Cheering for the underdog is fun, and you don’t see them winning too often. But this got us thinking— what were the biggest upsets in the NFL and college football seasons this year?
Did any double-digit underdogs win this year? Is it more common for underdogs to win in college football than in the NFL? If you’re asking these questions, we’ve got you covered.
FOX Sports Research took a dive into the data and broke down the top five biggest upsets in each sport, based off point spread. Did your team make the list?
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Let’s take a look:
NFL
Cowboys (+10.5) at Commanders, Week 12
The biggest upset of the season when looking at it from a point spread perspective came from the Cowboys in Week 12, taking down the Commanders as 10.5-point underdogs on the road. Cooper Rush finished 24-of-32 with 247 passing yards and two passing scores with no interceptions to upset Washington— who just clinched a playoff berth last week. Since 2022, underdogs of 10+ points are 9-55 straight up (SU) in that span— and just 1-14 in the 2024 season. Through 17 weeks of play, the Cowboys are the only team to have won as a double-digit underdog.
Patriots (+8) at Bengals, Week 1
Week 1 started off with a big upset, as the Patriots were the favorites to finish with the worst record in the NFL entering the season. Vegas wasn’t wrong, as they’re currently 3-13— which is tied for the worst record through 17 weeks. However, they took down Joe Burrow and the Bengals as eight-point road underdogs in the opening game of the season. Since 2002, New England has only been an underdog of eight-or-more points in ten regular season games— going 2-8 in those contests. The other win came in 2016, when Jimmy Garoppolo got the start against the Cardinals and won as an 8.5-point ‘dog.
Titans (+8) at Texans, Week 12
Like a few other teams on this list, the Titans have struggled all year— currently 3-13 on the season, tied for the worst record in the NFL. But Brian Callahan’s squad got a much-needed win in Week 12, taking down the Texans as eight-point road underdogs. Here’s a nugget that should put into perspective just how rare this sort of win was for Tennessee: since 1985, the Titans are 9-43 SU as underdogs of eight-or-more points.
Liberty at Kennesaw State (+27), Week 9
This was easily one of the greatest upsets in the entirety of the college football season. Liberty entered the matchup as a 27-point favorite against an 0-6 Kennesaw State team. But what makes this upset truly special is that the Owls 2024 season was their first at the FBS level. They lost those six games by an average of 19.3 points per outing and were taking on a Flames team that was not only 5-0, but coming off a 13-0 regular season campaign in 2023. But somehow, Kennesaw State did it. They pulled out a 27-24 victory at home to get their first win as an FBS program.
Georgia State (+23) at Texas State, Week 13
Dell McGee’s first season as the head coach of Georgia State was a tough one. The Panthers finished 3-9 on the year and entered their matchup against Texas State on a seven-game losing streak. But despite being 23-point underdogs against the Bobcats, they were able to pull off an eight-point win in a game that saw 96 combined points. They don’t call the Sun Belt conference the “fun belt” for no reason.
