Final Playoff Preview Before the BcS is Released!



(Never gets old...I'm sorry)

Oh heyyyyy everybody.  I bet you had forgotten about the bagmen huh??  Well I'm back (No Cory Boyd, not like cooked crack) and ready to rant.  So here we go with another installment of our playoff coverage!  As the road to the national championship begins...

First Round Byes:  (1) LSU-SEC Champion, (2) Alabama-SEC At Large, (3) Oklahoma St.-Big 12(ish) Champions, (4) Oregon-Pac 12 Champion
Break Down:  I was tempted to give Stanford the 4 seed and the first round bye because they have been really impressive.  But wait, they got smoked by Oregon...at home, sooooo yeah that knocks them out of contention.  So that basically left Oregon and Wisconsin.  Oregon's two losses (LSU and Southern California) are "better" losses than Wisconsin's two losses (Michigan State and Ohio State).  As a result, Oregon gets the bye.
First Round Matchups: 
(5) Wisconsin-Big Ten(ish) Champion vs (12) Arkansas State-Sun Belt Champion (Non-BcS Conference Champion At-Large #2)

(A pop culture reference!!)

(Ohhhh cause the coach's last name is Freeze...I get it!)

Break Down:  Obviously this is an ass whoopin waiting to happen but, we here at the Bagemen believe everyone deserves a shot.  Arkansas State has had a shockingly good year, going 10-2 and their only losses being to Illinois (which now seems like an awful loss) and Virginia Tech (don't even talk to me right now Hokies). OUR PICK:  Badgers

(6) Stanford-Pac-12 At-Large vs. (11) West Virginia-Big East Champion (Non-BcS Conference Champion At-Large #1)

(Something tells me, this guy might turn out to be pretty good)

(Mr. Sunshine on my GD shoulders himself...)

Break Down:  Stanford has the best player in the country (sorry Trent Richardson, and well, everyone else who plays football) and could have been a top 4 seed if they hadn't derped it up at home against Oregon.  West Virginia is a solid team, nothin spectacular.  I guess we should all just be happy that Louisville didn't get the Big East Championship (the Orange Bowl sends their thanks to Butch Jones and Cincinnati).  OUR PICK:  Stanford

(7) TCU-Mountain West Conference Champion vs (10) Michigan State-Big Ten(ish) At-Large







(Is there a better combo than a university with "Christian" in their name and Prince?)

(Evidently no one told the guy on the left in the gray hoodie they were taking a picture)

Break Down:  I hate to admit it but this Michigan State team is actually pretty good.  Really good defense, Lavion Bell is a damn good RB and Kirk Cousins is an NFL-caliber QB.  TCU seems to have flown under the radar all year, since they lsot a heart breaker to Baylor to open the season (yeah that other loss to SMU is pretty terrible though).  They have proven this program has arrived for good, not just a product of Andy Dalton.  OUR PICK:  Michigan State (first round upset special!!!)

(8) The Other School in South Carolina-ACC Champion vs (9) Boise State-Mountain West At-Large



(Hey Dabo, tell me how my @$$ tastes!)

(Not sure who this "Your Name" kid is, but I'll bet he's gonna be good)

Break Down:  I hate you right now Virginia Tech.  You couldn't even make it competitive???  Now we get to hear how it doesn't matter we beat them by 3 touchdowns cause they're going to the Orange Bowl.  And you know Dabo will mention that, after spending 5 minutes answering a question he "couldn't believe" he was being asked, he will definitely talk about winning the ACC (hooray???).  The good news is Boise State will win this game.  Kellen Moore is 49-3 in his career as a starter and those three losses are by a combined 5 points (facepalm).  OUR PICK: Boise State does what Va Tech couldn't.

Ooooo Just Missed...



Southern Miss:  I know you beat Houston, and you're probably a good team.  Nope, can't lose to UAB (sorry Gamblin' Boss) AND Marshall and still be taken seriously.

Arkansas:  Honestly, could have made it.  Them or Michigan State, really just didn't want to show too much SEC favoritism.

South Carolina:  If Arkansas doesn't qualify, then South Carolina can't.  That plus you can't lose to Auburn...at home.

Georgia:  Same thing as Carolina.  If the Gamecocks don't make it, neither can the Bulldogs

Northern Illinois:  You lost to Kansas...nuff said.

Houston:  You played one quality team all year, and you lost...at home.  Can't lay an egg in the biggest game in program history

Kansas State:  I feel like Bill Snyder does this all with smoke and mirrors, beat up on cream puffs, win a couple conference games and bam! you're in a bowl.

Michigan:  If three Big Ten(ish) teams qualified they would get in.  But they can't get in, before the Spartans.