The 2007 checklist: Is 2026 about to match college football's wildest season? — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- 2007 supplied the benchmark: Stanford’s upset of USC as a 40.5-point underdog in Week 6 kicked off nine weeks in which 11 top-two teams lost, eight as favorites and six as double-digit favorites.
- 2026 matched that turnover, scoring 10/10 for it: five top-two teams lost over four weeks beginning in Week 6, all as favorites by at least 6.5 points; Georgia’s loss to Auburn as a 19.5-point favorite was the batch’s biggest surprise.
- Oklahoma State delivered a mind-bending upset by beating Oregon by 24.5 points as an underdog, following UMass’s 29.5-point win over Rutgers in Week 1; the checklist awards only 4/10 because no later result cleared that bar.
- UCLA reached the AP top 10 in Week 8 after being unranked in the preseason and remained unbeaten; Kentucky followed in Week 9 for its first November top-10 berth in 49 years, while Florida’s Week 5 cameo made three such risers and only 4/10 overall. Across the AP top five, 11 teams have appeared, Utah and UCLA were debutants, and three teams immediately fell out after entering the list.
- Dante Moore suffered a likely season-ending concussion after a hit against USC, and Oregon has gone 2-2 since; Ohio State lost Julian Sayin and then lost with replacement Luke Fahey starting against USC, as the checklist gives injuries 4/5.
- Les Miles directed LSU to 5-for-5 fourth-down conversions in a 28-24 win over Florida, a fake field-goal flip against South Carolina and a BCS title despite two overtime losses; the parallel category earns 4/5, with Indiana’s Curt Cignatti called the most Milesian coach of the 2020s.
- Fernando Mendoza became Indiana’s cult hero through a late comeback against Penn State by Nov. 8 and was called last year’s Heisman favorite; Jeremiah Smith at Ohio State and Jesse Legree at Oregon State add similar storylines, but cult heroes score 3/5.
Why it matters: Teams depleted at quarterback are already absorbing the injury dimension: Oregon is 2-2 since Dante Moore suffered a likely season-ending concussion, and Ohio State lost Julian Sayin before losing with Luke Fahey starting against USC. That backs a 4/5 injury score, even as 2026’s 4/10 upset mark leaves it short of 2007’s giant-win identity.
Ask SkimNews
