Well, if I thought reseeding 1998 was tough, I had seen nothing yet. 1999 was a bitch.
Seeds 1-4 remain the same. Swapping Kansas State and Tennessee prevents possible rematches between K-State and Nebraska and between Alabama and Tennessee. I didn't strictly need to swap Michigan and Wisconsin, but since I am maintaining the original 1st round matches, moving Michigan to the south side of the bracket gets Florida out of Florida State's region. As an added bonus, it also gets Southern Miss on the opposite side of Nebraska, to whom they already lost, but since they also previously lost to Alabama it's something of a wash.
If I were reseeding this field from scratch, several of the 1st round matches would likely change. Specifically, Marshall and Michigan State are still too low and TCU is a bit too high. That said, this bracket was always constrained by helmet problems anyway and I'm not sure how much I would have been able to shuffle things around. The important thing is that all theoretical rematches have now been postponed until at least the Final Four, and conference conflicts have been solved.
1999: The Field
No. 1 seed Florida State Seminoles (11-0; BCS #1): ACC Champion (automatic bid)
2nd consecutive playoff appearance
- 1998: 3rd round elimination
Notable Wins: BCS #10 Florida
Losses: none
Head Coach: Bobby Bowden (2-1 playoff record)
Offensive Style: West Coast
Quarterback: Chris Weinke
Running Backs: Travis Minor and Jeff Chaney
Wide Receivers: Peter Warrick and Ron Dugans
Tight End: Ryan Sprague
No. 2 seed Virginia Tech Hokies (11-0; BCS #2): Big East Champion (automatic bid)
1st playoff appearance
Notable Wins: none
Losses: none
Head Coach: Frank Beamer
Offensive Style: Heavy Run
Quarterback: Michael Vick
Running Backs: Shyrone Stith and Andre Kendrick
Wide Receivers: Andrew Davis and Ricky Hall
Tight End: Browning Wynn
No. 3 seed Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-1; BCS #3): Big 12 Champion (automatic bid)
2nd consecutive playoff appearance
- 1998: 1st round elimination
Notable Wins: BCS #14 Texas A&M, BCS #6 Kansas State, BCS #15 Texas
Losses: BCS #15 Texas
Head Coach: Frank Solich (0-1 playoff record)
Offensive Style: Heavy Run
Quarterback: Eric Crouch
Running Backs: Dan Alexander and Correll Buckhalter
Wide Receivers: Matt Davison and Bobby Newcombe
Tight End: Tracey Wistrom
No. 4 seed Alabama Crimson Tide (10-2; BCS #4): SEC Champion (automatic bid)
1st playoff appearance
Notable Wins: BCS #10 Florida (x2)
Losses: Louisiana Tech, BCS #5 Tennessee
Head Coach: Mike DuBose
Offensive Style: Heavy Run
Quarterback: Andrew Zow
Running Backs: Shaun Alexander and Shaud Williams
Wide Receivers: Freddie Milons and Antonio Carter
Tight End: Terry Jones
No. 5 seed Kansas State Wildcats (10-1; BCS #6): Big 12 North Co-Champion (at-large bid)
2nd consecutive playoff appearance
- 1998: National Champion
Notable Wins: BCS #15 Texas
Losses: BCS #3 Nebraska
Head Coach: Bill Snyder (4-0 playoff record)
Offensive Style: Balanced
Quarterback: Jonathan Beasley
Running Backs: Joe Hall and Frank Murphy
Wide Receivers: Quincy Morgan and Aaron Lockett
Tight End: Shad Meier
No. 6 seed Tennessee Volunteers (9-2; BCS #5): at-large bid
2nd consecutive playoff appearance
- 1998: 2nd round elimination
Notable Wins: BCS #4 Alabama
Losses: BCS #10 Florida, Arkansas
Head Coach: Phillip Fulmer (1-1 playoff record)
Offensive Style: Heavy Run
Quarterback: Tee Martin
Running Backs: Jamal Lewis and Travis Henry
Wide Receivers: Cedrick Wilson and Eric Parker
Tight End: John Finlayson
No. 7 seed Michigan Wolverines (9-2; BCS #8): at-large bid
1st playoff appearance
Notable Wins: BCS #7 Wisconsin, BCS #11 Penn State
Losses: BCS #9 Michigan State, Illinois
Head Coach: Lloyd Carr
Offensive Style: Balanced
Quarterback: Tom Brady
Running Backs: Anthony Thomas and Walter Cross
Wide Receivers: Dave Terrell and Marcus Knight
Tight End: Shawn Thompson
No. 8 seed Wisconsin Badgers (9-2; BCS #7): Big Ten Champion (automatic bid)
2nd consecutive playoff appearance
- 1998: 1st round elimination
Notable Wins: BCS #13 Minnesota, BCS #9 Michigan State
Losses: Cincinnati, BCS #8 Michigan
Head Coach: Barry Alvarez (0-1 playoff record)
Offensive Style: Heavy Run
Quarterback: Brooks Bollinger
Running Backs: Ron Dayne and Eddie Faulkner
Wide Receivers: Chris Chambers and Nick Davis
Tight End: Dague Retzlaff
No. 9 seed Southern Miss Golden Eagles (8-3; Sagarin #14*): C-USA Champion (automatic bid)
1st playoff appearance
Notable Wins: none
Losses: BCS #3 Nebraska, BCS #14 Texas A&M, BCS #4 Alabama
Head Coach: Jeff Bower
Offensive Style: Favor Run
Quarterback: Jeff Kelly
Running Backs: Derrick Nix and Dawayne Woods
Wide Receivers: Todd Pinkston and Sherrod Gideon
Tight End: Bobby Garner
No. 10 seed Florida Gators (9-3; BCS #10): SEC East Champion (at-large bid)
2nd consecutive playoff appearance
- 1998: 2nd round elimination
Notable Wins: BCS #5 Tennessee
Losses: BCS #4 Alabama (x2), BCS #1 Florida State
Head Coach: Steve Spurrier (1-1 playoff record)
Offensive Style: West Coast
Quarterback: Doug Johnson
Running Backs: Earnest Graham and Bo Carroll
Wide Receivers: Darrell Jackson and Travis Taylor
Tight End: Erron Kinney
No. 11 seed TCU Horned Frogs (7-4; Sagarin #51*): WAC Co-Champion (automatic bid)
1st playoff appearance
Notable Wins: none
Losses: Arizona, Northwestern, Fresno State, Rice
Head Coach: Dennis Franchione
Offensive Style: Heavy Run
Quarterback: Patrick Batteaux
Running Backs: LaDainian Tomlinson and George Layne
Wide Receivers: Mike Scarborough and LaTarence Dunbar
Tight End: Matt Schobel
No. 12 seed Stanford Cardinal (8-3; Sagarin #28*): Pac-10 Champion (automatic bid)
1st playoff appearance
Notable Wins: none
Losses: BCS #15 Texas, San Jose State, Washington
Head Coach: Tyrone Willingham
Offensive Style: Balanced
Quarterback: Todd Husak
Running Backs: Brian Allen and Kerry Carter
Wide Receivers: Troy Walters and DeRonnie Pitts
Tight End: Russell Stewart
No. 13 seed Michigan State Spartans (9-2; BCS #9): at-large bid
1st playoff appearance
Notable Wins: BCS #8 Michigan, BCS #11 Penn State
Losses: Purdue, BCS #7 Wisconsin
Head Coach: Nick Saban/Bobby Williams**
Offensive Style: Favor Run
Quarterback: Bill Burke
Running Backs: Lloyd Clemons and T.J. Duckett
Wide Receivers: Plaxico Burress and Gari Scott
Tight End: Chris Baker
No. 14 seed Marshall Thundering Herd (12-0; BCS #12): MAC Champion (automatic bid)
2nd consecutive playoff appearance
- 1998: 1st round elimination
Notable Wins: none
Losses: none
Head Coach: Bob Pruett (0-1 playoff record)
Offensive Style: Balanced
Quarterback: Chad Pennington
Running Backs: Doug Chapman and Llow Turner
Wide Receivers: Nate Poole and James Williams
Tight End: Gregg Kellett
No. 15 seed Utah Utes (8-3; Sagarin #25*): Mountain West Co-Champion (automatic bid)
1st playoff appearance
Notable Wins: none
Losses: Boise State, Colorado State, Wyoming
Head Coach: Ron McBride
Offensive Style: Favor Run
Quarterback: Darnell Arceneaux
Running Backs: Mike Anderson and Omar Bacon
Wide Receivers: Steve Smith and Cliff Russell
Tight End: Matt Nickel
No. 16 seed Boise State Broncos (9-3; Sagarin #53*): Big West Champion (automatic bid)
1st playoff appearance
Notable Wins: none
Losses: UCLA, Hawai'i, North Texas
Head Coach: Dirk Koetter
Offensive Style: unavailable***
Quarterback: unavailable***
Running Backs: unavailable***
Wide Receivers: unavailable***
Tight End: unavailable***
*BCS rankings only went from #1-15 from 1998-2002, so I used Sagarin rankings to seed all teams not listed in the BCS Top 15.
**Nick Saban departed before the Citrus Bowl, in which the team was coached by Bobby Williams. It is reasonable to hypothesize, however, that Saban would have remained at Michigan State until the team was eliminated from the playoff.
***The database for Boise State only goes back to 2001. Since they will most likely lose to No. 1 seed Florida State anyway, I will use the 2001 team for simulation purposes.
2nd Round Bowl Selection
Fiesta Bowl: The Fiesta Bowl had two equally appealing choices: Big 12 Champion vs. 1998 No. 1 seed Tennessee, or SEC Champion Alabama vs. 10-1 Kansas State? It chose the former, and got neither team, thanks to those rascally upstarts Marshall and TCU. D'oh! Ironically, the 2000 Fiesta Bowl actually did match Nebraska and Tennessee.
Cotton Bowl: The Cotton Bowl of course took the Fiesta Bowl's leftovers, Alabama and K-State, but ended up with the Spartans instead of the Crimson Tide. K-State would still bring a huge crowd, of course.
Citrus Bowl: Although the Citrus Bowl could have guaranteed itself either Florida from the SEC or Michigan from the Big Ten, it chose to play the percentages and hope for the Big Ten's Wisconsin and local favorite Florida State. Unlike the previous two bowls, the Citrus Bowl actually got what it expected.
Holiday Bowl: The Holiday Bowl got stuck with Michigan and Virginia Tech. Oh, well.
Sweet Sixteen (Day 1)
Game 1: No. 1 Florida State Seminoles (11-0) VS. No. 16 Boise State Broncos (9-3)
Doak Campbell Stadium - Tallahassee, Fla.
Friday, Dec. 10, 1999 - 11 AM EST
Precipitation: None
Temperature: 73
Wind: NW 10 MPH
Final Score: Florida State 24, Boise State 14
Player of the Game
Florida State QB Chris Weinke
Game 2: No. 13 Michigan State Spartans (9-2) VS. No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide (10-2)
Bryant-Denny Stadium - Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Friday, Dec. 10, 1999 - 1 PM EST
Precipitation: None
Temperature: 47
Wind: Calm
Final Score: Michigan State 37, Alabama 29
Player of the Game
Alabama RB Shaun Alexander
Game 3: No. 5 Kansas State Wildcats (10-1) VS. No. 12 Stanford Cardinal (8-3)
KSU Stadium - Manhattan, Kan.
Friday, Dec. 10, 1999 - 3:30 PM CST
Precipitation: None
Temperature: 54
Wind: N 17 MPH
Final Score: Kansas State 41, Stanford 26
Player of the Game
Kansas State QB Jonathan Beasley
Game 4: No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers (9-2) VS. No. 9 Southern Miss Golden Eagles (8-3)
Camp Randall Stadium - Madison, Wis.
Friday, Dec. 10, 1999 - 7 PM CST
Precipitation: None
Temperature: 30
Wind: NE 10 MPH
Final Score: Wisconsin 20, Southern Miss 10
Player of the Game
Wisconsin RB Ron Dayne
Sweet Sixteen (Day 2)
Game 1: No. 15 Utah Utes (8-3) VS. No. 2 Virginia Tech Hokies (11-0)
Lane Stadium - Blacksburg, Va.
Saturday, Dec. 11, 1999 - 11 AM EST
Precipitation: None
Temperature: 55
Wind: W 9 MPH
Final Score: Virginia Tech 32, Utah 0
Player of the Game
Virginia Tech RB Shyrone Stith
Game 2: No. 14 Marshall Thundering Herd (12-0) VS. No. 3 Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-1)
Nebraska Memorial Stadium - Lincoln, Neb.
Saturday, Dec. 11, 1999 - 12 PM CST
Precipitation: None
Temperature: 45
Wind: NW 28 MPH
Final Score: Marshall 30, Nebraska 23
Player of the Game
Marshall RB Llow Turner
Game 3: No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers (9-2) VS. No. 11 TCU Horned Frogs (7-4)
Neyland Stadium - Knoxville, Tenn.
Saturday, Dec. 11, 1999 - 4:30 PM EST
Precipitation: Light Rain
Temperature: 49
Wind: SW 9 MPH
Final Score: TCU 28, Tennessee 26
Player of the Game
TCU RB LaDainian Tomlinson
Game 4: No. 7 Michigan Wolverines (9-2) VS. No. 10 Florida Gators (9-3)
Michigan Stadium - Ann Arbor, Mich.
Saturday, Dec. 11, 1999 - 8 PM EST
Precipitation: None
Temperature: 44
Wind: SW 15 MPH
Final Score: Michigan 45, Florida 38
Player of the Game
Florida RB Earnest Graham
3rd Round Bowl Selection
Orange Bowl: The Orange Bowl chose the north side of the bracket, expecting Florida State to advance.
Rose Bowl: Thus, the Rose Bowl gets stuck with Virginia Tech (probably) or Michigan (unlikely) and a double-digit seed in Marshall or TCU. Tough luck.
Elite Eight
Game 1: No. 1 Florida State Seminoles (12-0) VS. No. 8 Wisconsin Badgers (10-2)
CompUSA Florida Citrus Bowl
Florida Citrus Bowl - Orlando, Fla.
Saturday, Dec. 18, 1999 - 11 AM EST
Precipitation: None
Temperature: 74
Wind: W 17 MPH
Final Score: Florida State 34, Wisconsin 9
Player of the Game
Florida State QB Chris Weinke
Game 2: No. 5 Kansas State Wildcats (11-1) VS. No. 13 Michigan State Spartans (10-2)
Southwestern Bell Cotton Bowl Classic
Cotton Bowl - Dallas, Texas
Saturday, Dec. 18, 1999 - 12 PM CST
Precipitation: None
Temperature: 53
Wind: N 9 MPH
Final Score: Kansas State 23, Michigan State 13
Player of the Game
Michigan State LB Robaire Smith
Game 3: No. 7 Michigan Wolverines (10-2) VS. No. 2 Virginia Tech Hokies (12-0)
Culligan Holiday Bowl
Qualcomm Stadium - San Diego, Calif.
Saturday, Dec. 18, 1999 - 1:30 PM PST
Precipitation: None
Temperature: 60
Wind: NW 6 MPH
Final Score: Virginia Tech 44, Michigan 7
Player of the Game
Virginia Tech RB Shyrone Stith
Game 4: No. 14 Marshall Thundering Herd (13-0) VS. No. 11 TCU Horned Frogs (8-4)
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Sun Devil Stadium - Tempe, Ariz.
Saturday, Dec. 18, 1999 - 6 PM MST
Precipitation: None
Temperature: 72
Wind: Calm
Final Score: Marshall 34, TCU 27
Player of the Game
Marshall WR Nate Poole
Final Four
Game 1: No. 14 Marshall Thundering Herd (14-0) VS. No. 2 Virginia Tech Hokies (13-0)
The Rose Bowl Game presented by AT&T
Rose Bowl - Pasadena, Calif.
Saturday, Dec. 25, 1999 - 1:30 PM PST
Precipitation: None
Temperature: 75
Wind: WSW 4 MPH
Final Score: Virginia Tech 29, Marshall 6
Player of the Game
Virginia Tech RB Shyrone Stith
Game 2: No. 1 Florida State Seminoles (13-0) VS. No. 5 Kansas State Wildcats (12-1)
FedEx Orange Bowl
Pro Player Stadium - Miami Gardens, Fla.
Saturday, Dec. 25, 1999 - 8 PM EST
Precipitation: None
Temperature: 74
Wind: E 15 MPH
Final Score: Kansas State 40, Florida State 6
Player of the Game
Kansas State QB Jonathan Beasley
2000 FBS National Championship
No. 5 Kansas State Wildcats (13-1) VS. No. 2 Virginia Tech Hokies (14-0)
Nokia Sugar Bowl
Louisiana Superdome - New Orleans, La.
Saturday, Jan. 1, 2000 - 8 PM EST
Precipitation: None (dome)
Temperature: 75 (dome)
Wind: None (dome)
Final Score: Kansas State 13, Virginia Tech 6
Player of the Game
Virginia Tech RB Shyrone Stith
Discussion
Well, this was a little more interesting, wasn't it?
I will confess: I broke a personal rule. I simulated Florida State vs. Wisconsin in the Citrus Bowl twice. The first time, Wisconsin kicked Florida State's butt, and I decided to overturn that for three reasons.
First, Wisconsin did not advance to the Final Four in the old bracket, but Florida State did. I want to shake things up as little as possible, when I can fall back on old results in a way that makes sense. Second, I really didn't want the No. 1 seed to fall to the No. 8 seed two years in a row, especially since Oklahoma also fell to Nebraska in the uncorrected 2000 bracket. Third, I still could have had Michigan in Wisconsin's place, since they beat Florida and there would have been no rematch with Florida State. In that scenario, neither Michigan nor Wisconsin would have advanced to the Final Four, and I wanted to preserve that outcome even though they had been swapped.
The old national championship became the new Cotton Bowl, and I think No. 13 Michigan State exiting in the 2nd round instead of the final game is a little more realistic. Meanwhile, Virginia Tech beat Michigan soundly on the first try to preserve that region. I'm a little disappointed the Florida State-Michigan overtime game is no longer part of the "new" continuity, but some sacrifices must be made to improve validity.
Marshall beating TCU proves how badly the Thundering Herd were under-seeded, I think. A No. 14 advancing to the Final Four is even crazier than a No. 13, but Marshall was undefeated. TCU, however, was the "favorite" despite beating no one good all season and having four losses. Seeds aside, I think I buy Chad Pennington in the Final Four more than I buy Plaxico Burress being there. Besides, Virginia Tech cleans things up pretty quickly in the Rose Bowl anyway.
Poor Bobby Bowden. For the second straight year, HCBS sends him home with a loss in the Orange Bowl. I would have advanced Florida State had they won the simulation, despite the fact that Florida State did not reach the title game the first time and K-State did, but the Wildcats won convincingly on the very first spin of the wheel.
That sets up a much better national championship than K-State vs. Michigan State, I feel. 1999 was basically Virginia Tech's best season ever, and it's appropriate for them to lose in the Sugar Bowl again to the team that beat the Florida State team that was supposed to beat them, don't you think? Beasley vs. Vick should have been for all the marbles, anyway, instead of just a Final Four game like it was the first time around.
Original 1999 Bracket
Revised 1999 Bracket
Final Associated Press Poll (with final game result)
- Kansas State (14-1) - beat Virginia Tech 13-6 in the Sugar Bowl
- Virginia Tech (14-1) - lost to Kansas State 6-13 in the Sugar Bowl
- Marshall (14-1) - lost to Virginia Tech 6-29 in the Rose Bowl
- Florida State (13-1) - lost to Kansas State 6-40 in the Orange Bowl
- Nebraska (12-2) - beat Boston College 31-28 in the Insight.com Bowl
- Mississippi State (10-2) - beat Clemson 17-7 in the Peach Bowl
- Wisconsin (10-3) - lost to Florida State 9-34 in the Citrus Bowl
- Michigan (10-3) - lost to Virginia Tech 7-44 in the Holiday Bowl
- Michigan State (10-3) - lost to Kansas State 13-23 in the Cotton Bowl
- Penn State (10-3) - beat Texas A&M 24-0 in the Alamo Bowl
- Alabama (10-4) - lost to Colorado 62-34 in the Galleryfurniture.com Bowl
- Oregon (9-3) - beat Minnesota 24-20 in the Sun Bowl
- Tennessee (9-4) - lost to Syracuse 21-20 in the Music City Bowl
- Southern Miss (9-4) - beat Colorado State 23-17 in the Liberty Bowl
- Miami (9-4) - beat Georgia Tech 28-13 in the Gator Bowl
- Florida (9-5) - lost to Illinois 63-34 in the Tangerine Bowl
- Texas (9-5) - lost to Arkansas 6-27 in the Independence Bowl
- Georgia (8-4) - beat Purdue 28-25 in overtime in the Outback Bowl
- Arkansas (8-4) - beat Texas 27-6 in the Independence Bowl
- Minnesota (8-4) - lost to Oregon 20-24 in the Sun Bowl
- Georgia Tech (8-4) - lost to Miami 13-28 in the Gator Bowl
- Ole Miss (8-4) - beat Oklahoma 27-25 in the New Orleans Bowl
- Texas A&M (8-4) - lost to Penn State 0-24 in the Alamo Bowl
- Illinois (8-4) - beat Virginia 63-21 in the MicronPC Bowl
- Purdue (8-4) - lost to Georgia 25-28 in overtime in the Outback Bowl
BracketCat's Protest Playoff Archives
1998: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Fiesta | Data | Encore
1999: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Sugar | Data
2000: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Orange | Data
2001: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2)