The Biggest Upset in College Sports History

[SoonerMagick]

When (16)UMBC beat beat (1)Virginia, I had brought this up, and everyone heavily favored that game to be the biggest upset in College Sports history. I maintained App State beating (5)Michigan at Michigan in 2007 was still the biggest upset.

Does (16)Fairleigh Dickinson beating (1)Purdue take away from UMBC beating Virginia?

What is the biggest upset in College Sports history?

[SoonerMagick]

App State

[SoonerSapper]

App State

Not even close

Stanford over USC in 2007 was the biggest upset in history

[Percy]

Not even close

Stanford over USC in 2007 was the biggest upset in history

IIRC, the spread was something like 32 points.

[Mazeppa]

[Mazeppa]

[SoonerMagick]

That's just getting beat by a Sun Belt team

[Mazeppa]

[Mazeppa]

That's just getting beat by a Sun Belt team

But they beat a super human SEC team, anytime an SEC team gets beat by a non conference opp. that's a huge upset.

[Socalisooner]

Oklahoma has the largest final four choke with that loss to UConn but was that an upset?

[SoonerMagick]

Oklahoma has the largest final four choke with that loss to Villanova but was that an upset?

You went with that over Boise?
You, sir, are slipping.

[GimmeVaughn]

Oklahoma has the largest final four choke with that loss to UConn but was that an upset?

Villanova. If you're gonna talk shit, get it right.

[Socalisooner]

Villanova. If you're gonna talk shit, get it right.

Ou is a football…. No…basketball… I mean baseball…uhhhh….softball school anyway

[Joe John]

Not even close

Stanford over USC in 2007 was the biggest upset in history

Speaking of USC. Kick back, get a nice cool beverage, a snack of your choice, and enjoy this gem.

[IKE93]

*Boston College beating The U in the 80’s

*Duke beating UNLV in the Final Four early 90’s

*Boise St actually pulling off the fucking “Statue of Liberty” play and beating OU (that play never worked in my backyard as a kid)

*Danny Manning and Kansas beating OU in the Final Four 1988. (I cried like a baby.. Stacey King is from my hometown)

[Notre Dame Joe]

https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/fcs-wins-vs-fbs-teams-all-time-victories-upsets

If New Hampshire appears 9 times is it really a shocker? Granted the article goes back a long ways and includes upsets against Army and Ball St.

That being said.


2006 season

Sept. 2	Montana State	19-10	Colorado
Sept. 2	Portland State	17-6	New Mexico
Sept. 2	Richmond	13-0	Duke
Sept. 9	New Hampshire	34-17	Northwestern
Sept. 16	Southern Illinois	35-28	Indiana
Sept. 23	North Dakota State	29-24	Ball State
Oct. 28	Cal Poly	16-14	San Diego State

[GimmeVaughn]

Ou is a football…. No…basketball… I mean baseball…uhhhh….softball school anyway

What the fuck are you talking about? You stated it wrong and I corrected you. Then you spout a bunch of gibberish.

[SoonerMagick]

What the fuck are you talking about?

This is my bad.
Vaughn, meet Socali. Socali- Vaughn.

I post plot holes in the movie Point Break on his Patrick Swayze fan forum, so he does this to get even.

[Mazeppa]

What the fuck are you talking about? You stated it wrong and I corrected you. Then you spout a bunch of gibberish.

It's hard for him to see through that thick California "SMUG."

[IKE93]

Welp.. on cue a perfectly good thread is slowly turning into a slapstick comedy

[49cent]

But they beat a super human SEC team, anytime an SEC team gets beat by a non conference opp. that's a huge upset.

“It was only in regulation.”
-Les Miles… twice… in the same season.

… STILL gifted a home game NCG.

[SoonerMagick]

Welp.. on cue a perfectly good thread is slowly turning into a slapstick comedy

cost of freedom

Hell, we let OUwasp post here. Guy's nuttier than a fruitcake and his grasp on the game of football is tenuous at best.

[really]

Welp.. on cue a perfectly good thread is slowly turning into a slapstick comedy

Its not like it happens much at all on here.
I still prefer Alka-Seltzer when mine gets upset

[Longcrawler]

Biggest upset? Linda Lovelace gagged on John Holmes dick and SoCali didn't.

[KCRuf/Nek]

You went with that over Boise?
You, sir, are slipping.

You gave to be somewhere before you can slip.

[OUwasp]

cost of freedom

Hell, we let OUwasp post here. Guy's nuttier than a fruitcake and his grasp on the game of football is tenuous at best.

You have me pegged, sir!

as for cfb upsets, the one where lowly UTEP beat defending national champs BYU back in 1985 came out of nowhere! It was hilarious

[KCRuf/Nek]

Oklahoma has the largest final four choke with that loss to UConn but was that an upset?

Hardly. NCSt over Houston. Villanova over Georgetown. Both within five years of each other. Both much bigger than whatever you think you’re talking about.

[Socalisooner]

This is my bad.
Vaughn, meet Socali. Socali- Vaughn.

I post plot holes in the movie Point Break on his Patrick Swayze fan forum, so he does this to get even.

People are just as fast in a tux and president mask than without…you son of a bitch.

[SoonerMagick]

People are just as fast in a tux and president mask than without…you son of a bitch.

eat that

[Velo Sooner]

Hardly. NCSt over Houston. Villanova over Georgetown. Both within five years of each other. Both much bigger than whatever you think you’re talking about.

I'll take Villanova mostly because I saw the whole game. It felt like absolutely *everything* went Villanova's way and they still barely won. No way they could have repeated that feat in 100 years.

[KCRuf/Nek]

I'll take Villanova mostly because I saw the whole game. It felt like absolutely *everything* went Villanova's way and they still barely won. No way they could have repeated that feat in 100 years.

Both teams should have been able to name their scores. Lewis taking his foot off the gas when ahead was inexcusable.

[GimmeVaughn]

You could have several in cbb. A few years ago gardner-webb went into Rupp and beat a highly ranked UK team.

[GimmeVaughn]

You could also look at chaminade beating the Ralph Sampson Virginia cavaliers.

[Ruprecht]

I'm going to vote for the regular season basketball game between USC and UCLA at Pauley Pavilion from 1969. First home loss for UCLA in Pauley and one of only two games they lost there (both to USC) in the first ten years the arena was open.

[echo101]

The Cidadel beating Arkansas costed Joe Kines his job. That should also be on the considered list of upsets. App St beating Mchigan might be the bigger upset though. I don't know and pretty sure I don't care since neither game involved OU.

[OUwasp]

I don't care much about CBB. But as for CFB, you guys need to give the UTEP beating BYU some more attention. BYU was defending national champs, was favored by 35. This proved to be UTEP's only victory in a 1-10 season, and the Miner staff was fired. Sooner fans were still sore at the curveballs from the previous season that allowed a 12-0 BYU play a 6-6 Michigan team in the Holiday Bowl for the NC. BYU had played a bunch of cupcakes (two common opponents with OU, the Sooners destroyed them while BYU got by in a workmanship fashion). But, the infamous tie vs Tex (Stansberry's non-int), and Aikman playing horribly vs Kansas doomed any Sooner NC hopes, along with the Sooner Schooner fiasco vs UW in the Orange Bowl.

The BYU NC was a fluke that will never be repeated, but became one of the main reasons I've always been a playoff proponent. The other reasons were OU finishing #3 three consecutive years, 1978-80.

https://www.deseret.com/2010/12/12/20160112/byu-football-s-worst-upset-1985-loss-to-utep

BYU football’s worst upset — 1985 loss to UTEP

By Jeff Call
Dec 12, 2010, 12:25am CDT

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PROVO — This year marks the 25th anniversary of one of the biggest, and most improbable, upsets in college football history.

It's an anniversary that legendary BYU coach LaVell Edwards would rather not commemorate.

On Oct. 26, 1985, the then-No. 7 ranked Cougars — the defending national champions — fell to lowly, previously winless UTEP,

Go figure.

Nobody, at least outside of El Paso, probably would have brought up this anniversary, except for the fact that BYU and UTEP, former Western Athletic Conference rivals, are set to meet in the New Mexico Bowl next Saturday.

Asked what he remembers about the night the Miners pulled off that major shocker, Edwards said, "Not a whole lot, except the fact I was upset. At that point, we had only lost one game, and there was some talk that we might be going to the Cotton Bowl or somewhere. That's about all I can remember about it.

"I remember we had a hard time stopping them. I don't even remember the score. It was a case where we just didn't play well. We weren't as prepared mentally as we should have been."

Just how stunning was UTEP's victory? BYU was a 35-point favorite. Consider the Miners had won only 14 games over the previous 11 seasons while the Cougars had won 13 games in 1984 alone. BYU had also won 30 of its previous 31 games, including 25 conference contests in a row over a span covering four years. And just five years earlier, the Cougars had smashed UTEP, 83-7.

"It was a huge surprise," remembers Jon Teicher, the longtime radio voice of UTEP football and basketball, who called that '85 game. "The week before, UTEP played a game at Kent State and got absolutely trounced. They gave up over 50 points. People figured UTEP was in for a winless season. Then to pull that off against a program the caliber of BYU was a complete surprise. … I remember it like it was yesterday."

For former BYU quarterback Robbie Bosco, who led the Cougars to the 1984 national championship, that setback to UTEP marked his only conference loss in two years as a starter. He declined to be interviewed for this story, but he did tell the Deseret News in 1997 about that game, "It's always been a sore spot in my career. That was a team we should have beat."

After the game, UTEP fans stormed the field and tore down the goalposts. Yet Teicher doesn't consider that victory one of the biggest in school history. The Miners went on to post a 1-10 record in '85, and coach Bill Yung and the rest of the coaching staff were fired at the end of the season.

"Well, I think it's one of the more interesting wins," Teicher said. "I don't think it's one of the biggest because it was the only game UTEP won that year. It was against the defending national champs, so there was some significance to it, but as far as being a big victory, it was great for that team and the suffering UTEP fans. But in terms of important wins, not really.

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"Obviously, it was fun. It's not often you knock off the defending national champs, particularly for a program that was struggling like UTEP was."

So how did the Miners accomplish the amazing upset?

UTEP's defensive strategy involved rushing only two and dropping nine into coverage. It worked, as Bosco completed only 15-of-34 passes for a career-low 151 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. One of those interceptions was returned by Miner defensive back Danny Taylor 100 yards for a touchdown.

"That was the first play that gave everyone a sense that UTEP might pull it off," Teicher said.

The Cougars had success running the ball, as Lakei Heimuli rushed 30 times for 154 yards and a TD, and as a team, BYU gained 298 yards on the ground. But turnovers doomed the Cougars.

"We didn't demonstrate enough patience that night," Edwards recalled. "It was one of those games where we didn't play well and we got beat."

The Miners took a 20-10 halftime lead and held on the rest of the way.

"BYU had the ball to start the second half," Teicher said. "The Cougars drove all the way down field and scored on their first possession of the second half without throwing a single pass. That was highly unusual given BYU's proclivity for throwing the football.

"The next time they got it, you figured they might stay with the same tactics, but they went to the air against a defense that clearly was giving them the run."

In the wake of UTEP's stunning victory over BYU, rumors surfaced that the Miners had tapped the phone lines connecting Cougar coaches on the sidelines with the coaches in the press box, and that UTEP knew what plays were being called before they happened. It was an accusation that angered UTEP officials.

"First of all, there's no way to tap our phones even if we wanted to," then-UTEP athletic director Bill Cords said at the time. "They're tamper-free. There's a conduit that runs up under the stands to the press box. You'd have to dig it up to break into it.

"… Everyone knows what BYU's going to do anyway. It's just that you can't stop it. It's like trying to steal signals from a catcher in baseball. By the time you do, the ball is across the plate."

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After the embarrassing loss at UTEP, BYU crushed Wyoming and Utah State the next two weeks by the combined score of 103-0. The Cougars went on to knock off No. 4 Air Force to tie for the WAC championship. BYU lost to Ohio State, 10-7, in the Citrus Bowl, but it finished with an 11-3 record and No. 16 national ranking.

Twenty-five years later, the Cougars would like to forget that night in El Paso — when UTEP registered one of the biggest, and most improbable, upsets in college football history.

[Stinger_1066]

You should do one of those for their game against Central Michigan from 2016. I was actually there. Some friends of mine invited me to their tailgate, so I drove up there for the party.

I held down the fort at the tailgate while all the aggies went into the stadium. I just sat out there and watched the game. The best part was at the end. All the aggie fans leaving the stadium early thinking they had won. Then a big roar erupted from the stadium, so they all stopped to take a look at the TV I was watching. They were so pissed. I was laughing my ass off.

[49cent]

You should do one of those for their game against Central Michigan from 2016. I was actually there. Some friends of mine invited me to their tailgate, so I drove up there for the party.

I held down the fort at the tailgate while all the aggies went into the stadium. I just sat out there and watched the game. The best part was at the end. All the aggie fans leaving the stadium early thinking they had won. Then a big roar erupted from the stadium, so they all stopped to take a look at the TV I was watching. They were so pissed. I was laughing my ass off.

Sounds like OU against KSU a few years ago. Granted, we were already at limited capacity. But I know quite a few people who went and decided to “beat the crowd” and leave too soon.

[5thWave]

I'm still fuming over the 1978 Orange Bowl....Arkansas 38-6. No way we should have lost and had #8 now.

[DarrellS]

I'm still fuming over the 1978 Orange Bowl....Arkansas 38-6. No way we should have lost and had #8 now.

I was so pissed off that I broke my shoe strings tying my shoes.

[OUwasp]

I'm still fuming over the 1978 Orange Bowl....Arkansas 38-6. No way we should have lost and had #8 now.

That was a bizarre game. Oklahoma was outplayed and out coached in all facets. How much of that was due to Barry’s shenanigans with Lacewell’s wife we’ll never know.

Probably OU gets the NC if they win. But never underestimate the media’s love for Notre Dame. Joe Montana’s Irish demolished the invincible Texas earlier in the day. ND leapfrogged a couple teams in front of their #5 ranking to claim the title.

[KCRuf/Nek]

That was a bizarre game. Oklahoma was outplayed and out coached in all facets. How much of that was due to Barry’s shenanigans with Lacewell’s wife we’ll never know.

Probably OU gets the NC if they win. But never underestimate the media’s love for Notre Dame. Joe Montana’s Irish demolished the invincible Texas earlier in the day. ND leapfrogged a couple teams in front of their #5 ranking to claim the title.

OSU list in the Rose Bowl. It was all set up for us. Unbelievable. And we should have won the next year too. One game has easily cost us what, 8-10 more?

[MichSooner]

Michigan 24, Ohio State 12 in 1969.

Ohio State was the defending national champion with nearly the whole team back in 1969, a 22 game winning streak, and was a unanimous #1 in both polls.

Michigan, which entered the game with 2 losses, beat them 24-12 in Bo's first season.

Michigan vs. Ohio State 1969 Upset of the Century - YouTube

[Mazeppa]

You should do one of those for their game against Central Michigan from 2016. I was actually there. Some friends of mine invited me to their tailgate, so I drove up there for the party.

I held down the fort at the tailgate while all the aggies went into the stadium. I just sat out there and watched the game. The best part was at the end. All the aggie fans leaving the stadium early thinking they had won. Then a big roar erupted from the stadium, so they all stopped to take a look at the TV I was watching. They were so pissed. I was laughing my ass off.

Oh yeah, that's a good one, I can't believe I forgot about that one.



Gundy made rings for their bowl win but didn't include that loss, like that was going to make it go away.

[Mazeppa]

[GimmeVaughn]

You had a huge upset at the wrestling championships this weekend. Some kid from Purdue wrestling at 125 pinned a 3 time national champion late in a period. Kids mom was seen destroying her glasses.

[Mazeppa]

Some SEC football golden oldies:


Georgia Tech 24 over Alabama 21 (1981)

Miami University 21 over LSU 12 (1986)

Tulane 31 over LSU 28 (1982)

Louisiana Tech 29 over Alabama 28 (1999)

Jacksonville State 49 over Ole Miss 48 (2010)

UL Monroe 34 over Arkansas 31 (2012)

(Arkansas was a 30.5 favorite)

[49cent]

Oh yeah, that's a good one, I can't believe I forgot about that one.



Gundy made rings for their bowl win but didn't include that loss, like that was going to make it go away.

I gotta be honest… I’m heated over the 2006 Oregon “loss” whenever I think back and conclude that is the “loss” that kept OU out of the NC game conversation. You know… the “loss” that the BCS wasn’t supposed to take into consideration?

Granted, this is aggy we’re talking about here. Where you make rings for winning ten games and almost beating those goddamn Gooners.

[Mazeppa]

Apr 04, 2022, 12:15 PM EDT

Kansas shocked Texas — a 31-point favorite — by going for two in the first overtime period on Saturday to top the Longhorns 57-56 for one of the biggest upsets in college football history.

It’s tied for the 15th-biggest point spread upset of the last 40 years.

The Jayhawks are now 2-53 straight up as 20+-point underdogs since 2005, with both of those wins coming against the Longhorns (2005, 2021). Tonight’s win was the first-ever win for Kansas at Texas, and it snapped a 56-game Big 12 road losing streak.

[Slytherin]

I really don't care about anyone but OU, and not an upset...per se, but the debacle in the Orange Bowl vs. USC? Yeah, I was embarrassed as fuck.



Another one was losing to K-State in the 2003 Big-12 championship game. We were 12-0, being called the greatest team of all time, and we score on the first possession when KeJuan took it to the house from midfield. Rolling right? Wrong. I almost froze to death sitting in that shithole in Kansas City with 3" of ice under our feet watching that tiny little fuck Darren Sproles and El Roberson run/pass all over us for 35 unanswered points.

We had a good tailgate with some KC barbecue catered in, then it all went to shit. Still went to the NC game...and got thumped by LSU in New Orleans. The following year was the GOWWDNS.