After an intense seeding process that combined real life BCS standings, gut instinct, and 2006 video game performance, the games kicked off with an exciting first round of action.
(1) Ohio State 48 (16) Rutgers 14. To the surprise of absolutely no one, the Buckeyes rolled to an opening round victory over an overmatched Rutgers squad. Trailing 7-0 in the first quarter, the Scarlett Knights were driving for a tying score when Malcolm Jenkins picked off a Mike Teel pass and took it 98 yards for a touchdown. And that was pretty much the end of the game. Antonio Pittman was the star for Ohio State, carrying 18 times for 215 yards and three touchdowns.
(8) West Virginia 42 (9) Wisconsin 30. The Badgers were out to stop West Virginia's vaunted running attack and did so by stacking the box, which required star quarterback Pat White to take to the air (with his opposite hand, no less). White went 10-for-18 with 345 yards and five touchdown passes, including a huge 72-yard pass to Rayshawn Bolden (who was a model of efficiency with three catches, all touchdowns, for 194 yards) after Wisconsin had closed to 28-23. Steve Slaton, hemmed in for most of the game and outplayed by the Badgers' P.J. Hill (155 total yards and two scores), finally broke loose for a 37 yard touchdown run that iced the game and ensured that he would have at least one highlight on SportsCenter later that night.
(4) USC 42 (13) Boise State 21. The Broncos stayed close for a while, but couldn't pull off the upset against the heavily-favored Trojans, as freshman C.J. Gable rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns. Despite holding USC's passing game to 204 yards and one Steve Smith touchdown, Boise State never really had a chance in this one. It seems that real life magic didn't really translate in this instance, as Boise State's star running back Ian Johnson managed just 66 yards on the ground. Fortunately for everyone involved, the game was played in L.A., so nobody was subjected to that hideous blue field.
(5) LSU 17 (12) Arkansas 14. Going into the BCS Tournament, the Tigers were considered a darkhorse candidate to take home the title, and for 30 minutes, they appeared to be up to the task. Jumping out to a 17-0 lead behind the passing of JaMarcus Russell and an attacking defense, LSU looked unstoppable. However, in the second half, it was a different story as the Tigers' offense went scoreless and the Razorbacks nearly stole the game. Most bystanders agreed that this was a boring contest and that while Russell may wind up being the top pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, he no doubt has the slowest release in video game history.
(2) Florida 28 (15) Wake Forest 0. The Gators looked like the best team in the tournament in the first round ... but only for one half. In a strange turn of events, the game was called on account of "freezing" conditions at halftime, but not before Tim Tebow produced a touchdown everytime he touched the ball. The big freshman went 1-for-1 passing with a touchdown and had three carries for three rushing scores. That is pretty efficient. Also, Wake Forest isn't any good.
(7) Oklahoma 28 (10) Auburn 21. The Oklahoma Sooners made a surprise move just moments before the game, bringing back expelled quarterback Rhett Bomar to make the start. But while the talk was of Bomar and controversy, it was star running back Adrian Peterson that carried OU to a hard-fought victory over the Tigers. Peterson ran 15 times for 122 yards and two scores and Travis Wilson had 109 yards receiving and made a huge diving catch on the game-clinching drive. The lone bright spot for Auburn's sluggish offense was senior wide receiver Courtney Taylor who hauled in five passes for 152 yards and two scores. When asked about the odd decision to bring back a creep like Bomar, OU head coach Bob Stoops said, "This is football. We know he is a bad guy, but winning football games is what this football team is about. When we play football. On a football field." He also kept saying, "Character counts" and "No excuses" over and over, like a crazy person.
(11) Notre Dame 24 (6) Louisville 23. This game will probably be remembered as the day that the Irish saved the rest of the field from Michael Bush. The bruising junior running back had 233 rushing yards, 133 receiving yards, and two touchdowns, yet the Cardinals managed to fumble a kickoff late in the game and allow Brady Quinn to lead a late touchdown march that allowed Notre Dame to escape with a typical Notre Dame win. Quinn helped the Golden Domers offset Bush' 366 total yards by completing 22-of-34 passes for 341 yards and three touchdowns. The Notre Dame mascot was seen perfroming some impressive dance moves late in the game, which is worth noting. Also, ND was the first team in the tournament to win as the lower seed. Whether this or the dancing mascot is more interesting is up for debate.
(14) Virginia Tech 34 (3) Michigan 31. In one of the most exciting games of the tournament, Virginia Tech got a stunning performance from sophomore quarterback Sean Glennon. The unheralded field general went 22-for-30 with 283 yards and two scores while outdueling Michigan's Chad Henne. The Hokies' upset bid was aided by a run defense that stuffed Mike Hart (just 50 yards rushing), a solid all-around game from tailback Brandon Ore (107 total yards and three touchdowns), and two missed field goals from the Wolverines Garrett Rivas.
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