AN ENTIRE SEASON OF GREAT MOMENTS

 

I’ve been playing a season (with modified conferences and a BCS structure) in the 2015 edition of the computer college football game, and, through nine weeks, it seems like the entire year has been a Great Moment in Strat.  But there are three games I specifically want to highlight as standing out within a bizarre season.

 

The first game came in the first week of the season. No. 11 Clemson welcomed Duke to Memorial Stadium in some early ACC action. The game began innocently enough – Ross Martin’s long field goal gave Duke a 3-0 lead and represented the only points of the first quarter. But soon the scoring began, and in the fourth quarter, it became an avalanche. Greg Heugel notched a field goal with 12:55 left that put the Tigers up 27-24. The teams then traded touchdowns, with Wayne Gallman’s 6-yard run with 2:04 to go putting Clemson in the driver’s seat by a score of 34-31. 17 points were scored in the final 124 seconds. DeVon Edwards started the bonanza by running the kickoff after Gallman’s score back 94 yards to give Duke a 38-34 lead. Next, DeShaun Watson hit Artavis Scott on a 74-yard touchdown that brought the crowd to its feet with just 60 seconds left. And finally, with the Clemson crowd reaching high decibel levels, Martin pushed through a 25-yard field goal that tied the game at 41. Watson hit Gallman on a 1-yard touchdown to open overtime. Thomas Sirk responded by hitting Anthony Nash for a three-yard touchdown that appeared to force a second overtime, until Martin shanked the extra point to send Duke to a heartbreaking defeat.

 

Second game: Week 6, the week before the release of the first BCS standings, unbeaten met unbeaten in Ann Arbor. No. 1 Michigan State visited No. 11 Michigan in Big Ten Lakes Division play. De’Veon Smith was doing everything early for Jim Harbaugh’s team. In the first quarter alone, he converted a Jake Rudock screen into a 57-yard score, and also ripped of a 21-yard touchdown run as the Wolverines led 14-3. Michigan fans smelled a rout, but Sparty struck back with two touchdowns to take a 15-14 with 10:54 left in the third. When Madre London notched a rushing touchdown that gave Michigan State a 21-14 advantage, all Wolverine fans could do was groan. But Rudock stayed poised, and Smith took over, and Michigan led 28-21 until LJ Scott scored from two yards out to tie the game with 3:29 to go. The teams plunged into overtime and a good game became sublime. Rudock and Connor Cook both threw touchdown passes, Scott and Smith traded rushing scores, and the game was tied at 42 entering the third extra inning. Michael Geiger missed a field goal, though, and Kenny Allen’s 33-yard try was true, ending a long day and vaulting Michigan into national title contention.

 

The third game is only here for how plain silly it was. The same week as the Michigan-Michigan State epic, No. 12 USC beat BYU 64-58 in quadruple overtime. Don’t think I need to give much detail about that one apart from the score.

 

Here’s the beautiful thing about Strat-O-Matic. In real life, in 2015, the four playoff teams were Clemson, Alabama, Michigan State, and Oklahoma. In my season, through Week 10, the Top 5 teams are, in order, Clemson, Michigan, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Michigan State! Additionally, Iowa, who finished No. 5 after the regular season in ‘15, is No. 10 currently. Incredible, unpredictable, true-to-life – this season is everything I’ve come to expect from Strat.

 

Postscript: The outlier amongst a mostly true-to-life simulation? My own favorite team, Ohio State. The Buckeyes are a pedestrian 5-3, having lost to Toledo, Michigan State, and Wisconsin. Michigan at No. 2 and the Buckeyes unranked? Strat giveth, and Strat taketh away.

 

Patrick Andres, Sylvania, Ohio

 

HALL OF FAME HEAVEN

 

On the eve of the "new" SOM season, I am sending you my "Hall-of-Fame (plus some heroes to fill out the 1970, 1980, and 200 "teams") replay results. Just one man’s initial version of playing the best ever. Best regards and Happy New Year! 

 

Larry Wigbels

 

The files Larry sent show an eight-team league of players divided by era, from the early 1900s through the 2000s. The 50-game season had these standings:

 

2000:  32-18

1900: 31-19

1930: 30-20

1950: 27-23

1960: 22-28

1970: 22-28

1920: 20-30

1980: 16-34

 

Leaders:

BA: Lajoie (1900), .407 … Carew (1970), .378 … Bonds (2000), .368 … Ewing (2000), .360

HR: Bonds, 33 … Foxx (1930), 24 … Aaron (1960), 22 … Banks and Mays (1950), 19

RBI: Bonds, 68 … Mays, 50 … Foxx, 53 … Lajoie, 51 … Ruth (1920), 46 … Banks, 45

2B: Lajoie and Wagner (1900), 19 … Delahanty (1900), 17 … Bonds, 16

3B: Ewing, 9 … Hornsby (1920), 8 … Carew, Wagner and DiMaggio (1930), 7

OPS: Bonds, 1.487 (.487 OBP and 1.000 SLG) … Ruth, 1.208 … Foxx, 1.169, DiMaggio, 1.082

SB: Ewing, 32 … Henderson (1980), 31 … Carew and Wagner, 27 … Cobb (1900), 26 …

 

W-L: Newhouser (1930) and R. Johnson (2000): 8-2 … Bunning (1950), 7-2 … Young (1900), 8-3 … Maddux (2000), 6-2 … Walsh (1900), 7-3 … Gooden (1980), 7-3

ERA: Newhouser, 3.04 … P. Martinez, 3.47 … R. Johnson, 3.66 … Rixey (1920), 3.82 … Walsh, 3.94 … Feller (1930), 4.09

Saves: Rivera (2000), 9 … Wilhelm (1950), 7 … Joss (1900), 5

WHIP: P. Martinez (2000), 1.15 … Newhouser (1.18) … Seaver (1970), 1.19 … Gibson (1960), 1.26 … Glavine (2000), 1.29

K: R. Johnson, 139 … P. Martinez, 115, Koufax (1960), 114 … Gooden, 104 … Ryan (1980), 101