Finally, a college playoff

By Piet Van Leer Sports Central Columnist

Since the NCAA is incapable of designing a college football playoff for Division I schools, I have decided to take the onus upon myself. Using the BCS rankings and my super awesome computer, I have simulated a mock championship, matching up the 16 finest teams in the land, designed in the same bracket style we see during March Madness.

Starting with the round of 16, Oklahoma rebounds from their disastrous finish to definitively defeat Washington State. LSU meets up with Florida again, but this time, the Tigers avenge their only loss of the season. USC takes care of Purdue, and Michigan returns the favor Iowa paid them earlier in the season with a sound victory.

Ohio State, like so many of their wins the past two seasons, squeaks by Georgia. In an early upset, Mack Brown finds Ben Roethlisberger too much to handle, and Miami of Ohio gets by the favored Longhorns. Kansas State defeats Florida State, and the Hurricanes of Miami get some much needed revenge against Tennessee, albeit a close one.

In the quarterfinals, the monstrous, fluid Roethlisberger gets a taste of the defenses he can look forward at the next level, and is overwhelmed by Pete Carroll's Men of Troy. And in the first big upset of the tourney, Darren Sproles and Ell Roberson prove to be too much for the Bayou Bengals, and the second seeded Tigers from LSU are sent home by the extremely flammable Wildcats from KSU.

The Oklahoma/Miami (Fla.) matchup is three seasons too late for the 'Canes. The Sooners take control with defense and special teams, and cruise to a relatively easy victory, leaving us one reaming final quarterfinal matchup, and it's a biggy.

The great rivalry of Michigan and Ohio State is renewed for a second time this season. With revenge in their hearts, the Buckeyes methodically dictate the action, but manage only a few field goals despite their dominance. In the end, John Navarre marches Michigan into the red zone, and Chris Perry caps off the highly-charged game with a scintillating run, simultaneously breaking Buckeye tackles and their fans' hearts for the second time in two months.

The semifinals are set, and these are two titanic meetings. In the early game, Sproles proves to be elusive, even for the lightning-fast Trojan D. But Kansas State coach Bill Snyder has his hands full with Mike Williams and Matt Leinart. Ell Roberson briefly gives the Wildcat hopeful something to root for with his dizzying 37-yard run, but USC answers with a Leinart to Williams 64-yard touchdown strike to end Kansas State's season.

That leaves Oklahoma and Michigan in the nightcap, and what a game this proved to be. The Sooner D looks befuddled, as Navarre has no problem locating Braylon Edwards. On their first three possessions, Michigan puts up 17 points. Down 17-7 in the third, Bob Stoops makes what proves to be the call of the game, faking a punt on his own 30 and getting the first-down. Stoops' chicanery proves to be the spark OU was looking for, and the Sooners score touchdowns on their next three possessions, as Michigan looks helpless.

A late Michigan touchdown and an onside kick recovery give them new life, but the 4th-and-4 from the Sooner 20 is undermined by the biggest sack of Tommie Harris' career, and the Michigan band will have to wait another year to play Hail to the Victors.

Championship day arrives, and no one is quarreling about who should be there. Oklahoma and USC take the field in inspired fashion, but the two squads seem a bit nervous about their place in history.

After a scoreless first, Jason White hangs in the pocket too long, and Omar Nazel sacks him, forces a fumble, and recovers himself. Matt Leinart makes the Sooners pay for all the attention they have focused on Mike Williams, hitting a wide-open Keary Colbert for the first score of the day. After that, two Sooner drives stall inside the Trojan 20, forcing a couple of field goals, and a 7-6 halftime lead for USC.

The game takes a decidedly wicked turn on the first play of the second half, as Bob Stoops' onside kick attempt backfires. True freshman Reggie Bush takes the next snap and sprints 44 yards for the score. A Sooner fumble on the ensuing kickoff results is quickly cashed in by Williams' first catch of the day, a touchdown. The deflated Sooners trail 21-6, and if that's not bad enough, Pete Carroll's much ballyhooed enthusiasm is beginning to look just plain annoying to everyone on the OU sideline.

But Jason White didn't win the Heisman only to continue the jinx, and he stormed his Sooners back. Two touchdowns and a two-point conversion later, we're all knotted at 21. Being a former Jet head coach, Carroll knows all about choking, so he would do everything in his power to make sure his current club didn't repeat any of the suffering he had to live through in his professional days.

With a minute remaining and 80 yards to go, Carroll lets his red-shirt sophomore do what all great quarterbacks have a knack of doing, lead his team to victory. It also helps to have luck on your side, as Leinart proved when his errant pass slipped right through the hands of senior cornerback Brandon Everage.

Leinart, unfazed by the near pick, rips off four consecutive first-down completions. Eight seconds and a 43-yard field goal is all that separates USC from their dreams. After a timeout to ice him, Trojan kicker Ryan Killeen puts it up with plenty of leg, and watches the pigskin glance off the left upright ... and through! Trojan fans everywhere rejoice in a much-anticipated moment of jubilation. USC defeats Oklahoma 24-21 to win the first-ever undisputed national championship.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.