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

Sweet 16

We are getting down to business here as some fans have been wanting a 16-team College Football Playoff — actually Jim Harbaugh has been an advocate for it — but it’ll be a while before a system like this surfaces. What would it look like with this year’s NCAA Tournament field?

East Region

No. 9 Central Florida vs. No. 5 Mississippi State

Central Florida didn’t have much luck against the SEC in the Fiesta Bowl, falling just short of a win over LSU, but the Knights will pull off an “upset” here over Mississippi State. The Bulldogs just aren’t at the level they were under Dan Mullen, but Montez Sweat would cause major problems for the Knights.

Final Score: Central Florida 38, Mississippi State 31

No. 3 LSU vs.  No. 2 Michigan State

Looking for an offensive battle? This isn’t the game for you. Michigan State and LSU both have some of the best defensive teams in the nation while the Spartans have a horrid offense. This one could end 3-0 and no one would be surprised.

Final Score: LSU 13, Michigan State 6

South Region

No. 9 Oklahoma vs. No. 12 Oregon

With Kyler Murray leading the way, Oregon would have a tough time slowing the Sooners. The same would go for Oklahoma’s defense against potential 2020 No. 1 NFL draft pick Justin Herbert. This will be yet another shootout involving the Sooners. This would actually be an intriguing college football battle.

Final Score: Oregon 42, Oklahoma 45

No. 3 Purdue vs. No. 10 Iowa

Purdue already faced Iowa this season and pulled off a 38-36 win at home. Will we see the same result this time around on a neutral field? Probably not. Kirk Ferentz is a solid coach and you can’t expect the same team to beat him twice in one season.

Final Score: Iowa 23, Purdue 21

Midwest Region

No. 9 Washington vs. No. 5 Auburn

Washington and Auburn already faced off in a huge battle in the opening weeks of the 2018 season and the Tigers won. The Huskies have earned a rematch in the tournament, but since the Pac-12 has been so average in both football and basketball this season and the SEC has been surging, Auburn gets the edge again.

Final Score: Washington 24, Auburn 30

No. 11 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Kentucky

This is actually an intriguing SEC vs. Big Ten matchup, even though the Buckeyes are the class of their conference and Kentucky hasn’t been relevant for long. The two programs are also relatively close geographically, so this could develop into a fun rivalry. In the end, the Buckeyes will have just too much firepower.

Final Score: Ohio State 41, Kentucky 28

West Region

No. 8 Syracuse vs. No. 4 Florida State

Is Willie Taggart in over his head? He hasn’t shown much promise in his short time in Tallahassee, but he’s still reeling in talent. Without an adequate starting quarterback, though, the Seminoles will struggle against a rising Syracuse program under Dino Babers.

Final Score: Syracuse 34, Florida State 20

No. 11 Arizona State vs. No. 10 Florida

Again, the Pac-12 has been horrid this season, but Arizona State was one of the biggest surprises thanks to Herm Edwards. That offense will get shut down against the Gators, though, as Manny Wilkins will have a tough day and Feleipe Franks will have a decent enough game to get his team the win.

Final Score: Arizona State 16, Florida 27