The "Little" Guys

Today is a special day that will live in college football infamy.

It's 2007:

First iphone unveiled.

Google introduces Android.

Appalachian State Beats #5 Michigan in Ann Arbor.


    This was to be another blowout. Another lopsided FBS school rolling over an FCS school.

     So confident were Las Vegas sportsbooks in Michigan's chances that no betting line was issued for the game. The game was also the first to be broadcast on the then-new Big Ten Network.  And then, Appalachian State won.

     On September 1st, 2007 Appalachian State became the first FCS team EVER to defeat a ranked FBS team, and as a result of that game Michigan dropped out of the top 25 of the AP Poll entirely, marking the first time a team had fallen from the top five to out of the poll entirely as the result of a single game. In the aftermath of the game, the Associated Press amended its polling policy to make FCS teams eligible for the AP Poll, which had previously been limited to FBS teams.

Since 1990, in 31 years of football, the Appalachian State Mountaineers have only finished lower than 3rd in their conference THREE times. All three times they finished 4th. This is an elite program folks.

App State factually changed the landscape of college football. 

     The program, and the school exploded. Overnight everyone knew who App State was. Internet searches for the school skyrocketed. I had the opportunity to speak with a university representative at a networking event once, the subject of that fateful day in Ann Arbor coming up. The member told me "ever since that game, we've been blowing up. We can't keep up. Winning that game on national television put us on the map, and today we're an amazing program and school overall for it."

Michigan paid The Mountaineers $400k for that loss, and to change college football history.

     2010: James Madison Beats Virginia Tech.

     Virginia Tech is the second ranked team to lose to a lower division team. The first was the previously mentioned No. 5 Michigan, which fell 34-32 to I-AA Appalachian State on Sept. 1, 2007. 

     2018: Old Dominion Beats #13 Virginia Tech

     VT was favored by 28.5 and OD was 0-3 headed into what appeared to be a four TD spread-slaughter. VT must not have learned from 2010. These were just embarrassments. But, there is powerful greatness in these crazy games...

     These momentous wins have directly contributed to the sustained growth of these small programs, and others. Schools that USED to be "small" but have grown due to big wins at some point in recent years:

UCF. Cincinnati. Boise State. TCU. App State. Georgia Southern. FAU. Just to name a few.

So here's a good question...what's worse?

Being Michigan and achieving the first ranked FBS team EVER to lose to an FCS team, AT HOME.

OR...

Being Va Tech and losing to FCS teams TWICE within eight years?

     Let's hear it for the 'Little Guys'.

They go on the road knowing the odds. Doesn't matter. They have PRIDE. First, it's lots of revenue for the school to help improve the program. Better facilities. More scholarship offers. Second, visibility. Marketing. More good attention will mean more students typically. More revenue. National broadcast. Let's say they pull it off? The rest is up to the staff to recruit well, and keep that mojo going. These kids realize they can go to a big school and maybe start, or a small to medium size school and definitely start and not do so bad, maybe closer to home 

     These tough beatings & lopsided games smaller schools take are absolutely necessary for the growth of their own programs and college football as a whole. The tougher the competition, the stronger it makes you over time. We've seen this play out over & over.

Eventually, the little guy wins. He becomes the big guy. And it changes college football forever.

Your only BECOME as good as your competition. Or, one day you just get better and BEAT them. 

Just ask Appalachian State.


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