Some of the best near-misses (and otherwise) from college football’s Week 5 leave us wondering what could have been a monumental upset.
Admit it, you were thinking the same thing, too: As the North Carolina offense remained on the field after a late touchdown with under two minutes left, down 21-20, we were on the verge of a special upset.
Many have applauded the guts to go for it, just not the play call. It’s easy to take the route after the fact, because as they say: hindsight is 20/20. The two-point conversion failed. The disappointment on head coach Mack Brown’s face was evident (and shared by many nationwide, no doubt) as the Tar Heels fell to the top-ranked Clemson Tigers by one point.
Another painful close call was Pittsburgh defeating Delaware at home by a score of 17-14. The Blue Hens, who made the FCS playoffs last year after a drought, led for much of the second half before succumbing to the Panthers. Pittsburgh, if you recall, recently beat No. 15 Central Florida, the Knights’ first regular-season loss in more than two years.
So, once again, we ended another week of college football in 2019 bemoaning the lack of a grandiose upset. Not to worry, though. Week 5 still had a few interesting contests that slipped away from the favored team.