Anatomy of a Group of 5 upset of a power-conference team

"We all have our favorites. Tastes vary. Maybe you're a ULM-Alabama 2007 person. Maybe last year's Northern Illinois-Notre Dame game hit your taste buds just right. Maybe you're a hipster who prefers the forgotten classics, such as 2017 Troy-LSU, or 2005 TCU-Oklahoma, or 2022 App State-Texas A&M. Each season gives us about 110 games between mid-major teams and power-conference foes, and although not all of them are classics (or even upsets), the mid-majors tend to win about 20 or so of them each year."

"The Memphis Tigers (+6.5 vs. Arkansas Razorbacks) and the East Carolina Pirates (+6.5 vs. BYU Cougars) are one-score underdogs against visiting power-conference foes; the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (+12.5 at Oklahoma State Cowboys) could get someone fired; the Tulane Green Wave (+12.5 at Ole Miss Rebels) could burnish an increasingly strong CFP résumé; the Wyoming Cowboys (+12.5 at Colorado Buffaloes) could send Deion Sanders' program into hopelessness;"

Each college football season includes about 110 games between mid-major teams and power-conference opponents, and mid-majors typically win roughly 20 of those games. Three weeks into 2025, Group of 5 teams have recorded nine victories against Power Five programs. Week 4 features several mid-major underdogs with notable spreads and upset potential, including Memphis (+6.5 vs Arkansas), East Carolina (+6.5 vs BYU), Tulsa (+12.5 at Oklahoma State), Tulane (+12.5 at Ole Miss), Wyoming (+12.5 at Colorado) and San Diego State (+12.5 vs Cal). Longshot upset possibilities include Washington State (+20.5 at Washington), Oregon State (+34.5 at Oregon), Northern Illinois (+21.5 at Mississippi State) and Georgia State (+26.5 at Vanderbilt).

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