Saturday Shocker: Michigan shocks No. 2 Ohio State to lead top 2024 upsets
Few sports are capable of delivering upsets the way college football can. On Saturday, the Michigan Wolverines may have delivered the most shocking one yet this season. Michigan downed their archrivals, the Ohio State Buckeyes 13-10 in Columbus, marking the Wolverines’ fourth consecutive victory in “The Game.”
Ohio State entered the contest with the No. 2 ranking in the country and the second-best odds to end the season as national champion, per ESPN BET. Michigan, on the other hand, entered with a 6-5 record and losses in two of its past three outings.
But when it’s rivalry week, records go out the window. Kalel Mullings set the tone with 116 yards as well as a score on 32 carries, while Dominic Zvada‘s field goal with 45 seconds remaining proved the difference as the Wolverines registered the improbable victory.
Revisit some of the most memorable upsets from the 2024 college football season.
Nov. 23: Oklahoma 24, Alabama 3
Just a few hours after the Rebels fell victim to an upset defeat on the road in Gainesville, Florida, fellow two-loss SEC foe the Alabama Crimson Tide were dispatched by the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman, Oklahoma.
Jalen Milroe was picked off three times in the 24-3 defeat, which marked No. 7 Alabama’s largest loss to an unranked opponent when ranked in the top 10 themselves. The 21-point deficit was the largest the team had faced since the 2019 national championship game against the Clemson Tigers, according to ESPN Research.
With the Crimson Tide’s defeat, three teams in the current College Football Playoff top 10 — the No. 5 Indiana Hoosiers and No. 9 Ole Miss, among them — suffered losses Saturday. Adding to the upsets, the No. 16 Colorado Buffaloes joined Alabama and Ole Miss as ranked teams that fell to unranked opponents.
Nov. 23: Florida 24, Ole Miss 17
Getting a win over the Florida Gators was crucial for the No. 9-ranked Ole Miss Rebels. However, Florida, riding high on momentum from their Week 12 victory over then-No. 22 LSU, seized control of the game and defeated Ole Miss 24-17.
The game came down to the wire, and Ole Miss’ path to victory seemed to widen when an interception by Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart was overturned to an incomplete pass. However, Dart had another chance to lead a comeback but ultimately threw a game-sealing pick, solidifying Florida’s upset victory and effectively knocking the Rebels’ out of the College Football Playoff contention.
This is the first time Florida has beaten a ranked opponent in consecutive weeks as an unranked team since 2003, according to ESPN Research.
Nov. 16: Kansas 17, BYU 13
The No. 6 BYU Cougars had been playing with fire for weeks now, with four of their nine wins in 2024 coming by one-score margins. On Saturday, one week after escaping a rivalry trap game against Utah Utes via a walk-off field goal, they got burned.
The Kansas Jayhawks entered Provo, Utah, with an unassuming 3-6 record, but their own record in one score games (five losses came by margins of six points or fewer) indicated they’d offer a tougher test than most. And a tougher test they were, as the Jayhawks capitalized on a muffed pooch punt in the fourth quarter to eke out a 17-13 victory on the road.
Kansas’ triumph wasn’t the biggest upset of the season. But it took place during the final month, which often has a heightened propensity for chaos. We’re tracking all of the major upsets of the 2024 college football season throughout the fall.
Nov. 9: Georgia Tech 28, Miami 23
The No. 4 Miami Hurricanes had dominated throughout the season, earning a top-four seed in the initial College Football Playoff rankings. However, they were still weeks away from the postseason and a matchup against the unranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets awaited. On Saturday, the Hurricanes were stung.
Georgia Tech jumped to a 7-0 lead. The Yellow Jackets trailed only once — 10-7 with 7:47 remaining in the first quarter. But they bounced back in the next quarter to regain the lead for good.
Down 28-23 with 1:52 left, Miami had a final chance to win, but Cam Ward was strip-sacked on the second play of the drive. Georgia Tech jumped on the ball to clinch its second win over a team 9-0 or better in the AP poll era (since 1936), according to ESPN Research.
Nov. 2: Iowa State 23, Texas Tech 22
Iowa State entered the matchup on the brink of the program’s first 8-0 start to a season. With the first College Football Playoff rankings in the 12-team era to be revealed Tuesday, the Cyclones seemed to be in position to boast a top-12 ranking heading down the stretch of the season. All they had to do was handle business at home against Texas Tech.
Unfortunately, things are rarely as easy as they seem in college football.
The Red Raiders led for most of the fourth quarter, but a 44-yard touchdown pass from Rocco Becht to Carson Brown with just over two minutes left inched Iowa State back ahead. But Texas Tech wasn’t done. A 12-play, 71-yard winning drive ended with Tahj Brooks finding the end zone for the Red Raiders with 20 seconds left to clinch a 23-22 upset for the visitors.
Nov. 2: South Carolina 44, Texas A&M 20
No. 10 Texas A&M was tied with 4-3 South Carolina at halftime, and it looked as if this would just be one of those games where the better team, after letting the lesser one hang around for a bit, would find a second gear in the third quarter and return to form.
The reverse happened in this game. South Carolina roared out of the gate after the break, with Raheim Sanders storming down the field for a 52-yard touchdown with 9:19 left in the third. LaNorris Sellers hit Joshua Simon for a 57-yard pass TD late in the fourth, and the Gamecocks turned their upset into a rout.
Oct. 5: Vanderbilt 40, Alabama 35
Alabama was riding high after an incredible Week 4 victory over Georgia — a victory that propelled it into the No. 1 ranking in the nation.
But then came 2-2 Vanderbilt.
The Commodores roared to a 23-14 lead at halftime and never let up, answering the Crimson Tide with a score every time Alabama came close. Diego Pavia threw for 252 yards and two touchdowns as the Commodores pulled off the biggest upset of the season to date.
Oct. 5: Arkansas 19, Tennessee 14
The second upset of a top-five team on Oct. 5, the game between Arkansas and Tennessee, was a lower-scoring affair than the Alabama-Vanderbilt barn burner — but no less exciting.
The score was 3-0 at halftime, but No. 4 Tennessee went ahead after two touchdowns in the third quarter by running back Dylan Sampson. But Arkansas kept pace and went ahead for good on a Malachi Singleton rushing touchdown with 1:17 remaining. Tennessee knocked on the door in the final seconds but was unable to score as Arkansas pulled off the upset.
Sept. 28: Kentucky 20, Ole Miss 17
Two weeks after Kentucky saw its upset bid against top-ranked Georgia fall heartbreakingly short, it got a second chance at a statement win … and took it.
Facing off against No. 6 Ole Miss on the road in Oxford, the Wildcats went up 20-17 with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter thanks to a touchdown run by Josh Kattus. The Wildcats’ defense would bend — allowing the Rebels into field goal range with a chance to send the game to overtime — but didn’t break. Caden Davis‘ 48-yard attempt at an equalizing field goal drifted wide as time expired.
Sept. 7: Northern Illinois 16, Notre Dame 14
The Huskies’ defense won the day at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame was held to just 286 yards of total offense as Northern Illinois eventually put through the decisive field goal late in the fourth quarter.
The win was the Huskies’ first in program history against a top-10 opponent. NIU had been 0-14 in previous attempts, according to ESPN Research.
Aug. 24: George Tech 24, Florida State 21
College football returned with a bang, as Georgia Tech pulled off an immediate stunner in Ireland. Florida State entered the 2024 season ranked No. 10 in the AP poll but couldn’t find traction after an unbeaten regular season in 2023.
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Greg Wyshynski
I fully admit that most of my 2024-25 NHL preseason predictions were a waste of pixels: a collection of bad calls, faulty logic and the bold prediction that the Buffalo Sabres would make the playoffs — which should qualify me for some sort of cognitive examination.
But I got something right: The two teams I predicted would battle in the Stanley Cup Final are part of the 2025 NHL postseason bracket. However, after 82 games of data, results and analysis, I’ve decided to punt on one of those picks while remaining ride-or-die on the other one — most likely to my detriment, given their current predicament.
Here is how the Stanley Cup playoffs will play out, from the opening round through the last game of the Final. I apologize in advance for spoiling the next two months for you, as obviously all of this is going to happen exactly to script and none of these picks will be incorrect.
Let’s all enjoy the best postseason in sports together, no matter how it goes.
The 2024-25 NHL season is officially in the rearview mirror. Sixteen of the league’s teams have made the postseason bracket, and 16 have been eliminated.
Before the first-round series begins, ESPN’s experts have identified their picks for each matchup, along with the team that will win the Stanley Cup in June and the player who will win the Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP).
More: Full schedule
Megapreview
Lapsed fan’s guide
Betting intel
Contender flaws
Atlantic Division
Sean Allen: Maple Leafs in seven
Blake Bolden: Maple Leafs in six
John Buccigross: Maple Leafs in seven
Ryan Callahan: Maple Leafs in six
Cassie Campbell-Pascall: Maple Leafs in five
Sachin Chandan: Senators in six
Meghan Chayka: Maple Leafs in five
Ryan S. Clark: Senators in seven
Linda Cohn: Maple Leafs in six
Rachel Doerrie: Maple Leafs in six
Ray Ferraro: Maple Leafs in seven
Emily Kaplan: Maple Leafs in six
Tim Kavanagh: Maple Leafs in five
Peter Lawrence-Riddell: Maple Leafs in five
Steve Levy: Maple Leafs in six
Vince Masi: Senators in seven
Victoria Matiash: Maple Leafs in six
Sean McDonough: Senators in six
Mark Messier: Maple Leafs in six
Mike Monaco: Maple Leafs in five
Arda Öcal: Maple Leafs in six
Kristen Shilton: Maple Leafs in six
Bob Wischusen: Maple Leafs in six
Greg Wyshynski: Maple Leafs in five
Consensus prediction: Maple Leafs (20 of 24 picks)
Sean Allen: Panthers in six
Blake Bolden: Lightning in seven
John Buccigross: Lightning in seven
Ryan Callahan: Lightning in seven
Cassie Campbell-Pascall: Panthers in six
Sachin Chandan: Lightning in five
Meghan Chayka: Lightning in six
Ryan S. Clark: Panthers in seven
Linda Cohn: Lightning in six
Rachel Doerrie: Lightning in seven
Ray Ferraro: Lightning in six
Emily Kaplan: Lightning in seven
Tim Kavanagh: Lightning in seven
Peter Lawrence-Riddell: Lightning in seven
Steve Levy: Panthers in seven
Vince Masi: Lightning in six
Victoria Matiash: Panthers in six
Sean McDonough: Lightning in seven
Mark Messier: Lightning in seven
Mike Monaco: Lightning in six
Arda Öcal: Panthers in six
Kristen Shilton: Lightning in seven
Bob Wischusen: Lightning in seven
Greg Wyshynski: Lightning in seven
Consensus prediction: Lightning (18 of 24 picks)
Metropolitan Division
Sean Allen: Capitals in six
Blake Bolden: Canadiens in six
John Buccigross: Capitals in seven
Ryan Callahan: Capitals in five
Cassie Campbell-Pascall: Capitals in five
Sachin Chandan: Capitals in five
Meghan Chayka: Capitals in five
Ryan S. Clark: Capitals in six
Linda Cohn: Capitals in six
Rachel Doerrie: Capitals in five
Ray Ferraro: Capitals in five
Emily Kaplan: Capitals in 6
Tim Kavanagh: Capitals in five
Peter Lawrence-Riddell: Capitals in five
Steve Levy: Capitals in five
Vince Masi: Capitals in six
Victoria Matiash: Canadiens in seven
Sean McDonough: Canadiens in six
Mark Messier: Capitals in six
Mike Monaco: Capitals in six
Arda Öcal: Canadiens in seven
Kristen Shilton: Capitals in seven
Bob Wischusen: Canadiens in seven
Greg Wyshynski: Capitals in five
Consensus prediction: Capitals (20 of 24 picks)
1:58
Ovechkin tells McAfee his chase for the goal record was great for hockey
Alex Ovechkin joins “The Pat McAfee Show” to discuss his achievement of surpassing Wayne Gretzky as the all-time goals leader and the impact on the game.
Sean Allen: Hurricanes in five
Blake Bolden: Devils in seven
John Buccigross: Hurricanes in seven
Ryan Callahan: Hurricanes in five
Cassie Campbell-Pascall: Hurricanes in six
Sachin Chandan: Devils in six
Meghan Chayka: Hurricanes in five
Ryan S. Clark: Hurricanes in seven
Linda Cohn: Devils in seven
Rachel Doerrie: Hurricanes in six
Ray Ferraro: Hurricanes in six
Emily Kaplan: Hurricanes in seven
Tim Kavanagh: Devils in seven
Peter Lawrence-Riddell: Hurricanes in six
Steve Levy: Devils in seven
Vince Masi: Hurricanes in seven
Victoria Matiash: Hurricanes in six
Sean McDonough: Hurricanes in seven
Mark Messier: Hurricanes in seven
Arda Öcal: Devils in six
Kristen Shilton: Hurricanes in four
Bob Wischusen: Hurricanes in six
Greg Wyshynski: Hurricanes in six
Consensus prediction: Hurricanes (17 of 23 picks)
Central Division
Sean Allen: Jets in five
Blake Bolden: Jets in six
John Buccigross: Jets in seven
Ryan Callahan: Jets in six
Cassie Campbell-Pascall: Jets in five
Sachin Chandan: Jets in four
Meghan Chayka: Blues in six
Ryan S. Clark: Jets in seven
Linda Cohn: Jets in six
Rachel Doerrie: Blues in seven
Ray Ferraro: Jets in seven
Emily Kaplan: Jets in six
Tim Kavanagh: Jets in seven
Peter Lawrence-Riddell: Jets in six
Steve Levy: Jets in seven
Vince Masi: Jets in seven
Victoria Matiash: Jets in six
Sean McDonough: Jets in five
Mark Messier: Jets in six
Mike Monaco: Blues in seven
Arda Öcal: Blues in six
Kristen Shilton: Jets in six
Bob Wischusen: Jets in six
Greg Wyshynski: Jets in five
Consensus prediction: Jets (20 of 24 picks)
Sean Allen: Stars in seven
Blake Bolden: Avalanche in six
John Buccigross: Avalanche in seven
Ryan Callahan: Avalanche in seven
Cassie Campbell-Pascall: Avalanche in seven
Sachin Chandan: Avalanche in six
Meghan Chayka: Avalanche in six
Ryan S. Clark: Stars in seven
Linda Cohn: Avalanche in six
Rachel Doerrie: Avalanche in six
Ray Ferraro: Avalanche in six
Emily Kaplan: Avalanche in seven
Tim Kavanagh: Stars in seven
Peter Lawrence-Riddell: Avalanche in seven
Steve Levy: Avalanche in seven
Vince Masi: Avalanche in five
Victoria Matiash: Avalanche in six
Sean McDonough: Avalanche in six
Mark Messier: Avalanche in five
Mike Monaco: Avalanche in six
Arda Öcal: Avalanche in seven
Kristen Shilton: Avalanche in six
Bob Wischusen: Avalanche in six
Greg Wyshynski: Stars in seven
Consensus prediction: Avalanche (20 of 24 picks)
Pacific Division
Sean Allen: Wild in seven
Blake Bolden: Golden Knights in five
John Buccigross: Golden Knights in seven
Ryan Callahan: Golden Knights in six
Cassie Campbell-Pascall: Golden Knights in six
Sachin Chandan: Golden Knights in five
Meghan Chayka: Golden Knights in five
Ryan S. Clark: Golden Knights in six
Linda Cohn: Golden Knights in six
Rachel Doerrie: Golden Knights in six
Ray Ferraro: Golden Knights in five
Emily Kaplan: Golden Knights in sixe
Tim Kavanagh: Golden Knights in five
Peter Lawrence-Riddell: Golden Knights in five
Steve Levy: Golden Knights in five
Vince Masi: Golden Knights in six
Victoria Matiash: Golden Knights in six
Sean McDonough: Golden Knights in five
Mark Messier: Golden Knights in five
Mike Monaco: Golden Knights in six
Arda Öcal: Golden Knights in five
Kristen Shilton: Golden Knights in five
Bob Wischusen: Golden Knights in six
Greg Wyshynski: Golden Knights in five
Consensus prediction: Golden Knights (23 of 24 picks)
Sean Allen: Kings in six
Blake Bolden: Kings in seven
John Buccigross: Kings in seven
Ryan Callahan: Kings in six
Cassie Campbell-Pascall: Oilers in seven
Sachin Chandan: Kings in seven
Meghan Chayka: Oilers in six
Ryan S. Clark: Oilers in seven
Linda Cohn: Kings in seven
Rachel Doerrie: Kings in seven
Ray Ferraro: Kings in seven
Emily Kaplan: Oilers in seven
Tim Kavanagh: Kings in five
Peter Lawrence-Riddell: Kings in seven
Steve Levy: Kings in seven
Vince Masi: Oilers in seven
Victoria Matiash: Kings in six
Sean McDonough: Kings in seven
Mark Messier: Oilers in six
Mike Monaco: Oilers in six
Arda Öcal: Oilers in six
Kristen Shilton: Oilers in six
Bob Wischusen: Kings in seven
Greg Wyshynski: Oilers in six
Consensus prediction: Kings (14 of 24 picks)
1:05
Mark Messier: The Kings are going to be a problem for the Oilers
Mark Messier explains why the Kings are a different team this year and present a bigger challenge to the Oilers.
Stanley Cup
Sean Allen: Maple Leafs
John Buccigross: Avalanche
Ryan Callahan: Golden Knights
Cassie Campbell-Pascall: Avalanche
Sachin Chandan: Avalanche
Meghan Chayka: Golden Knights
Ryan S. Clark: Golden Knights
Linda Cohn: Jets
Rachel Doerrie: Avalanche
Ray Ferraro: Golden Knights
Emily Kaplan: Golden Knights
Tim Kavanagh: Golden Knights
Peter Lawrence-Riddell: Golden Knights
Steve Levy: Golden Knights
Vince Masi: Lightning
Victoria Matiash: Jets
Sean McDonough: Golden Knights
Mark Messier: Oilers
Mike Monaco: Avalanche
Arda Öcal: Maple Leafs
Kristen Shilton: Avalanche
Bob Wischusen: Jets
Greg Wyshynski: Stars
Prediction breakdown: Golden Knights (9), Avalanche (6), Jets (3), Maple Leafs (2), Lightning (1), Oilers (1), Stars (1)
Conn Smythe (playoff MVP)
Sean Allen: Mitch Marner
John Buccigross: Brock Nelson
Ryan Callahan: Jack Eichel
Cassie Campbell-Pascall: Cale Makar
Sachin Chandan: Nathan MacKinnon
Meghan Chayka: Jack Eichel
Ryan S. Clark: Jack Eichel
Linda Cohn: Connor Hellebuyck
Rachel Doerrie: Nathan MacKinnon
Ray Ferraro: Jack Eichel
Emily Kaplan: Jack Eichel
Tim Kavanagh: Jack Eichel
Peter Lawrence-Riddell: Jack Eichel
Steve Levy: Jack Eichel
Vince Masi: Brayden Point
Victoria Matiash: Connor Hellebuyck
Sean McDonough: Jack Eichel
Mark Messier: Connor McDavid
Mike Monaco: Nathan McKinnon
Arda Öcal: William Nylander
Kristen Shilton: Nathan MacKinnon
Bob Wischusen: Connor Hellebuyck
Greg Wyshynski: Jake Oettinger
Prediction breakdown: Jack Eichel (10), Nathan MacKinnon (3), Connor Hellebuyck (3), Mitch Marner (1), Brock Nelson (1), Cale Makar (1), Brayden Point (1), Connor McDavid (1), William Nylander (1), Jake Oettinger (1)
The Edmonton Oilers on Saturday signed defenseman Ty Emberson to a two-year contract extension with an average annual value of $1.3 million.
The Oilers, who will take on the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, inserted 24-year-old Emberson into the lineup for 76 games this season, recording two goals and 13 point. He averaged 15:07 of ice time for the defending Western Conference champions.
Emberson has turned into a reliable force on Edmonton’s penalty-kill unit, and figures to maintain that role vs. the Kings. Emberson led all Edmonton defensemen in total short-handed time on ice (149:32) this season, while ranking second in hits (125).
The Kings will host Game 1 on Monday night at 10 p.m. ET at Crypto.com Arena.
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