Photo courtesy of Cincinnati athletics
Introduction
We’ve created a 130-team bracket using ESPN’s FPI as our ranking system.
“But, anyone can create a bracket, how will the games be simulated?” Great question; NCAA Game Sim was used.
For each game on the bracket, the matchup was simulated once and every day a write-up will be done.
For the matchup, player statistics will be simulated and included in the write-ups.
Finally, thanks to the NCAA Game Sim premium membership, we’ll show the results of doing 100 simulations all at once. This is to see if a given result was more towards the expected side or if a given result was more towards the upset or luckier side.
All of the results have been simulated and tabulated, so at the time of writing the introduction, the results are already in.
This is designed to be fun, so please enjoy.
From Georgia to Massachusetts, here’s the 130-team bracket:
Match 76
(2) Cincinnati vs. (7) UCF
How Cincinnati Got Here: 51-28 win over (15) Texas State
How UCF Got Here: 41-24 win over (10) Utah State
Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder looked sharp in this one.
He was 28-for-40 with 325 yards and three touchdowns.
Running back Jerome Ford had 83 rushing yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Ford also led the Bearcats in receiving, with 84 yards and a touchdown on just two receptions.
UCF quarterback Mikey Keene understandably struggled against the challenging Cincinnati secondary.
Keene was 16-for-30 with 192 yards and two touchdowns.
Running back Isaiah Bowser was also stymied, rushing for just 55 yards on 12 carries.
Cincinnati gets past American Athletic Conference foe UCF with a 31-16 win.
In 100 simulations, Cincinnati won 74 of them by an average margin of 26.4-15.6.
Winner’s Next Matchup: Winner of (3) Miami vs. (6) LSU
Tomorrow’s Matchup: (2) Utah vs. (7) Washington State
Updated Bracket
Teams Lost, In Order:
PLAY-IN
Massachusetts, Connecticut
ROUND 1
Akron, New Mexico State, Florida International, Temple, New Mexico, Bowling Green, Rice, Vanderbilt, Louisiana-Monroe, Texas State, Arkansas State, Charlotte, Southern Mississippi, Ohio, Kansas, Duke, UNLV, Georgia Southern, UTEP, South Alabama, San Jose State, South Florida, Arizona, Old Dominion, Louisiana Tech, Ball State, Minnesota, Navy, Nebraska, Buffalo, Troy, Colorado State, North Texas, Eastern Michigan, Northwestern, Northern Illinois, Florida Atlantic, Stanford, Tulane, Colorado, Wyoming, Middle Tennessee, Rutgers, Miami University, Indiana, Louisville, Georgia Tech, East Carolina, West Virginia, Central Michigan, Missouri, Syracuse, Tulsa, Western Michigan, Utah State, Liberty, UTSA, Boston College, Nevada, South Carolina, Army, Washington, Air Force, Virginia Tech
ROUND 2
Toledo, Alabama, Illinois, TCU, UAB, Marshall, USC, San Diego State, California, UCF
REMAINING TEAMS BY CONFERENCE:
American: 4/11 (highest remaining: 2. Cincinnati)
ACC: 8/14 (highest remaining: 1. Clemson)
Big 12: 7/10 (highest remaining: 1. Oklahoma, 1. Oklahoma State)
Big Ten: 8/14 (highest remaining: 1. Ohio State, 1. Michigan)
Conference USA: 1/14 (highest remaining: 6. Western Kentucky)
Independents: 2/7 (highest remaining: 1. Notre Dame)
MAC: 1/12 (highest remaining: 13. Kent State)
Mountain West: 2/12 (highest remaining: 5. Boise State)
Pac-12: 6/12 (highest remaining: 2. Utah)
SEC: 10/14 (highest remaining: 1. Georgia)
Sun Belt: 5/10 (highest remaining: 5. Appalachian State)
