30 most shocking moments in college football history
Counting down the 30 most shocking moments in college football history.
With countless improbable comebacks, miracle finishes and just flat-out unbelievable moments on a yearly basis, no sport provides more shocks than college football.
There’s still plenty of football left to be played, but the 2017 season has already provided some stunning moments, with more sure to come during bowl season. The year started with 45-point underdog Howard pulling off the biggest upset in point spread history, and the regular season concluded with 4-7 Pitt dealing No. 2 Miami a loss.
Fans have been treated to jaw-dropping ending in the last two national championship games between Clemson and Alabama, and many are hoping to see a rubber match in January. Nick Saban’s onside kick decision two years ago stunned everyone, while no fan will ever forget Hunter Renfrow’s catch to give Clemson the win over the mighty Crimson Tide last season.
No other sport could provide the thrill of the band being on the field during a kick return, or match the outrage of a team receiving a fifth down to win a crucial game. Here are the 30 most shocking moments in college football history.
30. Insanity in 2007 ends with Pitt beating West Virginia
It’s difficult to some up the craziness that was the 2007 college football season, but Pittsburgh’s stunning victory over West Virginia ranks as one of the most impactful games in recent memory.
Dubbed the “Year of the Upset” for good reason, 2007 brought 59 victories for unranked or lower-ranked teams over higher-ranked teams, including a whopping 13 top 10 teams falling to foes outside the AP Poll. No squad finished the season undefeated, and the fact that Kansas was the only power conference team to finish with just one loss just about sums up how insane the entire year was.
Through all the chaos, there was a minor bit of clarity entering the final week of the season with No. 1 Missouri and No. 2 West Virginia just needing to win to set up an unlikely BCS National Championship tilt. Missouri’s loss to No. 9 Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game wasn’t too surprising, but what ensued in the 100th edition of the Backyard Brawl will forever live in college football lore.
Led by a high-powered offense featuring Pat White and Steve Slaton, the Mountaineers closed as a 28.5-point favorite over archrival Pitt, which was struggling mightily at 4-7. West Virginia mustered just 183 yards of total offense in a shocking 13-9 loss to fall out of the national championship picture, allowing No. 3 Ohio State and No. 5 LSU to claim the top two spots in the AP Poll.
Not only was the humiliating defeat one of the biggest upsets of the modern era, it sent a ripple effect around the nation that would impact multiple teams. Rich Rodriguez may have chosen to coach the hypothetical title game instead of accepting the Michigan job, and who knows how the trajectory of the Wolverines, Ohio State, LSU, and the entire Big East conference would have been altered.
What we do know is that a 28.5-point underdog knocking its bitter rival out of the title game will forever live in college football infamy.