College Football

10 incredible stats from an upset-filled college football Saturday

Updated Sep. 11, 2022 3:12 p.m. ET

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There is no precise formula or detailed algorithm to determine what truly makes one college football upset more "shocking" than any other.  

Some fans base an upset on projected point spreads, while others might favor historical records or talent disparity based on statistics or even recruiting rankings.

However you determine what makes for a good upset, you’d be hard-pressed to find any college football fan who wasn’t shocked by some of the results that took place in Week 2 of the 2022 college football season.

The memorable day kicked off with unranked Texas nearly pulling off an improbable upset over No. 1-ranked Alabama. After the Longhorns took a 19-17 lead over the Tide with 1:29 remaining in the game, Bama QB Bryce Young led a near-flawless drive that set up Will Reichard’s 33-yard field goal with 10 seconds left to secure a 20-19 victory for Alabama.

Alabama hits the go-ahead field goal with 10 seconds left to take the 20-19 lead

Alabama hits the go-ahead field goal to defeat Texas, 20-19.

The first major upset of the day came on Saturday afternoon when unranked Marshall stunned No. 8-ranked Notre Dame in South Bend. Then, minutes later, it was Appalachian State who shocked the college football world yet again, this time with a 17-14 win over No. 6 Texas A&M. 

Other notable upsets on Saturday included Washington State’s 17-14 win over No. 19 Wisconsin, Kansas’ 55-42 victory over West Virginia in overtime, and Kentucky’s 26-16 triumph over No. 12 Florida. We'll even toss in one more Top-10 loss: No. 21 BYU's 26-20 victory over No. 9 Baylor.

With so many upsets, there were plenty of jaw-dropping stats to help capture the breadth of this unforeseen college football Saturday. Here are 10 incredible stats from Saturday’s action.

Appalachian State 17, No. 6 Texas A&M 16

• Appalachian State's upset victory over Texas A&M marked the program's first win over an AP Top 10 team since 2007 when the Mountaineers stunned No. 5 Michigan in Week 1.

Marshall 26, No. 8 Notre Dame 21

• With the loss, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman becomes the first head coach in program history to start 0-3 (he lost a bowl game last season plus the season opener last week before the Marshall letdown).

No. 8 Notre Dame is upset by Marshall in South Bend

RJ Young discusses Notre Dame's disappointing loss and where the Fighting Irish can go from here.

Washington State 17, No. 19 Wisconsin 14

• Washington State's victory over No. 19 Wisconsin was the program's first win over an AP-ranked Big Ten team since 1994 when the Cougars defeated Illinois.

Washington State defeats No. 19 Wisconsin 17-14 in Madison

The Washington State Cougars upset the No. 19 Wisconsin Badgers, 17-14.

Georgia Southern 45,Nebraska 42

• Georgia Southern's 45-42 win over Nebraska marked the Huskers 10th straight loss in one-possession games.

Nebraska misses 52-yard FG attempt in heartbreaking loss vs. Georgia Southern

Nebraska kicker Timmy Bleekrode misses the 52-yard field goal as the Cornhuskers lost to the Georgia Southern Eagles, 45-42.

No. 20 Kentucky 26, No. 12 Florida 16

• The victory gave Mark Stoops his 62nd career win at Kentucky, breaking Bear Bryant's record for the most wins by a Kentucky head coach.

Kansas 55, West Virginia 42

• Kansas' 55-42 win over West Virginia marked the program's first Big 12 road win by 10-plus points since 2007.

Texas Tech 33, Houston 30

• Texas Tech's victory over Houston is the first time the Red Raiders beat a ranked nonconference opponent in the regular season since 1989.

Fans rush the field after Donovan Smith's rushing TD seals Texas Tech's upset victory against No. 25 Houston

Donovan Smith's rushing TD in OT sealed Texas Tech's 33-30 victory against No. 25 Houston

Iowa State 10, Iowa 7

• Iowa State defeated Iowa for the first time since 2014, which marks the first win in this in-state battle for Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell.

Eastern Kentucky 59, Bowling Green 57 (7 OT)

• Eastern Kentucky's victory over Bowling Green in seven overtimes is the most OTs for an FCS program facing a Div. I opponent in college football history.

Duke, Illinois and Kansas

• Duke, Illinois and Kansas all won on Saturday, marking the first time since 1994 that all three programs beat Power 5 opponents on the same day.

What Saturday's upsets meant from a gambling perspective:

• Nine of the top-10 ranked teams in the nation failed to cover the spread on Saturday.
• Of those 10 games, eight hit the under and the Georgia-Samford game did not have an over/under listed, per FOX Bet.
• Notre Dame entered Saturday's matchup against Marshall with the seventh-best odds to win the College Football Playoff at +4000. Following their loss, the Fighting Irish are now listed at +10000 to win the title.
• It was the fourth time in 45 years the Fighting Irish lost when favored by 20 or more points. Notre Dame lost as a 21-point favorite against Air Force (44-14), a 28-point favorite against Northwestern in 1995 (17-15) and a 20.5-point favorite against Duke in 2016 (38-35).
• According to ESPN, a bettor in New Jersey cashed a $50 in-game moneyline parlay on Marshall (+1050), Washington State (+650) and App State (+700) to collect a cool $34,450. The Cougars upset No. 19 Wisconsin as 17.5-point underdogs, 17-14.

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