The 8-team tournament field is now set for this year's 76 Classic in Anaheim. Your 2011 tournament field is Boston College, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Saint Louis, Santa Clara, UC Riverside, Villanova and Washington State.
Unfortunately for us, the college basketball season just ended and the college football season is only a tad bit closer. But with spring football on my mind, the question I have is who wins the 76 Classic if it was staged as an 8-team football tournament?
The Oklahoma Sooners, prolly ... but I'd imagine Boston College could at least get to the Championship Game, right?
Let's seed this year's 76 Classic field according to how they performed on the gridiron last season.
1. Oklahoma 12-2
2. Villanova 9-5
3. Boston College 7-6
4. Washington State 2-10
5. New Mexico 1-11
That's the complete list of Division I football schools in this year's 76 Classic tournament field. Our fellow West coast Jesuits -- Santa Clara University -- discontinued its football program back in 1992. But I hear the school's men's soccer team is pretty good? So let's trot out the men's soccer team in a reverse Ochocinco move.
6. Santa Clara Broncos men's soccer team 10-6-5
Our Midwest Jesuit friends, the Saint Louis Billikens, discontinued football in 1949 (but went undefeated in 1901, 1904 and 1906!). But seeing as the Billikens got the better of the Eagles on the hardwood a few years ago, we'll have the hoops program stand in for the football team.
7. Saint Louis men's basketball 12-19
Finally, UC Riverside stopped playing football in 1975. I guess UCR is decent at baseball? I mean, Troy Percival went there ...
8. UC Riverside baseball team currently 14-11 overall
After seeding the 8-team field, you have the following first round matchups:
(1) Oklahoma vs. (8) UC Riverside baseball
(2) Villanova vs. (7) Saint Louis men's hoops
(3) Boston College vs. (6) Santa Clara men's soccer
(4) Washington State vs. (5) New Mexico, in possibly the worst 4 vs. 5 matchup in the history of intercollegiate sports
If the seeds hold -- why wouldn't they? -- you'd be left with (1) Oklahoma vs. (4) Washington State and (2) Villanova vs. (3) Boston College. Oklahoma would likely destroy the Cougars, and I can't imagine those Augustinian Big East football wannabes would knock off the Eagles. I mean, they want to play Big East football in an 18,500-seat MLS soccer stadium ...
In the Championship Game, OU would probably cruise past BC. But hey, at least we'd be likely to score an offensive touchdown, unlike our friendly neighbors to the south.
On second thought, the 2011 76 Classic field makes for a pretty crappy football tournament. Let's just crown OU the 2011 76 Classic football champion and forget I ever mentioned this.