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The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/MannOSteel on 2024-07-13 21:01:31+00:00.
For my money, it’s 13-9. #2 West Virginia losing the 2007 Backyard Brawl to unranked Pitt didn’t just cost the Mountaineers a spot in the BCS National Championship Game; it potentially caused several significant snowball effects that are still felt today:
- If WVU plays in the National Championship Game, does Rich Rodriguez stay at his alma mater? If so, who does Michigan hire? The Mountaineers winning likely bounces LSU out of a top two ranking, so does Les Miles leave as initially speculated? If so, LSU and Michigan- who’ve won two of the previous five national championships- would’ve had their future dramatically altered.
- If the Mountaineers win the national championship, do they get invited to the SEC four years later instead of Missouri? If so, what happens to Mizzou? Do they stay in the Big 12, or perhaps are invited to the Big Ten in the future (stealing an invite from Maryland and/or Rutgers)? Does the ACC soften their stance on WVU if the SEC still passes on them, stealing an invite from Pitt?
- SB Nation’s Matt Brown once speculated that West Virginia could’ve landed Terrelle Pryor had Rich Rod remained in Morgantown. In that case, does Jim Tressel stay with Ohio State past 2010 with there being no autograph scandal surrounding Pryor? If so, does that mean Urban Meyer doesn’t end up in Columbus?
What else am I missing? What other games had similar snowball effects as this?