Fake College Football Playoffs: Opening Night: FBS II Tournament Begins

Note: This is a simulation of a college football bowl playoff scenario. Read the full proposal here.

The inaugural NCAA Bowl Tournament opened tonight, marking a historical change in the sport. The FBS II Playoffs, comprised of what was formally known as Non-AQ (Automatic Qualifier) conference champions. The initial games of this playoff did not disappoint.

Rice 27, Ball State 24
In Houston, it was a tale of two halves as Rice came back to defeat Ball State 27-24 in the Wild Card round of the FBS II Bowl Championship Tournament.

The Cardinals dominated the first half, establishing a 24-10 lead before heading to the locker room. BSU QB Keith Wenning threw for three touchdowns in the second quarter alone, highlighted by 48 yard strike to Will Snead.

Rice's Klein Kubiak catches the GW TD in the Owls' 27-24 win over Ball State.

Following intermission, the Owls awoke.  The stingy Rice defense shutout the high-flying Cardinals offense as the rain fell in Houston.  Meanwhile, Rice QB Taylor McHargue did what was necessary to get the win. With just 42 seconds remaining in the game, trailing 24-20, McHargue found Klein Kubiak in the end zone on a third down play. The pass and ensuing PAT put Rice up for good at 27-24.

McHargue finished his night with a QB rating of 191.3, completed 19/24 for 242 yards and the two touchdowns.  

Northern Illinois 17, Louisiana-Lafayette 6

NIU QB Jordan Lynch slides in for a 1st quarter TD.

The NIU Huskies took their defense and toughness to the bayou and knocked out the ULL Ragin' Cajuns in a hard-fought battle.

The Huskies held ULL to just 201 yards of total offense, of which only 74 were produced on the ground.  While NIU's offense was not much more potent, NIU QB and Heisman finalist Jordan Lynch did his part in the win. Lynch threw for 173 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another TD.
A key interception in the fourth quarter by NIU LB Michael Santacaterina sealed the win for NIU.  It was one of two forced turnovers on the day for the Huskies.


FBS II Semifinals Set
On Christmas Day, the FBS II Playoffs will continue with Rice traveling to Bowling Green for a 3:30 kickoff.  Northern Illinois, because they are a Wild Card team and therefore ranked lower than Rice, will travel to Fresno State for an evening clash with the top-seeded Bulldogs.  The winners from those games will go on to play for the FBS II National Championship in the Heart of Dallas Bowl on January 2.