Upsets Shake College Football As Perennial Powers Fall

The weather was perfect, the beer was ice cold, and tailgating was in full force these past few weekends for another exciting and eventful round of college football. The past two weeks have been unexpected and eventful, as powerhouse teams have struggled and BCS busters have emerged.

It began two weeks ago on a Thursday night in Corvallis, Oregon. A sea of orange exploded onto the field when the Oregon State Beavers upset then-No. 1 USC. Then Florida lost in Gatorville and the Wisconsin Badgers went down on a failed two-point conversion to Big Ten rival Michigan.

Three of the top 10 teams had already lost when all of the attention switched gears to Athens, Georgia, where the Bulldogs were hosting longtime rival Alabama.

It was the perfect day for Georgia fans, the most significant game on campus in decades with the biggest blackout in school history. 95,000 fans entered Sanford Stadium dressed in black and excited to watch their team compete. Then Alabama turned the Georgia blackout into a whiteout and stomped the Dogs on all levels of play.

Eighth-ranked Alabama looked as poised as any team in the nation by defeating Georgia 41-30. The final score looked closer than the game actually was as the Crimson Tide led 31-0 at halftime.

Georgia was the third of the top four teams to register their first loss of the season. The Bulldogs have since dropped out of the top 10, while Alabama jumped all the way to becoming the second-ranked team in the country.

Also in the SEC, the underrated Vanderbilt Commodores hosted Auburn in Nashville, Tennessee. In a defensive battle, Vandy came away victorious, 14-13 in front of a sellout crowd of screaming fans dressed in black and gold.

The Commodores have soared to a school best 5-0 start and will next face Mississippi State to remain on top of their conference.

The Big 12 also had some exciting action this past weekend as Missouri traveled across the board to Lincoln, Nebraska to compete against the Cornhuskers and a 30-year winless streak. The Tigers had not won in Nebraska since 1978, but this was bound to be a much different situation.

Missouri is the third best team in the nation, and they proved it by playing like an elite team and destroying Nebraska, 52-17. Chase Daniel, the senior quarterback and Heisman trophy hopeful, threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns.

The losing streak had been snapped, and Missouri further proved to the college football world that they are the real deal.

Oklahoma, the best team in the nation, also took care of business by beating Baylor in a 49-17 blowout. The Sooners will next face off against number five Texas in their annual October battle. This game will have a BCS bowl feel and will be a major victory for either school.

Boston College also played well as Chris Crane dashed for a 13-yard touchdown and a fourth quarter victory as his team prevailed over N.C. State 38-31. This puts B.C. at 4-1 on the season, where they will next battle a strong Virginia Tech team in Boston.

After another crazy few weeks, this college football season seems to be as unknown as last years. The top 10 has been shaken up, and more changes are sure to come. It is always exhilarating to see upsets and close games on Saturday afternoons.

Conference play will continue to heat up in the weeks to come as more electrifying and surprising play will continue to unfold.