For anyone who doesn't have an appreciation for just how messed up this college football season was take a look at this chart I found on Wikipedia.
Key matchups, upsets, and "The Curse of #2"
Date Visitor Home Significance
September 1 Appalachian State 34 Michigan 32 In the game that set the tone for the rest of the season, the two-time D-I FCS national champions shocked the fifth-ranked Wolverines in the Big House. It was the first time a D-I FCS team had defeated a ranked Div-I FBS team.
September 3 Forida State 18 Clemson 24 The Bowden Bowl debut for the new FSU offensive staff including coordinator Jimbo Fisher. Clemson jumped out to a 24-3 halftime lead and held on for the win.
September 8Virginia Tech 7 LSU 48 This early SEC-ACC showdown promised to be a defensive battle, but quickly became lopsided, as the Hokies were torched for 298 yards rushing and 302 passing.
September 8 Miami (FL) 13 Oklahoma 51 The Hurricanes get blown out in the first major road test for new head coach Randy Shannon.
September 15 Tennessee 20 Florida 59 In this key SEC East matchup, the Gators thrash the Vols behind two passing and two rushing TDs from quarterback Tim Tebow.
September 29 California 31 Oregon 24 Cal temporarily stamped itself as USC's main contender for the Pac-10 title, but can only seal the win when Oregon fumbles the ball out of the end zone in the last minute of play.
October 6 Florida 24 LSU 28 In front of a record home crowd, LSU comes from behind to complete the sweep of its top ranking, adding the USA Today Coaches and Harris Interactive polls to the AP writers' poll they earned the previous week.
October 6 Nebraska 6 Missouri 41 What promised to be a Big 12 North showdown turned into a Mizzou blowout, thanks to 403 yards passing, two passing TDs, and two rushing TDs from Chase Daniel, plus a strong performance from the Tigers' maligned defense.
October 6 Oklahoma 28 Texas 21 Oklahoma wins the Red River Shootout in Dallas, keeping itself atop the Big 12 South and on the fringes of the national championship picture.
October 6 Stanford 24 Southern California 23 In a season littered with upsets, Stanford pulls off perhaps the most shocking upset of the year when they stun the Trojans 24-23 on a fourth and goal TD pass by Stanford quarterback Tavita Pritchard to WR Mark Bradford with 49 seconds left to play. USC quarterback John David Booty breaks his finger during this game.
October 13 LSU 37 Kentucky 43 (3 OT) The Wildcats claim their first Number 1 scalp since 1964 in a three-overtime thriller in Lexington, helping erase memories of the final play of LSU's last visit in 2002.
October 13 Missouri 31 Oklahoma 41 This game between top 15 teams proved to be a preview of the Big 12 Championship. Oklahoma proved their worth by taking advantage of several Mizzou mistakes, including returning a Jeremy Maclin fumble for the go-ahead touchdown.
October 18 South Florida 27 Rutgers 30 For the second straight year, the Scarlet Knights knock off an unbeaten top-5 Big East rival on a Thursday night in Piscataway, thanks in no small part to 181 yards on the ground from Ray Rice.
October 20 Auburn 24 LSU 30 LSU had the ball in field goal range at the end of the game, but did not use its remaining timeout, instead calling a pass into the end zone, which goes for the winning TD with 1 second left, keeping their national championship hopes alive.
October 20 Florida 45 Kentucky 37 The Gators take charge of the SEC East race for the time being, defeating the Wildcats for the 21st straight time behind Tim Tebow's 4 total TDs. Andre' Woodson also improves his Heisman stock, throwing for 5 scores in a losing cause.
October 20 Tennessee 17 Alabama 41 On the Third Saturday in October, John Parker Wilson throws for a career-high 363 yards and three TDs to lead the Tide to a spanking of the Vols.
October 25 Boston College 14 Virginia Tech 10 Held scoreless until the final 2:11 at Blacksburg, the Eagles stay in the midst of the national title race thanks to a Matt Ryan TD pass, a recovered onside kick, and a second Ryan TD pass. This also proved to be a preview of the ACC Championship Game.
October 27 West Virginia 31 Rutgers 3 Steve Slaton's three rushing TDs and Pat White's 156 rushing yards lead the Mountaineers to an unexpected blowout.
October 27 Florida 30 Georgia 42 Georgia stays in the SEC East race with a win in the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.
October 27 South Carolina 24 Tennessee 27 (OT) The Vols blow a 21-0 halftime lead, but tie the game with a last-second field goal, and win in overtime after the Gamecocks miss a field goal that would have sent the game to a second overtime. Tennessee stays in the thick of the SEC East race.
October 27 California 20 Arizona State 31 The unbeaten Sun Devils come from behind to win and put themselves in the midst of the national title race.
October 27 Southern California 17 Oregon 24 The Ducks keep themselves in the national title race and knock out the Trojans.
November 3 Arizona State 23 Oregon 35 The Ducks convincingly win at home, knocking the Sun Devils from the unbeaten ranks and taking control of the Pac-10 race for the time being.
November 3 Navy 46 Notre Dame 44 (3 OT) In a triple-overtime thriller, the Midshipmen defeat the Irish for the first time since 1963, when Roger Staubach was at the controls for Navy. This ends a 43-game Irish winning streak in the series, the longest between annual opponents in Division I history.
November 3 LSU 41 Alabama 34 In Nick Saban's first outing for the Tide against his former team, the Tide have the lead in the fourth, but LSU scores two TDs in the final four minutes to stay in the thick of the national title race.
November 8 Louisville 31 West Virginia 38 The Mountaineers survive a scare from the Cardinals to stay in the national title race.
November 10 Virginia 48 Miami 0 With dozens of former Miami players returning for the final game Miami would ever play in the historic Orange Bowl, Virginia spoiled the party by sending them off with a 48 to 0 shellacking. Ironically, the majority of the capacity crowd had already left the stadium when the final whistle blew as a huge "We Are the Champions" banner was unfurled.
November 10 Connecticut 3 Cincinnati 27 In a matchup between two of the country's most surprising teams, the Bearcats get an easier-than-expected upset win.
November 10 Florida 51 South Carolina 31 In his annual game against his former team, the Ol' Ball Coach has no answer to Tim Tebow, who runs for five TDs and passes for two more.
November 10 Michigan 21 Wisconsin 37 The Badgers finally live up to their preseason expectations with a convincing win over the Wolverines.
November 10 Southern California 24 California 17 The Trojans continue the Bears' late-season tailspin and stay in contention for a BCS bowl berth.
November 17 Boston College 20 Clemson 17 In a showdown for a place in the ACC Championship Game, Matt Ryan strikes with a late TD pass to give the Eagles the lead, and they hold on to punch their ticket to Jacksonville.
November 17 Ohio State 14 Michigan 3 On a rainy day in The Big House, the Buckeyes get 220 yards on the ground from Chris Wells and a dominant defensive effort to win their fourth straight game in the storied rivalry and assured themselves of no worse than a trip to Pasadena, but with events that followed, it became New Orleans while the Buckeyes were "in the clubhouse" as the Big Ten season ended.
November 17 Oklahoma 27 Texas Tech 34 A bad night on the Caprock for the Sooners: First they lose quarterback Sam Bradford to a first-quarter concussion, then their national title hopes disappear behind 420 passing yards from Graham Harrell.
November 22 Southern California 44 Arizona State 24 The Trojans win over the Sun Devils and create a logjam atop the Pac-10.
November 23 Arkansas 50 LSU 48 (3OT) In the Battle for the Golden Boot, Darren McFadden rushed for 206 yards on 32 carries and scored three touchdowns, and threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Peyton Hillis, giving the Razorbacks their first win over LSU since 2002, their first in Tiger Stadium since 1993, and first over a number one-ranked team since 1981. Arkansas won the game in the third overtime when Matterral Richardson intercepted Matt Flynn's two-point conversion pass which would have tied the game.
November 23 Texas 30 Texas A&M 38 A&M wins consecutive games against their archrivals for the first time since 1994, sending coach Dennis Franchione out on a high note. The result essentially assured Oklahoma of the Big 12 South title; the Sooners removed any doubt the next day with a shellacking of their own in-state rivals, Oklahoma State.
November 23 Boise State 27 Hawaiʻi 39 Thanks to 495 passing yards from Colt Brennan, the Warriors beat the Broncos for the first time ever in WAC play, and win the outright WAC title for the first time ever. The following week, they came back from a 21-0 first-quarter hole against Washington to completed an unbeaten regular season, ultimately following in the footsteps of the previous year's Broncos and earning a BCS berth.
November 24 Alabama 10 Auburn 17 Not even Nick Saban's $4 million/year salary is enough to keep Auburn from winning their sixth straight Iron Bowl.
November 24 Connecticut 21 West Virginia 66 In a battle for the Big East title, the Mountaineers destroy the Huskies behind 517 yards rushing, 186 of them from Pat White, and state their case for a berth in the BCS championship game.
November 24 Missouri 36 Kansas 28 The Tigers take a 21-0 lead in the third quarter, and hold on to book a rematch with Oklahoma for the Big 12 title and a chance to make the BCS championship game.
November 24 Virginia Tech 33 Virginia 21 The Hokies take home the Commonwealth Cup and win a trip to Jacksonville for a rematch with Boston College, this time for the ACC title and a BCS berth.
December 1 UCLA 7 Southern California 24 Southern California got a measure of revenge for last year's upset and earned another trip to "The Grandady of 'Em All".
Can anyone say playoff?
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