Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 128 127 Set out on a journey

Just like the NFL, the NCAA also has playoffs, but NCAA football and basketball are slightly different. The basketball playoffs are almost no different from professional leagues, while football uses the more traditional invitational bowl games—

In North America, many large stadiums are bowl-shaped, hence the term "bowl games".

So, how exactly does the invitation system work?

It's based on NCAA rankings and the internal rankings within each league.

The NCAA has numerous divisions and teams, but there are only twelve regular season games, nearly half of which are within a team's league. This means teams from different leagues may not play against each other for decades, which makes it impossible to solely rely on records for the overall North American rankings.

In a season, there may be more than one undefeated team, and there might be seven or eight teams with only one loss. Therefore, the league uses two authoritative polls along with six methods to create a composite computer ranking—considering team records, schedule strength, game performance, and other data to determine the NCAA's nationwide rankings for each season.

Then, based on the nationwide rankings and the various league outcomes, invitations to the playoffs are issued.

In 2006, the NCAA underwent a major reform and readjusted the playoff system, officially dividing the playoffs into two parts: the bowl games and the national championship tournaments.

First, the bowl games.

In 2016, the NCAA held forty bowl games across different divisions, meaning eighty teams participated in the playoffs; of those, the Division I's top-tier bowl games included six events: the Sugar Bowl, the Fiesta Bowl, the Rose Bowl, the Orange Bowl, the Cotton Bowl, and the Peach Bowl.

Each bowl game has its own tradition, such as the Sugar Bowl belongs to the Southeastern Conference, and it often features the champion of the Southeast facing another team; the Fiesta Bowl is for the Big Twelve Conference, the Rose Bowl is for the Pacific-12 Conference and the Big Ten Conference, and the Orange Bowl is for the Atlantic Coast Conference.

And so on and so forth.

Second, the national championship tournaments.

According to the NCAA rankings, the top four ranked teams compete in the national championship tournaments, which involve two rounds of knockout matches: the first round is the semi-finals and the second round is the final to determine the national champion.

The semi-finals are actually bowl games, with this year's locations being the Fiesta Bowl and the Peach Bowl.

That is to say, the champions of the Fiesta Bowl and the Peach Bowl will advance to the national championship game finals, contending for the 2016 season's ultimate national championship.

This year, the Fiesta Bowl is contested by the Atlantic Coast Conference champion, Clemson University, against the Big Ten Conference champion, Ohio State University, matching up second and third in the nation.

The Peach Bowl, on the other hand, pits the Southeastern Conference champion, the University of Alabama, against the Pacific-12 Conference champion, the University of Washington, in a clash of first and fourth nationwide.

In a daze, Li Wei's words still echoed in his ears:

"Let's talk about it when he makes it to the national championship."

Jackson still thought, not only would he defeat Li Wei and claim the championship, but he would also decisively secure the Heisman Trophy. But now, he didn't even have the chance to face off against Li Wei.

It turned out, he was the fool.

How did things develop into this situation?

Yet, the nightmare was still not over.

At the Citrus Bowl, the Louisiana State University Tigers were united and full of fighting spirit, showcasing their top-notch defensive prowess. They thoroughly dominated Jackson throughout the game, causing the rising star to completely lose himself.

"29:9."

The Louisiana State University Tigers ended their season with a bowl championship, while Jackson, who had burst onto the scene at the beginning of the season, concluded his season without any accolades, dimmed and desolate, a classic case of starting strong and finishing weak.

But does anyone care?

No, not at all.

After the loss, Jackson thought the reporters would swarm him again, endlessly and irritatingly discussing Li Wei and Watson. But looking at the sparse few waiting in the players' tunnel, Jackson felt an unexpected sense of loss. Was this normal?

So, where is everybody?

"Li Wei, are you planning to enter the draft?"

"Li Wei, who do you consider the biggest opponent for Crimson Tide Storm in the national championship?"

"Li Wei, do you think the final of the national championship this year will be a repeat of last year?"

Amidst the bustling crowd and chirping voices, countless microphones surrounded Li Wei, making it impossible for him to get through the bus door.

Looking around in amazement, Li Wei exclaimed, "There's so many people."