BRACKET #3 FINALS

BRACKET #3

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BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(126) 1991 Alabama - 13
(131) 1985 Tennessee - 18
There were no fourth quarter fireworks for Siran Stacy and David Palmer against the Vols this time around.


I'm sure the loss didn't sit well with this Alabama fan.

"[Neyland Stadium] looks like a garbage truck worker convention" - classic..

(259) 1986 Alabama - 15
(3) 1978 USC - 19
Alabama had another team eliminated from the tournament in Bracket 3 when the 1986 edition, led by tailback Bobby Humphrey and linebacker Cornelius Bennett, fell to the '78 Trojans. Head coach Ray Perkins said after the game that he was proud of his team and that he hopes Mike Shula - the quarterback on the '86 team - gets another chance to be a head coach.

BRACKET FINAL

(131) 1985 Tennessee - 11
(3) 1978 USC - 14
A fantastic defensive showdown ended with John Robinson's Trojans topping Johnny Majors' Volunteers to secure a spot in the Bracket of Champions.

A Tennessee defense that only gave up 34 points over the final 7 games (an average of less than 5 points per game) held their own against a USC offense that featured two All American offensive linemen and and two future Heisman trophy winners in the backfield.

The SugarVols played remarkably well over the first three quarters. "Mr. Defense" Dale Jones out-quicked tackle Keith Van Horne and made a living in the USC backfield for much of the first half. He sacked Paul McDonald twice and was the key component in holding USC's vaunted rushing attack to 54 yards over the first 30 minutes of action.

Tennessee went into the locker room clinging to a 3-0 lead, but still searching for some offense of their own.

In the second half the Trojans finally got things going on the ground. To counter the speedy Tennessee defense, USC fullback took a couple of quick hitters for 11 and 13 yards on the on the opening drive of the second half. Mix in a couple short completions to Calvin Sweeney and suddenly things were starting to open up for the Trojan offense. Charles White capped the opening drive of the second half with a 6-yard touchdown run. The Trojans botched the extra point, though, so the score was now 6-3.

That score stood through the end of the third quarter as the defenses continued to control the tempo and the line of scrimmage.

Tennessee finally got things going with their first drive of the fourth quarter. Quarterback Tony Robinson got the passing game rolling and suddenly he was hitting receivers all over the field. Robinson was 4-for-5 on the drive for 72 yards, including a spectacular 42-yard touchdown pass to Tim McGee, who had to go up strong over safety Ronnie Lott in the end zone to make the catch.

The Volunteers seemed to botch the extra point as well, but holder and backup quarterback Daryl Dickey took a bad snap and scrambled into the end zone to put an unplanned two points on the board.

With an 11-6 lead and a defense that was seemingly in control of the ball game, Tennessee fans were starting to sense a potential upset to finally get a Vol team into the Bracket of Champions.

But Charles White wouldn't let the Trojans go quietly.

Coach Robinson put the game in the hands of his star tailback and White delivered. Carrying the ball on 10 of the 11 plays on the drive, White courageously drove his team down the field. Following the blocking of his All American offensive guard Pat Howell, White took hits and kept plowing forward until he capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown plunge. He piled up 66 yards on the drive, eclipsing his total from the first three and a half quarters combined.

Quarterback Paul McDonald converted the two-point conversion with a pass to Kevin Williams to give the Trojans a three point lead that they never relinquished.

By the way, is this what life was like in Tennessee back in 1985? You have got to be kidding me with that.

1978 USC (#3 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Trojans will face the winner of Bracket 62 in the first round.

BRACKET #11 FINALS

BRACKET #11

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BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(118) 1977 Alabama - 24
(139) 1993 Ohio State - 19
All American linemen Dan Wilkinson (DT) and Korey Stringer (OT) figured to hold the advantage in the trenches, but Bear Bryant's Crimson Tide had other ideas. Joey Galloway scored the Buckeyes lone touchdown and Raymont Harris was held to just 45 rushing yards.

(267) 1996 Penn State - 20
(11) 1995 Nebraska - 41
Penn State's offensive skill players (RB Curtis Enis, WR Joe Jurevicius, FB Aaron Harris, QB Wally Richardson) were largely ineffective against the fast and furious Blackshirts. The defense (DL Brandon Noble, CB Brian Miller) didn't fare too well either.

BRACKET FINAL

(118) 1977 Alabama - 21
(11) 1995 Nebraska - 35
Another round another blowout for the 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Nebraska took a 23-7 lead into halftime on the strength of a potent running game and a stout defense. Lawrence Phillips had 75 yards rushing, and Ahman Green added 43 in the first half. Marty Lyons, Barry Krauss and the Alabama defense geared up to stop quarterback Tommie Frazier, and Frazier was more than happy to pitch to his talented I-Backs.


On the other side of the ball, Grant Wistrom and Terrell Farley led a pass rush that sacked Jeff Rutledge every time he tried to find receiver Ozzie Newsome in the first half. That's right, Rutledge dropped back to throw 4 times and was sacked 4 times.

1995 Nebraska (#11 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Cornhuskers will face the winner of Bracket 54 in the first round.

BRACKET #54 FINALS

BRACKET #54

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BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(54) 2005 Penn State - 27
(310) 1990 Tennessee - 24
Dale Carter had a spectacular 90 yard kickoff return for touchdown, but the Vols fell a field goal shy of advancing to the Bracket 54 Final.

(182) 1996 BYU - 20
(75) 1989 Miami - 34
BYU quarterback Steve Sarkisian was hassled all day by the Miami defense, and Omarr "The Electric Blanket" Morgan had a rough day against the Miami passing game. The Cougars were no match for a really good Miami team.

BRACKET FINAL

(54) 2005 Penn State - 20
(75) 1989 Miami - 26
The atmosphere was electric for this matchup of 11-1 teams. The entire town of Paternoville was in attendance to root on their senior-laden Nittany Lions against the potent '89 Hurricanes.


It was a defensive struggle in the early going with the Penn State defense matching the Miami defense stop for stop. In fact, defensive end Tamba Hali hammered Miami quarterback Craig Erickson so hard that he missed the majority of the rest of the first half.

The Hurricanes didn't miss a beat, though, with freshman Gino Torretta taking the reins. Torretta quickly led a field goal drive that put the 'Canes up 3-0.

Penn State quarterback Michael Robinson had some success through the air, but Miami defensive tackles Russell Maryland and Cortez Kennedy were disrupting the option game before it even had a chance to start. As a result tailbacks Tony Hunt and Austin Scott became non-factors.

Torretta added a touchdown pass to Wesley Carroll to close the second half, and Erickson threw a touchdown pass to Dale Dawkins late in the third quarter as the '89 Hurricanes marched relatively easily through the Nittany Lions.

1989 Miami (#75 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Hurricanes will face the winner of Bracket 11 in the first round.

BRACKET #62 FINALS

BRACKET #62

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BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(62) 1999 Nebraska - 26
(195) 1985 Iowa - 23
Iowa hit a wall against Nebraska, much the way they lost their undefeated season and #1 ranking against Ohio State in 1985. Chuck Long threw four interceptions, and the defense - highlighted by All American linebacker Larry Station - couldn't keep up with Eric Crouch.


(190) 1992 Texas A&M - 17
(67) 1985 Florida - 21
The Wrecking Crew (LB Marcus Buckley, DT Sam Adams, CB Aaron Glenn) played a fantastic ballgame, but Kerwin Bell and the Florida passing game had just enough juice to outscore a faltering Aggie offense.

BRACKET FINAL

(62) 1999 Nebraska - 23
(67) 1985 Florida - 19
Nebraska's secondary came up big against a good passing game for the second straight game to secure the '99 Huskers' spot in the Bracket of Champions.

Florida quarterback Kerwin Bell played his worst game of the tournament going up against a secondary that featured Ralph and Mike Brown, as well as Keyuo Craver. Bell completed just 13 of his 33 pass attempts, and was picked off twice.

Eric Johnson played a big role in the game for the Blackshirts as well. The speedy linebacker (a former safety) covered Neal Anderson and John L. Williams out of the backfield, eliminating the short passing game that was so crucial to the Florida offense.

Nebraska's offense didn't fare much better than Florida's, but the Huskers got a boost from all purpose threat Bobby Newcombe. Newcombe had two long punt returns that set up scores. He also caught a 45-yard pass and had a 32-yard run - both on third downs - to provide a jolt on offense.

1999 Nebraska (#62 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Cornhuskers will face the winner of Bracket 3 in the first round.

BRACKET #35 FINALS

BRACKET #35

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BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(94) 1980 Georgia - 21
(163) 1991 Michigan - 24
The national champion Georgia Bulldogs fell two games shy of the Bracket of Champions as Desmond Howard out-shined freshman sensation Herschel Walker.


(222) 1986 LSU - 15
(35) 1987 Florida State - 32
Florida State won in a blowout as LSU only managed 237 yards of offense. Quarterback Tommy Hodson threw two interceptions and RBs Harvey Williams and Sammy Martin only managed 66 total yards.

BRACKET FINAL

(163) 1991 Michigan - 22
(35) 1987 Florida State - 30
Why is this the greatest tournament of all time? Because of matchups like this. Where else are you going to get Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard going one-on-one with All American Deion Sanders?




Neither one disappointed their fans. Sanders intercepted a pass from Elvis Grbac and returned a punt 67-yards for a touchdown. Howard caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Grbac and also returned a punt 67-yards for a touchdown.

The difference in the game was on the defensive side of the ball. FSU could stop the other ten guys on the Michigan offense, but the Michigan defense didn't fare as well.

Danny McManus threw a touchdown pass to Ronnie Lewis, and tailback Sammy Smith ran for 91 yards and two touchdowns.

Michigan tried to counter by using their freshman tailback Tyrone Wheatley late in the game for a boost of athleticism (starter Ricky Powers only managed 28 rushing yards against the athletic 'Nole front). He ran hard, eclipsing Powers' rushing total in just one quarter, but a late fumble gave the game to FSU for good.

1987 Florida State (#35 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Seminoles will face the winner of Bracket 30 in the first round.

BRACKET #30 FINALS

BRACKET #30

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BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(30) 1994 Nebraska - 25
(286) 1995 Kansas State - 22
Bill Snyder suffered yet another loss to Tom Osborne as Chris Canty and the Wildcats were eliminated.

(158) 2007 Georgia - 26
(99) 2003 USC - 31
A fantastic Bracket 30 semi-final matchup featured a ton of talent on both sidelines. Georgia played an excellent game, but USC was better. Knowshon Moreno ran for 202 yards and 2 touchdowns on the day.

BRACKET FINAL

(30) 1994 Nebraska - 27
(99) 2003 USC - 24
The Nebraska defense played their guts out to contain a loaded USC offense, and Brook Berringer compiled another strong passing game as the Huskers marched their 9th team into the Bracket of Champions.

Cornerback Tyrone Williams drew the tough assignment of covering 6-foot-5 Trojan receiver Mike Williams. Tyrone did a marvelous job as Mike didn't collect a single reception in the first half. That fact played a huge role in Nebraska taking a 13-7 lead into the locker room at halftime.

In the second half the offenses opened up a little bit as each team opened up their playbooks. I-Back Lawrence Phillips ran for 73 tough yards in the second half, but the story was quarterback Brook Berringer. After injuring his throwing shoulder in the first half and missing nearly three series, Berringer came back in the third quarter and tossed two touchdown passes. Abdul Muhammad was on the receiving end of the first scoring strike, and Reggie Baul caught the other.

USC quarterback Matt Leinart heated up in the second half too. Keary Colbert and tight end Dominique Byrd stepped up to the plate with Mike Williams being erased by Tyrone Williams. Freshman Reggie Bush also came up with a big touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter that pulled the Trojans within three.

But the Blackshirts held USC scoreless on consecutive possessions while Zach Wiegert, Brendan Stai, and the rest of the big offensive line - along with fullback Cory Schlesinger - grinded out the clock on the ground.


1994 Nebraska (#30 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Cornhuskers will face the winner of Bracket 35 in the first round.

BRACKET #19 FINALS

BRACKET #19

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BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(110) 1995 Northwestern - 19
(147) 2002 Oklahoma - 26
Gary Barnett authored one of the best stories in college football history when he guided the 1995 Northwestern Wildcats to Pasadena after decades of losing. But Northwestern's run in The Greatest Tournament of All Time came to an end against Bob Stoops and the Sooners. It will be a long time before college football fans forget about the Wildcats, though. Darnell Autry, the Steve Schnur to D'Wayne Bates combo, and All American linebacker (and current Northwestern head coach) Pat Fitzgerald will live on forever in Wildcat lore. There are 6 parts to the video below, so be sure to enjoy them all.


(238) 1992 Michigan - 20
(19) 2006 Florida - 24
Tyrone Wheatley and the Michigan offense struggled against the Florida defense as they exited quietly from the tournament.

BRACKET FINAL

(147) 2002 Oklahoma - 29
(19) 2006 Florida - 23 (OT)
The vaunted Oklahoma defense made a meal out of the Gators offense, but the Sooners needed overtime to pull off the upset and advance to the Bracket of Champions.

Florida started off the game just fine. Quarterback Chris Leak led a nice 8 play drive that ended in a field goal to take a 3-0 lead. Leak capped the next Florida drive with a nice touchdown pass in traffic to Andre Caldwell.


Linebackers Brandon Siler and Earl Everett swarmed Quentin Griffin and forced Oklahoma to punt again. With a 10-0 lead and all the momentum, coach Urban Meyer decided to switch quarterbacks and put in freshman sensation Tim Tebow.

Tommie Harris, Teddy Lehman and company jammed the line of scrimmage, expecting Tebow to run. Tebow fought for 5 yards on first down, and then tried a play action pass. Derrick Strait picked off the short throw intended for Dallas Baker and returned it for a touchdown, and suddenly it was a game.

Fast forward to the fourth quarter, where Florida held a 23-20 lead with just 5:35 left to play. Meyer made a similar move to go with the freshman Tebow instead of the senior Leak, and Tebow once again turned the ball over. Lance Mitchell recovered the fumble which set up the game-tying field goal to send the game into overtime.

The Gators had the ball first and Chris Leak once again took the field at quarterback. On first down Tommie Harris broke through the line and hit Leak as he threw, forcing the ball high into the air. It came down into the arms of defensive end Jimmy Wilkerson for an interception. Bob Stoops quickly capitalized on the momentum and Nate Hybl threw a 25 yard touchdown pass to tight end Trent Smith on the first play of the possession to give the Sooners a come from behind victory.

2002 Oklahoma (#147 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Sooners will face the winner of Bracket 46 in the first round.

BRACKET #46 FINALS

BRACKET #46

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BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(46) 1996 Florida State - 30
(211) 2007 West Virginia - 23
The Florida State defense held Steve Slaton to 35 yards rushing and a fumble as West Virginia exited the tournament for good.

(339) 1993 Tennessee - 28
(83) 2008 Utah - 26
Utah jumped out to a big lead against the worst remaining seed in the tournament. But Utah blew a 26-14 fourth quarter lead to suffer their first loss. At least there will always be memories of the 2009 Sugar Bowl.

BRACKET FINAL

(46) 1996 Florida State - 28
(339) 1993 Tennessee - 23
Phil Fulmer's '93 Volunteers finally tasted defeat at the hands of the '96 Seminoles.

The Tennessee passing game had been on point all tournament long with Heath Shuler and a talented receiving corps (Cory Fleming, Craig Faulkner, Billy Williams). But the defensive line for Florida State got to him early and often and rattled the senior leader. Defensive ends Peter Boulware and Reinard Wilson each registered 2 sacks and Shuler was looking over his shoulder the majority of the game.


Tennessee got the running game going early, with Charlie Garner and James Stewart each registering touchdown runs in the first half. But once the passing game was erased, linebackers Daryl Bush, Henri Crockett, and Sam Cowart were free to key on the tailbacks.

Offensively Florida State rode tailbacks Warrick Dunn and Dee Feaster to victory. The Seminoles ran for a whopping 231 yards in the game while the passing game struggled.

1996 Florida State (#46 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Seminoles will face the winner of Bracket 19 in the first round.

BRACKET #51 FINALS

BRACKET #51

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BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(78) 1986 Miami - 27
(179) 2002 Texas - 20
The Longhorns passing game (QB Chris Simms, WRs Roy Williams, B.J. Johnson, Sloan Thomas) was stifled by Jimmy Johnson's Hurricane defense. Bennie Blades had a pick-six off Simms that ended up being the difference in the ball game.

(206) 1988 West Virginia - 28
(51) 1995 Florida - 35
Major Harris and the Mountaineers came up well short against the '95 Gators. The game wasn't as close as the score indicated, though, because WVU fell behind 14-0 early and were chasing Florida the rest of the way.

BRACKET FINAL

(78) 1986 Miami - 41
(51) 1995 Florida - 34 (2 OT)
It took overtime, but the '86 Hurricanes slowed Steve Spurrier's Fun 'N Gun offense down enough to pull out the win.

Miami defenders played fast and furious under the direction of a motivated coach Jimmy Johnson. The talk all week was about offense and how Spurrier was sure to guide another Gator team into the Bracket of Champions. Johnson took it all in and funneled it into an aggressive game plan that saw defensive tackle Jerome Brown taking up residence in the Florida backfield.


Brown led the defensive charge with three sacks.

Wuerffel hung in there, though, and came through in the fourth quarter with a game-tying touchdown drive in the closing minutes of regulation.

Wuerffel needed a little help from his defense too. Antoine Lott picked off a Vinny Testaverde pass and returned it 63 yards for a touchdown to get the Gators back in the game in the third quarter.

After trading touchdowns in the first overtime period, the Miami defense came up big again in the second overtime. Winston Moss sacked Danny Wuerffel and forced a fumble that was recovered by Jerome Brown. That meant all the 'Canes had to do was kick a field goal to win the game.

Jimmy Johnson chose to go for the jugular instead, and on first down Testaverde went play acation and hit Michael Irvin over the top of the defense for the 25 yard game winner.

After the game, clearly caught up in the excitement over beating an in-state rival and claiming a berth in the Bracket of Champions, Johnson exclaimed "We own the state of Florida! It's going to take more than a gimmick offense to beat us!"

1986 Miami (#78 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Hurricanes will face the winner of Bracket 14 in the first round.

BRACKET #14 FINALS

BRACKET #14

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BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(14) 2000 Oklahoma - 28
(270) 2003 Florida State - 17
Quarterback Chris Rix was harassed into four turnovers which put the Seminole defense (DT Darnell Dockett, LB Kendyll Pope, CB Bryant McFadden) in some bad situations. Oklahoma capitalized and picked up the win.

(142) 2006 LSU - 25
(115) 1997 Auburn - 19
One of my personal favorite teams in the tournament, the 1997 Auburn Tigers were upended by talented LSU. I'll never forget the Dameyune Craig to Karsten Bailey combo, and Takeo Spikes and Jimmy Brumbaugh were solid on the other side of the ball as well.

BRACKET FINAL

(14) 2000 Oklahoma - 24
(142) 2006 LSU - 20
JaMarcus Russell and the LSU Tigers gave a valiant effort, but the Oklahoma defense was just too good.

OU linebackers Rocky Calmus and Torrance Marshall, along with a little help from safety Roy Williams - completely eliminated the LSU running game. Running backs Keiland Williams, Jacob Hester, Justin Vincent, and Alley Broussard combined for just 19 rushing yards. Without Les Miles' bread and butter, defensive ends Corey Callens and Corey Heinecke were able to pin their ears back and rush the quarterback.

Under the pressure, Russell was frequently forced to throw on the run. Receivers Dwayne Bowe, Early Doucet, and Craig Davis found open space in the Oklahoma secondary, but Russell was often off the mark. In fact, on three separate occasions Russell missed what would have been a sure touchdown pass to a wide open receiver because either he had to throw on the run or he simply did not have the time to go through his progressions.

Oklahoma's All American quarterback, on the other hand, stayed cool in the pocket and didn't try to force anything. He found Curtis Fagan on a 24-yard touchdown pass early in the third quarter that gave the Sooners the lead for good.

2000 Oklahoma (#14 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Sooners will face the winner of Bracket 51 in the first round.

BRACKET #43 FINALS

BRACKET #43

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BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(86) 1989 Colorado - 29
(342) 1986 UCLA - 21
Gaston Green, Flipper Anderson, Ken Norton Jr, Carnell Lake, and the rest of the 1986 UCLA squad fell to an oft-forgotten Colorado team.

(299) 1988 Wyoming - 24
(43) 1990 Colorado - 27
Paul Roach's Cowboys nearly pulled a monumental upset over the 1990 co-champion Buffaloes. Quarterback Randy Welniak threw for 250 yards and ran for another 61. Bobby Dawson's 33-yard touchdown run gave Wyoming a 24-20 lead with just over two minutes remaining. But with time winding down, Colorado benefited from some VERY generous officiating, converting the game winning touchdown on 5th down.

BRACKET FINAL

(86) 1989 Colorado - 26
(43) 1990 Colorado - 22
Two very similar Colorado teams faced off in an unusual Bracket Final.

1990 Colorado quarterback Darian Hagan went out early with a sprained shoulder, leaving the game in the hands of backup Charles Johnson. Eric Bieniemy and Mike Pritchard tried to pick up the slack, but against a defense featuring linebackers Alfred Williams and Kanavis McGhee they were held in check.

1989 Darian Hagan on the other hand played a whale of a ball game. Running Bill McCartney's option to perfection, '89 Hagan finished with 138 rushing yards. J.J. Flannigan added 121 yards on the ground as the '89 Buffs avoided throwing on Deon Figures and the '90 Colorado secondary.

Noted in the win for 1989 Colorado was the performance of punter Tom Rouen. The senior was key in the field position battle, planting 4 of his 6 punts inside the 10 yard line and forcing the '90 Buffaloes to work extra hard for any points they accumulated.

1989 Colorado (#86 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Buffaloes will face the winner of Bracket 22 in the first round.

BRACKET #22 FINALS

BRACKET #22

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BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(22) 2004 Auburn - 24
(278) 2006 Rutgers - 17
Two quick defenses took the field in this bracket semi-final matchup. Rutgers defensive linemen Jamal Westerman, Ramel Meekins, Eric Foster, and William Beckford collected 5 sacks between them. Ray Rice added 117 yards on 31 carries, but the Scarlet Knights couldn't come up with the win.

(150) 1980 BYU - 34
(107) 1993 Florida - 33
In a shootout, Steve Spurrier's Gators came up one point short against LaVell Edwards' Cougars. The two quarterbacks, Jim McMahon and freshman Danny Wuerffel combined to throw for 776 yards in the game.

BRACKET FINAL

(22) 2004 Auburn - 52
(150) 1980 BYU - 50 (4 OT)
If you like points, just follow BYU. LaVell Edwards, down to just two teams alive after starting with 24 teams in the tournament, pulled out all the stops offensively to try to put a team in the Bracket of Champions.

The 2004 Auburn secondary was tested repeatedly against Air Edwards. All American corner Carlos Rogers held up for the most part, but safeties Junior Rosegreen (more of a run stopping safety) and Will Herring didn't have good games on the back end of the defense.

BYU quarterback Jim McMahon started the scoring with a 37 yard bomb to TE Clay Brown over the top.

Auburn answered with a ground attack that featured tailbacks Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown. The duo proceeded to hammer on Kyle Whittingham and the BYU defense until the Tigers had built a 27-13 lead late in the fourth quarter while amassing 243 rushing yards.

But McMahon, no stranger to comebacks, wasn't finished yet. McMahon led two straight touchdown drives in the final 6 minutes, culminating in a 41-yard touchdown pass to Clay Brown as time expired. The extra point tied the game and sent it into overtime.


With both defenses clearly wearing down, a parade of touchdowns lit up the scoreboard and sent each team's score near the half-century mark. BYU reached 50 points first in the fourth overtime. McMahon threw his 6th touchdown pass of the game - this one to fullback Eric Lane. The required two-point conversion pass fell harmlessly to the ground, though, giving Auburn hope.

After riding the legs of Williams and Brown the majority of the game, it was time for senior quarterback Jason Campbell to make a play. Facing fourth and 12 after two short runs and a sack, Campbell rolled right to avoid the rush and found Courtney Taylor for 13 yards and the first down.


A play later Campbell found tight end Anthony Mix in the end zone for the game-tying touchdown. With the adrenaline flowing, Campbell called his own number on the two-point conversion attempt, scrambling left and finding paydirt for the exhausting 52-50 win.

2004 Auburn (#22 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Tigers will face the winner of Bracket 43 in the first round.

BRACKET #38 FINALS

BRACKET #38

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BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

***This bracket contains three of the seven highest remaining seeds in the tournament. South Carolina is the worst seed left (#550) and wasn't even supposed to make it out of the second round. Oklahoma is the second worst seed currently alive in the tournament.***

(550) 1987 South Carolina - 19
(294) 1993 Miami - 18
1987 South Carolina's miracle run in the tournament continues! Warren Sapp and the Hurricanes scored first and led the entire game - until the Gamecocks' Harold Green scored a touchdown with 47 seconds remaining. Instead of kicking the extra point to tie the game and send it into overtime, South Carolina coach Joe Morrison elected to go for two and the win. Sterling Sharpe caught a pass in the middle of the end zone from Todd Ellis and the "Black Death" Gamecocks advanced.

(347) 2007 Oklahoma - 27
(91) 1993 Nebraska - 30
An old rivalry saw another chapter written here in The Greatest Tournament of All Time. Freshman quarterback Sam Bradford and the high powered Oklahoma offense played well, but Bob Stoops' defense couldn't stop Nebraska's option game.

BRACKET FINAL

(550) 1987 South Carolina - 18
(91) 1993 Nebraska - 23
The biggest overachievers in the tournament finally hit a wall. After going on an incredible run that saw the Gamecocks upset 2007 Texas, 2000 Washington, and 1993 Miami, a Nebraska team that played the role of underdog in the 1993 national championship game knocked 1987 South Carolina out of the tournament.

Impartial tournament fans fell in love with the underdog Gamecocks, thanks in large part to their gritty play, never-say-die attitude, and their awesome stadium entrance (yep, I'm going to show it again - it's goose bump inducing even on the fifth viewing).


But Nebraska brought a great team to the table that played with the motto "We Refuse to Lose" during the 1993 season - and the Huskers did just that.

Nebraska defensive end Trev Alberts played a whirlwind of a game, collecting two sacks and countless other pressures of quarterback Todd Ellis. His presence in the backfield also led to sacks by Terry Connealy and Donta Jones.

It got exciting in the second quarter when Corey Dixon returned a punt 71 yards for a touchdown giving Nebraska 10-0 lead.

But South Carolina answered as they have all tournament long. This time it was Sterling Sharpe's turn to wow the crowd by returning the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown.


In the second half, Tommie Frazier took the game over. The sophomore ran for a touchdown and threw a touchdown pass to tight end Trumane Bell. On the day, Frazier piled up 66 yards rushing and 162 yards passing.

1993 Nebraska (#91 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Cornhuskers will face the winner of Bracket 27 in the first round.

BRACKET #27 FINALS

BRACKET #27

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BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(102) 1994 Colorado - 41
(155) 1986 Arizona State - 38 (3 OT)
Colorado dismissed another Arizona State team en route to a berth in the Bracket 27 Final, but it took three overtime periods to do it. ASU quarterback Jeff Van Raaphorst threw for 245 yards and 4 touchdowns, but Trace Armstrong, Dan Saleaumua, and the defense couldn't keep the Buffs out of the end zone in overtime.

(283) 1980 Baylor - 14
(27) 1988 Miami - 27
The best Baylor team in the field finally met their fate against the '88 Hurricanes. Baylor was led by future NFLers Mike Singletary (LB), Walter Abercrombie (RB), and Dennis Gentry (FB), but they just ended up Bear meat for the hungry Hurricanes.

BRACKET FINAL

(102) 1994 Colorado - 19
(27) 1988 Miami - 31
Jimmy Johnson advanced yet another Miami team into the Bracket of Champions. His Hurricanes had little trouble against a good Bill McCartney-coached Colorado team.

The key to the game was pressure. Miami defensive linemen Russell Maryland, Bill Hawkins, and Greg Mark got after Colorado quarterback Kordell Stewart early, hitting him on three of the first four plays from scrimmage. Stewart wasn't the same the rest of the ball game.

Rashaan Salaam ran well for the Buffaloes, but he only got 16 touches (for 98 total yards).

The Hurricane offense got off to a false start too. Steve Walsh threw an interception to Chris Hudson on the first play from scrimmage. But by halftime Miami had found the end zone three different times and were on their way to an easy win.

1988 Miami (#27 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Hurricanes will face the winner of Bracket 38 in the first round.

BRACKET #59 FINALS

BRACKET #59

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BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(70) 2002 Miami - 24
(187) 1977 Pittsburgh - 28
Larry Coker couldn't guide his stacked Hurricanes (QB Ken Dorsey, RB Willis McGahee, WR Andre Johnson, TE Kellen Winslow, S Sean Taylor, LB Jonathan Vilma) into the bracket final as Jackie Sherrill's Panthers pulled the upset.

(315) 1998 Air Force - 20
(59) 1988 Florida State - 31
Blane Morgan and 1998 Air Force upset the '79 Seminoles to get here, but the '88 FSU squad was a completely different animal - more speed, more talent, more depth. the Falcons were never really in this ballgame.

BRACKET FINAL

(187) 1977 Pittsburgh - 23
(59) 1988 Florida State - 24
Bobby Bowden pulled out the old Puntrooskie to set up the game winning field goal late in the fourth quarter as the Seminoles eeked past the upset minded Panthers.

Despite completely eliminating the Pittsburgh passing game and seeming to be on the verge of blowing the game open at any moment, FSU actually trailed the majority of the game. Pitt QB Matt Cavanaugh only threw for 78 yards in the game, but tailback Elliott Walker quietly kept the chains moving.

The workhourse Walker, who had to fill the rather large shoes of Tony Dorsett, had a whopping 34 carries for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns.

But Florida State's special teams won the day. In the second quarter, Deion Sanders tied the game up at 14 apiece with a 76 yard punt return for touchdown. Sanders flew through the Pitt defenders like they were standing still, prompting All American safety Bob Jury to say after the game, "that guy [Sanders] is ready for prime time."


In the fourth quarter Bowden had to dig into his bag of tricks to pull out the Puntrooskie. Trailing 23-17 in the fourth quarter, inside their own 20 yard line, Bowden called for the fake punt. The upback, Dane Williams took the quick snap and handed off to LeRoy Butler who carried the ball 78 yards to set up Richie Andrews' game winning 19-yard field goal.

1988 Florida State (#59 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Seminoles will face the winner of Bracket 6 in the first round.

BRACKET #6 FINALS

BRACKET #6

Click HERE for first round results.
Click HERE for second round results.
Click HERE for third round results.

BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(6) 1982 Penn State - 31
(262) 1982 Florida State - 23
In a clash of year-mates, national champion Penn State got the best of Florida State. No matter when these two teams meet up in The Greatest Tournament of All Time, it's always going to be Bobby Bowden vs Joe Paterno. With the loss, Bowden falls to 2-4 against Paterno in the tournament.

(134) 1992 Notre Dame - 31
(123) 1991 Florida State - 34 (2 OT)
This one needed two overtimes to decide. Notre Dame tailback Reggie Brooks was unconscious, running for 174 yards and 3 touchdowns, but the defense couldn't hold up in overtime.

BRACKET FINAL

(6) 1982 Penn State - 26
(123) 1991 Florida State - 23
Joe Paterno upped his record to 5-2 against Bobby Bowden in The Greatest Tournament of All Time thanks to a late Nick Gancitano field goal that pushed the Nittany Lions past FSU.


Each team had a high powered passing attack that had to take a back seat to the running game. Florida State defensive backs Terrell Buckley and Errol McKorvey, in addition to freshmen Clifton Abraham and Corey Sawyer played a key role in blanketing Penn State receivers Kenny Jackson and Gregg Garrity. PSU quarterback Todd Blackledge was only able to complete 12 of his 27 passes for 150 yards.

On the other side of the ball, Penn State DBs Harry Hamilty and Roger Jackson each picked off FSU quarterback Casey Weldon.

However, Amp Lee and Curt Warner each brought their A-games to the table. Lee was responsible for both Seminole touchdowns, one on a 2-yard run set up by this play by William Floyd, the other on a 6-yard run Lee set up with a 61 yard reception on the play before.


Warner had the last laugh when he carried 6 times for 68 yards on the game winning field goal drive. On the day, Warner finished with 174 yards and 2 touchdowns.

1982 Penn State (#6 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Nittany Lions will face the winner of Bracket 59 in the first round.

BRACKET #7 FINALS

BRACKET #7

Click HERE for first round results.
Click HERE for second round results.
Click HERE for third round results.

BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(122) 1982 UCLA - 22
(135) 1981 Miami - 20
Howard Schnellenberger's troops, including a backfield of Smokey Roan and Speedy Neal, fell to an early 80's counterpart in a hard fought, back-and-forth contest.

(250) 1982 Clemson - 14
(7) 1987 Miami - 27
Clemson fought an uphill battle after starting 0-1-1 in 1982, and they had a similar challenge after Miami jumped out to a 14-0 lead early. But the Tigers couldn't mount the same charge they did in finishing the '82 season on a 9 game winning streak. Tailbacks Cliff Austin and Chuck McSwain tallied just 51 yards rushing between the two of them.

BRACKET FINAL

(122) 1982 UCLA - 16
(7) 1987 Miami - 31
A clever UCLA fan printed up shirts for the student section that read "Los Osos vs. Los Outlaws", a play on the "Catholics vs Convicts" theme of the late 80s Notre Dame/Miami rivalry. Unfortunately for the Osos, the Outlaws came ready to play.

Tensions were high in this game, and several shoving matches broke out after plays throughout the first quarter. The teams combined to punt 5 times in an opening stanza that saw exactly zero points.

UCLA's formidable secondary (see When Carcajous Attack! for an excellent report on the '82 Bruins) covered Michael Irvin and the rest of the Hurricane receivers while Karl Morgan and Irv Eatman stuffed the running game. Bennie Blades and the Miami defense answered every stop with a stop of their own - but the Canes added a little "flavor" after many of the big plays. Quarterback Tom Ramsey exchanged words with Daniel Stubbs after the big defensive linemen sacked him.

In the second quarter the Miami offense exploded. Quarterback Steve Walsh threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to Michael Irvin, and followed that up with a 63 yard pass to Brian Blades on the next drive. Cleveland Gary punched it in the end zone two plays later and suddenly Jimmy Johnson's Hurricanes had built a 14-0 lead.

UCLA managed to eek out two field goals, but trailed 17-6 at the half.

In the third quarter it was more fireworks for Steve Walsh and the Miami offense. on the first drive Warren Williams took a swing pass out of the backfield and put a wicked stiff arm on UCLA linebacker Blanchard Montgomery, taking the ball 33 yards and into Bruin territory. A play later, Walsh hit Irvin again on a 44-yard touchdown pass and turned the game into a rout.

Things got a little chippy on the ensuing UCLA possession when all the trash talk throughout the game came to a head. The Bruins trailed 24-6 and were noticeably growing tired of all the chatter, so when Daniel Stubbs threw quarterback Tom Ramsey to the ground well after the whistle had blown, a brawl errupted.


It took almost over two minutes to clear the field and somehow nobody was ejected. Ramsey responded by throwing a touchdown pass to Cormac Carney on the drive, but it didn't make any difference in the final score. The Hurricanes cruised to an easy victory.

1987 Miami (#7 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Hurricanes will face the winner of Bracket 58 in the first round.

BRACKET #58 FINALS

BRACKET #58

Click HERE for first round results.
Click HERE for second round results.
Click HERE for third round results.

BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(58) 1985 Michigan - 26
(199) 2000 Nebraska - 21
Nebraska fans showed up in droves and watched as Eric Crouch put on a show (133 yards rushing, 156 yards passing). But the Cornhusker special teams allowed two kick returns for touchdowns that led to their elimination.


(186) 1989 Michigan - 16
(71) 1979 Pittsburgh - 19
Bo Schembechler leaned heavily on his big backs, Leroy Hoard and Jarrod Bunch, but they never really got any momentum going against Jackie Sherrill's excellent Pitt defense.

BRACKET FINAL

(58) 1985 Michigan - 18
(71) 1979 Pittsburgh - 13
Pittsburgh was facing their second consecutive Bo Schembechler-coached Michigan team, and their luck finally ran out against the coaching legend.

So far in this tournament the modern teams have been having a lot of success against the older teams. Finally we get a bracket final matchup featuring two old school teams - with an old school defensive battle.


The biggest difference in the game was how the two quarterbacks handled the pressure applied by the defenses. The veteran Jim Harbaugh side stepped Pitt's 2-time All American Hugh Green time and again while keeping his eyes glued downfield. Freshman Dan Marino on the other hand took a pounding from Mark Hammerstein and threw 2 interceptions.

Jamie Morris ran for 69 yards and a touchdown and was the primary workhorse on the ground in the Michigan attack. Kicker Mike Gillette made three of his four field goal attempts in the win.

1985 Michigan (#58 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Wolverines will face the winner of Bracket 7 in the first round.

BRACKET #24 FINALS

this bracket was guest written by C.Rock

BRACKET #24

Click HERE for first round results.
Click HERE for second round results.
Click HERE for third round results.

BRACKET SEMI-FINALS

(105) 1994 Alabama - 17
(152) 1979 Oklahoma - 23

The vaunted Crimson Tide defense led by Shannon Brown and Willie Gasten couldn't slow down All-American tailback Billy Sims and QB J.C. Watts as the Sooner back compiled 32 carries and 210 yards on the ground. The stat of the game is OU's time of possession of 38 minutes vs 22 for the Crimson Tide.

(233) 1987 UCLA - 27
(24) 1996 Florida - 41

Troy Aikman, Gaston Green and Flipper Anderson got their yards but unfortunately for the Bruins, so did the Fun 'N Gun stylings of Danny Wuerffel, Ike Hilliard, Reidel Anthony and Jacquez Green to the tune of 511 yards of total offense.

BRACKET FINAL

(152) 1979 Oklahoma - 23
(24) 1996 Florida - 33

OU entered the game confidently after upending the favored Crimson Tide in the previous round. Rumor has it that the entire defensive line, headed by Keith Gary, Johnny Lewis and John Goodman spent the night before the game enjoying the sites and sounds of downtown Gainesville much to the chagrin of the Sooner stars Billy Sims and J.C. Watts.

The Ole Ball Coach, Steve Spurrier, drew up some odd 5-wide sets(even putting Fred Taylor into the slot) for the Gators to unload on a Sooner defense that, coming from the late 70's in Big 8 country, had never seen anything like it. Spreading OU out far and wide, Wuerffel worked his way all over the field in the first quarter on two consecutive drives hitting Ike Hilliard to the left, Reidel Anthony to the right and Jacquez Green cutting across the middle. Wuerffel's stats after the first quarter of play were 11-13 for 137 yards and 2 touchdowns with hardly a tap from the Sooner defensive line - raising warning flags and causing extreme friction on the sideline between the Sooner defense and offense. Luckily for OU, Billy Sims called it a night early the previous day allowing himself to be ready for the showdown as he found the running easy going in the first piling up 54 yards and a touchdown keeping it close at 14-7.

The second quarter found the Gator offense equally successful as the previous quarter pushing the lead to 24-10 entering halftime.


Coming out of the half, the Sooner defense looked rejuvenated as they shut down Florida. The Florida punt after the opening drive was blocked allowing OU and J.C. Watts to punch in a quick score cutting the lead to 24-17. On the ensuing drive, Wuerffel led Florida deep into OU territory only to have his pass to Ike Hilliard picked off in the end zone and returned all the way to the Gator 22 yard line. The OU offense was then introduced to Jevon Kearse who on consecutive plays knocked Sims for no gain and Watts back for a 6 yard loss on an option keeper. OU nailed a 45 yard field goal and had closed the gap to 1 at 24-20.

The ensuing kickoff was fumbled by Florida and appeared to recovered by OU which would have completely turned the tide. Unfortunately, defensive back Basil Banks (who was playing on special teams) was flagged for offsides on the kickoff forcing OU to kick again. Oh how turnabout is fair play. This kickoff was taken by Jacquez Green and returned all the way to the Sooner 4 yard line where Fred Taylor punched it in on the next drive all but taking the wind out of the Sooner sails...Florida 31-20.

On the next drive OU ended up with another field goal cutting the lead to one score at 31-23. Spurrier on his next possession tried to kill the clock by running Fred Taylor led to little if anything for Florida. The final back breaker for OU was the punt from Florida that should have given Watts and Sims great field possession but took an unlikely bounce and roll all the way to the Sooner 2 yard line where on the very next play from scrimmage Reggie McGrew and Ed Chester met in the backfield bringing down Sims for a safety and the closeout, 33-23.

1996 Florida (#24 overall seed) advances to the Bracket of Champions. The Gators will face the winner of Bracket 41 in the first round.