Few sports produce volatility and unpredictability as well as college football. There’s the potential for chaos every week and even big favorites are vulnerable to devastating upsets.
Inevitably, there is always at least one matchup every Saturday that leaves you double-checking to make sure your CBS Sports app isn’t malfunctioning. Those games – the ones where David manages to topple Goliath – are the ones that really separate college football from other major American sports.
Everyone remembers where they were when Appalachian State knocked off No. 5 Michigan in 2007. That same season, Stanford defeated No. 2 USC as a whopping 41-point underdog. Back in 2017, HBCU Howard went to UNLV and pulled off the biggest point-spread upset in the history of the sport.
How many of those stunners will we see in the 2024 season?
In Week 11, Georgia Tech threw a wrench into the ACC Championship and College Football Playoff races. The Yellow Jackets rode a relentless rushing attack to hand No. 4 Miami its first loss of the season. The Hurricanes had played with fire on several occasions prior to last weekend, and they finally got burnt (or stung) in Atlanta.
Week 1
Vanderbilt 34, Virginia Tech 27 (OT)
Spread: Virginia Tech -13.5
The Hokies traveled to Nashville,Tennessee as nearly two-touchdown favorites, but it didn’t take long for things to go haywire. New Mexico State transfer quarterback Diego Pavia gave Virginia Tech all kinds of problems with his arm and his legs, and the Commodores held a 17-0 lead late into the first half.
Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones managed to flip the switch, and his strong second half showing put the Hokies ahead by a touchdown with 4:21 left in regulation. However, Vanderbilt was able to answer with a late game-tying drive, and Pavia won the contest in overtime with a 4-yard scoring scamper.
Pavia finished with 294 total yards and three total touchdowns. Virginia Tech simply wasn’t ready for the challenges presented by the Commodores’ new signal caller.
Week 2
NIU 16, No. 5 Notre Dame 14
Spread: Notre Dame -28.5
After their Week 1 win over Texas A&M at Kyle Field, the Fighting Irish looked like true playoff contenders, and their schedule appeared rather forgiving. By the time kickoff rolled around in Week 2, Notre Dame was a 28.5-point favorite over Northern Illinois, but no one informed the Huskies that they were supposed to be cannon fodder for a national title hopeful.
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard opened the scoring with an 11-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter, but the offense stalled after that. NIU scored the game’s next 13 points to take a six-point lead into the second half.
The Irish did manage to retake the lead midway through the third quarter, thanks to a big run by Jeremiyah Love, but once again the offense sputtered down the stretch. With six minutes left in the game, Leonard threw an inexplicable interception that gave the Huskies new life.
On the ensuing drive, NIU possessed the ball for 5:24 as it gradually pushed the ball into Notre Dame territory to set up a field goal. The Huskies even overcame a controversial spot that forced them to send the kicking unit out earlier than they would have liked.
Senior kicker Kanon Woodill drilled perhaps the biggest field goal of his entire life, nailing a 35-yard attempt to give NIU the lead with just 31 seconds remaining.
Notre Dame had a chance to set up a field-goal attempt, but it could only get to the NIU 44-yard line before running out of time. Head coach Marcus Freeman sent his special teams unit out attempt a 62-yard kick for the win, but that prayer was blocked, and the Huskies sealed their biggest win in program history.
In the wake of this historic upset, the Irish tumbled from No. 5 to No. 18 in the AP Top 25, and Huskies came in at No. 25. That marked the first time the Huskies were ranked since 2013.
Week 5
Kentucky 20, No. 6 Ole Miss 17
Spread: Ole Miss -15.5
A week after narrowly missing an upset of No. 1 Georgia, Kentucky managed to finish the job on the road against No. 6 Ole Miss. The Wildcats’ defense held one of the nation’s most high-octane attacks in check for four quarters, and the offense came through in the clutch.
The Rebels came into this game averaging 670.8 yards of offense per game. The Wildcats held them to just 353 yards on the afternoon, including just 92 on the ground. Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart was limited to just 261 yards and a touchdown, and he was sacked four times. One of those sacks was on a critical second down during the Rebels’ final drive of the game.
Prior to that drive, the Kentucky offense orchestrated a six-play, 83-yard drive of its own. At first, that possession looked like it’d be quite brief. The Wildcats got into a quick 4th-and-7 situation, but quarterback Brock Vandagriff gave them new life when he connected with star receiver Barion Brown for a 63-yard gain.
Even the end of the drive was contained with a heart-stopping moment when Gavin Wimsatt fumbled the ball at the 2-yard line. However, Kentucky tight end Josh Kattus jumped on the loose ball in the end zone for the touchdown.
From there, the Kentucky defense did its part by forcing a 48-yard Ole Miss field goal attempt for the tie. Rebels kicker Caden Davis hooked the kick well wide, and the Wildcats got the upset that had eluded them a week earlier. That was cause for celebration, including some crowd surfing, in the locker room.
Arizona 23, No. 10 Utah 10
Spread: Utah -7.5
The spread doesn’t indicate a massive upset here, but a top-10 team did fall at home, and that’s especially rare at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Even without Cam Rising at quarterback, the Utes were the clear favorites in this one, but their offense sputtered against the Wildcats, and it cost them.
The drop off from Rising to backup quarterback Isaac Wilson was on full display, and Arizona took full advantage. The Wildcats picked off Wilson twice, including one truly puzzling interception midway through the third quarter when the game was still within reach for Utah.
On the other side of the ball, the Wildcats made rushed for 169 yards to keep the Utes off balance. The biggest play of the night came when quarterback Noah Fifita hit Keyan Burnett for a 35-yard score to plunge the proverbial dagger into the home team’s heart.
As was the case with the Wildcats from the “Bluegrass State,” these Wildcats had plenty to sing about in the locker room on Saturday night.
Week 6
Vanderbilt 40, No. 1 Alabama 35
Spread: Alabama -22.5
For the second time this season, Vanderbilt pulled off an upset as a big underdog at home. This time, it was a little bit bigger than an unranked Virginia Tech team coming to town. For the first time since 1984, the Commodores defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Fresh off its win over Georgia, Alabama walked into Nashville as the top-ranked team in the country, but it didn’t take long for the Tide to realize they were in for a fight. Less than seven minutes into the game, Vanderbilt took a 13-0 lead after Randon Fontenette returned a pick six off Jalen Milroe.
As the game wore on, it became apparent that the Alabama defense had zero answers for Diego Pavia and the Vanderbilt offense. Pavia would throw for 252 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 56 yards. One of those passing touchdowns came with just over five minutes remaining to give the Dores a 40-28 lead.
In addition to its solid offensive showing, Vanderbilt played clean football. It didn’t turn the ball over, and it took just three penalties for 20 yards. Defensively, the Commodores were opportunistic, and no play was bigger than the one EDGE Miles Capers made in the fourth quarter. He beat his man off the snap, and got to Milroe for a strip sack that killed a promising Tide drive.
Alabama managed to cut the lead to five points with 2:46 remaining, but it would never get the ball back. The Commodores ran out the clock, and the party was on in Nashville. Unsuspecting tourists were probably a little taken aback by the FirstBank Stadium goalposts marching down broadway later that night.
Arkansas 19, No. 4 Tennessee 14
Spread: Tennessee -14.5
Alabama wasn’t the only top-five SEC program to go down on Saturday. No. 4 Tennessee got all it could handle and more from Arkansas in Fayetteville.
The Razorbacks came out swinging on both sides of the ball, and they had the Volunteers reeling for four quarters. The Arkansas defense had a game plan for Josh Heupel’s offense and executed it to perfection. The Hogs had defenders in the face of Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava all night, and they finished with four sacks.
Despite moving the ball well and controlling possession, Arkansas only held a 3-0 lead at halftime, and Tennessee looked like it was about to take over early in the second half. Less than halfway through the third quarter, the Vols had a 14-3 lead, but the Razorbacks kept fighting. After Tennessee took that 11-point lead, Taylen Green led Arkansas on a 75-yard answer drive that ended with a Ja’Quinden Jackson touchdown run.
Green was impressive, throwing for 266 yards against one of the better defenses in college football, but the comeback got harder when he left the game with a leg injury in the fourth quarter. Freshman Malachi Singleton came in an made enough plays to win the game, including the deciding 11-yard touchdown scamper with 1:17 left.
Even after taking the lead, there was still time for Iamaleava and the Vols to drive down for a game-winning score, but the Razorbacks’ defense stood tall. On the final play of the game, Arkansas forced Iamaleava out of bounds to seal the upset.
As fans rushed the field and tore down goalposts, Arkansas made sure to troll Tennessee in the aftermath of a massive win.
Minnesota 24, No. 11 USC 17
Spread: USC -9.5
The Big Ten wasn’t exempt from chaos last weekend either. USC found itself in a tricky matchup with Minnesota, and the Golden Gophers managed to trip up the No. 11 team in the land.
Minnesota managed to make life miserable for quarterback Miller Moss and the rest of the USC offense. Moss threw for just 200 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions as the Gophers stifled him through the air.
Moss’ counterpart, Max Brosmer, didn’t put up numbers that will jump off the page, but he did make two of the game’s biggest plays. With the Gophers trailing 17-10 at the start of the fourth quarter, Brosmer rushed for a pair of touchdowns. The second one he punched in from one-yard out, and it would prove to be the game-winning score.
While Brosmer scored a pair of touchdowns in the final quarter, Moss threw a pair of interceptions. The first one came after Jah Joyner laid a lick on Moss, and Devon Williams came down with the fluttering ball.
The Trojans’ moved the ball to the Gophers’ 28-yard line on their final drive, but Minnesota native Koi Perich picked off Moss in the end zone to ice the win.
Keeping with the Week 6 trend, Minnesota fans flooded the field to celebrate beating a bona fide College Football Playoff contender.
Week 9
Kennesaw State 27, Liberty 24
Spread: Liberty -25.5
A Wednesday night C-USA matchup between Kennesaw State and Liberty probably wasn’t on the radar for many college football fans, but it quickly became headline news. Kennesaw State scored its first FBS win in dramatic fashion, knocking off College Football Playoff hopeful Liberty as a mammoth underdog.
The night didn’t get off to the best of starts for the Owls. The first time the Flames got the ball, they drove 73 yards and punched in a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. But Kennesaw State was undaunted. On the ensuing drive, Owls quarterback Davis Bryson connected with Christian Moss for a 41-yard touchdown pass to tie the game.
From there, the Kennesaw State defense settled in an even picked off Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter when he was looking for a big play downfield.
The game was tied 14-14 at halftime, and on its first drive of the second half, Kennesaw State drained 5:31 of clock as it drove 60 yards and found the end zone on a six-yard run from Qua Ashley.
A field goal with just over four minutes left in the fourth quarter gave Kennesaw State a 27-17 lead, but Liberty immediately engineered a quick drive to score a touchdown and get within three points. The Flames were able to get the ball back with just six seconds left on the clock, but on the final play of the game, Salter’s pass sailed harmlessly out of bounds to give the Owls a historic win.
Kennesaw head coach Brian Bohannon and the rest of the team were fired up after stunning the college football world, and a party ensued at Fifth Third Stadium.
Week 11
Georgia Tech 28, Miami 23
Spread: Miami -9.5
In the days leading up to this game, Georgia Tech was a double-digit betting underdog at home, according to sports betting apps like DrafKings. That didn’t matter to the Yellow Jackets, who came out swinging.
On the second play of the game, running back Jamal Haynes broke free for a 65-yard gain. Two plays later, Haynes found more daylight for a 16-yard score. Haynes logged had three rushing attempts on Saturday, but few plays were as big as those two runs.
Miami responded with a two-play touchdown drive to level the score of 7-7. Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King managed to find Malik Rutherford for a score in the second quarter, and the Yellow Jackets took a 14-10 lead into halftime.
As the game wore on, one thing became abundantly clear. Georgia Tech had no interest in throwing the ball if it didn’t have to. The Jackets’ ground game was buzzing, and they rushed for 271 yards on the Canes. King ran the ball a whopping 20 times for 93 yards and a score, and the rest of the team tallied 28 attempts on the ground.
While the running game was a key part of the upset, one of the most impressive plays of the day came through the air. In the third quarter, with the Yellow Jackets facing a 3rd-and-9 from the Miami 15-yard line, Aaron Philo dropped back and found Chase Lane in the end zone for a terrific diving touchdown catch.
The Georgia Tech defense did a lot of bending, but rarely broke. Miami’s star quarterback Cam Ward totaled 389 yards and three touchdowns through the air, but the Yellow Jackets got some key stops.
Not only did Georgia Tech thwart Miami on three of is four fourth-down attempts, but it also made the game-winning play. With under two minutes to play and the Hurricanes trailing by five, Romello Height came up with a strip-sack on Ward. Georgia Tech recovered the fumble and ran out the clock on a special win for the program.
After Georgia Tech took one last knee, the fans at Bobby Dodd Stadium streamed onto the field to celebrate the team’s first top-five win since 2009.