In week 8 of the College Football season, there were plenty of upsets. Coastal Carolina, Penn State, Oklahoma State, Clemson. They were all victims of upsets last week. Upsets are when the projected team to win loses. For example, a couple weeks ago when the number 1 team, Alabama, lost to an unranked team, Texas A&M. These upsets are sometimes predicted, but by very few. They also affect both teams by dropping in the rankings or being ranked when the next AP poll releases.

The week started off with a big upset in Appalachian State beating Coastal Carolina. Before the game started, Coastal Carolina had a 62.1 percent chance of winning according to ESPN. Towards the end of the 1st quarter, they were winning 14-0 and bumped up the percentage to close to 90 percent according to ESPN. Throughout the game, it was just back and forth, with Coastal still predicted to win until Appalachian State was in the red-zone with less than a minute left with a tie game at 27-27. Appalachian lined up for the game winning field goal with 3 seconds left and won the game as time expired. This was Appalachian State’s first win over a ranked opponent since beating number 5 Michigan in 2007.

There was also a big upset when 2-5 Illinois, beat number 7 ranked Penn State in 9 overtimes. This was the most overtimes ever in NCAA football history. Penn State was a 24 point favorite according to ESPN when the game started. It was 10-10 at the end of regulation. After the first overtime it was 13-13. After the second overtime, it was 16-16. Eventually, it got to the point where teams have to go for Two-Point conversions until one wins. It wasn’t until the ninth overtime where they threw a pass to win the game. This was Illinois’ first road win versus an AP Top-10 team since 2007 against number 1 Ohio State.

A big upset also happened in the Big 12 where 4-2 Iowa State knocked off undefeated Oklahoma State, who was number 8 in the nation. Surprisingly, before the game started, Iowa State had an 80 percent chance of winning according to. The game was close throughout the whole entire game with the largest lead of a touchdown. Iowa state did get a terrible taunting penalty that no one agreed with that would’ve put them up by 14 at one point. It came down to the last quarter and Iowa State ran the ball into the end zone to give them a 24 to 21 lead. Iowa State is commonly known for upsets, as they beat Oklahoma last year by a touchdown.

Another “upset” happened in the Clemson versus Pittsburgh game. This game wasn’t considered an upset, but most people would think it is since Clemson lost once again. Although Clemson had the worse record and was projected to lose according to ESPN. But, Clemson came into the season as a top 5 team in the nation and always has high hopes since they have made the National College Football Playoffs the past few years. Pittsburgh has had a phenomenal year with their star quarterback, Kenny Pickett. Pittsburgh ended up winning 27-17, dominating most of the game.

Week 8 was one of the most exciting weeks for upsets and unexpected wins. There were two undefeated teams that lost last week, leaving only 9 teams remaining. This week, there are plenty of games that could possibly be upsets but I don’t think any of them will result in an upset.