Week 2 of college football centered around two marquee games, Texas A&M-Clemson and LSU-Texas, but plenty of drama ensued beyond these two.
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending a football game at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time. There were plenty of kind Tigers fans around, the crowds filed in and out of Toomer’s Drugstore before the game, and it was oppressively hot even at the 6:30 p.m. kickoff time.
And, of course, it was astonishing to see everyone in their seats 20 minutes before the kickoff — they all wanted to see the eagle make its flight to midfield.
But we were there to cheer on Tulane, our alma mater. The Green Wave bravely took on its SEC opponent, staking a 3-0 lead (yes, we took pictures of the scoreboard) after one quarter and impressively holding star freshman Bo Nix and the Auburn offense for a while. The game ended in a 24-6 loss for Tulane against the No. 10-ranked Tigers.
Upsets do not come cheaply. I knew that Tulane was a 17-point underdog, coming from the American Athletic Conference and having lost six games last year mostly against teams that wouldn’t have a chance in the SEC.
To pull off an upset against a more talented team, you’ve got to get the lucky bounces. You’ve got to have a few officiating calls go your way. You’ve also got to avoid costly possession-altering mistakes, such as an interception or defensive penalty on third down. And, of course, you’ve got to play your A+ game the entire time.
Tulane didn’t make it happen in Week 2 against Auburn, but these six teams did.