Repeat! Repeat!

Nope...I haven't abandoned my "shoulda-woulda-coulda" NCAA Division 1-A football playoffs, where I run a 24-team field through Dave Koch Sports' Action! PC Football game.

Something special happened with the 2022 playoffs...and here goes:

FIRST ROUND (seeding in parentheses): Clemson (9) 31, Toledo (24) 7/Kansas State (16) 34, Oregon State (17) 15/Washington (13) 52, UCLA (20) 28/Alabama (12) 27, Cincinnati (21) 19/Florida State (19) 52, South Alabama (14) 30/Tennessee (11) 42, Coastal Carolina (22) 21/Oregon (18) 45, Utah (15) 30/Penn State (10) 41, Fresno State (23) 21

SECOND ROUND: Michigan (1) 38, Clemson 21/Kansas State 42, Troy (8) 21/Washington 49, USC (5) 35/Alabama 44, Ohio State (4) 41/Tulane (6) 48, Florida State 45/TCU (3) 50, Tennessee 35/Oregon 52, UTSA (7) 28/Georgia (2) 31, Penn State 24

QUARTERFINAL ROUND: Michigan 34, Kansas State 32/Alabama 59, Washington 31/TCU 49, Tulane 27/Georgia 31, Oregon 14

SEMIFINAL ROUND: Michigan 44, Alabama 28/Georgia 44, TCU 33

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Michigan 55, Georgia 49 (2 OT)

PLAYOFF MVP: Michigan RB Blake Corum

HIGHLIGHTS: FIRST ROUND- Will Shipley's 174 rushing yards and two TDs help Tigers ground Rockets; Wildcats' 335 rushing yards and seven sacks doom Beavers; five TD tosses by Michael Penix Jr. (on 26-34-385 passing) let Huskies advance over Bruins; Jahmyr Gibbs' five-yard TD run with 4:53 to go in third quarter wins it for Crimson Tide; Seminoles outgain Jaguars, 626-329 (484 yards belong to FSU's Jordan Travis); Hendon Hooker runs for 199 yards and four TDs (and throws for 349 yards and two scores) to lift Volunteers; Bo Nix throws for three scores and runs for another three to awaken Ducks after they trail Utes, 10-0; Kaytron Allen's three ground scores lead Nittany Lions to victory.

SECOND ROUND- Wolverines boot Tigers out on J.J. McCarthy's two rush TDs and two air TDs; Wildcats score 35 unanswered points after spotting Sun Belt's Trojans a 7-0 lead; Huskies' two fourth-quarter TDs oust Pac-12's Trojans in a game where Penix and USC's Caleb Williams fire four air scores apiece; Will Reichard's 53-yard field goal with no time left in the fourth quarter sidelines Buckeyes; Valentino Ambrosio boots the game winner from 34 yards out with 56 ticks to go in the fourth to lift Green Wave; Max Duggan's five TD runs (25 trips for 154 yards- twice as many ground yards as Vols) team up with Horned Frogs' eight sacks of Hooker to send Vols home; Nix' three TD passes and three TD runs foil Roadrunners; Stetson Bennett (two TD passes) and Kenny McIntosh (two TD runs) key Bulldogs' second-half comeback.

QUARTERFINAL ROUND- Corum's third TD and Donovan Edwards' second one lift Wolverines...who thwart a K-State two-point conversion try that would've tied the game with 50 seconds to play in regulation; Tide's Bryce Young outdoes Penix by running for three scores and throwing for another three (and going 23-24-313 in the air department); Frogs' strong defense (seven sacks) and Duggan's strong running (two TDs by land and two by air) overcome Green Wave; Bennett's three air scores (and rush TD) shoot down Ducks.

SEMIFINAL ROUND- McCarthy throws for three TDs and runs for another to let Wolverines advance; Bennett accounts for six scores (throws for three and runs for three) to set up a rematch of the 2021 title test.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME- Bennett and McIntosh help Dawgs rack up a 35-21 lead with 12:28 left in the fourth...but McCarthy and Corum lead Wolverines' comeback. Makari Paige's 34-yard scoop-and-score gives Michigan its first lead...but Bennett's 28-yard TD toss to Ladd McConkey (and the PAT) force overtime. Corum's eight-yard TD run makes Michigan the first team to win back-to-back "shoulda-coulda-woulda" D-1-A playoffs since USC in 2003-04.

Can't wait to find out if the Wolverines pulled off a three-peat in 2023!

After a year's absence, it's back!

The coronavirus pandemic scuttled the 2020 edition...and so, with college football playing a more-unified schedule for 2021, here's what our "shoulda-woulda-coulda" Division 1-A football playoff field would've looked like (won-lost records don't include bowl games):

1. Cincinnati (13-0; AAC champ)/2. Michigan (12-1; Big Ten champ)/3. Alabama (12-1; SEC champ)/4. Georgia (12-1; SEC at-large)/5. Louisiana-Lafayette (12-1; Sun Belt champ)/6. UTSA (12-1; Conference USA champ)/7. Notre Dame (11-1; independent at-large)/8. Oklahoma State (11-2; Big 12 at-large)

9. San Diego State (11-2; Mountain West at-large)/10. Baylor (11-2; Big 12 champ)/11. Pittsburgh (11-2; ACC champ)/12. Houston (11-2; AAC at-large)/13. Ohio State (10-2; Big Ten at-large)/14. Mississippi (10-2; SEC at-large)/15. Michigan State (10-2; Big Ten at-large)/16. BYU (10-2; independent at-large)

17. Oklahoma (10-2; Big 12 at-large)/18. Coastal Carolina (10-2; Sun Belt at-large)/19. Utah (10-3; Pac-12 champ)/20. Iowa (10-3; Big Ten at-large)/21. Appalachian State (10-3; Sun Belt at-large)/22. Oregon (10-3; Pac-12 at-large)/23. Utah State (10-3; Mountain West champ)/24. Northern Illinois (9-4; MAC champ)

Two first-time playoff entries: Coastal Carolina and UTSA (the latter's the third different C-USA champ in as many seasons, not counting 2020). And Iowa's back in these playoffs for the first time since winning it all in 2015.

Only two ties needed breaking as far as seeding went: San Diego State and Baylor totaled 405 quality points each...but the Aztecs got the nod over the Bears because SDSU's Division 1-A opponents won 72 games in 2021, while Baylor's D-1-A foes got 63 victories. And Michigan State nosed out BYU after the Spartans' 1-A opponents earned 71 wins...two more W's than all the 1-A teams that faced the Cougars. (BYU and Michigan State amassed 360 quality points apiece.)

Well, I'm off to play these games, using Dave Koch Sports' Action! PC Football...and I'll post the results as soon as possible. (Can't wait!)

Finally..."Geaux Tigers!"

Two years after I announced I'd do it, I got it done at last. Had to take care of two years' worth of life issues...but I got this project done, once and for all.

I'm talking about the 2019 edition of the "shoulda/coulda/woulda" NCAA Division 1-A football playoffs.

Using Dave Koch Sports' Action! PC Football, here's how the 24-team field fared:

FIRST ROUND (seeding in parentheses): Oregon (9) 37, Miami (OH) (24) 14/Alabama (17) 38, Air Force (16) 14/Penn State (13) 38, Cincinnati (20) 17/Wisconsin (21) 24, Notre Dame (12) 10/Florida (19) 39, SMU (14) 14/Utah (11) 35, Florida Atlantic (22) 6/Minnesota (18) 38, Navy (15) 17/Louisiana-Lafayette (23) 32, Baylor (10) 13

SECOND ROUND: Ohio State (1) 47, Oregon 14/Alabama 31, Georgia (8) 20/Memphis (5) 52, Penn State 48/Wisconsin 24, Boise State (4) 10/Florida 31, Oklahoma (6) 13/Clemson (3) 28, Utah 7/Minnesota 38, Appalachian State (7) 10/Louisiana State (2) 52, Louisiana-Lafayette 31

QUARTERFINAL ROUND: Ohio State 26, Alabama 14/Wisconsin 28, Memphis 17/Florida 30, Clemson 27 (1 OT)/Louisiana State 38, Minnesota 35

SEMIFINAL ROUND: Wisconsin 33, Ohio State 21/Louisiana State 31, Florida 28

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Louisiana State 41, Wisconsin 17

Playoff MVP: LSU quarterback Joe Burrow.

Strongest Division 1-A playoff field ever!

I guess it's more than fitting to write this on the eve of the so-called CFP championship game.

And I won't get to give you the results until at least this coming September, since the folks at Dave Koch Sports won't release the 2019 college football files for the company's Action! PC Football game until this coming September.

But the field for this season's "shoulda-coulda-woulda" NCAA Division 1-A football playoff is mind-blowing for this one reason:

All but one of the 24 teams won at least ten games apiece in 2019. 

And that's not counting the actual bowl games.

By contrast, last season's 1-A playoff field featured 18 ten-victory squads (not counting the bowl games).

Well, anyway, here's how the 2019 Division 1-A field shapes up:

1. Ohio State (13-0; Big Ten champ)/2. Louisiana State (13-0; SEC champ)/3. Clemson (13-0; ACC champ)/4. Boise State (12-1; Mountain West champ)/5. Memphis (12-1; AAC champ)/6. Oklahoma (12-1; Big 12 champ)/7. Appalachian State (12-1; Sun Belt champ)/8. Georgia (11-2; SEC at-large)

9. Oregon (11-2; Pac-12 champ)/10. Baylor (11-2; Big 12 at-large)/11. Utah (11-2; Pac-12 at-large)/12. Notre Dame (10-2; independent at-large)/13. Penn State (10-2; Big Ten at-large)/14. SMU (10-2; AAC at-large)/15. Navy (10-2; AAC at-large)/16. Air Force (10-2; Mountain West at-large)

17. Alabama (10-2; SEC at-large)/18. Minnesota (10-2; Big Ten at-large)/19. Florida (10-2; SEC at-large)/20. Cincinnati (10-3; AAC at-large)/21. Wisconsin (10-3; Big Ten at-large)/22. Florida Atlantic (10-3; C-USA champ)/23. Louisiana-Lafayette (10-3; Sun Belt at-large)/24. Miami (OH) (8-5; MAC champ)

Okay...how'd Ohio State slip in ahead of LSU?

All twelve of the Buckeyes' 2019 foes (Wisconsin and Ohio State tangled twice; the second time was at the Big Ten title game) were in Division 1-A; a club earns 50 quality points for defeating a winning D-1-A squad and 45 quality points after beating a Division 1-A team that had a .500 or worse campaign.

On the other hand, Louisiana State took on a Division 1-AA team, Northwestern State of the Southland Conference. The Tigers crushed the 3-9 Demons...and earned just 35 quality points for doing so. (Had the Demons enjoyed a winning season, LSU's victory would've meant 40 quality points.)

Now...about Boise State and Memphis skating ahead of the College Football Playoff committee's fourth choice, Oklahoma.

First of all, the MWC champion Broncos and AAC kingpin Tigers each saw their D-1-A opponents rack up 77 victories apiece...while all the Division 1-A teams that met the Sooners totaled 76 wins.

And so, the next tiebreaker kicked in: Conference records. 

That's how the team from Idaho won out. Boise State went 9-0 in Mountain West play...while Memphis turned in a American Athletic Conference mark of 8-1.

One interesting season, 2019.

Usually, nine wins would be enough to earn a 1-A squad an at-large berth. Instead, San Diego State, UAB, Central Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana Tech, and Virginia- to say nothing of Auburn, Iowa, and Michigan- couldn't get in this time. (And the Blazers, the Rainbow Warriors, and the Cavaliers would've gotten automatic bids if they'd won their conference championship games.)  

And one of those nine teams would've been crying had the field been expanded to 32 contingents.

One interesting season, 2019.

Can't wait to play these playoffs. 

And the champion is...

Well, I finally got around to it.

I wanted to get this done way back in January, but lots of circumstances (including my joining the creative community Stage 32) took precedence.

So did a change from using Lance Haffner Games' old 3-in-1 Football to Dave Koch Sports' Action! PC Football. (Don't worry...all the games I played using 3-in-1 still count.)

Folks, without further ado, this is how the coulda-shoulda-woulda 2018 NCAA Division 1-A football playoffs shook out (seeding in parentheses):

FIRST ROUND: Appalachian State (9) 20, Northern Illinois (24) 14; Boise State (16) 38, UAB (17) 21; Louisiana State (20) 38, Army (13) 28; Cincinnati (12) 26, Kentucky (21) 14; Utah State (14) 28, Penn State (19) 21; Syracuse (22) 42, Fresno State (11) 34; Washington (15) 28, Buffalo (18) 14; Washington State (10) 35, North Carolina State (23) 30

SECOND ROUND: Clemson (1) 44, Appalachian State 38; Michigan (8) 45, Boise State 10; Oklahoma (5) 42, Louisiana State 31; Cincinnati 24, Central Florida (4) 21; Ohio State (6) 21, Utah State 16; Notre Dame (3) 33, Syracuse 17; Washington 31, Georgia (7) 28; Alabama (2) 31, Washington State 17

QUARTERFINAL ROUND: Michigan 28, Clemson 27; Oklahoma 38, Cincinnati 21; Ohio State 38, Notre Dame 17; Alabama 31, Washington 3

SEMIFINAL ROUND: Oklahoma 33, Michigan 7; Alabama 16, Ohio State 14

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Alabama 31, Oklahoma 24

This set of playoffs resulted in the second straight season with an SEC team in the driver's seat...and just the second shoulda-coulda-woulda title for the Crimson Tide (the first one took place in, surprisingly, 2014).

And it made an MVP out of the Tide's field general, Tua Tagovailoa.

Well, that's it. Time to go back and see how the current season shakes out...so that a 24-team field for 2019 can be determined.

I'm Jim Boston, and thanks for reading this blog!