FanNation - The Republic of Sport

1. Each of the 12 conferences (11 standards, 1 independent) received a spot for their respective conference's champion.  For conferences without conference championships, top league record wins using all tiebreakers that already exist.  Conference champions must also fit the current guidelines of the BCS to become bowl eligible. 

2.  For the additional 4 at-large spots, the top 4 teams in the BCS standings who did not win an automatic conference bid received a slot.  Through this rationale, a team that had a highly-successful season but may have lost the conference title game, because of the BCS' opinion, is speculated to be still a very good and worthy participant.

3.  With the brackets being set as in a region of the NCAA basketball tournament, the teams are seeded in order of BCS ranking finish.  To place all teams correctly, the BCS standings will be expanded to include all Div. 1-A teams.  This will ensure the idea that a conference champion team from a traditionally "weaker" conference (think Sun Belt) who possesses a weaker schedule strength will not get a higher seed than an at-large team from a traditionally stronger conference (SEC) who plays on a stronger strength of schedule. 

4.  With all teams having either one or two weeks off before the play-off starts depending on conference championship weekend, teams will start the play-off around mid-December and finish at the same time as the regular BCS system does now.  Teams still may take 12 games in the regular season if they choose and still end at the same time as any other "bowl season." 

While some argue all this football is too fatiguing to the student-athlete, it may prove beneficial because:

A.  Rather than having a month-long layoff before BCS games and thus producing a sluggish and lackluster performance on the biggest stage, teams may not lose momentum from week to week.

B.  Instead of practicing ad nauseum with little urgency for the early part of the month off, every week you must play and win to stay alive.  That sounds like enough urgency to me.

C.  Finals are likely over by the start of the play-off and players are free to participate weekly.
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Here is the initial week's schedule for the 2007 post-season, should the regular season have ended today:

Round One - December 14, 2007
(1) Ohio State (Big 10)
(16) Troy (Sun Belt)

(8) Boston College (ACC)
(9) Arizona State (BCS4)

(5) Oklahoma (BCS1)
(12) Navy (Ind)

(4) Kansas (Big 12)
(13) BYU (MWC)

(6) Missouri (BCS2)
(11) Hawaii (WAC)

(3) Oregon (Pac-10)
(14) C. Michigan (MAC)

(7) West Virginia (BCS3)
(10) UConn (Big East)

(2) LSU (SEC)
(15) E. Carolina (C-USA)

So there you go.  The first round of the NCAA D-1 BCS Play-offs.  Here's your challenge.  Project the results using the following date blocks, name your champion for 2007, and post your results back:

Round 2 - December 21, 2007

Semifinals - December 28, 2007

Finals - January 5, 2007