29 DAYS UNTIL KICKOFF!
LSU winning this one is not too far-fetched, since they had essentially the same team (minus Russell) the next season, when they actually did win it all. The only screwy part is the score; considering how thoroughly Florida dominated Ohio State in 2006, I think LSU would have had a harder time putting them away, especially given that they had already lost to them once.
Of course, one upside to Florida losing is that in this alternate universe, maybe we don't have to hear about Tim freakin' Tebow all the damn time.
This was one of those occasions, BTW, that I was dreading. There were simply no suitable alternate helmets for either school, so the flipped LSU helmet with the very small backwards writing was the best I could manage. I hope that doesn't happen again - it's a real pain.
No. 4 LSU Tigers (13-2) VS. No. 2 Florida Gators (15-1)
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
University of Phoenix Stadium - Glendale, Ariz.
Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007 - 6 PM MST
Precipitation: none (dome)
Temperature: 70 (dome)
Wind: none (dome)
Final Score: LSU 34, Florida 14
Player of the Game
LSU QB JaMarcus Russell
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -LSU (14-2) became the first No. 4 seed to win a playoff championship, something that barely eluded the Tigers' grasp in 2003 against Kansas State.
Meanwhile, Florida (15-2) suffered a disappointing end to a season Gator fans thought would end in the school's second playoff title.
The SEC would have been happy either way.
LSU defeated Florida 34-14 to win the Fiesta Bowl, claim the AFCA National Championship Trophy and avenge a 23-10 loss to the Gators in "The Swamp" back in October.
The Tigers thoroughly dominated their opponent this time around, in rushing yardage (303-106), passing yardage (226-132) and first downs (26-15).
JaMarcus Russell was the star, completing 16 of 24 for 226 yards and two TDs. For the Gators, Chris Leak was much less successful, going just 13 of 23 for 132 yards and an interception. Florida's only real standout was Percy Harvin, who rushed 10 times for 106 yards and a TD.
LSU's coach, Les Miles, is 4-0 in the playoff in his first year at the school, after leaving his old job at Oklahoma State before the season began.
All helmet images are courtesy of The Helmet Project. Check it out - it's pretty cool.
All bowl logos are courtesy of sportslogos.net.
Next Week
The 2007 FBS Playoff field will be unveiled at noon on Sunday, August 9. As usual, I will post the full bracket and assorted statistics tomorrow at noon.
- SUNDAY: 2007 field announced
- MONDAY: First half of the 1st round games played (higher seed hosts)
- TUESDAY: Second half of the 1st round games played (higher seed hosts)
- WEDNESDAY: 2nd round games played (bowl sites)
- THURSDAY: Final Four (bowl sites)
- FRIDAY: National Championship
- SATURDAY: Stats and analysis
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 | Encore
2000: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Orange | Data | Encore
2001: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Rose | Data
2002: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Fiesta | Data
2003: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Sugar | Data
2004: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Orange | Data
2005: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4 | Rose | Data
2006: Selection Sunday | Sweet 16 (1) | Sweet 16 (2) | Elite 8 | Final 4