During the Covid-19 sports shutdown, I created two comprehensive college football lists that have been published and updated annually on this blog: one for the greatest game of every college football regular season and the other for the great game of every college football postseason. I realized this year though that there was one analysis that was missing that is a list of the the greatest upsets of every college football season. Before we dig into each of these games, let me give you some ground rules for this particular list. First of all, there is not a separate list of regular season upsets and postseason upsets here as both are taken into account when making each year’s selection. Also, the bowl games that extend into the following calendar year are still counted towards the previous year’s season (i.e. the 2026 Rose Bowl is still part of the 2025 season). Finally, when I am defining “greatest” upset I am basing it on a combination of two distinct factors: (1) the magitude/unlikeliness of the upset and (2) the significance the upset had in the sport. Therefore, I am not just choosing upsets based on which point spread was the largest (anyone could do that), and I am not just choosing upsets that have the biggest impact on the national title. I am taking both of those factors into account to try to make objectively reasoned selections that form a comprehensive list of upsets throughout the history of this great sport.

Without further ado, here is my selection for upset of the year for every college football regular season that has been played from 1901 through this past season.  The games in bold I have rated as best of the decade, and the ones with asteriks went into overtime.  Feel free to comment or debate.

1901	Northwestern 17, Illinois 11 (October 26)	The Wildcats who were coming off a blowout loss to Michigan handed their unbeaten in-state rival their first loss of the season.
1902	Lafayette 6, Brown 5 (November 1)	The Bears finished the season rated # 14 in the retroactive polls and their only losses prior to his came to the powerhouses of Yale and Harvard.
1903	Princeton 11, Yale 6 (November 14)	The Tigers derail Yale’s bid at a second consecutive national title with this late season stunner
1904	Army 11, Yale 6 (October 22)	The Black Knights bounce back from a loss to Harvard just five days earlier and give Yale its lone loss of the 1904 season. The Bulldogs wouldn’t lose again until 1908.
1905	Chicago 2, Michigan 0 (November 30)	The Maroons hand the Wolverines their first loss since 1900 in their season finale. Michigan had in fact won every game over the past two seasons by double-digits.
1906	Vanderbilt 4, Carlisle 0 (November 22)	The Commodores put southern football on the map with this upset of a Carlisle team that has been retroactively rated in the top 5 for that season.
1907	Cornell 6, Princeton 5 (October 26)	The Big Red bounce back from a crushing loss to Penn State a week before and hand the Tigers their first loss in two seasons.
1908	Dartmouth 10, Princeton 6 (November 7)	The Big Green hand Princeton their first loss of the season in front of 10,000 fans at the Polo Grounds. It was Dartmouth’s only win over a retroactively ranked team in 1908.
1909	Lafayette 6, Princeton 0 (October 23)	Stunning upset of unbeaten Tigers occurs when the Leopards’ Frank Irmscher blocks a field goal with six seconds in the fourth quarter and returns it for a touchdown. The New York Times calls it “probably the most sensational finish that has ever been seen in a football game.”
1910	Ursinius 8, Penn 5 (September 24)	The Bears of Ursinis stun the heavily favored Penn Quakers in their season opener. The loss ends up being the only one of a 1910 Quaker campaign that includes wins over Penn State, Carlisle, West Virginia, and Cornell and a tie against Michigan.
1911	Carlisle 18, Harvard 15 (November 11)	One of the greatest athlete of all-time (Jim Thorpe) almost single-handedly pulls off one of the great road upsets of all-time by scoring all 18 points for the Indians in this late season shocker. It was the Crimson’s first loss to a team outside of the current Ivy League in four seasons.
1912	Penn 34, Carlisle 26 (November 16)	The Quakers hand Jim Thorpe’s Indians a shocking loss in this relative shootout which came just a few months after Thorpe won two gold medals in track and field during the 1912 Summer Olympics.
1913	Notre Dame 35, Army 13 (November 1)	This road upset not only established the Fighting Irish as a national power but also changed the way the forward pass was used in college football, as the Irish passing attack was used to throw to receivers in stride for the first time.
1914	Auburn 14, Georgia Tech 0 (November 7)	This upset of John Heisman’s Yellow Jackets was Georgia Tech’s last loss against a southern foe for the next five seasons.
1915	Cornell 10, Harvard 0 (October 23)	The “Big Red Machine” as they were called stun Harvard en route to a national title. This was the Crimson’s first loss to anyone in four seasons and Cornell’s first ever win over their Ivy League rival.
1916	Illinois 14, Minnesota 9 (November 4)	A seemingly unbeatable Golden Gopher squad was stunned at home by an Illini team that ended the season with a mere .500 record.
1917	Wisconsin 10, Minnesota 7 (November 3)	For the second consecutive season, the Golden Gophers had their national title hopes dashed during the first weekend of November with a narrow loss to a mediocre Big Ten foe.
1918	Cleveland Naval Reserve 10, Pittsburgh 9 (November 30)	The Panthers see their 32 game winning steak come to an end thanks to a pair of clock controversies at the end of both the first and second halves.
1919	Brown 7, Dartmouth 6 (November 15)	The Bears spoil the Big Green’s perfect season and national title hopes with this neutral site upset. Brown entered this contest as losers of four of their previous five games.
1920	California 28, Ohio State 0 (Rose Bowl)	The Golden Bears shocked the nation with this dominant win over Ohio State in what was just their fifth season since their football program was created. The loss was so bad that the Big Ten banned their member schools from participating in the Rose Bowl for the next 26 seasons!
1921	Centre 6, Harvard 0 (October 29)	One of the greatest early college football upsets. The Praying Colonels snapped the Crimson’s 25 game unbeaten streak.
1922	Brown 3, Harvard 0 (November 18)	The Crimson lose consecutive home games for the first time in 15 years thanks to this surprising upset.
1923	Colgate 16, Syracuse 7 (November 17)	The Orange are denied their first perfect season in school history as a result of this home upset from the Raiders. Syracuse wouldn’t finish a season unbeaten until 1959.
1924	Minnesota 20, Illinois 7 (November 15)	The Gophers, who had not won a game in over a month, spoil Red Grange and Illinois’ perfect season with this last season stunner.
1925	Alabama 20, Washington 19 (Rose Bowl)	The game that put Alabama football on the map as Tide pull off stunning upset with second half comeback.
1926	Carnegie Tech 19, Notre Dame 0 (November 27)	The Irish entered the game with a streak of eight straight shutout victories yet they were the ones shut out on this snow day in Pittsburgh. Rockne was so confident of an Irish win he didn’t even show up for the game.
1927	Georgia Tech 12, Georgia 0 (December 3)	The Golden Tornadoes, as they were known at the time, stun Georgia’s “Dream and Wonder” squad on a muddy field in the season finale, ending their perfect season and preventing them from winning a national title.
1928	Michigan 3, Illinois 0 (November 3)	The Wolverines bounce back from from an 0-4 start to the season that included a loss to lowly Ohio Wesleyan to beat this unbeaten Illini squad that wouldn’t give up another point for the remainder of the season.
1929	Indiana 19, Northwestern 14 (November 16)	The Hoosiers, who were winless in their last six, stun a 6-1 Northwestern squad on the road in this last season upset.
1930	Saint Mary’s 20, Fordham 12 (November 15)	The undefeated Rams had their national title hopes spoiled by a Gaels squad in an upset so big that President Herbert Hoover hosted the Saint Mary’s squad at the White House.
1931	Southern Cal 16, Notre Dame 14 (November 21)	The Trojans end Notre Dame’s 26 game winning streak and get their first ever win in South Bend with this stunner that the USC yearbook stated was “the biggest upset since Mrs. O’Leary’s cow knocked over that lantern.”
1932	Georgia Tech 6, Alabama 0 (November 12)	A 2-4 Yellow Jacket squad stuns a 6-1 Bama team in what would Georgia Tech’s last home victory over the Tide for the next decade.
1933	Columbia 7, Stanford 0 (Rose Bowl)	The Lions were selected for this game to give Indians of Stanford an “easy” postseason win. Columbia ruined the party with this stunning upset thanks to a 3rd quarter reverse that was run in for a touchdown on a field that had basically deteriorated due a torrential downpour.
1934	Wisconsin 7, Illinois 3 (November 17)	The Badgers, who entered this game losing 3 of their last 4, destroy Illinois’ unbeaten season and national title hopes with this homecoming weekend upset of the Illini.
1935	Northwestern 14, Notre Dame 7 (October 5)	The 2-3 Wildcats get their first ever win in South Bend and simultaneously extinguish the Irish’s perfect season and national title hopes.
1936	(6) Santa Clara 21, (2) LSU 14 (Sugar Bowl)	The Broncos bounce back from end of regular loss to Sammy Baugh’s TCU squad to stun the unbeaten Tigers and deny them a chance at a national championship.
1937	Notre Dame 7, (4) Minnesota 6 (October 30)	The unranked Irish who lost to lowly Carnegie Tech just two weeks before, upset the 4th ranked Golden Gophers, who outscored their opponents 184 to 50 throughout the season, on the road.
1938	(19) Carnegie Tech 20, (1) Pittsburgh 10 (November 5)	The hometown Tartans end the top ranked Panthers 22 game winning streak and extinguish their national title hopes with this road upset.
1939	Illinois 16, (2) Michigan 7 (November 4)	An 0-4 Illini squad shock the 2nd ranked Wolverines thanks to an astonishing eight turnovers (5 interceptions and 3 lost fumbles) committed by Michigan.
1940	Arkansas 21, (14) Ole Miss 20 (October 26)	An unbeaten Rebel squad had their national title hopes dashed thanks to this neutral site upset (game was played in Memphis) that came at the hands of a Razorback squad who ended the season with a 4-6 overall record.
1941	(12) Oregon State 20, (2) Duke 16 (Rose Bowl)	Beavers pull off huge road upset in the lone Rose Bowl game that was moved to Durham because of fear of an attack from the Japanese. Bob Dethman comes up with game saving interception on final play of the game.
1942	Iowa Pre-Flight 7, Minnesota 6 (October 3)	This was the Golden Gophers’ first loss in three years that ended their 18 game winning streak, which was the longest in the country at the time.
1943	(6) Great Lakes Navy 19, (1) Notre Dame 14 (November 27)	The Irish become the only team in college football history to lose their season finale and still maintain their # 1 ranking after this upset loss to a Blue Jacket squad made up of several former college football players and coaches who had enlisted in the Navy during wartime.
1944	North Carolina Pre-Flight 21, Navy 14 (September 30)	The Midshipmen, who were a national champion favorite, suffer a stunning season-opening loss to a Cloudbuster squad (yes, that was actually their mascot) they had defeated 31-0 the previous season.
1945	Rice 7, (9) Texas 6 (October 27)	The eventual Cotton Bowl champions suffered their only loss of the season at home against the 1-4 Owls.
1946	Virginia Tech 14, (12) NC State 6 (October 26)	A winless Gobbler squad (precursor to their later Hokies mascot) picks up their first win over a ranked opponent in school history with this upset over the unbeaten Wolfpack.
1947	Columbia 21, (6) Army 20 (October 25)	The Cadets, as they were known at the time, had their 32 game win streak ended by an unranked Columbia squad who entered the game on a two game losing streak.
1948	Missouri 20, SMU 14 (October 9)	The Mustangs suffer what ended up being their only loss of the season to an unranked Mizzou squad in their home opener. This was a tremendous upset considering the Mustangs were led by that season’s Heisman Trophy winner Doak Walker and six other future NFL draft picks.
1949	(7) Army 21, (1) Michigan 7 (October 8)	The Cadets march into Ann Arbor and end the top ranked Wolverines’ 26 game win streak thanks largely to an early game injury to Michigan quarterback Chuck Ortmann.
1950	Navy 14, (2) Army 2 (December 2)	A stunnjng upset as 2-6 Midshipmen end Army’s 28 game unbeaten streak in front of President Harry Truman.
1951	(7) Kentucky 13, (1) Oklahoma 7 (Sugar)	Bear Bryant’s Kentucky squad pulls massive upset to end Oklahoma’s 31 game win streak and deny the Sooners the national title.
1952	(10) Notre Dame 27, (4) Oklahoma 21 (November 15)	For the second straight season, Bud Wilkinson’s Sooners have their national title hopes dashed by a late season upset in what was one of the first ever college football games ever broadcast on network television. The Irish entered this game as a 14 point underdog but were able to spring the upset thanks to some crucial Sooner turnovers.
1953	Mississippi Southern 25, (5) Alabama 19 (September 18)	My great grandfather in-law and Alabama head coach Red Drew saw his Tide become a victim of a massive season opening upset in this contest played in Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl. The Tide entered the game in the top 5 following their 61-6 blowout in the previous season’s Orange Bowl.
1954	(19) Purdue 27, (1) Notre Dame 14 (October 2)	The Boilermakers end the top ranked Irish’s 13 game winning streak and hand new Notre Dame coach Terry Brennan his only loss of his inaugural campaign in South Bend.
1955	(5) Maryland 7, (1) UCLA 0 (September 24)	Per the College Football Hall of Fame, this was one of the first “September Shocker” in the sport’s history as Maryland gave the top ranked and defending national champion Bruins their first loss in two seasons.
1956	Illinois 20, (1) Mich. State 13 (October 27)	The undefeated and top ranked Spartans blow a 13 point halftime lead to an Illini squad that finished the season 2-5-2 thanks the Illini’s Abe Woodson who had three second half touchdowns, including a 70 yard TD run and 82 yard TD reception.
1957	Notre Dame 7, (2) Oklahoma 0 (November 16)	It is hard to call any Notre Dame win a great upset but this was a shocking result as the 19 point favorite Sooners who had won 47 straight games got beat by the Irish in Norman.
1958	(16) Ohio State 38, (2) Iowa 28 (November 15)	The second ranked Hawkeyes suffer their only loss of the season with this home defeat to a Buckeye squad who was the only team to beat Iowa in the year prior as well.
1959	Nebraska 25, (19) Oklahoma 21 (October 31)	This halloween shocker ended Oklahoma’s record 74 game conference win streak and is considered to be Nebraska’s biggest upset in school history, as it was the first time the Huskers, who entered the game with a mere 2-4 record, knocked off their rival Sooners since 1942.
1960	Purdue 23, (1) Minnesota 14 (November 12)	A 2-4-1 Boilermaker squad stuns unbeaten and top ranked Minnesota on the road causing the Gophers to later become the first two loss national champion in the history of the sport.
1961	TCU 6, (1) Texas 0 (November 18)	The Horned Frogs pull off this stunning upset as a 24 point underdog thanks to a 50 years touchdown pass from Sonny Gibbs to Buddy Iles.
1962	Georgia Tech 7, (1) Alabama 6 (November 17)	The unranked Yellow Jackets upset the # 1 ranked Crimson Tide and end Alabama’s 27 game unbeaten streak thanks to a two point conversion stop and a 4th quarter interception of “Broadway” Joe Namath.
1963	Florida 10, (3) Alabama 6 (October 12)	The unranked Gators deal Bear Bryant his first ever loss in Tuscaloosa during this sixth season of his legendary tenure as Tide head coach.
1964	Kentucky 27, (1) Ole Miss 21 (September 26)	The # 1 ranked Rebels suffer their first regular season loss in three seasons at home to a Kentucky squad who finished a mere 5-5 and barely beat lowly Detroit, the week prior.
1965	(5) UCLA 14, (1) Michigan State 12 (Rose Bowl)	The two touchdown underdog Bruins knock off the # 1 ranked and seemingly unbeatable Michigan State Spartans to deny them an undisputed national championship.
1966	Texas Tech 21, (6) Arkansas 16 (November 19)	This shocking loss to a 3-6 Red Raider squad kept the # 6 ranked Hogs from a third consecutive trip to the Cotton Bowl and left them out of postseason play altogether.
1967	Oregon State 3, (1) Southern Cal 0 (November 11)	The unranked Beavers complete one of the greatest four week runs in college football history as they knocked off OJ Simpson and his # 1 ranked Trojans after beating # 2 Purdue on the road three weeks and tying # 2 UCLA the previous week. This string of upsets earned this squad the nickname “Giant Killers”.
1968	Michigan State 21, (5) Notre Dame 17 (October 26)	The unranked Spartans stun Ara Parseghian’s Irish whose only other loss that season came against # 1 ranked Purdue.
1969	(12) Michigan 24, (1) Ohio State 12 (November 22)	The Wolverines stun the top ranked Buckeyes in Bo Schembechler’s first season in Ann Arbor.
1970	(18) Colorado 41, (4) Penn State 13 (September 26)	The Buffaloes end the Nittany Lions’ 24 game win streak with this dominant victory over Paterno’s squad at Folsom Field in Boulder.
1971	San Jose State 13, (10) Stanford 12 (November 13)	The tenth ranked Stanford Indians as they were called for the last time in ’71 were stunned at home by a 3-4-1 Spartan squad that had lost straight in this annual rivalry game, eight of which defeats were by more than one score.
1972	(9) Auburn 17, (2) Alabama 16 (December 2)	The “Punt, Bama, Punt” game as the Tigers block two punts in final six minutes to pull off upset.
1973	(3) Notre Dame 24, (1) Alabama 23 (Sugar Bowl)	This wasn’t a huge upset point spread-wise (6.5 points) but few people thought the Irish could come down south and beat Bear Bryant’s Crimson Tide.
1974	Michigan State 16, (1) Ohio State 13 (November 9)	A conteoversial final play gives Spartans the upset. Officials disagreed initially as to whether Spartans got final snap, in which they scored a touchdown, off or not.
1975	Missouri 20, (2) Alabama 7 (September 8)	The Tide pick of up their first regular season loss since the Iron Bowl of 1972 in this season-opening road shocker. This loss ultimately cost the Tide a national title, as it was the only game Bama would drop the entire season.
1976	Purdue 16, (1) Michigan 14 (November 6)	The Spoilermakers as they were dubbed pull off this epic upset over the nation’s top ranked team with chip shot field goal in final four minutes of regulation. Michigan’s subsequent 37 yard field goal in game’s final seconds sailed wide left.
1977	(6) Arkansas 31, (2) Oklahoma 6 (Orange Bowl)	Lou Holtz’s short-handed Hogs team dismantled the second ranked Sooners as an 18 point underdog.
1978	Arizona State 20, (2) Southern Cal 7 (October 7)	The Sun Devils pick up their first ever win the Pac-10 as an 18 point home underdog to an unbeaten USC squad that beat the # 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide just a few weeks earlier.
1979	UCLA 31, (5) Purdue 21 (September 15)	The fifth ranked Boilermakers stumble in this early season defeat to a UCLA squad that ended up finishing the season with a 5-6 record.
1980	Miss. State 6, (1) Alabama 3 (November 1)	The Bulldogs end Alabama’s epic 28 game winning streak in what is considered one of the biggest upsets in SEC history. This was Bear Bryant’s only loss to Mississippi State in his 25 year tenure in Tuscaloosa.
1981	(8) Pittsburgh 24, (2) Georgia 20 (Sugar Bowl)	One of the great bowl upsets of all-time as Dan Marino leads the Panthers to victory with 33 yard touchdown pass in game’s final 35 seconds.
1982	Washington St. 24, (5) Washington 20 (November 20)	The Cougs win their first Apple Cup in nine years with this stunning come from beind win as an 18 point home underdg.
1983	(5) Miami-FL 31, (1) Nebraska (Orange Bowl)	The upstart Canes deny Tom Osborne his first national championship by stopping the Huskers’ last gasp 2 point conversion attempt in the final minute of play.
1984	Navy 38, (2) South Carolina 21 (November 17)	The 3-5-1 Midshipmen who enter the game as 14 point home underdogs put an end to # 2 ranked South Carolina’s dream season with this dominating victory in which they rollowed of 31 unanswered points over the final 3 quarters of the game.
1985	Oregon State 21, Washington 20 (October 19)	The Huskies ended the 1984 campaign as the # 2 ranked team in the country and despite some early struggles entered this game on a 4 game winning streak. Yet, they somehow dropped this game to a terrible OSU team.
1986	California 17, (16) Stanford 11 (November 22)	An atrocious Bear squad that entered “The Big Game” with a 1-9 overall record and an 8 game losing streak stuns a 16th ranked Cardinal squad to get their first home win over Stanford since “The Play” in 1982.
1987	Memphis State 13, (15) Alabama 10 (October 10)	The Tigers who had just dropped three straight games stun the top 15 ranked Tide in the Liberty Bowl to pick up their only win over Alabama in school history.
1988	(4) Notre Dame 31, (1) Miami-FL 30 (October 15)	The Catholics vs Convicts Game as it became known saw the end of Miami’s epic 36 game winning streak.
1989	Southern Miss 30, (6) Florida State 26 (September 2)	Brett Favre led the Golden Eagles to victory in this season opening shocker thanks to a Favre touchdown pass in the final minute of play.
1990	Air Force 23, (24) Ohio State 11 (Liberty Bowl)	The Falcons entered this game as a 17 point underdog after a 6th place finish in the 9 team WAC. Nevertheless, Air Force ran all over the Buckeyes en route to an easy victory.
1991	Tulsa 35, (15) Texas A & M 34 (September 21)	The Golden Hurricane, who were coming off a 3-8 campaign, hand the Aggies their only regular season loss during the entire season.
1992	Arkansas 25, (4) Tennessee 24 (October 10)	The Hogs, who finished the season with a 3-7-1 record stun an unbeaten Tennessee squad who had already beaten a top 15 Georgia squad and a top 5 Florida team earlier that season
1993	(17) Boston College 41, (1) Notre Dame 39 (November 20)	The ultimate letdown game as the Irish won the “game of the century” over Florida State the week before just to follow it up with this clunker that cost the Irish the national title.
1994	New Mexico 23, (9) Utah 21 (November 5)	The Lobos, who lost their first five games of the season, upset an unbeaten Utah squad who finished the season in the top 10.
1995	Northwestern 17, (8) Notre Dame 15 (September 2)	The 28 point underdog stun the Irish on the road to get their first win over Notre Dame since 1962 and lay the groundwork for their Cinderella run to the Rose Bowl that season.
1996	Texas 37, (3) Nebraska 27 (December 7)	An unranked Longhorn squad stunned the # 3 ranked Huskers in the first-ever Big 12 Championship Game to end Nebraska’s hopes of a national title three peat.
1997	Kentucky 40, (20) Alabama 34 (October 4)*	This wasn’t the greatest Bama squad but given how good Alabama had been over the previous decade and how bad Kentucky had been this win was catacylsmic.
1998	Temple 28, (14) Virginia Tech 14 (October 18)	Perennial doormat Temple entered the game with a 26 game losing streak in Big East road games yet they somehow shocked a top 15 Hokie team in Blacksburgh
1999	Louisiana Tech 29, (18) Alabama 28 (September 18)	The Bulldogs pull off a stunning early season victory over a Bama squad that ended up winning the SEC Championship later that season.
2000	Central Mich. 21, Western Michigan 17 (November 11)	A 1-8 Chippewas squad stunned their 8-1 arch rival as a 35 point underdog.
2001	Auburn 23, (1) Florida 20 (October 13)	The Tigers stun the top ranked Gators on the Plains thanks to a dominant rushing performance by Carnell “Cadillac” Williams.
2002	(2) Ohio State 31, (1) MIami-FL 24** (Fiesta Bowl)	Believe it or not, this was a shocking upset at the time as the Canes were considered unbeatable.
2003	California 34, (3) USC 31*** (September 27)	Aaron Rodgers lead Bears to historic triple overtime upset which ended up denying the Trojans a shot at the BCS Championship game that season.
2004	Miss. State 38, (20) Florida 31 (October 23)	A 1-5 Bulldog team stuns a ranked Gator squad to give first year coach Sylvester Croom his inaugural SEC win.
2005	TCU 17, (7) Oklahoma 10 (September 3)	The Horned Frogs, who were still a Group of Five team at the time, come into Norman for the season opener and stun a top 10 squad who played in the national title game the previous season.
2006	(9) Boise State 43, (7) Oklahoma 42* (Fiesta Bowl)	In my opinion, this game is the greatest game in the history of college football given how it changed the sporting landscape.
2007	Stanford 24, (2) Southern Cal 23 (October 6)	Cardinal pull off biggest upset in college football history as a 41 point underdog. Game set the table for Harbaugh’s coaching success and Stanford’s rise to prominence.
2008	(7) Texas Tech 39, (1) Texas 33 (November 2)	An all-time epic college football game won by Mike Leach’s Red Raiders on Crabtree back shoulder catch with 1 second left. Leach pulled off a lot of big upsets over the years but this was his most famous.
2009	Washington 16, (3) Southern Cal 13 (September 19)	The Huskies, who were coming off a winless 2008 campaign, catch the Trojans in a trap game a week after USC’s win over a top 10 Ohio State squad.
2010	James Madison 21, (13) Virginia Tech 16 (September 11)	In an ultimate letdown spot, the Hokies let Boise State beat them two weeks in a row so speak as the Hokies followed up their heartbreaking defeat to the Broncos with this dud.
2011	Iowa State 37, (2) Oklahoma St. 31 (November 18)**	The Cyclones derail Mike Gundy’s best shot at a national title with this double overtime upset of the Cowboys.
2012	(15) Texas A & M 29, (1) Alabama 24 (November 10)	Johnny Manziel takes out the # 1 ranked defending national champ with a dramatic road upset of the Tide.
2013	(4) Auburn 34, (1) Alabama 28 (November 30)	The “Kick Six” game ends the Tide’s national title hopes in shocking fashion.
2014	Arizona 31, (2) Oregon 24 (October 2)	The 24 point underdog Wildcats shocked Marcus Mariota’s Ducks with an epic 4th quarter comeback in Autzen. The Ducks would get revenge in Pac-12 title game with 51-13 payback victory.
2015	Georgia Tech 22, (9) Florida State 16 (October 24)	The 2-5 Yelow Jackets stun a top 10 FSU squad with a miraculous blocked field goal that was returned for a touchdown on the last play of the game.
2016	Central Mich. 30, (22) Oklahoma State 27 (September 10)	The Chppewas stun the Cowboys in controversial fashio as they were able to win the game on a late second Hail Mary that was only allowed to happen because officials incorrectly called intentional grounding against OK State on the previous play.
2017	Howard 43, UNLV 40 (September 2)	This is actually the biggest point spread upset in college football history as the Bison won this game as a 45 point underdog.
2018	Purdue 49, (2) Ohio State 20 (October 20)	The Boilermakers stun # 2 ranked Ohio State and derail their national title hopes with this dominant home victory that will always be remembered as Tyler Trent’s (Purdue student dying of cancer) tribute game.
2019	South Carolina 20, (3) Georgia 17 (October 12)**	South Carolina stuns the unbeaten Bulldodgs between the Hedges in double overtime as a 20.5 point underdog on a shocking missed field goal by the always reliable Rodrigo Blankenship. This loss ultimately cost the Dawgs a spot in the CFP and was their only home loss from 2019-2025.
2020	Miss. State 44, (6) LSU 34 (September 26)	Mike Leach’s tenure at MSU couldn’t have gotten off to a better start as his Bulldogs lit up the defending national champions in Death Valley to the tune of 623 yards passing. One of Leach’s most famous quotes came in the postgame when the CBS reporter quipped, “its a great day for you, eh” and Leach responded with “it is certainly better than average I’ll say that.”
2021	Jacksonville St. 20, (16) Florida State (September 11)	The FCS Gamecocks shock the college football world with a 59 yard touchdown pass on the final play of the game to pull off this road upset as a 27 point underdog.
2022	Marshall 26, (8) Notre Dame 21 (September 10)	The Thundering Herd end the Irish’s 42 game win streak over unraked opponents with this early season stunner in Marcus Freeman’s first year at the helm.
2023	New Mexico St. 31, Auburn 10 (November 18)	Diego Pavia completes the first upset on this list (see 2025), as he leads the Aggies into Jordan Hare as a 25.5 point underdog and comes away victorious.
2024	Vanderbilt 40, (1) Alabama 35 (October 5)	Diego Pavia gets the rare distinction of being the only player to appear on this list in consecutive years at two separate schools, as he led Vandy to their first win over Bama since 1984.
2025	UCLA 42, (7) Penn State 37 (October 4)	The Bruins who had just fired their coach and appeared to be on their way to a winless season stun a Penn State squad who was still considered a national title contender. Bruins entered the game as a 26.5 point home underdog.

I also did some additional analysis where I calculated the months in which the most games of the years and decades were played.  Furthermore, I also broke down how often each teams have been victims/perpetrators of these upsets.

Upsets of Year by Month
September	21
October	36
November	50
December	4
Bowl Games	14

Upset of Year Winners
Notre Dame	6
Purdue	4
Georgia Tech	4
Auburn	4
UCLA	3
Kentucky	3
Oregon State	3
Arkansas	3
California	3
Mississippi State	3
Illinois	3
Northwestern	3
Ohio State	2
Wisconsin	2
Missouri	2
Southern Miss	2
TCU	2
Texas Tech	2
Michigan State	2
Vanderbilt	2
Michigan	2
Central Michigan	2
Navy	2
Army	2
Lafayette	2
Brown	2
Cornell	2
Carnegie Tech	2
Columbia	2
Southern Cal	1
Indiana	1
Pittsburgh	1
Minnesota	1
Stanford	1
Texas	1
Marshall	1
Maryland	1
Nebraska	1
Florida	1
Virginia Tech	1
Rice	1
Arizona State	1
Washington State	1
Miami-FL	1
Memphis	1
Air Force	1
Tulsa	1
Texas A & M	1
Boston College	1
New Mexico	1
New Mexico State	1
Temple	1
Louisiana Tech	1
Boise State	1
James Madison	1
Iowa State	1
Arizona	1
South Carolina	1
Jacksonville State	1
Colorado	1
San Jose State	1
Alabama	1
Washington	1
Cleveland Naval Reserve	1
Penn	1
Carlisle	1
Princeton	1
Howard	1
Chicago	1
Dartmouth	1
Ursinius	1
Centre	1
Colgate	1
Saint Mary’s	1
Santa Clara	1
Iowa Pre-Flight	1
Great Lakes Navy	1
North Carolina Pre-Flight	1

Upset of Decade Winners
Columbia	2
Kentucky	1
Michigan	1
Auburn	1
Mississippi State	1
Temple	1
Stanford	1
Howard	1
Lafayette	1
Carlisle	1
Carnegie Tech	1

Upset of Year Victims
Alabama	14
Notre Dame	9
Oklahoma	7
Southern Cal	5
Ohio State	5
Minnesota	5
Michigan	4
Illinois	4
Harvard	4
Florida State	3
Texas	3
Stanford	3
Georgia	3
Washington	3
Army	3
Princeton	3
Michigan State	2
Nebraska	2
Florida	2
Penn State	2
Miami-FL	2
Ole Miss	2
Oklahoma State	2
Virginia Tech	2
Pittsburgh	2
LSU	2
Carlisle	2
Yale	2
Navy	1
SMU	1
NC State	1
Duke	1
Utah	1
Western Michigan	1
Oregon	1
South Carolina	1
UNLV	1
Tennessee	1
Arkansas	1
Purdue	1
UCLA	1
Iowa	1
Texas A & M	1
Syracuse	1
Georgia Tech	1
Auburn	1
Northwestern	1
Dartmouth	1
Penn	1
Brown	1
Fordham	1

Upset of Decade Victims
Alabama	2
Notre Dame	1
Stanford	1
Army	1
Oklahoma	1
Ohio State	1
Virginia Tech	1
Southern Cal	1
UNLV	1
Princeton	1
Harvard	1