Ranking the Biggest College Football Upsets of the 2022 Season
It's hard to believe the 2022 college football season is almost over. We still have a full bowl season to get through, but it's never too early to relive the most exciting moments from a season.
There were a number of big upsets this year. Some of them by unranked teams, others by non-Power Five programs against Power Five squads. And, of course, several games drastically altered the College Football Playoff picture.
Let's run through the biggest upsets of the season, grouped into a handful of categories.
Best of the Rest
No. 16: Navy Upsets UCF for the 2nd Consecutive Season
UCF's move to the Big 12 next season means the Knights won't have to play Navy. That might be a relief for UCF fans. In Week 12, the Knights were 8-2 and 15.5-point home favorites against the Midshipmen, who were 3-7.
Navy marched 75 yards in 11 plays on the game's first possession to score a touchdown, eating 6:40 off the game clock.
It was 14-6 Navy at halftime. UCF tied it early in the third quarter, but Navy's Bijan Nichols nailed a 45-yard field goal with 8:22 left in the third to provide the margin of victory.
The Navy defense forced UCF to punt on its next three possessions, including a pair of three-and-outs, and came up big with a turnover on downs on the Knights' last possession.
One interesting fact about this game? Navy failed to complete a pass. But its running game helped the Midshipmen dominate time of possession, 39:36-20:24.
The win marked the second consecutive time Navy won the matchup in a huge upset. As 15-point underdogs in 2021, the Midshipmen beat the Knights 34-30.
No. 15: Washington State Knocks Off Wisconsin
Washington State had to come from behind to win this one. The Cougars trailed 14-7 at halftime but scored 10 unanswered points in the third quarter.
This one was sloppy, as each team had three turnovers. Washington State quarterback Cameron Ward threw two interceptions, but on one of them, Wisconsin's Jay Shaw fumbled the ball back to Wazzu. Six plays later, the Cougars had the lead for good.
The Wisconsin offense was disastrous in the fourth quarter. The Badgers' three drives resulted in a missed field goal, an interception and a fumble.
The fact that Wisconsin lost this game was pretty surprising given that the Badgers outgained Wazzu by 148 yards, held possession for 38:02 and allowed the Cougars to convert on just two of 11 third-down attempts.
No. 14: Middle Tennessee Beats Miami for the 3rd Time in Program History
This was probably the first sign we had that Miami would struggle in Mario Cristobal's first season. The Canes were 2-1 entering this game at home and ranked No. 25.
They were 25.5-point favorites but struggled significantly against the Blue Raiders. MTSU had a 24-10 lead at halftime and won 45-31.
The Blue Raiders defense forced three turnovers, including two interceptions of Tyler Van Dyke. According to the Associated Press, Middle Tennessee was 0-20 versus Top 25 opponents and had been outscored by 585 points.
Perhaps the most impressive fact about this win is that the Blue Raiders improved to 3-0 all-time against Miami. They won the teams' first two meetings in 1931 and 1932. The Canes never led in any of the matchups.
No. 13: Texas A&M Stuns LSU During Rivalry Week
LSU had playoff hopes on the line. The Tigers did have two losses, but if they could also beat Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, there could be a case for a bid. All LSU had to do was get past reeling Texas A&M, which was 4-7 and had lost six of seven.
But the Aggies took care of business. Texas A&M had a 17-10 lead at halftime, though LSU tied it in the third quarter. The Aggies took back the lead with a 27-yard fumble return for a touchdown by safety Demani Richardson. In the fourth quarter, the Aggies put the game out of reach with another two touchdowns. TAMU won 38-23.
LSU then lost to Georgia the next week, so the Tigers' playoff hopes didn't exactly pan out. Still, it was an unexpected and notable upset, and it added a bright spot to Jimbo Fisher's first losing season in College Station.
Notable Unranked vs. Ranked Upsets
No. 12: LSU Hands No. 7 Ole Miss Its 1st Loss
Ole Miss was 7-0, and it looked like the Rebels could be a contender inside the SEC West. LSU had two losses, to Florida State in Week 1 and Tennessee in Week 6.
Ole Miss led 14-3 in the first quarter, but the Tigers pulled within 20-17 at halftime.
It was all LSU in the second half. The Tigers scored 28 unanswered points to win 45-20. Quarterback Jayden Daniels accounted for five touchdowns with three rushing and two passing. The outcome put the Tigers in the hunt for the SEC West and spoiled Ole Miss' bid to reach 8-0 for the first time since 1962.
No. 11: Arizona Shocks No. 9 UCLA on the Road
UCLA had just one loss—to No. 10 Oregon. If the Bruins could win out and win the Pac-12 title game, a playoff berth would be in the cards.
But Arizona, a 20-point underdog, had other plans, snapping a four-game losing streak.
The Wildcats led for most of the game, but UCLA took a 28-24 lead with 10:22 left. Arizona responded with a touchdown and field goal in the final 6:34, and its defense forced two turnovers on downs on the Bruins' last two possessions as UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw seven incomplete passes in 10 attempts. Wildcats linebacker Jacob Manu led the defense with 10 tackles.
The win marked Arizona's first road victory over a Top 10 team since it upset No. 2 Oregon in 2014.
No. 10: Florida Upsets No. 7 Utah in Week 1 Thriller
This was probably the best game of the Week 1 slate. Utah entered as a dark-horse playoff candidate, whereas Florida was rebuilding under first-year head coach Billy Napier.
It was a back-and-forth affair. The Gators led 14-13 at halftime, and both offenses scored two touchdowns in the second half. Florida took a 22-19 lead on this incredible two-point conversion by Ja'Quavion Fraziars from quarterback Anthony Richardson, who paired a gorgeous pump-fake with a spin move:
Richardson's one-yard touchdown run and the PAT gave the Gators a 29-26 lead with 1:25 left. But that was plenty of time for Utah to put together a response. The Utes drove to Florida's 6-yard line with 29 seconds left. But on 2nd-and-goal, quarterback Cameron Rising was intercepted by Amari Burney.
The Upsets No One Saw Coming in Week 2
No. 9: Georgia Southern Beats Nebraska, and Scott Frost Is Fired Hours Later
Week 2 was a wild one. Nebraska had lost to Northwestern in Week 0 and beaten North Dakota in Week 1.
The Cornhuskers didn't improve. Georgia Southern went to Lincoln and upset Nebraska 45-42.
The Eagles put up 642 yards of offense and won despite committing two turnovers. The Cornhuskers had 10 penalties for 77 yards.
But by far the most embarrassing stat from the loss was the fact that Nebraska had been 214-0 when it scored 35 points or more at Memorial Stadium. It also marked the second loss to a Sun Belt team under head coach Scott Frost, as NU lost to Troy in 2018 in his first game.
Less than 24 hours after the loss, Nebraska fired Frost, unsurprisingly. The former UCF head coach finished with the second-worst record in program history, 16-31 over five seasons.
No. 8: Appalachian State Upsets No. 6 Texas A&M
Texas A&M entered its Week 2 game against Appalachian State as an 18-point favorite. But unfortunately for the Aggies, the Mountaineers had an upset in mind.
App State beat Texas A&M 17-14, and the Mountaineers outgained Jimbo Fisher's team 315-180. In fact, the Aggies had just 38 offensive snaps compared to App State's 82.
The win gave the Mountaineers their first victory over a Top 10 team since they moved to the FBS in 2014. The second-highest-ranked opponent Appalachian State has beaten was No. 14 Coastal Carolina last season.
Many people remember the Mountaineers' 34-32 victory at Michigan in 2007. But that was when they still played in the Southern Conference of the FCS.
No. 7: Marshall Snaps Notre Dame's 42-Game Streak
Notre Dame's season got off to a rocky start. After falling to Ohio State in Week 1, the Fighting Irish had a shocking home loss to unranked Marshall. That marked just the second time the Thundering Herd beat a Top 10 team. The last time came against No. 6 Kansas State in 2003.
The Irish trailed for most of the game but took a 15-12 lead early in the fourth quarter. Marshall scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter—including Steven Gilmore's 37-yard pick-six of Tyler Buchner—to keep the Irish's comeback at bay.
Notre Dame's loss was its first as a Top 10 team to an unranked non-Power Five team since 1996 (Air Force). It also ended the Irish's 42-game winning streak as a ranked team against unranked foes.
Notre Dame rebounded and is 8-4 heading into the Gator Bowl against South Carolina.
These Upsets Shook Up the Playoff Race
No. 6: Notre Dame Hands Clemson Its 1st Loss
Marcus Freeman made up for an 0-2 start with Notre Dame's upset win over Clemson on Nov. 5. The Tigers entered the game 8-0, but this one wasn't close. Notre Dame had a 14-0 lead at halftime after opening the scoring with Prince Kollie's 17-yard blocked punt return for a touchdown. The Tigers had just 71 yards and four first down in the first half.
ND was up 28-0 early in the fourth quarter. The Tigers then managed to get on the board, but the Fighting Irish scored another touchdown to keep the game well out of reach and won 35-14.
The loss ended a 14-game winning streak by Clemson and gave the Tigers just their fifth road loss since 2015. The win gave the Irish their third win over a Top 10 team since 2018.
No. 5: Michigan Beats Ohio State for the 2nd Time in a Row
Yes, I know what you're thinking: Ohio State still made it into the playoff, so why is this relevant? It was still an impressive win by Michigan.
At the time of this game, it didn't look like Michigan could spoil the Buckeyes' playoff hopes once again. Though Michigan won this rivalry game last year, this game was in Columbus. The Wolverines were 9-point underdogs, and Michigan hadn't won at Ohio State since 2000.
But Michigan went into the Horseshoe and pulled off the upset. Ohio State had a 20-17 lead at halftime, but Michigan outscored the Buckeyes 28-3 in the second half to win 45-23. The win gave the Wolverines a two-game winning streak in the series for the first time in 22 years.
Nos. 4 and 3: Tennessee and LSU Upset Alabama
Alabama is out of the playoff for the first time since 2019, because of losses against Tennessee and LSU.
We'll start with Bama's loss to the Vols, which came Oct. 15. The Crimson Tide were riding a 15-game winning streak against UT. The contest was a thriller, and it came down to the wire.
Alabama returned a fumble for a touchdown to help take a 49-42 lead with 7:49 left. Tennessee responded with a touchdown drive to help tie the game with 3:26 to go. Incredibly, receiver Jalin Hyatt capped it with his fifth touchdown catch. The Tide then drove to the Volunteers' 32, but kicker Will Reichard missed a 50-yard field goal with 15 seconds left. Then, in just two plays, Tennessee reached the Alabama 23, and kicker Chase McGrath nailed a 40-yard field goal to win it 52-49.
Tennessee fans stormed the field and tore down the goal posts, celebrating the Vols' first win over a Top 10 opponent since 2006. The 52 points Alabama gave up were the most since Sewanee put up 54 back in 1907.
The loss certainly hurt, but Alabama wasn't out of the playoff by any means. That is until it faced LSU on Nov. 5.
This was also an incredible game. Reichard redeemed himself by making a 46-yard field goal to force overtime.
Alabama had the ball first and scored on Roydell Williams' one-yard touchdown run. LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels countered with a 25-yard touchdown run on the first play of the Tigers' possession—and LSU head coach Brian Kelly opted to go for two and the win. Daniels threw a pass to Mason Taylor at the goal line, and the conversion sealed the Tigers' first home win over the Tide since 2010.
South Carolina Ended the Season with a Pair of Huge Upsets
South Carolina single-handedly knocked two teams out of the playoff in back-to-back weeks, so it deserves to have both of these games up top.
No. 2: South Carolina Stuns Tennessee
Tennessee entered its Week 12 game against South Carolina as a 22.5-point favorite. The No. 5 Vols had lost two weeks prior to Georgia, but they had a shot at making the playoff. The Gamecocks took care of that idea quickly. South Carolina led 21-7 at the end of the first quarter. It was 35-24 at halftime, but the Vols made it 35-31 with 9:53 left in the third quarter.
The Gamecock then exploded with four straight touchdowns in the last 20-plus minutes, winning 63-38. The 63 points Tennessee gave up were the most it ever allowed in an SEC game. South Carolina also finished with a whopping 606 yards. And with two losses, the Vols were out of the playoff hunt.
No. 1: South Carolina Beats Clemson for the 1st Time in 9 Years
South Carolina wasn't done spoiling playoff hopes. Just a week later, the Gamecocks had their rivalry game against Clemson. South Carolina hadn't beaten the Tigers since 2013, when Steve Spurrier was still the head coach in Columbia. Clemson had lost to Notre Dame three weeks prior, but it could still get a playoff bid if it won the ACC championship the next week.
No. 7 Clemson took a 14-0 lead after the first quarter, and South Carolina trailed 23-14 at halftime.
The Gamecocks made it 30-28 heading into the fourth quarter thanks to a 72-yard touchdown pass from Spencer Rattler to Antwane Wells Jr., and they took a 31-30 lead on a 35-yard field goal by Mitch Jeter with 10:54 to play. Five fruitless drives followed, and the Tigers were set to get the ball back with two minutes remaining. But Antonio Williams fumbled a punt return, and South Carolina ran out the clock.
Rattler finished with 360 passing yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions.