It’s the upset nobody saw coming. It’s not unheard of to see upsets happen in college and NFL football, and it’s part of what makes the sport so exciting and unpredictable. But, it’s rare to see one as big as the Vanderbilt win over No. 2 Alabama on Saturday, October 5.
Is Vanderbilt Beating Alabama the Biggest Upset in College Football History?
In a massive upset, Vanderbilt somehow towered over No. 2 Alabama in their Saturday, October 5 matchup. What made this even more shocking is that it happened right after Alabama pulled off a huge win in September over the the Bulldogs.
“Vanderbilt had lost 23 straight games against Alabama. It hadn’t beat the Crimson Tide since 1984, and with an electric win against Georgia last week, no one thought the Commodores had a chance in Nashville on Saturday,” Fox Sports stated. “But somehow, Clark Lea and company did the unthinkable. Closing as 23.5-point underdogs at most sportsbooks, Vanderbilt took down the top ranked team in the country in a 40-35 shootout.”
“With Vanderbilt fans pointing to the scoreboard in front of Alabama fans who made the trip to Nashville, the Commodores stunned the Crimson Tide 40-35,” stated ESPN. “To put this in perspective, Vanderbilt hadn’t had a halftime lead against a No. 1-ranked opponent since 1977, and had scored all of 13 points against Alabama in the entire Nick Saban era.”
Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports says not to be surprised by the upset, because Vanderbilt is a new team.
“There was no earthly reason to believe Vanderbilt football would be anything other than what Vanderbilt football has always — or most always — been. Non-competitive,” Wetzel said. “Yet last offseason, coach Clark Lea brought in 43 new players, either from high school recruiting or the transfer portal.”
Wetzel added, “This was a new team in a new time for college football. Much has been made about the expanded, 12-team playoff creating fresh paths to the postseason for more teams, but also allowing powerhouses such as Alabama more chances to stumble. Not every loss is disabling (not that it ever really was for teams like ‘Bama).”
Another Big College Football Upset for the Books
So, does any other college game even come close to this upset? The answer is yes, but it might not be as big.
The game that comes close to me happened in 2007, when Appalachian State beat Michigan, 34 to 32. Michigan paid a big $400,000 to Appalachian State to bring their team to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for their season opener, basically to get an easy win for their first game. What happened was surprising. It was a close game, and everything came down to the final moment, when Mountaineers kicker Julian Rauch sent in a 24-yard field goal to win the game, giving the crowd and viewing audience one of the biggest upsets in college football history.
I remember when this happened. I’m a Michigan State fan, so, of course, I was laughing and happy to see the Wolverines fall. But, upsets happen, and they happen to the best of the teams, too.