Walters Football Site: NCAA Football Tournament: Sweet Sixteen

Sweet 16 - West

What is this?
Since NCAA Football desperately needs a playoff, why not create one? Sixteen teams were chosen (11 conference winners and five at-large bids) and placed into brackets. Dan Biggio, Sim Lucien and I will take a look at each game and decide who we think will win the game. The team that moves on to the next round will be the team that gets two votes to win out of the three predictions. The predictions for each game will be posted during the time listed for each contest (i.e. Georgia-West Virginia will be posted 12:00 Friday).

#1 USC (12-0) vs. #8 Tulsa (8-4).
Friday, 10:30 ET

Walt's Take:
USC is going to embarrass Tulsa. I have nothing more to say about this game.

If anyone watched the USC-UCLA game last week, did you catch the most awkward moment in the history of television? Dan Fouts commented that Reggie Bush is running around like he's playing quidditch. There was a pause for about two minutes. Keith Jackson had absolutely no idea what Fouts was talking about. Classic. Shouldn't there be a law that states that commentators should be within 10 years of each other? Can't ABC pair Jackson up with someone his age? On a side note, does Fouts even know what quidditch is? How do you run around like you're playing quidditch? Don't you fly when you're playing quidditch? Fouts has some explaining to do.

USC 63, Tulsa 24.

NCAA Dan's Take:
Simply put -- Tulsa is overmatched in this contest. After questions about their toughness late in the season, USC poured it on in the 2nd half against Fresno State and for four quarters against archrival UCLA the last week of the season. Matt Leinhart had an efficient season throwing the football, but USC's dominance on offense begins with their terrific line. And I have not even touched upon Reggie Bush yet, the best player college football has seen in a long time. Bush is a one-man wrecking crew, capable of carrying the team on his back and willing them to victory if necessary. That will not be necessary against Tulsa. The Golden Hurricanes had a fine season in Conference USA, spreading the ball around on offense and playing pretty good defense. But their stop unit will be gashed by a USC team averaging 50 points a game. It may take the Trojans a quarter to realize they have a game to play, but the only team that can stop USC is USC. Trojans in a rout.

USC 59, Tulsa 24.

Sim's Take:
What can be said about the Trojans that wouldn�t be said if Godzilla attacked LA? These guys are just unstoppable. Quarterback Matt Leinart is having a better season than his Heisman-winning one last year. Watching Reggie Bush is like watching a video game; he does it all and at a speed no one can handle. LenDale White is the best backup running back in the game�s history. The receiving corps has made us all forget about the loss of Mike Williams. This offense even gets production from its fullback and tight end. The offensive line is phenomenal. The defense is banged up, but athletic and good. Defensive end Frostee Rucker is this year�s "the man" on the defensive line. Strong safety Darnell Bing will be lighting people up on Sundays via the first round of the 2006 draft. Pete Carroll showed how good a coach he is by somehow having a better offense the year after Norm Chow moved on and he�s still the best defensive coach in the NCAA.

Tulsa, well, its turnaround from its previous basement-dwelling is a great feel good story, but the team has no business in the same stadium as USC.

USC 63, Tulsa 3

Winner: #1 USC

#4 LSU (10-2) vs. #5 Notre Dame (9-2).
Friday, 7:00 ET

Walt's Take:
Notre Dame is overrated as team, but its head coach, Charlie Weis, is definitely not. Weis can probably out-coach anyone in college football, including LSU head coach Les Miles.

After apologizing to JaMarcus Russell on this Web site for ceaselessly bashing him, Russell came out flat against Georgia in the SEC Championship. Now, he's hurt and will not be able to play in this contest. Notre Dame will stack the line of scrimmage, forcing backup quarterback Matt Flynn to beat them downfield. Flynn was 3-of-11 for 36 yards in the SEC Championship, so LSU will have to try to win with defense.

The Tigers had trouble stopping the pass when they played Georgia, surrendering two first-half long bombs from D.J. Shockley to receiver Sean Bailey. How will LSU contain Brady Quinn and his excellent wide outs? I don't see that happening.

Notre Dame 24, LSU 6.

NCAA Dan's Take:
Interesting matchup here -- a rejuvenated Irish team coached by offensive genius Charlie Weis, against the SEC West Champion LSU Tigers. LSU appeared to be the third-best team in the nation before losing big to Georgia in the SEC Championship game. LSU's only other loss was an early season slip up against Tennessesee. The Irish have completely turned it around from the Ty Willingham era. Over the course of just one season, the Irish look to have that swagger back of a team that is playing to win, and believes it will win as opposed to a team playing not to lose. Of course, it helps when you have a QB as capable as Brady Quinn throwing the ball around.

The Irish proved to be the real deal in their epic battle with USC where they fell in the final minute. Even still, the Irish offense scored 31 points. Their only other defeat was an early season loss against Michigan State, where Notre Dame overcame a 21 point deficit to send the game into overtime. LSU can hope to slow down, but will not stop this offensive juggernaut. The Irish defense can be scored upon, but do not expect the Tigers to put up enough to beat Quinn and company.

Notre Dame 30, LSU 20.

Sim's Take:
LSU has spent all season trying to redeem themselves after the second-half collapse against Tennessee. Just when it appeared they were back to their championship form, they were throttled by Georgia in the SEC Championship game. While the devastation of Hurricane Katrina seems like it happened long ago, it is still fresh in the mind of this team. The Bayou Bengals feed off of the emotion surrounding their embattled state and have been known for their toughness since Nick Saban�s first year with the team. Les Miles is no Saban, but his team is loaded. The jury is still out as to whether the injury to quarterback JaMarcus Russell is a blessing or a curse to this team.

Notre Dame is sitting on a lot of hype that they do not deserve. They lost to an overrated Michigan State and struggled with Stanford. Their best game of the season was the thriller against Southern California, in which they lost. Charlie Weis is an excellent offensive mind, but the fact is this team is known for having good seasons in a new coach�s first season. They will drop back to their place in the NCAA basement next year when the novelty of the ex-Patriot coach wears off, and this team remembers just how little talent it has.

Les Miles isn�t known as a great coach by any stretch of the imagination, but the talent gap alone will give LSU the edge in this contest.

LSU 24, Notre Dame 21.

Winner: #5 Notre Dame

#3 Oregon (10-1) vs. #6 TCU (10-1).
Saturday, 10:30 ET

Walt's Take:
What do you make of Oregon? Sure, the team beat Fresno State, but it also had close calls with Washington State and Arizona, two of the worst squads in the PAC 10. The Ducks were left out of the BCS, but it was probably for the better because they lost quarterback Kellen Clemens for the season.

However, Oregon found a quality backup in Dennis Dixon, who has maintained 68.2 completion percentage and has thrown for six touchdowns and just three interceptions. Dixon will have to beat TCU by consistently throwing the ball, because Oregon's lackluster ground attack -- Terrence Whitehead gains just 4.4 yards per carry -- will be stymied by the Horned Frogs' dynamic defense. In fact, TCU restricted UNLV to just five rushing yards on Nov. 12.

The Ducks play in the PAC 10, so you know what that means. They cannot play defense. Oregon has surrendered either 300 passing yards or 4.6 yards per carry or more six times this season. TCU will easily move the chains on the ground with Robert Merrill and Aaron Brown, who have combined for 1,512 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns this season. Quarterback Jeff Ballard will take advantage of his team's running ability by utilizing play-action to receiver Cory Rodgers.

TCU lost to SMU this season, but that was right after the Horned Frogs pulled a huge upset at Oklahoma. They were flat and they paid the price. I think TCU pulls the upset and becomes this season's Cinderella.

TCU 27, Oregon 24.

NCAA Dan's Take:
Coach Mike Bellotti and Ducks fans have to feel they got the shaft again. The Ducks are fresh off a 10-1 season and still find themselves on the outside looking in at the BCS. Oregon's one loss was merely to the Trojans of USC, but it still boasts a 7-1 conference record. Oregon is a team that can score points. Receiver Demetrius Williams had more than 1,000 yards this season, and the team averaged more than 36 points per game. Expect Oregon to score some points against TCU.

The Horned Frogs also come into this game with a 10-1 mark. TCU is a good running football team, with Robert Merrill and Aaron Brown as two capable runners this season. TCU averaged nearly 200 yards per game on the ground, albeit against lesser competition most of the time. TCU will be a good challenge for Oregon. But, I have to believe the Ducks feel they have something to prove, and will squeeze out a win against TCU.

Oregon 37, TCU 34.

Sim's Take:
The Ducks have one loss -- a second-half meltdown at home against USC. They have close wins over Fresno State, Washington State, California, and Arizona. Their record alone gives them overwhelming hype, but realistically, they haven�t really beaten anyone.

TCU squandered a golden opportunity for national respect and to be the Utah of 2005 by crushing Oklahoma but then getting dropped by SMU the next week. The Horned Frogs, overall, are one of the mid-major go-to guys and, like Fresno State, can hang with just about anyone in the game. They are tough, physical, play good defense, and can throw up a lot of points very quickly.

Except this game to become a shootout in the second half. In crunch time, the Frogs� defense comes through with the biggest stop of the game.

TCU 42, Oregon 35.

Winner: #6 TCU

#2 Auburn (9-2) vs. #7 Boise State (9-3).
Saturday, 7:00 ET

Walt's Take:
Boise State had the chance to beat an SEC squad earlier this season. However, they weren't even competitive; Georgia slaughtered the Broncos, 48-13, as the latter surrendered 5.5 yards per carry.

It will only get worse for Boise State. The team will be asked to beat an opponent that won at Georgia. Auburn finished its 2005 campaign on a tremendous run, beating the Bulldogs and blowing out the Crimson Tide. Running back Kenny Irons will stampede right through Boise State's soft defense. Meanwhile, we have seen what happens to the Broncos when they travel to play top-notch teams. They were blown out by Georgia and Fresno State.

Auburn 44, Boise State 13.

NCAA Dan's Take:
Once again, the postseason is here, and Tommy Tuberville's Auburn Tigers are playing their best football at the end. After an early season loss to Georgia Tech, it looked like the Tigers may have lost too much talent to be competitive in the SEC. Not so fast. Once again, Auburn emerged as a team that is great at running the football and plays tough defense. Kenny Irons stepped up as a dominant runner for Auburn, racking up 13 touchdowns and more than 1,200 yards. Auburn allowed just over 14 points a game too, so you know that defense is back. As far as I am concerned, Auburn finished the season, 1 and 1a with Georgia, as clearly the top teams in the SEC. Look for Auburn to ride that momentum into this matchup against Boise State. The Broncos of Boise State like to score a lot of points, led by their QB Jared Zabransky and his nearly 2,300 passing yards and 17 touchdowns.

Two big things working against Boise State in this game: They face a very stout Auburn defense and this contest will not be played on a horrendous blue field.

Auburn 34, Boise State 13.

Sim's Take:
Auburn offensive coordinator Al Borges deserves head coach consideration somewhere in big college football. He made Jason Campbell one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the NCAA, and found enough balls for Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown to share last season. This season, with out the three, he only made Auburn the highest-scoring offense in the SEC with a young quarterback, mediocre receivers, and an untested running back. The defense is still one of the best in a very defensively minded conference, despite losing cornerback Carlos Rogers to the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft.

Boise State has tried to breakout and get mainstream respect as a budding power for years. Its Smurf Turf has produced a lot talent and opponents who let their guard down against the Broncos get embarrassed. However, last year�s Liberty Bowl showcased them against Louisville and the Cardinals exposed them as the runts of the litter as they dominated the line of scrimmage all game long. Early this season, Boise State went down South to Georgia and got schooled in Football 101 by the Dawgs. They are capable of very good things, but they have a long way to go. Fresno State snapped their WAC dominance streak this season.

Auburn is better than the Georgia team that waxed the Broncos in Week 1. Its size, speed, talent, and physicality are too much for Boise State to handle. Auburn rolls in the game.

Auburn 51, Boise State 10.

Winner: #2 Auburn

NCAA Football Tournament 2007
Brackets:
Championship / Final Four
Elite Eight - East / Elite Eight - West
Sweet Sixteen - East / Sweet Sixteen - West

NCAA Football Tournament 2006
Brackets:
Championship / Final Four
Elite Eight - East / Elite Eight - West
Sweet Sixteen - East / Sweet Sixteen - West

NCAA Football Tournament 2005
Brackets:
Championship / Final Four
Elite Eight - East / Elite Eight - West
Sweet Sixteen - East / Sweet Sixteen - West

NCAA Football Tournament 2004
Brackets:
Championship / Final Four
Elite Eight - East / Elite Eight - West
Sweet Sixteen - East / Sweet Sixteen - West