Almost four weeks ago, I had an idea: rank every football team in Division 1A, fire up the Xbox, and play a tournament to determine who was the 2007 national champion. It started off a little slow, with the top 26 teams advancing to round two, but things picked up in the later rounds when underdogs such as Colorado State and New Mexico rose up to take down powerful programs such as Ohio State, Florida and Wisconsin.

At last check, there were two teams left: #5 Louisville and #10 Auburn. The Cardinals earned a ticket to the championship game with narrow victories over Youngstown State in Round 1 (51-44) and Colorado State in Round 4 (14-13), while the Tigers received all they could handle from the Duke Blue Devils and Baylor Bears before dominating LSU defensively in the Final Four.

So there it was, Louisville vs. Auburn for the fictional 2007 national title. And when the smoke cleared, our winner was...

Auburn went on the road for the first time in the tournament and played like the best team in the nation, dominating Louisville physically on both sides of the ball in the 24-17 win. Tigers halfback Kenny Irons, who recorded his second 100 yard effort (13 carries, 102 yards) in three games, was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

Thanks to everyone who followed this tournament and provided feedback on ways to make it better. If time allows for a follow-up in 2008, your thoughts and suggestions will definitely be considered.

Photo credit: Five Star Billiards, Inc.