My 5 Favorite Sports Upsets

My Top 5 Favorite Sports Upsets I Saw Live: Here is my countdown of some of the greatest upsets to ever happen. All of these games I saw live and are my personal favorite upsets in sports history.

5. Lehigh 75 vs. Duke 70; NCAA Basketball Tournament First Round; March 15, 2012

Duke was a 2 seed. Lehigh was a 15 seed. The heavy favorite Blue Devils were expected to walk all over the Mountain Hawks and go deep into the NCAA tournament. However, CJ McCollum and the rest of the Lehigh team had a different idea. They dominated the entire game, closing it out in the final minutes by being clutch at the free throw line. Even though they lost to Xavier, Lehigh became the sixth 15^th seed ever (and second that year) to advance to the second round. Being an UNC fan, it made it all that sweeter to see out bitter rivals get embarrassed.  

4. Stanford 24 vs. Southern Cal 23; College Football; October 6, 2007

41 points. That is how much the second ranked USC Trojans were favorite by when they faced off against in conference rival Stanford. The year before Stanford went 1-11 which included a 42-0 loss to USC. Being predicted to lose by six touchdowns did not faze the Cardinal, as the fought the Trojans tooth and nail till the end. Down 23-17 with forty-nine seconds left, Stanford quarterback Tavita Pritchard threw a fade route to the back of the end zone which was caught by Mark Bradford for the touchdown. That sealed the game for the Cardinal, who completed the biggest point spread upset in college football history.

3. Appalachian State 34 vs. Michigan 32; College Football; September 1, 2007

Division 1AA teams rarely beat Division 1A teams, especially when that team is the 5^th ranked team in the land. That’s what happened in 2007 when Appalachian State beat Michigan in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines were expected to routinely beat the Mountaineers like every other D1A team playing a D1AA team (27 point favorites), instead they got the fight of their life. With just six seconds left and down 36-34, Michigan lined up for a chip shot field goal for the win. As the kicker kicked the ball a Mountaineer defender stepped up and blocked the kick ending the game. The stadium sat in stunned silence as Appalachian State celebrated an upset that would go down in history. I remember sitting in my chair with my jaw hitting the floor after watching the field goal get blocked.   

2. Boise State 43 vs. Oklahoma 42; Rose Bowl; January 1, 2007

The BCS has always been controversial. So in 2007 when they matched up an undefeated Boise State against a powerhouse Oklahoma team, everyone thought it would be a massacre. Even though Boise State was undefeated they had not played any tough competition, as opposed to Oklahoma who week in and week out were matched up against some of the top teams. Boise State quickly proved the experts wrong as they competed with and held the lead against the Sooners for almost the entire game. In the 4^th quarter the Broncos found themselves down by seven and facing fourth and 18, so they called up a tick play and ran a hook and ladder to score a touchdown and tie the game with seven seconds left. In overtime the Broncos went for the win going for two after re-tying the game with a touchdown. Boise State had another trick up their sleeve and ran the old “Statue of Liberty” play, pulling the upset and winning the game. I was happy because I was rooting for the Broncos the whole time and glad to see David beat Goliath. To close the miracle Running back Ian Johnson went over to his girlfriend cheerleader and proposed, right after winning the game for the Broncos.  

1. Giants 17 vs. Patriots 14; Super Bowl XLII; February 3, 2008

The Patriots were 18-0 and looking to become the second team in NFL history to go through the season undefeated. The New York Giants had other ideas. Meeting in Super Bowl XLII, the patriots were twelve point favorites and being picked by every expert. The Giants had an improbable run being a wild card and having to win every playoff game on the road to reach the big game. In the Super Bowl, the Pats and the Giants played even the entire game. With 2:39 left and down by four, Eli Manning and the Giants started their game winning drive that included the improbable David Tyree helmet catch. A couple of plays later,  Manning threw a touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress and sealed the game. This clinched the biggest upset in football history, and prevented the Patriots from finishing undefeated. Being a Giants fan this was not only my favorite upset of all time, but also one of the greatest moments of my life.