NCAA Death to the BCS Playoffs: Semifinals

New Year's Day, if nothing else, provided some interesting games as part of the bowl package. I listened to part of the Outback Bowl and watched a decent chunk of the 2nd half of the Orange Bowl, the only bowl I planned on actively watching. As evil as the BCS is, given the a-holish behavior exhibited by an Orange Bowl official, I was hoping to see an NIU team ready to take down FSU and silence the elitists. Sadly, FSU was clearly the better team, though that didn't stop NIU from really playing them close for most of the game.

Back in a more ideal world where teams actually get to play for a national title (granted, still a world where Florida State advanced farther than Northern Illinois), we're down to 4 teams and have had some intriguing matchups to date and some fun upsets. Last round's games all played out according to the chalk, so the four teams that do remain though come as no real surprise given their regular seasons. Not that that's a bad thing as they've earned their spots here.

The two matchups this weekend offer some great intrigue. Kansas State was a front runner up until the Baylor game and they now get a tough Notre Dame defense, but the game that intrigues me more is the 2-6 matchup between SEC foes Alabama and Florida, a matchup we didn't get to see in the regular season. As the conference champion, Bama deserves home field, but we'll see if they're up to the task.

As with the previous rounds, both games will be simulated as a best of 3, with the clinching game being the official game for the purposes of the tournament (the "best of" simulation format allows for a more accurate indicator of how the game would go). The higher seeds (Notre Dame and Alabama again) get home field advantage where weather is taken into account from actual conditions at the posted game times, and all simulations are done by WhatIfSports.com.

(4) Kansas State at (1) Notre Dame

1/5/13, 3pm

Game 1: KSU 12, ND 10

Game 2: ND 51, KSU 21
Game 3: KSU 24, ND 20

(6) Florida at (2) Alabama

1/5/13, 6pm

Game 1: ALA 17, UF 6

Game 2: ALA 40, UF 0

FOR THE OFFICIAL PLAYOFF BRACKET, CLICK HERE.

And this is why we play (or simulate) the games. Had Notre Dame won this matchup I would have taken the BCS title game as the official simulation for the title game of this playoff, but now I will actually simulate this game. Notre Dame haters (and I know you're plentiful) probably enjoy the fact that the Irish are out at this stage. While I still think Notre Dame and Alabama were the two best teams in the regular season and the BCS kind of got it right, Monday's game is still nothing more than a glorified exhibition game and the winner won't be a real "champion". The team that wins this simulation, while it's nothing more than that, is more of a champion than Monday's winner. I'll have one final sim next week of this title game.

Collin Klein. AJ McCarron. It's the Death to the BCS Championship Game on Confessions of a Sportscaster.