Top Ten All-Time College Football Upsets

College football has had a long tradition of historic programs and games that fans remember for the rest of their lives. While there is a debate over the current BCS system and calls for a playoff system, college football programs, players, and fans are as passionate as you will find.

Over the years, college football has seen a number of upsets that have had a profound effect on the outcome of the national title races as well as changing the fortunes of both programs involved after the game's conclusion, too. Many fans can tell you exactly where they were when some of these upsets took place.

Based on significant importance, media coverage, potential national title and bowl game implications, underdog's win-loss record and prestige, and/or going into a hostile environment, I reveal my top ten upsets in college football history starting with No. 10...

No. 10
November 16, 1957
Notre Dame beats No. 2 Oklahoma 7-0

For those who believe in the Sports Illustrated Curse, this game might give you the best evidence of that. The Sooners had their famous 47-game winning streak going into this game at home against the last team that defeated them back in 1953. The Sooners' Clendon Thomas was pictured on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the line "Why Oklahoma is Unbeatable" as the issue hit the shelves before the game. Notre Dame had only won two games in 1956 and had a 40-0 loss to the Sooners at home. A much anticipated rematch simmered as the Irish lost two straight going into the game. Oklahoma had chances early on to score, but Notre Dame stopped them each time. The Irish finally broke the scoreless tie with 3:50 left in the game on a 4th down 3-yard touchdown run by Dick Lynch. Oklahoma's 47-game winnning streak was over as was their dominating ways in the 1950s.

No. 9
September 18, 1999
Cincinnati beats No. 9 Wisconsin 17-12

Wisconsin was a team thought by many that could contend for a national title, and for good reason when you have the eventual Heisman Trophy winning running back in Ron Dayne. Cincinnati had only three wins since the start of the 1998 season, and were coming off an embarrassing loss to D1-AA Troy State the week before. The Bearcats took the lead for good on a Robert Cooper 51-yard run to give them a 7-6 lead. Dayne, who rushed for 231 yards in the game, scored a touchdown to bring the deficit to 14-12. But the Badgers made critical mistakes as Dayne fumbled away a sure touchdown in the end zone, and Nick Davis muffed a punt leading to a Bearcats field goal. Perhaps the Badgers were looking ahead to Michigan the following week, and they would lose that game before winning the rest of them in route to a Rose Bowl win over Stanford. As for Cincinnati, this was their first ever win against a ranked opponent and they would gradually improve as a program.

No. 8
October 19, 1985
Oregon State beats Washington 21-20

The Washington Huskies were 4-2 and were coming off a season that ended with an Orange Bowl victory. Oregon State was a dismal program as they had a 2-4 record going into the contest. The Beavers had been shutout in their previous two games and were outscored 97-0. The Huskies were favored by 37 points as many seen this as an easy victory for them. Oregon State led 14-10 at halftime after quarterback Rich Gonzalez ran and threw for touchdowns in the first half. Washington fought back with a 14-yard touchdown run by Tony Covington and a field goal to take a 20-14 lead. The Beavers defense held late in the game and forced a Huskies punt that was blocked by Andre Todd. The blocked kick was recovered by defensive back Lavance Northington for a touchdown to give the Beavers a 21-20 victory. Washington would still remain as a powerful Pac-10 team later winning a share of the national title in 1991. Oregon State continued its poor play by not winning another game on the season, and wouldn't have another winning season until 1999. At the time, this was the biggest upset in terms of point spread.

No. 7
November 28, 1942
Holy Cross beats No. 1 Boston College 55-12

Boston College had only given up 19 points in eight games (including only six in the previous five games) before the 4-4-1 Crusaders came to Fenway Park. The Eagles had made reservations to have a victory party at a nightclub at Cocoanut Grove. Holy Cross embarrassed the Eagles with a lopsided win no one saw coming as Boston College canceled their reservations for that night. Maybe the Eagles should have been fortunate to be the victims of a major college football upset when they were. Cocoanut Grove fire, which was responsible for 492 deaths, took place that night as it is still the deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history. Boston College would lose to Alabama in the Orange Bowl to finish the season 8-2. Holy Cross would win six straight against the Eagles, but Boston College later returned the favor of spoiling Holy Cross' attempt at a perfect 1951 season with a win against them.

No. 6
November 27, 1926
Carnegie Tech beats Notre Dame 19-0

The Fighting Irish were 8-0 going into the game, and it was legendary coach Knute Rockne that made the biggest blunder of his career by attending that day's Army-Navy game instead of being on the sidelines for his team. Carnegie Tech scored two touchdowns in the second quarter and led 13-0 at halftime as 45,000 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh are watching. They added two more field goals in the third quarter while the defense shut down the Irish by holding them to only six first downs in the entire game. Carnegie Tech(now Carnegie-Mellon University) now play in Division III and would beat Notre Dame three more times before stepping down as a program for good in the 1940s. Notre Dame would go on to beat Southern Cal to end the season, but it was Carnegie Tech that spoiled their chances of winning another national title. The game ball is still displayed in the locker room at Carnegie-Mellon University.

No. 5
October 6, 2007
Stanford beats No. 2 Southern Cal

USC had another season contending for a national title as a 41-point favorite against Stanford. Stanford had a 1-11 2006 season, and were starting backup quarterback Tavita Pritchard, who only had three career pass attempts before this game. Stanford's defense had given up an average of 47 points a game in conference play, and were facing a USC team that defeated them 42-0 the previous season. USC also had a 35-game home winning streak, and Stanford was the last road team to beat them in 2001. USC started strong early on, and shutout the Cardinal in the first half as they led 9-0 including what turned out to be a costly missed point after. But Stanford got an interception return touchdown from Austin Yancy to put them back in the game. Stanford trailed 16-7 going into the final quarter before scoring 17 points which included a memorable last minute touchdown pass from Pritchard to Mark Braford to pull off a remarkable upset.

No. 4
October 29, 1921
Centre College beats Harvard 6-0

In the first great upset in college football history, it was a powerhouse Harvard team that would fall victim. Harvard was fresh off winning the previous year's Rose Bowl, and had a 25-game unbeaten streak heading into this game. The Kentucky-based Centre College had a whopping total of 254 students which was about a fifth of the amount Harvard had. Harvard had beaten Centre 31-14 the previous season, and were 1919 National Champions which was their seventh overall. Centre quarterback Bo McMillin had the game's only score on a 33-yard touchdown run in the third quarter before they botched the extra point. Their 6-0 lead held up, and the symbol "C6-H0" had been painted on everything by students after hearing the final score. Centre finished 10-1 on the season, but no one gave the small school a chance against a then-power team like Harvard. Harvard would decline a rematch on the 75th anniversary. This is the smallest school that Harvard ever has lost to

No. 3
December 2, 1950
Navy beats No. 2 Army 14-2

Since 1944 before this game, Army had won national titles in 1944-45 and lost only twice. Navy on the other hand hadn't beat Army since 1943, and had only seven wins as a program since finishing third in the polls in 1945. Army appeared to be on their way to another unbeaten season and a third national title in seven seasons with their arch rivals left on the schedule. But the Midshipmen played the role of spoiler as they took advantage of Army's mistakes in the game. With over 100,000 on hand at Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia that included then-U.S. President Harry Truman, the Cadets turned the ball over five times. Meanwhile, Navy quarterback Robert "Zug" Zastrow scored on a 7-yard touchdown run and threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to give the Midshipmen all the scoring they needed. The Cadets got into Navy territory six times in the second half, but the Midshipmen held them out of the end zone and only managed a safety on Zastrow. The powerhouse Army team was never the same as they won only twice the following season. Though neither rarely have factored into national rankings since then, Navy has been more successful of the two since that time.

No. 2
October 17, 1998
Temple beats No. 14 Virginia Tech 28-24

Virginia Tech was 5-0 with solid wins against teams such as Clemson, Miami, and Pittsburgh. The Temple Owls had won only one of its previous eleven games and were winless in 26 games on the road against the Big East going into Blacksburg. The Hokies got out to a 17-0 despite having to rely on third string quarterback Nick Sorensen. The Owls bounced back with three touchdowns including two of them passing from third string freshman quarterback Devon Scott. Virginia Tech took the lead back on a Lamont Pegues touchdown run before Scott led the Owls on a touchdown drive ending with him scoring on a 1-yard run. The 28-24 score held up as the Owls held off a late Hokies drive to preserve an upset win on the road. Virginia Tech would go 9-3 on the season, and play for the national championship in 1999. Temple only won two games on the season, and would finally have another winning season in 2009 which was their first since 1990.

No. 1
September 1, 2007
Appalachian State beats No. 5 Michigan 34-32

It was supposed to be another mismatch for Michigan despite Appalachian State's two national titles in D1-AA before this game. The drastic difference in terms of prestige and fanbase is one that makes this upset all the more remarkable which doesn't even include the fact that the Wolverines were 27 point favorites. Michigan had quarterback Chad Henne, running back Mike Hart, and offensive tackle Jake Long returning after contemplating leaving school early. The Wolverines started strong with an opening drive that led to a Mike Hart 4-yard touchdown run. But ASU answered with a 68-yard touchdown pass from Armanti Edwards to Dexter Jackson. Michigan took the lead back on a touchdown pass from Henne, but ASU scored three touchdowns with Edwards throwing for two and running for one in the second quarter to give the Mountaineers a 28-14 lead. The Wolverines defense stiffened in the second half, and they eventually took the lead back in the fourth quarter on two Hart touchdown scores. Edwards drove the Mountaineers down the field as ASU converted a 24-yard field goal to take a 34-32 lead. Michigan had 27 seconds to play, and got the ball down to the ASU 20-yard line with six seconds left. But Michigan's place kicker Jason Gingell had his kick blocked for the second time in the game by ASU as Corey Lynch ran the ball back to the Michigan 5-yard line as time expired. This marked the first time a D1-AA school beat a ranked opponent. Michigan even gave ASU $400,000 to play in Ann Arbor, and they cashed in the biggest upset in college football history. ASU would win another division championship in 2007, and Michigan would eventually rebound to send head coach Lloyd Carr out a winner by beating the favored Florida Gators in the Capital One Bowl. This upset set the tone of many that took place during the crazy 2007 season.

Others I considered:
1975 - Kansas beats No. 2 Oklahoma 23-3: The Sooners would still win a national title in 1975, but turned the ball over eight times in this game as the Jayhawks pulled off the upset in Norman.
1985 - UTEP beats No. 7 BYU 23-16: BYU were the defending national champions, and UTEP won for only the 14th time in eleven years to pull off the upset with a 2-9 defense that stifled the air attack of the Cougars.
1998 - NC State beats No. 2 Florida State: Florida State would eventually play in the BCS Title game, but lost only their 2nd ever ACC game after future Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke threw six interceptions in the game.
2003 - Kansas State beats No. 1 Oklahoma 35-7: Kansas State pounded Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship, but the Sooners still played for the national title in a loss to LSU.

Sources:
Boston College vs Holy Cross 1942 Poster
Carnegie spoils Irish national title hopes
C6-H0 article
The Annapolis Story
Temple Shocks No. 14 Virginia Tech
ASU vs Michigan Recap
Stanford vs USC Recap
The USA Today College Football Encyclopedia
ESPN College Football Encyclopedia