10 Upsets That Would Ruin the 2015 College Football Season
Upsets are a part of every college football season. On a quiet Saturday, they tend to come out of nowhere, forcing fans to hunt down a channel they didn’t even know existed to watch a top team sweat out a victory it never imagined would be so difficult.
Upsets are fun to watch, but they have a way of robbing a season of some of its magic. Before every season, we mark the calendar with the season’s biggest games—games that decide conference titles and push teams toward the College Football Playoff. Athlon Sports' Braden Gall took a look at the top 25 games of the 2015 season. An ill-timed upset can ruin the atmosphere surrounding those games.
This isn’t to say upsets aren’t meaningful, but at the wrong time, they can rob a much-anticipated game of its luster. Here’s a look at the 10 college football upsets that would ruin the 2015 season. Of course, if your team is the one doing the upsetting, you’re likely to disagree. That’s fine.
Air Force over Michigan State
1 of 10
One of the biggest games of the 2015 nonconference season comes Sept. 12 when Oregon visits Michigan State. It’s the return game of a huge home-and-home series pitting the Big Ten and Pac-12 powers, and it is highly anticipated. A year ago, Oregon’s comeback win over the Spartans in Eugene jump-started Marcus Mariota’s Heisman Trophy campaign and served notice that the Ducks would be a national contender.
This fall, both programs should enter the season in the top 10 even though they have questions. Oregon must decide between Jeff Lockie or Eastern Washington transfer Vernon Adams to replace Mariota, and the Spartans must replace their leading rushers and receivers from 2014.
If Michigan State can hold off the Ducks, it will be on serious upset alert Sept. 19 when Air Force visits. The Falcons are coming off a 10-3 season that included a win over Mountain West champion Boise State, and their flexbone option style can be problematic for more talented opponents. If the Spartans come out flat, they’ll be in trouble and run the risk of wasting their early-season momentum.
Cal over Oregon
2 of 10
Despite losing Marcus Mariota to the NFL, Oregon should be among the nation’s top teams again in 2014. The Ducks return 13 starters, led by standout tailback Royce Freeman, who rushed for 1,365 yards and 18 touchdowns a year ago.
While an early trip to Michigan State will be difficult, a November stretch will determine whether 2015 will be a year to remember or forget for Mark Helfrich’s team. Oregon travels to Stanford, hosts Southern California and hosts rival Oregon State in the Civil War.
But first, the Ducks must handle what could be a sneakily tough game against Cal. The Bears were one of the nation’s more improved teams last season, going from 1-11 to 5-7 and just missing a bowl game. They lost four games by eight points or less, including a 49-45 loss to Arizona on a final-play Hail Mary touchdown pass. Cal averaged 38.3 points per game, No. 11 nationally, and returns quarterback Jared Goff, who threw for 3,973 yards and 35 touchdowns.
A year ago, they lost to Oregon 59-41, so Sonny Dykes’ team has proved it can score against the Duck D. And with Oregon replacing key members of its secondary, that defense will be on alert again. A loss to Cal could ruin Oregon’s push for a second consecutive national title game appearance almost before it begins.
Georgia Southern over Georgia
3 of 10
Georgia Southern’s first season at the FBS level was one to remember. The Eagles finished 9-3, and while they weren’t eligible for the Sun Belt title, they still made waves. They lost to Georgia Tech and N.C. State by a combined five points, blowing leads with less than two minutes to play in both games.
They’ll return 12 starters this fall and will be formidable again, especially with their top two rushers returning in tailback Matt Breida and quarterback Kevin Ellison. The Eagles have built a reputation as a giant killer, particularly after 2013's upset of Florida. SB Nation's Steven Godfrey says their scheduling has become challenging, as athletic director Tom Kleinlein told him.
"I got all the Oklahomas and Clemsons and LSUs I can shake a stick at," he said. "It’s that second tier; it’s the Mountain West or C-USA school. I listen to ADs talk about being strapped for money. I say great, let me play you home-and-home. Don't pay us anything, and we'll bring at least 5,000 fans. Nope. They want no part of it."
GSU will have an opportunity to play spoiler again in 2015, and one of the best opportunities will come Nov. 21. The Eagles will visit Georgia, and while the Bulldogs will be wary of the option, it could be the perfect opportunity. Georgia will be coming off an emotional game at Auburn and facing a rivalry match at Georgia Tech.
Mark Richt’s team, led by Nick Chubb and an improving defense, will be solid again this fall. The Bulldogs will have wrapped up their SEC schedule by the time Southern comes calling but could still be in the mix for the College Football Playoff. An upset would change that and rob Tech-UGA and potentially the SEC title game of greater meaning.
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Minnesota over Ohio State
4 of 10
A year ago, Ohio State overcame an early loss to Virginia Tech and recurring quarterback uncertainty to win its final 13 games and take the College Football Playoff national title. This fall, Urban Meyer’s team again has quarterback uncertainty but returns 14 starters, led by standout tailback Ezekiel Elliott, and should be a College Football Playoff contender again.
The Buckeyes finish the season with a pair of high-profile games, hosting Big Ten East rival Michigan State and traveling to Michigan for Meyer’s first faceoff with Jim Harbaugh in the regular-season finale. But those huge games won’t be as meaningful unless OSU holds off Minnesota and Illinois to begin the month.
A year ago, the Buckeyes held off the Golden Gophers 31-24 in snowy Minneapolis thanks to four total touchdowns from quarterback J.T. Barrett. Minnesota must replace leading rusher David Cobb, but it’s unwise to count out a Jerry Kill-coached team that returns 14 starters. A win in the Horseshoe would be improbable, but it might deal a death blow to OSU’s playoff hopes.
Navy over Notre Dame
5 of 10
Notre Dame figures to be one of the nation’s most improved teams in 2015. One year removed from a disappointing 8-5 season, the Fighting Irish have questions at quarterback between Everett Golson and Malik Zaire but will return 19 starters.
The Irish play a tough schedule, facing Texas, Georgia Tech and Clemson in their first five games, but Oct. 17’s visit from Southern California carries special meaning. Notre Dame will be out for revenge following last season’s rout at USC’s hands, and the game could have College Football Playoff implications.
But first, Notre Dame will have to get past Navy on Oct. 10. That isn’t as easy as it sounds. The Midshipmen are a tough out and have played the Irish tough in the past two seasons, falling 38-34 in 2013 and 49-39 in 2014.
With senior quarterback Keenan Reynolds (1,191 rushing yards, 23 touchdowns in 2014) leading the option offense, Navy will again be a tough out for the Irish. A win would certainly strip luster from Notre Dame-Southern California the following week.
N.C. State over Clemson
6 of 10
This season, the ACC got it right. It has become clear over the past five years that Clemson and Florida State are the league’s two best teams and the class of the ACC Atlantic Division. 2008 was the last time someone other than Clemson or FSU represented the Atlantic in the ACC title game, and either Clemson or Florida State has won the last four ACC titles.
The teams’ annual matchup serves as a de facto division title game, so it makes sense to schedule it as late as possible in the season. The ACC did just that this season, slating Florida State to visit Clemson on Nov. 7. Of course, both teams have to make it to the game unscathed to give it its typically outsized meaning.
That won’t be easy for either team, and Clemson faces a tough road to November. The Tigers must travel to Louisville for a Thursday night game and then host Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and Boston College in a three-week span. Even Boston College typically plays Clemson tough.
Then, the Tigers will hit the road for a two-game trip to Miami and N.C. State before hosting FSU. A Halloween trip to Raleigh is particularly concerning. Clemson whipped the Wolfpack 41-0 a year ago, but Dave Doeren’s team, a bowl qualifier a year ago, is improving. And the Tigers have had trouble in the Triangle. Two years ago, they took a tougher-than-expected 26-14 win, and in 2011, they suffered an ugly 37-13 loss. That was Clemson’s last loss as a ranked team to an unranked team.
If Jacoby Brissett shows improvement in his second season as State’s starting quarterback, the Wolfpack could play Atlantic spoiler.
Oklahoma State over Baylor
7 of 10
A year ago, Baylor spent the month of December with anger and regret. The Bears finished 11-1 but just missed the College Football Playoff, largely due to a soft nonconference schedule and a 41-27 loss at West Virginia.
Baylor’s non-league schedule (SMU, FCS Lamar and Rice) isn’t much better this season, meaning head coach Art Briles’ team will have little room for error in another playoff run. The season’s final four games (vs. Oklahoma, at Oklahoma State, at TCU, vs. Texas) will be difficult, but Baylor-TCU could have major Big 12 and College Football Playoff implications, much as it did a year ago.
A Nov. 21 trip to Oklahoma State could trip up the Bears. The Cowboys should be improved after returning 16 starters from an 8-6 team, led by emerging sophomore quarterback Mason Rudolph. While national attention will be focused on a Black Friday showdown between Baylor and TCU, an OSU upset would steal the spotlight, without question.
Tennessee over Alabama
8 of 10
This fall, Alabama faces one of the nation’s toughest schedules. Nick Saban’s team is returning only nine starters from 2014’s SEC championship team, but if the Crimson Tide’s talented recruits can gel, ‘Bama stands an excellent chance of defending that title and making another College Football Playoff run.
It won’t be easy, not with games against Wisconsin and Ole Miss in the season’s first month and road trips to Georgia and Texas A&M in October. And November, as usual, will be difficult, with a home game against LSU and road trips to Mississippi State and Auburn.
But one game people might be overlooking is Oct. 24’s visit from Tennessee. The “Third Saturday in October” was once one of college football’s hottest rivalries, but eight consecutive Alabama wins (seven by at least 14 points) have dulled its luster.
However, Tennessee is improving. The Volunteers are coming off their first bowl appearance since 2010 after playing 23 freshmen, and a talented recruiting class will make them even better, albeit young. Breaking the hex against Alabama would be huge for Butch Jones’ program, but it could ruin Alabama’s hopes of another SEC title and rob huge November games of maximum meaning.
Washington State over UCLA
9 of 10
Coming off consecutive 10-win seasons and returning 18 starters, UCLA should be a part of the Pac-12 and College Football Playoff pictures in 2015. The Bruins lose quarterback Brett Hundley and leading tackler Eric Kendricks but return virtually everyone else from a young, talented team.
UCLA faces a tough stretch in late September and October against Arizona, Arizona State and Stanford, but if Jim Mora’s team survives that, the end of the season, with road trips to Utah and Southern California, will be meaningful.
From Halloween through Thanksgiving weekend, UCLA is home only once, on Nov. 14 against Washington State. Coming off a 3-9 record, Mike Leach’s team was one of the Pac-12’s dregs a year ago and isn’t expected to challenge for a league title this fall.
However, the Cougars played Oregon tough last fall, falling 38-31, and quarterback Luke Falk, assuming he wins the job, will throw with impunity. If UCLA isn’t careful, the Cougars could throw a major wrench into a November to remember in Westwood.
West Virginia over TCU
10 of 10
A year ago, West Virginia was, without question, the Big 12’s biggest spoiler. The Mountaineers played every Big 12 power tough. They upset Baylor 41-27 in Morgantown, likely costing the Bears and the Big 12 a College Football Playoff berth. And TCU needed a final-play field goal to survive WVU 31-30.
This year, Dana Holgorsen’s team will be breaking in a new quarterback in Skyler Howard and will be without All-America wide receiver Kevin White, but it should be feisty again. This year, the Mountaineers travel to Baylor and TCU in a two-week span.
Baylor and TCU’s Black Friday matchup should be the Big 12 game of the year, but it’ll be far less meaningful if either team is carrying a loss into the matchup. West Virginia travels to TCU Oct. 29, and if Holgo’s crew can somehow pull off an upset of the Horned Frogs, it’d really take some shine off the huge Thanksgiving weekend showdown with Baylor.
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