Greatest upsets in college football history

[The Old School JPS]

ESPN is preparing a special on the greatest upsets in college football history and has an online poll on the topic:

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/sportsnation/ballot?event_id=2348 (http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/sportsnation/ballot?event_id=2348)

So far Centre's upset of Harvard is ranked #2 in the poll.

[heatwave13]

That is too tough to call. There are some good ones there.

[Athens2005]

It's somewhat amazing to think about tiny Centre College's victory over Harvard getting so much recognition.

Especially since it happened so long ago.

[Wildcat Larry]

I would have thought UK's 13-7 win over #1 Oklahoma in the 1950 Sugar Bowl would be on that list. What's up with that?

[Athens2005]

Wildcat Larry wrote: I would have thought UK's 13-7 win over #1 Oklahoma in the 1950 Sugar Bowl would be on that list. What's up with that?

Larry, it's probably that we were pretty good, so I think that keeps it from being as big an upset.

UK beating OU that year, was probably about like Texas beating USC last year.

[Wildcat Larry]

Athens2005 wrote: Wildcat Larry wrote: I would have thought UK's 13-7 win over #1 Oklahoma in the 1950 Sugar Bowl would be on that list. What's up with that?

Larry, it's probably that we were pretty good, so I think that keeps it from being as big an upset.

UK beating OU that year, was probably about like Texas beating USC last year.


Well, OU was #1 and crowned the National Champion that year and UK finished the season at #7, so it wasn't like a #1 playing a #2. I just thought it was a fairly big upset about anyway you look at it.

UK's only loss was a 7-0 loss to UT in Knoxville that year in the last game of the regular season.

[Wildcat Larry]

Also, OU was riding a 31 game winning streak into the game (the 7th longest winning streak in NCAA football history). Many of the games listed have to do with ending winning streaks and UK ended the 7th longest one ever, so I think that would qualify as an upset.

[LAcat]

Wildcat Larry wrote: Also, OU was riding a 31 game winning streak into the game (the 7th longest winning streak in NCAA football history). Many of the games listed have to do with ending winning streaks and UK ended the 7th longest one ever, so I think that would qualify as an upset.
I agree, that is maybe the biggest UK win of all-time. Imo, runner up is UK's 1977 road win over then #3 Penn State 24-20. That 1977 10-1 squad was one of Kentucky's greatest teams...and undefeated in the SEC

[poodoo]

You know, JPS, when I read that topic, I immediately thought of how many NEAR-upsets of highy ranked teams have occurred in the history of UK football games, many of which I have personally witnessed. :(Wouldn't it be nice, of course, for ESPN toprepare a similar show next season and have a 2007 UK winas a part of the show!:)

[Will Lavender]

Centre beat Harvard 6-0. Immediately after the game, a Centre student wrote "C 6 H 0" in chalk on the side of the post office. It's still there.

Centre had a running back from Somerset. The guy was so tough that he badly hurt himself in one of the games, and instead of coming out of the game he just had his teammates pour whiskey on the wound to numb the pain.

John Brown was a key player on that team. His book The Legend of the Praying Colonels is a good, informative read on this game and on the history of Centre College. I read the book on one of my first nights as a student at Centre.

[The Old School JPS]

Athens2005 wrote:
It's somewhat amazing to think about tiny Centre College's victory over Harvard getting so much recognition.

Especially since it happened so long ago.

The New York Times once named it the greatest upset in college football history. It really is an incredible story. Bo McMillan, a Centre star who later coached IU, placed as many bets on his own team as he could, at long odds, and rode back to Danville on a train with a ton of cash.

poodoo wrote:

You know, JPS, when I read that topic, I immediately thought of how many NEAR-upsets of highy ranked teams have occurred in the history of UK football games, many of which I have personally witnessed. :(Wouldn't it be nice, of course, for ESPN toprepare a similar show next season and have a 2007 UK winas a part of the show!:)
There were a lot of games where UK teams with really poor records blew 4th quarter leads against some very good teams. I think (not positive) UK had a second half lead against Clemson in 1981, when Clemson went on to win the game in an undefeated national championship season; UK finished 3-8. I also recall UK having a substantial 2nd half lead against Auburn in 1983 when Auburn went on to win the Sugar Bowl with an 11-1 record. (I think UK led 21-0 but lost 49-21.) Had UK held its 4th quarter lead against Tennessee in 1995, 2001 or 2004, ESPN's list would have another entry. Had UK won in its 12-10 loss at Indiana in 1967, they would'vefinished with a 3-7 record but a win overthe Big Ten's Rose Bowl representative. UK did beat the Big Eight's 1965 Sugar Bowl champs (on the road) and 1968Gator Bowlchamps - both very good Missouri squads that beat SEC teams (Florida and Alabama) in their bowl games while UK finished 6-4 and 3-7- two UK wins that are never discussed.

Will Lavender wrote:
Centre beat Harvard 6-0. Immediately after the game, a Centre student wrote "C 6 H 0" in chalk on the side of the post office. It's still there.

Centre had a running back from Somerset. The guy was so tough that he badly hurt himself in one of the games, and instead of coming out of the game he just had his teammates pour whiskey on the wound to numb the pain.

John Brown was a key player on that team. His book The Legend of the Praying Colonels is a good, informative read on this game and on the history of Centre College. I read the book on one of my first nights as a student at Centre.

One of my favorite parts of that book is the section at the end that gives game by game results of several Centre seasons in that era and lists wins - many lopsided - against the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Clemson, Virginia, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Texas Christian, Tulane, UK, IU, Arizona, etc. There is a plaque on Centre's campus - a Kentucky historical marker like you see in many other places - that lists those games as well. Pretty incredible results.