a little bit
better than Musa Smith and the Georgia attack.
Projected Final Four
Rose Bowl – No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 4
USC
Sugar Bowl – No. 1 Miami vs. No. 7 Oklahoma
Matchup Analysis:
USC was just starting to become amazing under Pete Carroll led
by burgeoning juggernaut of an offense led by Heisman winner
Carson Palmer. Ohio State had a special season when everything
went right, but it got through unscathed by the skin of its
teeth. USC would’ve used this game to set the big-game tone for
the next several years with a great performance from the
suddenly swarming defense. Miami would’ve had a problem with
Quentin Griffin and the OU running game, but the Canes had too
much firepower and would’ve moved on with a big second half led
by a huge passing day from Ken Dorsey.
Projected National
Championship: No. 1 Miami vs. No. 4 USC
Projected National
Champion: No. 1 Miami
Matchup Analysis: USC
was great, but it wasn’t 2002 Miami quite yet. Assuming Willis
McGahee was still healthy, and didn’t get hurt like he did in
the Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State, Miami likely would’ve gotten
through the firefight with yet another national title. It
wouldn’t have come without a major battle as the tremendous USC
defensive front would’ve generated consistent pressure all game
long.
What If There Was A Playoff ...
-
CFN Playoff Explanation |
2009
|
2008
|
2007
|
2006
-
2005
|
2004
|
2003
|
2002
|
2001
|
2000
|
1999 |
1998