The second round of my hypothetical playoffs would have taken place last weekend. Thanks to the magic of whatifsports.com, these are the results of the simulations I ran.
Arizona 20, Oregon 16
Arizona scores the biggest upset possible, as the #9 seed Arizona beat #1 seed Oregon. While Darron Thomas was able to throw for a respectable 252 yds, he did not record any touchdown passes compared to Nick Foles, who threw for 341 yds and 2 touchdowns. Arizona goes home next week to play in the Insight Bowl against Nebraska.
Nebraska 30, Nevada 14
Nebraska scored two touchdowns in the first two minutes of the second quarter to take control of the game. While Vai Taua rushed for over 100 yds. and a touchdown, it wasn't enough to overcome the Nebraska defense.
Stanford 42, Utah 19
Utah committed four turnovers and Nate Whitaker kicked 5 field goals for Stanford that lead to Stanford's win over Utah. The score was 21-15 Stanford at the end of the 3rd quarter, but Stanford scored three touchdowns in the 4th quarter to put the game away. Andrew Luck finished with 263 yds, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception.
Hawaii 35, Boise St. 21
Hawaii's upset victory over Boise St. means that the two top seeds in the West have been eliminated. Bryant Moniz passed for 386 yds and 2 touchdowns. Boise St. started the game with two touchdowns, before Moniz hit Kealoha Pilares for a 64 yd. score at the end of the first quarter. Alex Green scored two touchdowns in the second quarter and another in the third as Hawaii took control of the game.
TCU 37, Texas Tech 13
TCU's unbeaten streak continued behind the rushing of Ed Wesley. He accumulated 182 yards and two touchdowns, including one for 69 yards. Texas Tech's Taylor Potts was intercepted three times while throwing for only one touchdown.
Missouri 30, LSU 12
Henry Josey had a breakout game for Missouri, running for 91 yards and two touchdowns in their Texas Bowl victory over LSU. LSU was held to only 116 yards rushing with half of that coming on a Michael Ford third quarter run. LSU was kept out of the end zone all day, with all their points coming from Josh Jasper field goals.
Arkansas 38, Oklahoma St. 34
Ryan Mallet threw two touchdowns in the final seven minutes to lead Arkansas over Oklahoma St. Arkansas led 24-17 at halftime, but Oklahoma St. scored two unanswered touchdowns and a field goal to stake a 34-24 lead. The pass to Arkansas's Jarius Wright brought them within 3 and the pass to Austin Tucker gave the Razorbacks the victory.
Oklahoma 27, Texas A&M 26
Cameron Kenney caught a 22 yd. pass from Landry Jones with 11 seconds left to come back and beat Texas A&M. That was one of three touchdown passes by Landry Jones, who threw for 338 yards and no interceptions.
Auburn 45, Notre Dame 23
Notre Dame started the game by posting 10 points in the first 10 minutes, but couldn't contain Auburn as the Tigers followed up with five unanswered touchdowns. Notre Dame was hindered by their quarterback play, with Tommy Rees throwing 4 interceptions and Nate Montana adding one as well.
Michigan St. 24, Ohio St. 23
Due to the Big 10's schedule, these two top ranked teams did not get a chance to meet during the regular season. So they met in the post-season, in a game that wasn't decided until the final few minutes. That's when Dan Conroy kicked a 48 yd field goal to give Michigan St. the victory. Ohio St. had started strong, scoring the first two touchdowns of the game. But Le'Veon Bell was able to score two touchdowns in the second half to get Michigan St. back in the game.
Alabama 48, Miami (OH) 9
Greg McElroy led Alabama in their route of MAC champion Miami by throwing for 286 yards and 4 touchdowns, 3 of them in the first quarter. Mark Ingram contributed 158 yards and a touchdown.
Wisconsin 22, Mississippi St. 7
John Clay led the Badgers with 100 yards and two touchdowns, as Wisconsin ground a win against Mississippi St. Wisconsin only had three plays over 20 yards, but they controlled the ball for 36:47, not giving the Bulldogs any chance to get started. Mississippi St. finished with only 240 yards of total offense.
Florida International 20, Virginia Tech 9
Florida International came out swinging, posting a 17-0 halftime lead. The Panther defense was able to stifle Virginia Tech's attack, not allowing any of Virginia Tech's rushers to get over 50 yards and holding Tyrod Taylor to 176 yards throwing. The Sun Belt champions will stay in Florida for their next game in Tampa against West Virginia.
West Virginia 30, South Carolina 13
West Virginia took advantage of a big second quarter, scoring 17 points to stake a 24-7 halftime lead. Noel Devine led the Mountaineer rushing attack with 215 yards and a touchdown.
Florida St. 24, Connecticut 10
While Connecticut may be more accustomed to the snow than Florida St., it was the Seminoles who took the win on Saturday. Beau Reliford exploded for 116 yards, most of which came on a 87 yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. Jordan Todman ran for 152 yards and a touchdown for the Huskies.
Maryland 50, Central Florida 7
Maryland completely dominated the UCF Knights on Saturday scoring 41 of their points in the first half. Danny O'Brien threw for 303 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Da'Rel Scott added 125 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Overall, a pretty exciting weekend of football. There were two big upsets in the west with Arizona beating Oregon and Hawaii beating Boise St. Florida International had the most likely upset with their win over Virginia Tech. Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Michigan St. advanced on game winning plays in the final minutes. Check out the updated bracket here. 2011 kicks off in a great way with the 16 remaining teams looking to advance. What do you think of last week's results, and who do you think will win next week?
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