Four Top Football Teams Lose to Unranked Teams
The Claim
In a record-breaking day, four top football teams lost to unranked teams.
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Emerging story
Four AP Top-25 college football teams lost at home to unranked teams this week. This ties a record for the 2nd-most such losses on any day in AP Poll history. This was posted on social media and liked or retweeted over 2500 times in early October 2020.
Misbar’s Analysis
Week five of college football was full of upsets, including four top teams that lost on their home turf to unranked teams.
Ninth-ranked Texas lost to Texas Christian (TCU) by two points for a final score of 33-31. Since beginning Big 12 play in 2012, TCU has now beat Texas in seven of nine games with a 4-1 record in Austin. According to CBS Sports, the Longhorns have now lost six games as an AP Top 25 team against unranked opponents since coach Tom Herman took over in 2017.
University of Central Florida (UCF), also a top ranked team, lost at home to Tulsa 34-26. The loss ended the UCF Knights’ 21-game home win streak. Interestingly, UCF’s last loss at home came in 2016. It was a loss to Tulsa.
Arkansas also upset number 16 Mississippi State on Saturday, 21-14, according to Yahoo Sports. Mississippi State lost one week after beating defending national champion LSU in Baton Rouge. Mississippi State entered the game as a 17-point favorite.
North Carolina State beat ranked Pittsburgh by one point in a 30-29 point finish. According to USA Today, NC State was down with just under two minutes to play, and went on a 79-yard, eight-play touchdown drive to beat #24 ranked Pittsburg.
