Playoffs: First Round Game -- No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 16 Rutgers

For those who missed the earlier post, due to the BCS mess -- again -- we are using the Top 16 from the BCS Standings to create a true playoff with the PlayStation2 simulation. Why 16 teams? It's good enough for Division I-AA, it should be good enough for Division I-A. We'll be doing a game a day, starting with No. 16 Rutgers at No. 1 Ohio State. And feel free to link this to other sites and start your own conversation but remember, this is for fun. No one needs to be attacked over it.

The scare was there, but Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith made sure no one would worry.

Smith rallied the No. 1 Buckeyes to a 35-17 win over No. 16 Rutgers after being down 10 points in the first quarter at Ohio Stadium.

The senior finished 17 of 21 passing for 307 yards and three touchdowns, two of which went to junior wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr., who had 149 yards receiving of his own.

Rutgers quarterback Mike Teel had a good day -- 13 of 23 for 226 yards and two touchdowns -- but the Buckeyes' offensive power eventually overtook any sort of Rutgers hopes at pulling the upset.

A 4-yard Smith-to-Ginn touchdown pass gave Ohio State a 14-10 lead late in the first half. From there, it kept expanding on the Scarlet Knights, who watched their improbable season come to a close.

The most bizarre stat of the day -- Rutgers sophomore running back Ray Rice didn't receive a single carry. Considering this game was statistically made before the season, it shows what people really expected from Rice in comparison to what actually happened.

No. 1 Ohio State will now move on to face the winner of No. 8 Boise State and No. 9 Auburn at a site to be determined.

Stats:

OSU: Passing -- Smith 17-21-1-307, 3 TDs. Rushing -- Pittman 8-39, 1 TD; Smith 7-6, 1 TD. Receiving -- Ginn 8-149, 2 TDs; Hall 4-106, 1 TD; Frost 3-11; Robiskie 1-3; Gonzalez 1-38. Defensive -- Pitcock 7 tkl., 4 TFL, 2 SK, FF; Patterson 3 tkl., 2 TFL, SK; Laurinaitis 4 tkl., 2 TFL, SK.

Rutgers: Passing -- Teel 13-23-0-226, 2 TDs. Rushing -- Leonard 13-36; Teel 5-(-33). Receiving -- Harris 4-33; Foster 3-134, 2 TDs; Tucker 2-41; Johnson 1-5; Underwood 1-6; Rice 1-(-1). Defensive -- Greene 5 tkl, INT; Thompson 4 tkl, 2 TFL, SK; Frierson 2 tkl., TFL, SK, FF; Westerman 2 tkl., TFL, SK.; Beckford FR

-By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette

Comments

[Matt Jenks]

You must have been a very good person in your last life to earn a job where you can follow Notre Dame football around the country AND play video games at work with a legit excuse.

By the way, as a journalist, I'm sure you want ALL of your stats correct. The sixteen team playoff format is NOT good enough for Division 1-AA, as you put it. It's good enough for Division 1 Championship Division.

Forgive the sarcasm; it's been a very long day.

[Michael Rothstein]

Matt --
Yeah, it's a sweet job although I'm just simulating the games so I do actual things (work and otherwise) around it. But definitely a sweet gig.
As far as the "Championship Division," I just can't bring myself to call it that. It's just a way for the NCAA to feel good about itself on multiple levels.
But I definiely understand your point. I just don't know if a lot of people realize the name switch yet.
Sorry to hear you've had a bad day.
-Mike

[One Hundred Yards]

Another alternative is described at [1] using the Swiss system tournament. It's specifically designed for short tournaments with large number of participants and provides excellent games in each round and a robust system to determine the beat team.

[1] http://onehundredyards.blogspot.com/2006/12/alternative-to-current-bcs-system.html