The entire sports world collectively got whiplash checking the final score of former No. 1 Alabama’s supposed “gimme” matchup against Vanderbilt, the laughing stock of the Southeastern Conference.
Vanderbilt has not finished a season over .500 in a decade. Meanwhile, Alabama has been one of the most successful and recognizable programs of the last half-century. The upset was heard around the country, yet the occurrence has been all too common in this season’s brand of college football, with unknown implications on the all-new 12-team playoff format.
10 of the preseason’s top 15, including football “blue bloods” Notre Dame, Michigan, USC and Georgia, have dropped at least one game in upset fashion. For Georgia, that loss came to Alabama, in the game that propelled the Crimson Tide to No. 1. For Notre Dame, it came to unranked Northern Illinois, who lost its very next matchup to a Mid-American Conference opponent.
Michigan and USC have racked up two losses each, one of USC’s being in a matchup between the two teams, and one of Michigan’s being to current No. 1 Texas.
Upsets happen in college sports. No team is truly immortal when it is composed of a majority of 18 to 22-year-olds, and a somewhat new element has just done more to even the playing field across the 134 FBS Division I schools.
The transfer portal was introduced to college football in 2018, at first coming with many eligibility barriers but providing a way for college athletes to choose their destiny a bit more freely. Now, pretty much anybody can choose to enter the transfer portal and find a new home, playing the very next year without much complication.
With Name, Image and Likeness and pay-for-play adding to teams’ abilities to influence the transfer portal, recruiting in the college scene is like never before, as a team’s finances are now at the front and center. Teams have the opportunity to pull players away from the team that initially recruited them out of high school, looking for more money, a bigger role or both. Ohio itself did it many times in the offseason, bringing in a handful of players from power conferences like Anthony Tyus III, who ranks among the top 50 in the nation in total rushing yards.
Smaller schools like Ohio University have thrived off finding diamonds in the rough, and searching through the leftovers of recruiting powerhouses has essentially given these schools a boost in all facets. These “leftovers” are still high-major talents. They were, after all, recruited, and the opportunity these smaller schools can provide them allows these players to showcase that talent to a degree they wouldn’t get higher up.
Inversely, there’s also the aspect of legacy. High-major talents who were missed by high-major teams in their recruiting process, and have outgrown their mid-major competition, have the chance to put themselves in the record books, becoming legends within their program.
Heisman candidate and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty was asked why he hadn’t transferred to a bigger school. His response was simple.
“Money is great, money is cool,” Jeanty said. “But a legacy, an impact, that lasts forever."
The slew of upsets has plagued the top of college football, creating a sense of uneasiness among fans regarding the 12-team playoff format. However, upsets keep sports exciting. The underdog is an essential part of sports, and an even playing field makes for better games.
Logan Adams is a junior studying journalism. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Logan know by tweeting him @LoganPAdams.
