The Big Dance

So I'm back to writing after a little bit of a break and I have to say I've been working on a huge project. I have compiled a 64 team bracket of the top NCAA Division I sports programs through the history of NCAA. The tournament will be set up NCAA basketball style with the seeds being determined by the number of total national championships that each different program has won. I then devised a point system assigning a different amount of points for each national championship won in each sport. The point system is designed like this:

5- Point Sports: Baseball, Men's Basketball, Football and Softball
4- Point Sports: Women's Gymnastics and Women's Volleyball
3- Point Sports: Men's Ice Hockey, Golf, Men's Lacrosse, Soccer, Track & Field, Women's Basketball, Women's Tennis
2- Point Sports: Cross Country, Men's Gymnastics, Swimming & Diving, Men's Tennis, Water Polo, Wrestling, Men's Volleyball, Field Hockey, and Women's Lacrosse
1- Point Sports: Fencing, Rifle, Skiing, Women's Bowling, Women's Ice Hockey, Women's Rowing
A 5 point bonus will be awarded to any team that has more than 10 National Championships in a single sport. A 10 point bonus will be awarded to any team that has more than 15 National Championships in a single sport.

The top four seeds in the tournament are (national championships):
1 UCLA Bruins (104)
2 Stanford Cardinal (101)
3 USC Trojans (100)
4 Oklahoma State Cowboys (48)

The last four Programs to make the field are:
1 Louisville Cardinals
2 Maine Black Bears
3 Fresno State Bulldogs
4 Appalachian State Mountaineers

The last four Programs to not make the field are:
1 Purdue Boilermakers
2 Boston College Golden Eagles
3 Baylor Bears
4 Tulsa Golden Hurricane

So here is how the bracket shapes up:

WEST REGION

1. UCLA Bruins (104) vs. 16. Appalachian State Mountaineers (3)

8. Auburn Tigers (16) vs. 9. Connecticut Huskies (10)

4. Oklahoma Sooners (26) vs. 13. Washington Huskies (7)

5. Florida Gators (25) vs 12. Virginia Cavaliers (7)

3. Penn State Nittany Lions (36) vs. 14. BYU Cougars (4)

6. Ohio State Buckeyes (24) vs. 11. Kentucky Wildcats (8)

7. Alabama Crimson Tide (16) vs. 10 San Jose State Spartans (10)

2. Arkansas Razorbacks (40) vs. 15. North Carolina State Wolfpack (4)

EAST REGION

1. Oklahoma Sooners (48) vs. 16. Louisville Cardinals (2)

8. Oregon Ducks (16) vs. 9. Kansas Jay Hawks (10)

4. Cal Golden Bears (29) vs. 13 Princeton Tigers (6)

5. Syracuse Orange (24) vs. 12. Michigan State Spartans (8)

3. Illinois Fighting Illini (33) vs. 14. Boston Terriers (5)

6. Indiana Hoosiers (23) vs. 11. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8)

7. Arizona Wildcats (18) vs. 10. Nebraska Cornhuskers (10)

2. LSU Tigers (44) vs. 15. Oregon State (3)

NORTH REGION

1. Stanford Cardinal (101) vs. 16. Fresno State Bulldogs (2)

8. Columbia Lions (13) vs. 9. Iowa State Cyclones (13)

4. Minnesota Golden Gophers (26) vs. 13. Texas A&M Aggies (6)

5. Iowa Hawkeyes (24) vs. 12. San Francisco Dons (7)

3. North Carolina Tar Heels (35) vs. 14. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (5)

6. Colorado Buffaloes (22) vs. 11. Cornell Big Red (9)

7. UTEP Miners (21) vs. 10. Miami Hurricanes (9)

2. Texas Longhorns (43) vs. 15. Clemson Tigers (4)

SOUTH REGION

1. USC Trojans (100) vs. 16. Maine Black Bears (2)

8. Tennessee Volunteers (14) vs. 9. Duke Blue Devils (10)

4. Wisconsin Badgers (27) vs. 13. Navy Midshipmen (6)

5. Maryland Terrapins (24) vs. 12. Army Black Knights (8)

3. Georgia Bulldogs (34) vs. 14. UC Irvine Anteaters (5)

6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (22) vs. 11. St Johns Red Storm (8)

7. Arizona State Sun Devils (21) vs. 10. Florida State Seminoles (9)

2. Michigan Wolverines (44) vs. 15. TCU Horned Frogs (4)

Be sure to check back tomorrow for the results of the first round and also feel free to leave your comments on what you think about the idea, who you think the best first round match-up is and also who you think has the best shot at winning it all.