Sports

Still a Sucker for the Underdog

I’m still a big fat sucker for the underdog. I loved it when Boise State put it on Oklahoma in last Season’s Fiesta Bowl. And I loved it on Saturday when Appalachian State beat Michigan. Can you believe that? I still can’t. It’s not just that a Division 1-AA school beat a Division 1-A school. This little David beat the number 5 Goliath in the country, the University of Michigan.

Pat Forde of ESPN has it right:

“Remember the score: App. State 34, Michigan 32. We’ll still be talking about it a few decades from now. . . These are the kinds of things that don’t normally happen in college football, where the chasm between have and have-not is wider than in any other sport. In fact, as the preposterous partial scores from Ann Arbor kept rolling in, Labor Day weekend began to feel like March Madness. That charm is usually lost on the gridiron, but not Saturday. You got the feeling everyone nationwide not wearing maize and blue was pulling for the underdog. Just like the first round of the NCAA Tournament.”

This made my Labor Day weekend. I love college football.

11 Comments

  • Tim Rogers

    Dr. Burk,

    I live about 45 miles from the campus of ApState. We have a few ApState graduates in our church. It seems that the campus at Boone, NC was more alive this past Saturday than it was in any of their previous 2 National 1-AA titles.

    What a great win. I believe Michigan overlooked ApState. The total score itself tells you how their offense matched and overcame Michigan’s defense. No doubt that the blocked field goal and the one-handed pick-up will be a high-light film for years to come. :>)

    Blessings,
    Tim

  • Jeff

    Here in NC everyone is ecstatic!

    The students at App tore down a home field goalpost Saturday afternoon, carried it across campus and placed it on the lawn of the Chancellor’s house. He was still in route back front the Mich game.

    This little team is for real folks….they didn’t win the 1-AA Championship two years in a row for nothing. It’s a shame they can’t be ranked in the AP poll.

  • Ron

    I too love college football. And I too love the underdog. What about this for a question…

    Does God Care Who Wins Football Games (Or any athletic event for that matter)?

    I’m sure some were praying that Michigan would make the field goal… and some were praying they wouldn’t. Hmmm…

    Just wondering what your thoughts would be.

  • Hoodlum

    This only confirms that Big 10 schools are always OVER-RATED! Everyone knows the SEC is the toughest conference in college football. Ohio State and Michigan get too much love from the pollsters.

    How bout them LA Tech Bulldawgs! Woot!

  • don

    Congrats to A- State. Being a huge Michigan fan it hurts like heck but from seeing the stats Michigan were flat out out-played… MU has a lot of tough games ahead and I thought they were overated but this one means that all they can do is win the Big-10 and get a BCS bowl game…. They have no shot at a NCAA title and they aren’t that good anyway…. Again congrats to A-State.. Good for them.

  • Daniel

    Don,

    It’s still too early in the season to rule Michigan out. It’s better to lose at the start of the season than at the end.

    Last year’s champ was an one-loss team.

    That said, I don’t think that the Big Ten will take home the national championship this year. My bet would be on a SEC team again. Even though my heart is for the Big 12.

  • Kris

    “I loved it when Boise State put it on Oklahoma in last Season’s Orange Bowl.”

    Come on Denny, it was a great upset….but “put it on Oklahoma”

    While I normally don’t see the need to question a your integrity in blogging,(I do think you are a man of integrity)to say “put it on” is about as misleading as saying these teams played in “last Season’s Orange Bowl”

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