The Biggest Upsets in NCAA Football History

College football is a sport known for its traditions, rivalries, and, of course, its upsets. These unexpected victories can change the course of a season, launch a team into national prominence, and create lasting memories for fans. From David slaying Goliath to improbable comebacks, upsets are an integral part of what makes college football so captivating. A "biggest" upset can be subjective. For this piece, it's a measure of impact.

Defining an Upset

Before diving into specific examples, it's important to define what constitutes a major upset. Several factors contribute to the magnitude of an upset:

Point Spread: The larger the point spread, the more unexpected the victory. A team that is a heavy underdog overcoming overwhelming odds is a classic upset scenario. Plenty of underdogs faced a larger spread-Texas State against Baylor, for example-but some of those results didn't have a major impact on the national picture.
Rankings: When an unranked team defeats a highly ranked opponent, it sends shockwaves through the college football landscape. The higher the ranked team, the more significant the upset.
Impact on Season: Some upsets have a greater impact than others. A win that derails a team's national championship hopes or conference title aspirations carries more weight.
Circumstances: Injuries, weather conditions, or other unforeseen circumstances can contribute to an upset.

Memorable Upsets Throughout College Football History

Here are some of the most significant upsets in college football history, considering the factors mentioned above:

Appalachian State vs. Michigan (2007)

Final score: 34-32, Appalachian State

This game is arguably the gold standard for college football upsets. No. 5-ranked Michigan paid Appalachian State $400,000 to come to Ann Arbor and play in the season opener against the Wolverines. The Appalachian State Mountaineers had won two straight FCS National Championships and were a powerhouse FCS program, but a matchup against a No. 5-ranked FBS program seemed like an easy win for the Wolverines.

Stanford vs. USC (2007)

Final score: 24-23, Stanford

Heading into the game, Stanford was a 41-point underdog against USC and redshirt sophomore Tavita Pritchard was set to make his first career start for the Cardinal. The second-ranked Trojans entered the matchup riding a 35-game home winning streak, while Stanford held a 1-3 record and hadn’t had a winning season in seven years. The table was set for USC to absolutely dominate, but 12 years later, we now remember the game as one of the biggest upsets in college football history. In Jim Harbaugh’s first season as head coach, Stanford’s five forced turnovers and a blocked extra point helped keep the game close, but it was Pritchard 10-yard touchdown on fourth down with 49 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter that sealed the deal for the Cardinal win.

Notre Dame vs. Oklahoma (1957)

Final score: 7-0, Notre Dame

Who owns the longest winning streak in the history college football? That would be the Oklahoma Sooners from 1953-1957, a team that held a 47-game winning streak and seemed unbeatable after back-to-back national titles-so much so that Sports Illustrated featured the Sooners’ halfback on the cover with the headline: "Why Oklahoma Is Unbeatable." When unranked Notre Dame arrived to Norman to face No. 2 Oklahoma, the Sooners were 19-point favorites. The game was a back-and-forth defensive battle-neither team scored unil the Fighting Irish completed a 20-play, 80-yard drive late in the fourth quarter to seal a 7-0 shutout and upset victory over Oklahoma, making the Sooners’ first shutout loss in 123 games.

Oregon State vs. Washington (1985)

Final score: 21-20, Oregon State

The University of Washington ended the 1984 season ranked No. 2 in the nation and headed into its opening game of the ’85 season with confidence, as its opponent Oregon State had lost by a 97-0 margin in its last two games. The Beavers were 38-point underdogs against UW and their starting quarterback and leading receiver were both out of the game with injuries. But with 1:29 left in the fourth quarter, Oregon State intercepted the Huskies four times, and blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone to take the lead and eventually win the game.

Howard vs. UNLV (2017)

Final score: 43-40, Howard

UNLV was so favored in this 2017 matchup that Las Vegas didn’t even bother having a point spread for it. Some other betting agencies, however, listed UNLV as a 45-point favorite over Howard. Howard received $600,000 to play UNLV, a part of college football’s typical “guarantee games,” when a small school receives money from a big school to travel to its stadium and nearly guarantees a win for the home team. But Howard ended up spoiling the presumed beatdown, thanks to 330 total offensive yards and three touchdowns from Caylin Newton (Cam Newton’s younger brother) that helped the Bison hang on to a stunning 43-40 victory over their FBS opponent.

Carnegie Tech vs. Notre Dame (1926)

Final score: 19-0, Carnegie Tech

Going into Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field to face Carnegie Tech on a cold and snowy November day in 1926, Notre Dame hadn’t allowed a single point in eight games. And head coach Knute Rockne was so confident that his Fighting Irish would win handily and easily that he didn’t bother showing up to the game-he trusted his assistant coaches to get the job done. After a scoreless first quarter, Carnegie Tech ran for two touchdowns for a 13-0 halftime lead, and ultimately sealed the deal with a fourth-quarter goal-line stand. Carnegie Tech had lost to Notre Dame each of the last four seasons by a combined score of 111-19, making 19-0 shutout victory all the sweeter for the Tartans.

Read also: Overview of College Rivalries

James Madison vs. Virginia Tech (2010)

Final score: 21-16, James Madison

Virginia Tech entered the 2010 season ranked No. 10 in the country and was the favorite to win the ACC. The Hokies had already loss their opening game of the season against third-ranked Boise State, but the next game against FCS team James Madison seemed like a good way to rebound. JMU was a huge underdog against a powerhouse like Virginia Tech-in their previous two meetings, JMU was outscored by a combined score of 90-0-but the Dukes kept the game close and quarterback Drew Dudzik Dudzik’s 12-yard touchdown run sealed the 21-16 victory. Dudzik called it the “biggest win in school history,” but the loss didn’t destroy Virginia Tech’s season-they strung together 11 straight wins and ended the season ranked 15th in the nation.

Temple vs. Virginia Tech (1998)

Final score: 28-24, Temple

Heading into the Oct. 1998 game against undefeated and No. 14-ranked Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., Temple was 0-26 in Big East road games and just 1-6 overall. Virginia Tech jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first and the Hokies basically thought the game was over, especially against a Temple team that had 10 players, including freshman quarterback Devin Scott, making their first career starts for the Owls. Against the Hokies fourth-best defense, Temple rallied behind Scott’s 155 yards and two touchdowns to secure a stunning come-from-behind road win over Virginia Tech. It was Temple’s first victory over a ranked team since Sept. 19, 1987, and coach Bobby Wallace said he had “never seen a more injured, beat up football team,” making the victory even more impressive.

Navy vs. Notre Dame (2007)

Final score: 46-44, Navy

On a Saturday in November 2007, one of college football’s longest losing streaks in NCAA history was finally broken after 43 years when Navy and Notre Dame met for their annual game in Notre Dame’s home stadium. Typically a historical powerhouse in college football, Notre Dame had lost its first five games and came into the game against the Midshipmen with a 1-7 record. While Navy, on the other hand, was off to a decent start at 4-4. The game itself was a great one. Navy collected a fumble at Notre Dame’s 16-yard line and ran it in for a touchdown to take a late 28-21 lead in the fourth quarter-but Notre Dame responded with a touchdown to tie the game. After three overtime periods, Navy finally came out on top, 46-44, marking the first time in 43 years that the Midshipmen owned the longest-running non-conference rivalry in college football.

Butler vs. Youngstown State (2018)

Final score: 23-21, Butler

The FCS division of college football goes largely under the radar, especially when compared to its FBS counterpart. That’s why most people have never heard of one of the greatest upsets in recent college football memory: Butler University over Youngstown State University in the opener of the 2018 season. Youngstown State came into the season with high expectations, entering the game ranked No. 24, while Butler was coming off a mediocre 6-5 season in 2017. Youngstown State wasn’t only a ranked team, but they had much more talent-on paper at least, with 63 athletes on a football scholarship. Butler had zero. Down 21-7 with just over nine minutes to play, the Bulldogs managed to score twice and Butler coach Jeff Voris elected to go for the two-point conversion to take the lead-but it missed. Butler trailed 21-20 with 1:20 left in the fourth quarter and after the missed conversion, the only option was an onside kick. Lo and behold, the Bulldogs recovered the kick, marched into field goal territory, and Drew Bevelhimer knocked in a 44-yard field goal with only four seconds remaining to complete the shocking upset win over Youngstown State.

Recent Notable Upsets (2023 Season)

The 2023 college football season also provided its fair share of memorable upsets. Here are a few examples:

Alabama vs. Georgia (SEC Championship Game)

Final Score: 27-24, Alabama

Given what transpired on Selection Day, how the committee ranked Texas and FSU may have created controversy anyway. Were it not for a 27-24 upset of top-ranked Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, Alabama-a five-point 'dog-wouldn't have been part of the argument. One turnover defined the game. Georgia's third-quarter fumble gifted Bama a field goal, which proved to be the difference in the margin.

Texas vs. Alabama

Quinn Ewers passed for 349 yards and three touchdowns, propelling the Longhorns to an impressive victory. Texas, a seven-point underdog, turned a 16-13 fourth-quarter deficit into a 34-24 statement win. Because of the head-to-head win, the Longhorns never trailed Alabama in the CFP rankings.

Washington vs. Oregon (Pac-12 Championship Game)

Washington, however, kept on winning. Although an early 20-3 lead became a 24-20 deficit, the Huskies recovered to earn a 34-31 victory. They won a conference title, sealed a place in the College Football Playoff and vaulted Michael Penix Jr. past Bo Nix in the Heisman Trophy discussion, too.

Virginia vs. North Carolina

Entering this Week 8 matchup, Virginia hadn't defeated an opponent from the Football Bowl Subdivision. So, naturally, the Wahoos went on the road and upset North Carolina-then ranked 10th in the country with a 6-0 record.

Kansas vs. Oklahoma

Led by a tremendous day from the rushing attack, the Jayhawks pulled off a thrilling upset. Devin Neal powered in a nine-yard rushing score with 55 seconds left, and the KU defense survived Dillon Gabriel's last-second mini-Hail Mary to lock in the Jayhawks' 38-33 triumph.

Kentucky vs. Louisville

Ray Davis ripped off a 37-yard touchdown with 1:02 remaining, and Jordan Lovett grabbed a last-second interception to seal the victory. The result formally eliminated the Cardinals-who at least held a place in the conversation as a one-loss team-from the CFP race.

Utah vs. USC

Along with three touchdown passes, Barnes' late 26-yard scamper set up Cole Becker's 38-yard field goal as time expired. On the road as seven-point underdogs, Utah won 34-32. USC's season just imploded from there.

2025 Season Week 2 College Football Upsets

Week 2 of the 2025 college football season was a good reminder that any team can be upset at any time if they let their guard down. Just ask Billy Napier-led Florida, which was upset, 18-16, after entering as 17.5-point favorites over Nico Gramatica and South Florida on Saturday, Sept. 6 in Gainesville, Florida. In total, four teams ranked in the top 16 of the US LBM Coaches Poll fell in Week 2 after Alabama was the biggest loser of Week 1 of the college football season with a road loss to unranked Florida State.

Mississippi State vs. Arizona State

Mississippi State 24, No. 10 Arizona State 20. This may have been the most shocking upset of Week 2. Brenen Thompson caught a 58-yard touchdown pass from Blake Shapen with 30 seconds left to preserve the biggest upset of the day. The win was so big in Starkville that fans rushed the field and tore down the goalposts following the top-10 win.

Oklahoma vs. Michigan

No. 24 Oklahoma 24, No. 13 Michigan 13. Oklahoma was the home team and a slight favorite over Michigan, but the lower-ranked team knocked off the higher-ranked team and that will cause a massive changeup in the rankings. John Mateer passed his biggest test so far as the Sooners' starting QB with a three-touchdown performance, as the Sooners never trailed.

South Florida vs. Florida

South Florida 18, No. 15 Florida 16. All the goodwill Napier built over the last few weeks of the 2024 season is gone, and he's right back on the hot seat with Florida fans following an ugly, undisciplined loss at home to the Bulls. Nico Gramatica ― the son of former NFL kicker Martin Gramatica ― served as the hero at the end with his game-winning field goal.

Baylor vs. SMU

Baylor 48, No. 16 SMU 45. Sawyer Robertson connected with Kobe Prentice for a 21-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left to send the game to overtime. In the second overtime, Mustangs' kicker Collin Rogers missed a field goal, paving the way for Connor Hawkins to knock in his attempt to give the Bears the upset win over a rival.

Army vs. Kansas State

Kansas State's 2025 season continued to go sideways after a loss to Army. The Wildcats entered as 16.5-point favorites over the Black Knights, but Cale Hellums scored a 14-yard touchdown with 2:52 to help Army bounce back from a 30-27 loss to Tarleton State in Week 1.

Ohio vs. West Virginia

Ohio 17, West Virginia 10. Rich Rodriguez's honeymoon return to West Virginia ended after just two weeks. The Mountaineers struck first for a touchdown in the first quarter, but could not find the red zone again in the upset road loss.

Bryant vs. UMass

Bryant 27, UMass 26. Bryce Soli hit a 25-yard field goal as time expired to give FCS program Bryant the road upset victory over UMass.

UNLV vs. UCLA

UNLV 30, UCLA 23. Dan Mullen has UNLV off to a 3-0 start following an upset win over Nico Iamaleava and UCLA on Sept. 6. The win marked the Rebels' first victory over a Big Ten Conference opponent in 22 years.

Jacksonville State vs. Liberty

Jacksonville State 34, Liberty 24. Jacksonville State entered as a 6.5-point underdog, but Cam Cook rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns to help it come out with the upset victory.

Missouri State vs. Marshall

Missouri State 21, Marshall 20. Jacob Clark threw for three touchdowns and 359 yards, including an 8-yard pass to Jeron Askren with 2:12 remaining to give the Bears the upset road victory over Marshall.

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