This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/2Pollaski2Furious on 2024-08-14 15:15:09+00:00.

35: WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS (lost to UCLA 67-63) [2019]

Coming off an 11-2, Top 10 season in 2018, hopes were high in Pullman for the following year and sure enough, the Cougs were 3-0 and ranked #19 heading into this game, while the Bruins were an 0-3 trainwreck who had lost by multiple scores to both Cincinnati and San Diego State and this game looked to be a similarly lopsided affair. And after a slow first quarter, that’s exactly what it began to look like, with the Cougs leading 35-17 at the half and adding two more touchdowns to take a 49-17 lead with less than 22 minutes remaining. And then… meltdown. UCLA drove to score, then Wazzu immediately fumbled and the Bruins scored again- their second touchdown in just fifteen seconds. After a Coug punt pushed UCLA back to their own six, Dorian Thompson-Robinson hit Demetric Felton, who scampered all 94 yards for another touchdown. The Cougs fumbled again, and UCLA responded with another TD early in the fourth quarter. In just a little over four minutes of game time, the Cougs 32 point lead had been reduced to a mere field goal.

The Cougs finally got another touchdown to stretch the lead to ten, but UCLA scored on their next drive, forced a Coug three and out, then returned the punt to finally take a 60-56 lead. The Cougs retook the lead 80 seconds later, but them fumbled on the first play of their next drive- their fifth turnover of the game, leading to UCLA to again take the lead. The Cougs fumbled one more time- again on their first play- and that was all UCLA needed to drain the clock. While not the biggest meltdown in CFB history, most comebacks take nearly the entire remainder of the game to pull off, and UCLA’s had done theirs so quickly it still left plenty of time for the teams to trade the lead several more times before the end.

34: OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (lost to Iowa 55-24) [2017]

Despite an early home loss to Oklahoma, the Buckeyes were 7-1 and ranked sixth in the nation heading into Iowa City to play the 5-3 Hawkeyes. That said, the game could not have been more of a death trap- early November, late afternoon, Kinnick Stadium, and sandwiched neatly between two massive games against Penn State and Michigan State. The game was tied at 17 midway through the second quarter when the Hawkeyes- who in offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz’s first year had averaged all of 14 points per game against conference opponents not named Illinois- went OFF, scoring the next thirty-one consecutive points. Iowa’s offense rolled for nearly 500 yards on the day, with quarterback Nathan Stanley flinging for 5 touchdowns. On the opposite side of the ball, Buckeye QB JT Barrett was continually harassed, and ended up throwing four interceptions on the day. Despite the beatdown, the Buckeyes still managed to win the Big Ten and even had an argument to take the final playoff spot due to their schedule and having a trophy, but in the end Bama’s single loss and a lack of a 31-point thrashing carried the day, and the Buckeyes had to settle for the Cotton Bowl.

At least the game taught the Buckeyes a valuable lesson about just how dangerous even mid-tier Big Ten away games can be, and not to get caught off guard like that again.

Only…

33: OHIO STATE BUCKEYES (lost to Purdue 49-20) [2018]

… it happened again the next year. THis time the Buckeyes were ranked second, undefeated through their first seven games. But Purdue, rallying around cancer-striken Superfan Tyler Trent, came out swinging, holding the Buckeyes to a single field goal (and another short miss), taking a 14-3 lead at the half. In the second half, things started to get out of control, and by the time the Buckeyes found the endzone for the first time, it was 28-13. Ohio State actually ended up with more yards on the night- 546-539, but simply could not finish their drives. The Buckeyes did close it to 35-20 with just under five minutes to go, leaving the door open for a possible miracle, but Purdue recovered the onside kick, quickly scored, and then returned a Dwayne Haskins interception to the house for the final margin. Again, the loss proved fatal for Ohio State’s playoff hopes, but at least this time they got to go to the Rose Bowl.

32: BOISE STATE BRONCOS (lost to Colorado State 31-30) [2023]

It was hardly a banner year for Boise, who sat at just 3-3 when they pulled into Fort Collins for this Week 7 matchup against the Rams, who they had never lost to in twelve previous meetings. Despite three early turnovers, the Broncos still got off to a hot start, going up 17-0 at the half, and while State did battle back a bit in the third quarter, hit two field goals to start the fourth, then capitalized on a deep Ram interception to take a commanding 30-10 lead with just six minutes to play. The Rams spent two minutes driving for a touchdown, recovered an onside kick, then scored on another two minute drive to pull within six. State then recovered ANOTHER onside- but it was negated by a penalty, and Boise had a chance to ice the game. But a second down holding call dampered that effort, and Boise was forced to punt it away with just thirty three seconds left. Colorado State quickly made its way to the Boise State 34 with six seconds left, then Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi dropped back to pass, heaving it to the end zone, where Boise players knocked it down. But Dallin Holker dove at the ball as it descended, catching it just before it hit the ground for the winning touchdown. Coach Andy Avalos would be fired after just three more games, and while I’m not 100% sure on this, I think Avalos might be the first Bronco coach to ever be fired. And then Boise went on to win the conference anyways because of course they did.

31: ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS (lost to Toledo 16-12) [2015]

Bret Bielema had a bee in his bonnet during the post-week 1 all-SEC teleconference. He wanted to make sure everyone knew his eighteenth ranked Razorbacks had a whopping eight ranked teams remaining on their schedule, while top-ranked defending national champion Ohio State had just one. No one was really sure why Bielema called out the Buckeyes- they weren’t on Arkansas’ schedule and it was far too early to even think about playoff consideration, but Bielema wanted it made very clear- in the SEC, it’s just harder.

Except maybe Bielema should have been focusing a bit more on another team from Ohio. IN truth, ARkansas dominated the game- they held the ball for thirty-eight minutes and rolled for 515 yards and 30 first downs. Its just… they didn’t score. All those yards amounted to were ten offensive points, while the Hawgs also missed a field goal, threw an interception, and turned the ball over on downs twice deep in Toledo territory. Meanwhile, the Rockets did just enough to stay ahead, despite 200 yards less of offense. With less than a minute to go, Toledo took an intentional safety, hoping to drain more clock and worsen Arkansas’ field position with the free kick. It worked- the Razorbacks drove to the Toledo 14, but QB Brandon Allen overthrew the end zone on his final two passes, and the Rockets escaped Fayetteville with the near-inexplicable upset.

Oh, and at the end of the day, the Razorbacks only ended up facing four ranked opponents. But hey, at least one game was tougher than originally expected!

TOMORROW: The top Group of Five Tank Job and… oh hell… its the Apple Cup