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Filling out your NCAA Tournament bracket based on who would win in football

By Connor Muldowney

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Ohio State (7) Dwayne Haskins (QB) smiles as he walks off the field during the Rose Bowl Game between the Washington Huskies and the Ohio State Buckeyes on January 01, 2019, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. (Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Ohio State (7) Dwayne Haskins (QB) smiles as he walks off the field during the Rose Bowl Game between the Washington Huskies and the Ohio State Buckeyes on January 01, 2019, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. (Photo by Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – JANUARY 01: UCF Knights defensive back Brandon Moore (20) and LSU Tigers wide receiver Stephen Sullivan (10) scuffle during the college football game between the UCF Knights and the LSU Tigers on January 1, 2019 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – JANUARY 01: UCF Knights defensive back Brandon Moore (20) and LSU Tigers wide receiver Stephen Sullivan (10) scuffle during the college football game between the UCF Knights and the LSU Tigers on January 1, 2019 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

The 2019 NCAA Tournament is upon us, and it’s time to fill out your bracket, but who would win each matchup based on football teams?

Even if you’re a college football fan, you have to admit March Madness and the NCAA Tournament is one of the best times of the year. Sure, there are NBA playoffs, NHL playoffs, MLB playoffs and the College Football Playoff, but nothing truly compares to the excitement of the first weekend of the tournament when you fill out your bracket and wait anxiously for all final buzzers to sound.

If you don’t fill out a bracket, can you really call yourself an American?

In all seriousness, the NCAA Tournament provides a ton of excitement for college basketball fans as well as just casual game-watchers who are just here for brackets.

But what if the NCAA Tournament field this year was based off each school’s football team. Who would win each matchup and make it to the Final Four with a 68-team field based solely on football success?

It’s a question that doesn’t get asked enough because, well, it would never happen. A 68-team bracket in football would be absolutely ridiculous, but we can all imagine what potential upsets there would be and which smaller schools would make some noise.

Let’s fill out the 2019 NCAA Tournament bracket, assuming each basketball team was represented by their football counterparts.

Round 1: East Region

The East Region is home to the No. 1 overall seed, Duke, but that definitely wouldn’t be the case if we were talking about football. The Blue Devils struggled this season under David Cutcliffe, but he’s been a decent enough coach that they could make a decent run. How far will they go?

No. 1 Duke vs. No. 16 NC Central/North Dakota State

Who will Duke’s opponent be here? Let’s go with North Dakota State because the Bison are an absolute powerhouse at the FCS level — they’d blow right past NC State. So how would the Blue Devils fare against North Dakota State? Well, let’s just say that if these matchups were based on football teams, we might just see the second-ever No. 1 seed losing to a 16-seed.

Final Score: North Dakota State 34, Duke 28

No. 8 VCU vs. No. 9 Central Florida

Sorry, VCU, but you have no shot here. The Knights have become one of the nation’s favorite underdogs, nearly pulling off an undefeated season with a tough loss to LSU in the Fiesta Bowl. This one will be arguably the easiest win for a nine-seed over a No. 8 in the tourney, especially if McKenzie Milton is healthy.

Final Score: UCF 51, VCU 7

No. 4 Virginia Tech vs. No. 13 Liberty

Now led by Hugh Freeze, the Liberty Flames are new to the FBS, but they could give Virginia Tech a run for its money, especially with how poorly the Hokies played in 2018. However, the Flames just don’t have the pieces to compete with the Hokies, especially since Justin Fuente won’t have this program down for long.

Final Score: Liberty 13, Virginia Tech 27

No. 6 Maryland vs. No. 11 Belmont/Temple

Turbulent doesn’t even begin to describe Maryland’s 2018 season with the firing of DJ Durkin, but things are starting to turn in the right direction. Landing Josh Jackson via transfer from Virginia Tech was a big deal, but Temple already proved it can beat the Terrapins and it did so handily, 35-14. We will see a closer game this time around, but the same end result.

Final Score: Temple 28, Maryland 24

No. 3 LSU vs. No. 14 Yale

Yale was on the bottom half of the Ivy League standings in 2018 and LSU was in the top half of the SEC, earning a New Year’s Six bowl berth. You could say this one is a tremendous mismatch, but that would be putting it nicely. Joe Burrow would have a field day through the air as the Tigers absolutely dismantle the Bulldogs.

Final Score: Yale 3, LSU 42

No. 7 Louisville vs. No. 10 Minnesota

Louisville had a nightmare 2018 season under Bobby Petrino but can Scott Satterfield turn things around quickly? No chance the Cardinals are ready for this one, even though Minnesota isn’t exactly a powerhouse out of the Big Ten. This one will be an ugly, low-scoring affair.

Final Score: Minnesota 17, Louisville 13

No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 15 Bradley

Although Michigan State hasn’t been known for its offense, Bradley doesn’t have a team, so the Spartans score at will here.

Final Score: Michigan State def. Bradley (forfeit)

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