Northern Illinois entered South Bend as a 28.5-point underdog for its Week 2 matchup against Our LadyA rout seemed almost certain for the country’s No. 5 team after a victory at the start of the season on Texas A&M University.
However, the Huskies turned the tide by stunning the Fighting Irish in a surprise of 16-14 on a field goal by Canon Woodill with 31 seconds remaining in the game.
Northern Illinois’ win is certainly impressive when you consider the standings. And a Mid-American Conference (MAC) program taking down one of college football’s traditional powers is remarkable. But how impressive was the Huskies’ win in terms of point spread?
Surprisingly, a 28.5-point win doesn’t even rank among the top 10 biggest losses of all time. But it is among the top 15 biggest losses of the last 45 years. Three previous teams have won as 28.5-point underdogs, according to Action Network:
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Illinois vs Wisconsin (2019)
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Pitt vs. West Virginia (2007)
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Nicholls State vs. Western Michigan (2013)
Two of those games may not seem as impressive since they were conference matchups. But FCS Southland Conference Nicholls State’s win over MAC program Western Michigan is worth considering.
The biggest upset in college football history is Howard’s victory University of Nevada Las Vegas43-40, in 2017. The Bisons were 45.5-point underdogs in this game.In 2007, Stanford beat USC, 24-23, as a 40.5-point underdog. (No, that wasn’t the “What is your problem?” game, which took place two years later.)
Syracuse beat Louisville (2007) and Texas State beat Houston (2012) as 36.5-point underdogs. UTEP beat BYU in 1985 and Temple beat Virginia Tech in 1998 as 36-point underdogs. And to finish in the top 5, Central Michigan beat Western Michigan as 35.5-point underdogs in 2000.
Not being among the top five — or even top 10 — biggest upsets in college football probably isn’t much consolation to Notre Dame fans. But at least Fighting Irish fans can say there have been worse upsets.
