There are upsets, and then there are upsets.
Ten years ago, Appalachian State marched into Ann Arbor, Mich., and beat the fifth-ranked Wolverines 34-32 in front of more than 109,000 people at the Big House.
Ever since, that game has been the yardstick for measuring an upset.
It was your classic David vs. Goliath situation.
Little ol' Appalachian State going against big, bad Michigan.
No question, it was one of the most surprising results ever in college football -- Las Vegas did not offer an official betting line -- but not because Appalachian State was a bad team.
The Mountaineers traveled to Michigan as two-time defending Football Championship Subdivision national champion, so they were good. But they were playing with 22 fewer scholarship players as a member of the FCS.
Still, it was supposed to be a mismatch, just like Saturday night's game between FCS member Howard and Nevada-Las Vegas of the Mountain West.
But remember this when comparing Appalachian State 34, Michigan 32 to Howard 43, UNLV 40.
Howard, like Appalachian State, was an FCS team; and UNLV, like Michigan, is a member of the Football Bowl Subdivision.
But Howard came into the game having won three times in two seasons, and UNLV wasn't a whole lot better, posting a 9-28 record over the past three seasons.
The Bison, an FCS school, were a 45-point underdog to the Rebels, but it had more to do with Howard's perceived ineptitude than anything about UNLV's superiority.
Howard sure didn't care.
"We're all ruled by the psychology of results. In terms of culture, perception and being competitive this is huge," Howard Coach Mike London told The Associated Press in a phone interview. "To go on the road, cross country and play these guys toe to toe with their allotment of 80-plus scholarship guys and with my 57-plus is big."
London, a former coach at Virginia, is in his first season with The Bison -- who were picked ninth out of 11 teams in the preseason Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference poll and have had only one winning season in 11 years (2012).
Going into Saturday's game, they had lost by an average of 38 points in their past seven games against FBS teams.
"There have been a lot of people telling the program what they can't do for a long time. We have been trying to instill a culture of all things being possible," London said.
It's still a loss, but ...
Tom Shatel, columnist for the Omaha World Herald, covered Saturday night's Arkansas State-Nebraska game with an eye on his readership, but it didn't stop him for throwing a few bouquets the way of the Red Wolves after their 43-36 loss in Lincoln, Neb.
"Arkansas State was plucky and had a plan and the QB and receivers to make it work. But there were still too many open receivers as [Justice] Hansen made plays the last two drives and not nearly enough pressure on him.
"Some of that, to be honest, is the new scheme and Hansen's ability to get rid of the ball. Suffice to say the Blackshirts will take the W and understand there is a ton of work to be done to make this defense presentable for later, though you wonder how many Big Ten teams will be able to throw it like that."
QUIZ
How big of a betting favorite was Southern Cal in 2007 when it lost to Stanford, 24-23?
ANSWER
USC was a 41-point favorite.
Sports on 09/04/2017