Pre-Snap Read

Need to Know

The F.B.S. and the N.C.A.A. Tournament

By Paul Myerberg   //   Mar 17, 2012

Just a few notes on college football and the N.C.A.A. tournament, with the latter now down to 32 teams and counting:

1. There were two rematches in the round of 64. Each went along familiar lines: Iowa State beat Connecticut, just as the Cyclones did on the road in September. Kentucky beat Western Kentucky, just as it did during non-conference play. If you recall, those were two of the ugliest games of the season: Steele Jantz threw three interceptions — two on back-to-back throws — in Iowa State’s 24-20 win, while Kentucky’s play in its 14-3 win had the Hilltoppers’ Andrew Jackson asking, “They supposed to be SEC?”

2. Three rematches, maybe. Michigan met Ohio State in November. Michigan played Ohio last night. By Brady Hoke’s dictionary, those teams are one and the same. Last Tuesday, Hoke told Kyle Meinke of AnnArbor.com that the first-round pairing was “ironic.” But, Hoke went on, “it’s Ohio. Ohio University. The Bobcats.” Not Ohio, as in Ohio State.

3. The four No. 1 seeds went a combined 28-23 during football season. The best was Michigan State, which went 11-3. Next is North Carolina, which finished 7-6 after dropping five of its last seven. Both Kentucky and Syracuse went 5-7.

4. Forty-one F.B.S. schools made the tournament. Forty reached the round of 64; South Florida rolled past California in one of four play-in games. Three of the 11 conference champions made the tournament: Wisconsin, West Virginia and Southern Mississippi. Eight did not: Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, Northern Illinois, T.C.U., Oregon, L.S.U., Arkansas State and Louisiana Tech.

5. Of the 41 F.B.S. teams in the tournament, 25 reached bowl play last fall. Another 26 reached bowl eligibility — Western Kentucky was left out in the cold. This list includes four B.C.S. teams: Alabama, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Michigan.

6. Eight teams won three games or less in 2011: Kansas, Colorado State, New Mexico, Memphis, Duke, U.N.L.V., Indiana and Colorado. Going by football ranking, the worst matchup of the round 64 was U.N.L.V. and Colorado.

7. The East bracket is the best for football. The East has 10 F.B.S. teams, nine of which reached bowl play in 2011: Kansas State, Southern Mississippi, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, Texas, Florida State, West Virginia and Ohio State.

8. The South is the weakest. Of the 11 F.B.S. teams in the bracket, only two — Baylor and Notre Dame — reached bowl play. A third, the Hilltoppers, reached bowl eligibility. The remaining eight teams were average at best: Duke, Colorado, U.N.L.V., Indiana, New Mexico State, Connecticut, Iowa State and Kentucky.

Tags: Alabama, Brady Hoke, Connecticut, Iowa State, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, N.C.A.A. tournament, North Carolina, Ohio, Ohio State, West Virginia, Western Kentucky, Wisconsin

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