2015 Death to the BCS Playoffs: Championship

In 2011, shortly after I launched Confessions of a Sportscaster, I took the BCS to task, and created an alternate playoff format that included 16 teams. At the time, I hadn't yet completed the Wetzel, Peter, and Passan classic pictured to the left. That original 2011 tournament is the only time through my first few years of blogging that I got the exact same matchup as the on-field national championship game.

Of course, once I finished said book, I had to throw together a playoff bracket in the Wetzel, Peter, and Passan style. That first edition created the ultimate chaos. 2012 brought a reasonable championship matchup that differed from the official, but wasn't surprising. 2013's edition showed that simulations are bullcrap; the team that got spanked in the Rose Bowl won the whole shebang, while the team that destroyed them got upset in the first round. Last year's brought the same four teams to the semifinals as got there (albeit with different matchups), but the teams that made the real national championship game did not make it in the simulated version.

And so for the first time since the old format tournament in 2011, the teams playing for the on-field national championship will also meet in cyberspace for the title. Of course, there's a difference between on-field and online: the Death to the BCS Championship Game is played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena because where else would you play it? Clemson and Alabama will play for real in Glendale, Arizona, which is certainly a great place for a football game, but to me, the Rose Bowl just seems more fitting.

Now because this is a championship game, I need to do a better job of making sure to eliminate luck. As such, this matchup will be simulated as a best of five, instead of a best of three, with the "clinching" game being the official result still. Weather in Pasadena from last night will be taken into account. In addition, I checked Don Best's handicapping website yesterday to try to make sure that any injured or suspended players would not show up in the simulation to the best of my ability. All simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Will Alabama claim the virtual crown as well as the real crown? Let's find out.

(2) Alabama vs (1) Clemson
Game 1: (1)CLEM 37, (2)ALA 18
Game 2: (2)ALA 31, (1)CLEM 28
Game 3: (2)ALA 73, (1)CLEM 6
Game 4: (2)ALA 34, (1)CLEM 9
The Tide are national champions in cyberspace as well, but in a much more dominant fashion. After trading punts for much of the opening quarter, Derrick Henry finally broke through for a 44 yard run to set up Kenyan Drake for a one yard plunge that opened the scoring. Clemson managed to get around midfield before stalling, and Derrick Henry got going again, this time breaking a 43 yard run to the house for a 14-0 Tide lead. Clemson finally got into the red zone on the next drive early in the second quarter, but had to settle for a field goal. Alabama went right back down, but missed a 44 yard field goal. The Tigers couldn't take advantage, and Alabama would get to goal to go before hitting a shorter field goal and going up 17-3 going into the break. It could have been more, but a late Henry fumble kept them off the board again. Clemson got an interception of Jake Coker early in the third quarter, but went three and out on the ensuing drive. On Clemson's next drive, Greg Huegel bounced a 44 yard field goal off the upright. Alabama went to the air to put the game away, and got an 11 yard catch and run touchdown from Calvin Ridley to make it 24-3. The Bama defense pinned Clemson deep, forced a three and out, and scored quickly to put the game away. Clemson would get a garbage time touchdown from Wayne Gallman, but by then it was too little, too late.

Derrick Henry won MVP honors 196 yards rushing on 36 carries for two scores while adding three catches for 36 yards. Jake Coker completed 19 of 31 passes for 230 yards, a touchdown and a pick. Calvin Ridley added five catches for 73 yards and the touchdown through the air. Deshaun Watson struggled for Clemson, completing only 12 of his 28 passes for 130 yards while taking three sacks. Wayne Gallman had 24 carries for 103 yards and Clemson's lone touchdown.

To see the final bracket, click here.

Photo by Vasha Hunt (al.com)

Alabama wins its second straight Death to the BCS Championship and third in the last five years, the latter of which matches their on-field royalty. Unlike in Glendale, the vitual Crimson Tide didn't need an onside kick to help escape with a victory. I had predicted them to be the national champions (albeit over Oklahoma), but ultimately, it didn't matter what path they took; they are college football's national champions once again.

I didn't do this last year, and it's something I need to remedy. In the past I think I've tried to do an All Playoffs Team, but that's hard to do with the limited information that WhatIfSports provides. Instead, I will just stick to a Death to the BCS Playoffs Most Valuable Player.

2015 Death to the BCS MVP

Photo by USA TODAY Sports (Photographer uncredited)

Jake Coker (QB, Alabama): 97-148, 1286 yards, 14 TD, 5 Int; 39 carries, 3 yards.

Ultimately it came down to Coker versus Henry, and both had a good case. Henry had 729 yards rushing on 121 carries with five touchdowns, plus ten catches for 148 yards and another touchdown via the air. Both players struggled a bit against Bowling Green in the semifinals, but Coker did more in that game to lead the Tide to the win (Henry was kept out of the endzone in that game, though Coker was picked three times). Ultimately though, like in reality, the Crimson Tide don't win the national championship without both of these players playing at the level they did.

That will do it for my 2015 college football postings. I will be back again in the fall when dreams of a national championship begin anew and I continue my fight for equality in FBS football.