This past weekend, college football saw some of its biggest upsets yet. Six teams ranked inside the top 25 of the AP College Football Rankings lost. However, the three biggest upsets were when three teams in the top 12, #1 Alabama, #4 Tennessee, and #11 USC all fell to unranked teams.
- Vanderbilt vs. #1 Alabama (40-35)
Coming into this game, Alabama was the overwhelming favorite. They were 5-0 and had just upset #2 ranked Georgia, and were awarded with being the #1 ranked team in the country. On the other hand, Vanderbilt was just a measly 3-2, including an upset loss to Georgia State. In their all-time series history, Alabama had won 62 times and only lost 19 times. Along with this, the last two times Vanderbilt played Alabama while they were ranked #1, Alabama outscored Vanderbilt 100-0. But even with the odds stacked against Vanderbilt, they still managed to stun the world and upset Alabama. Right out of the gate Vanderbilt was determined to make a statement. They quickly got up 13-0 with a touchdown run from Sedrick Alexander, and a pick-six by Randon Fontenette (missed extra point). Although Vanderbilt looked like the better team, ESPN still gave Alabama a 77.8% chance to win, and Will Jones who watched the game said “Even with the early lead, I thought there was no chance Vanderbilt would win.” Alabama quickly scored a touchdown run by Jam Miller, making the score 13-7. With many people seeing Vanderbilt’s early performance as a fluke, they decided to add another touchdown from Sedrick Alexander, along with a field goal making the score 23-7. Despite Alabama scoring a late touchdown in the second quarter making the score 23-14, people began to worry that Alabama might lose the game. A pair of touchdowns from Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Ryan Williams closed the gap, but another touchdown for Vanderbilt made the score 30-28, with Vanderbilt leading going into the final quarter. Vanderbilt quickly got a field goal from kicker Brock Taylor, and a touchdown from Kamrean Johnson to give them a massive 40-28 lead late in the 4th quarter. Alabama added another touchdown late, but they could not overcome the deficit as Vanderbilt pulled off one of the greatest upsets in college football history, winning 40-35.
- Arkansas vs. #4 Tennessee (19-14)
Similar to Alabama, Tennessee was heavily favored to beat Arkansas. Tennessee, coming in at 4-0, had one of the best offenses in the country led by star quarterback Nico Iamaleava, while Arkansas was 2-2 with a mediocre defense. While everyone thought this game would be a high-scoring blowout in favor of Tennessee, it was quite the opposite. This game was a complete defensive battle with 15 of the 22 drives in this game resulting in a punt of turnover on downs. Arkansas was the only team to score in the first half, coming in the form of a short field goal by kicker Kyle Ramsey, making the score 3-0 at halftime. Clearly, something changed for Tennessee during halftime, as the high-powered offense quickly scored two touchdowns, both from running back Dylan Sampson. Trying to stay in the game, Arkansas answered with a touchdown run of their own by Ja’Quinden Jackson to make the score 14-10 in favor of Tennessee at the end of the third quarter. Arkansas added 3 points early in the 4th quarter to make the score 14-13, making this game come down to the wire. Then, with the Arkansas defense stepping up big in the 4th quarter for Tennessee, star running back Malachi Singleton was able to seal the upset victory with a touchdown run, pushing Arkansas past Tennessee with a 19-14 victory.
- Minnesota vs. #11 USC
Although not as heavily favored as Alabama and Tennessee, many people were still not expecting Minnesota to beat #11 USC. USC had shown how good of a team they were boasting a strong 3-1 record, with a close loss to the defending national champions Michigan. On the contrary, Minnesota entered with a poor 2-3 record, coming off a close loss to the same team that beat USC, Michigan. In the first quarter, Minnesota opened up the scoring with a field goal, making the score 3-0 after one quarter. Then in the second quarter, star quarterback Miller Moss put USC on the board with a touchdown pass to Deuce Robinson, but Minnesota quickly answered with a touchdown run by Max Brosmer. As time expired in the first half, USC kicker Micheal Lantz made a 54-yard field goal to make the score 10-10 going into halftime. Similar to the first half, the second half was a low-scoring dogfight between the two teams. USC was able to break through with the only touchdown in the 3rd quarter by Woody Marks, making the score 17-10 USC going into the 4th quarter. With their backs against the wall, Minnesota’s Max Brosmer was able to tie up the score with a 5-yard touchdown run. After forcing USC to punt, Minnesota drove down the field with another touchdown by Max Brosmer, taking the lead 24-17 with one minute left in the game. USC was not going down without a fight though, as Miller Moss swiftly led USC down the field into Minnesota territory. With one final play in the game, Miller Moss launched the ball to the Minnesota endzone, where Koi Perich intercepted the ball, sealing the upset for Minnesota. Will Shelsy who was watching the end of the game said, “That interception to seal the win [for Minnesota] was the greatest interception I had ever seen.”
