ASU-Michigan voted biggest upset of the 2000's

[ASUG8]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0912/all-decade.cfb.top.10.upsets.2000s/content.10.html

Not really surprising, but in some good company.

Go Apps!

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

I still say Pitt beating WVU that year was bigger given how bad Pitt was and how good WVU. But there is the rivarly factor.

App State was a better team than Pitt and WVU was much better than Michigan in '07.

[Bam]

Stanford over USC should have been second. #1 was a given in my eyes. Great win.

[JMU DUUUKES LAW]

and the 2001 Canes the single best team. I don't think any team will ever be as dominating as that squad. Beating top 10 teams by 40 points, I mean they were untouchable.

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

Stanford over USC should have been second. #1 was a given in my eyes. Great win.

That was the biggest one of the decade imo. Although i think the point spread was somewhat skewed at the time. Stanford was better than +43 or whatever the line was.

[MSU_77]

Does anyone remember what the line was for the ASU-Michigan game? I don't.

[proasu89]

Does anyone remember what the line was for the ASU-Michigan game? I don't.

25-30 pt range seems to be what I remember.

[ericsaid]

Does anyone remember what the line was for the ASU-Michigan game? I don't.


There wasn't a legitimate betting line for the gme.

[Bogus Megapardus]

I still say App State over Michigan was not that big of an upset.

[MSU_77]

I still say App State over Michigan was not that big of an upset.

*cough* What?!! You almost made me spill my coffee! Given the player-for-player matchups, it certainly was. And furthermore, it is perceived as such by most football fans. Embrace it. It is the equivalent of McNeese going into Death Valley next season and beating LSU - even bigger, since LSU is not likely to be ranked #5 FBS next season.

Not that I believe that is likely to happen. That's almost as unlikely as McNeese upsetting App State in Boone. xthumbsupx

[JMUNJ08]

There were some better upset games on that board but the App St. win was (and still is) talked about for awhile. The Boise St. game at #2 is the only other one that may stand the test of time as good as 3-10 were, they will be forgotten as time passes.

[Big Dawg]

I still say App State over Michigan was not that big of an upset.

I don't know about that, man. Let's not forget that Michigan went on to beat Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators to finish the 2007 season.

[GannonFan]

I don't know about that, man. Let's not forget that Michigan went on to beat Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators to finish the 2007 season.

But the same Michigan team, on the same field, got blown away 39-7 (in a game that wasn't as close as the score indicates) by an Oregon team the very next weekend.

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

That 2007 Michigan was good but not great. They did improve by the end of the year but i think the "win for Lloyd" mojo took over. Florida was 9-4 in 2007.

App State was a top 40 FBS/FCS team in 2007. IMO that win over Michigan was nothing more than Northwestern beating Michigan. However, since no one had heard of App State, even the "experts", the win turned in to something epic. There's a big difference between the reality of the two teams and the media created propaganda that came along with App States victory.

UNI beating Iowa this year would have been a much bigger upset.

[JMU DUUUKES LAW]

I still say App State over Michigan was not that big of an upset.

I actually see what you're saying. Michigan was not a good team that year, sure they were ranked high preseason, but they completely dropped out. While Appy was the best 1AA team (approx) at that time. Granted its still a HUGE upset, maybe even the biggest still, but people shouldn't AS blown away as they were.

[charliej]

In hindsight, where they both ended up at seasons end, it doesn't seem like that big of an upset.

Tailgating at Maryland before the Nova-Terps game I heard the final score....It was HUGE at the time.
xsmileyclapxxsmileyclapxxsmileyclapx

[Bogus Megapardus]

I don't know about that, man. Let's not forget that Michigan went on to beat Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators to finish the 2007 season.

Don't get me wrong. Maybe Michigan didn't quite deserve its ranking at the time, but App Sate was (and is) much, much better than any of the prognosticators would have imagined. My first real interaction with App State was several years ago when Lafayette traveled to Boone for a playoff game. App showed tremendous skill, athleticism, coaching and class. The Mountaineers' win over Michigan was great and it deserved the national headlines, but not necessarily for being such an oddity.

In sum, I have far too much respect for App State to call it "the biggest upset of the decade."

[paward]

Michigan scheduled the game for some practice. Appalachian State took the game for the payday.
It was by most calculation going to a FBS win and a big one. Moore and crew was not smelling the same coffee that day. Hence the biggest upset of the decade. Go you one better, it's the biggest FCS over FBS upset, period. It amazes me how any FCS fan see it any other way.

If it did anything it put all FBS team on notice that when you play and FCS team you need not take it for granted.

[UNH Fanboi]

You guys can't look at this from the perspective of an FCS connoisseur who knows that the top FCS teams are equivalent to an 30 something FBS team. 98% percent of the college football watching population had never heard of App. St and Michigan was highly touted at the time. Of course it turned out that Michigan wasn't really a top 5 team, but hindsight makes every upset look less stunning because the fact that the upset occurred shows that the underdog was better and the favorite was not quite as dominant as people thought. As someone already said, embrace it.

[Rekdiver]

Its not as much as App beating Michigan as it validates 1-AA FCS football, that the best teams we have can play with anyone on ANYGIVENSATURDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Grizo406]

I think if the Griz would have beat Nova last Friday night, it coulda' been considered!??!xcoffeexxlolxxlolx

[VT Wildcat Fan53]

I know that "almost" doesn't count, but can you imagine if Northern Iowa had connected on one of their two FG attempts at the end of the game this year vs U. of Iowa?! Now, that would have been the upset of the decade, ... and maybe of the last several decades.

At one point this year, Iowa was a Top 10 team and was undefeated!

[CID1990]

I called the ASU-Michigan game that year on this board.

I concur that it was an upset, but not as much of an upset as many people (especially FBS types) would claim.

[EKU05]

Based on the spread Louisville's loss to Syracuse in 2007 was actually bigger....and I'm sure it's not the only just. It's probably just the only one that I was at.

[WyomingGrizFan]

You guys can't look at this from the perspective of an FCS connoisseur who knows that the top FCS teams are equivalent to an 30 something FBS team. 98% percent of the college football watching population had never heard of App. St and Michigan was highly touted at the time. Of course it turned out that Michigan wasn't really a top 5 team, but hindsight makes every upset look less stunning because the fact that the upset occurred shows that the underdog was better and the favorite was not quite as dominant as people thought. As someone already said, embrace it.

I Fully concur. A couple years back I was in a lounge where a couple guys/students of either Texas and/or Oklahoma were sitting watching one game, of which that was one of the two games being televised. The other was a Montana Griz game. One of two guys asked his friend what the other game was and he said..."oh, that's just Division Two." That was the same year Appalachian State beat Michigan; they still don't respect FCS, even then!!!

You damn well better believe it was the upset of the decade; if not more so. Besides, didn't UC-Davis, a FCS team, defeat Stanford a couple years back as well?

Utah over Alabama last year weren't no upset!!! Utah was clearly the better team even before the game; Alabama was on a slid at the end of last year.

[TokyoGriz]

What a game!

Congrats app you deserve it! Hope AE makes a mark in the NFL somewere.

[caribbeanhen]

Michigan scheduled the game for some practice. Appalachian State took the game for the payday.
It was by most calculation going to a FBS win and a big one. Moore and crew was not smelling the same coffee that day. Hence the biggest upset of the decade. Go you one better, it's the biggest FCS over FBS upset, period. It amazes me how any FCS fan see it any other way.

If it did anything it put all FBS team on notice that when you play and FCS team you need not take it for granted.

that was probably the viewpoint of 99 pct of college football fans, but half of the fans on this board realized the game could be very easily be close...because we are paying attention and Michigan was notxlolx

[appmaj]

I still say Pitt beating WVU that year was bigger given how bad Pitt was and how good WVU. But there is the rivarly factor.

App State was a better team than Pitt and WVU was much better than Michigan in '07.


Stanford over USC should have been second. #1 was a given in my eyes. Great win.

Conference games...xoopsx

[ASUG8]

As someone else pointed out, UM managed to beat Florida later in the season. I'll agree that UM wasn't a top 5 team, but I think the ASU win put the whole UM program in such a tizzy for a few weeks that they were scrambling to regain their footing, hence the rout by Oregon. They managed to regain some composure later in the season, but the damage was done at that point. My wife travels frequently to the home office just outside Detroit and folks in her office still talk about it being a dark day for Wolverine football.

[Rekdiver]

I went to the game....I honestly thought, here I am in one of the great college venues in America getting ready to see one of the very best and storied programs ever with tradition I can only dream about.....100,000 screaming fans ( plus about 5,000 ASU fans) a traffic cop playing "Deliverance" as the ASU fight song (which was pretty funny), a sea of maze and blue....a Band that high stepped onto the field looking like it could kick our butt.... The entire world telling us to enjoy the payday.....99 out of 100 people saying APE A LAY SHUN.... and I'm praying "Please God, don't let us get embarassed"

Given the circumstances, perceptions, and media predictions at that time there is no doubt that this upset ranks at the top. The fact that UM had an Appalachian induced hangover that cost them a couple of games after that but ultimately beat Tebow and Florida validates the legitimacy of this upset being at the very top. Given the immediate reaction of the sports world there is no comparison to this game.\

I was there and I still can't believe what I saw that day.

[GannonFan]

As someone else pointed out, UM managed to beat Florida later in the season. I'll agree that UM wasn't a top 5 team, but I think the ASU win put the whole UM program in such a tizzy for a few weeks that they were scrambling to regain their footing, hence the rout by Oregon. They managed to regain some composure later in the season, but the damage was done at that point. My wife travels frequently to the home office just outside Detroit and folks in her office still talk about it being a dark day for Wolverine football.

I don't think the Oregon game had anything to do with Michigan trying to regain their footing. What the Appy St game showed and what was amplified in the Oregon game, was that Michigan was completely unable to deal with a spread offense. Appy St ran that offense well, and Oregon ran it maybe ten times better, hence the last second win for Appy and the thrashing from Oregon. Matchup-wise, Michigan couldn't hang with teams that ran a great spread offense. Florida was a good team at the end of the year, but they weren't as offensively prolific as that Oregon team was. Plus, Michigan's offense game together late in the year and they could at least score enough to keep up with teams that were lighting up their defense.

[Saint3333]

I'd argue that the difference between the ASU and Oregon game wasn't the difference in the ability to run the spread but that Oregon's defense was better than ASU's. ASU's defense in 2007 wasn't near what is was in 2006 especially not early in the season.

Oregon could stop the run ASU could not.

[GannonFan]

I'd argue that the difference between the ASU and Oregon game wasn't the difference in the ability to run the spread but that Oregon's defense was better than ASU's. ASU's defense in 2007 wasn't near what is was in 2006 especially not early in the season.

Oregon could stop the run ASU could not.

I've got no problem with that. Offensively, both Appy and Oregon were able to have their way with Michigan. Oregon was able to slow Michigan (and I guess mainly Mike Hart) much more than Appy could. xthumbsupx

[ASUG8]

I don't think the Oregon game had anything to do with Michigan trying to regain their footing. What the Appy St game showed and what was amplified in the Oregon game, was that Michigan was completely unable to deal with a spread offense. Appy St ran that offense well, and Oregon ran it maybe ten times better, hence the last second win for Appy and the thrashing from Oregon. Matchup-wise, Michigan couldn't hang with teams that ran a great spread offense. Florida was a good team at the end of the year, but they weren't as offensively prolific as that Oregon team was. Plus, Michigan's offense game together late in the year and they could at least score enough to keep up with teams that were lighting up their defense.

Agreed to a point - ASU had a decent lead until UM's size began to take it's toll on the ASU secondary. Allowing Mike Hart the yardage he had in the second half, and the long pass play to get them in field goal range to potentially win are symptoms of a tired ASU defense. I don't recall the size and speed differential between the teams, but it was certainly substantial. Oregon was a better match for them size/speed wise, and exploited them with the spread just as we did.

[theasushow]

I know that "almost" doesn't count, but can you imagine if Northern Iowa had connected on one of their two FG attempts at the end of the game this year vs U. of Iowa?! Now, that would have been the upset of the decade, ... and maybe of the last several decades.

At one point this year, Iowa was a Top 10 team and was undefeated!

i think that is also what makes the ASU win so incredible, imagine how many huge upsets there would have been over time if a simple field goal would have gone one way or another. the fact that ASU was able to block the kick (which is not an easy thing to do) and make one more play than michigan further solidified the mountaineer win. i think when michigan was lining up for that field goal most people thought that this would be another "close call for an upset", but this time the underdog out executed the big dog.