Ups & Downs, Throws & Woes ...

[Cane from the Bend]

Every season there are several surprise wins & losses.

Many teams get caught up in the throws of victory, or woes of defeat.

Sometimes those wins can carry a team who is riding the highs of success on, week to week, until they lose, and then a collapse takes place ... whether that loss was a confidence demoralizing spirit breaker, or just the inevitable defeat that which bound to take place, sooner or later.

Other times , a team benefits from a loss, sort of like a wake up call, and they turn their whole season around.

Yet, some teams have a tendency to be in the midst of what many would call, the verge of greatness, until a loss hampers the built expectations; only to see them exact their revenge on the next hapless team who crosses their path.

With that, I ask, from your perspective, what were this season's:

a.) biggest heart breaking loss ( nationally )
b.) biggest in-season turn around performance
c.) biggest turn around from last season to this
d.) most disappointing / frustrating performance ( of your team )
e.) most unexpected victory
f.) who could have / should have achieved more
g.) who over achieved
h.) who would you consider this year's Goliath team
I.) who's dancing with Cinderella

.

.

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[billybud]

a...biggest heartbreaking loss.......has to be Boise's

[billybud]

Although the loss of the one loss Big Ten teams is heartbreaking for their fans...I suspect that Boise's loss also was heartbreaking to many who were not Boise fans.

[Eric]

a.) biggest heart breaking loss ( nationally )
b.) biggest in-season turn around performance
c.) biggest turn around from last season to this
d.) most disappointing / frustrating performance ( of your team )
e.) most unexpected victory
f.) who could have / should have achieved more
g.) who over achieved
h.) who would you consider this year's Goliath team
I.) who's dancing with Cinderella

a) Boise State's loss to Nevada
b) might have to go with Tennessee for this one as they were left for dead at 2-6 and came back to qualify for a bowl game in pretty decent fashion to boot.
c) from last season to this season has to be Miami OH (and objectively in terms of W/L differential). I don't think people can underestimate how awful they were last year compared to this season.
d) for my team, I'll probably say Michigan's win over Illinois just because the defense was so pathetic.
e) I might have to say James Madison over Virginia Tech for the end-year result, but at the time it happened, Tulane beating Rutgers in New Jersey totally came out of left field.
f) I can't just go with one, but Pittsburgh, Oregon State, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, and Troy come to mind. Out of this group, I'd go with Pittsburgh.
g) Washington State. It sounds funny, but this was a team that found themselves in much closer games than they have been in the past couple of years. Maybe Wulff can win 4 next year.
h) Auburn. Just can't beat 'em for some reason
i) does this mean the champion this year? I'm going Auburn

[Spence]

a.) biggest heart breaking loss ( nationally )
b.) biggest in-season turn around performance
c.) biggest turn around from last season to this
d.) most disappointing / frustrating performance ( of your team )
e.) most unexpected victory
f.) who could have / should have achieved more
g.) who over achieved
h.) who would you consider this year's Goliath team
I.) who's dancing with Cinderella

Boise State's loss had the most impact.

VTech had the biggest in season turn around, by far IMO.

Michigan went from having nothing to having an offense.

The loss to Wisconsin and the lack of the defensive front to stop a solid rushing attack.

James Madison over VT.

Lots of teams including Ohio State.

I don't know that anyone over achieved.

The same with Goliath team.

Auburn.

[billybud]

Maryland had a pretty big turn around from last year's 2-10. They are 8-4 with a chance at 9-4.

[Derek]

a.) biggest heart breaking loss ( nationally )
b.) biggest in-season turn around performance
c.) biggest turn around from last season to this
d.) most disappointing / frustrating performance ( of your team )
e.) most unexpected victory
f.) who could have / should have achieved more
g.) who over achieved
h.) who would you consider this year's Goliath team
I.) who's dancing with Cinderella

a. Boise State losing to Nevada
b. Georgia
c. Texas
d. Loss to Colorado
e. South Carolina over Alabama
f. Georiga
g. Tennessee
h. Oregon (quick offense)
i. Auburn (but the NCAA will eventually show up and the sCam will become a pumpkin)

[..fanatic]

a.) biggest heart breaking loss ( nationally )
b.) biggest in-season turn around performance
c.) biggest turn around from last season to this
d.) most disappointing / frustrating performance ( of your team )
e.) most unexpected victory
f.) who could have / should have achieved more
g.) who over achieved
h.) who would you consider this year's Goliath team
I.) who's dancing with Cinderella

a. Last-second VT loss to Boise which set up next loss to JMU, all of which blew any national title hopes out the window.
b. How can it not be VT??? - from 0-2 to 11-2.
c. Texas on the downside, Miami (Ohio) on the upside
d. BSU/JMU (5 days in college football hell)
e. JMU over VT
f. Texas - too many 5-star recruits to ever blow up to a 5-7 season.
g. South Carolina. A perrennial 7-5, 8-4 team squeezed out 1 extra win for a change and still lost 4.
h. Not sure there really is one, but obviously Auburn and Oregon are King. And TCU may be even better than we think. We'll find out in Rose Bowl.
i. Oregon (If Oregon jumps out to a lead like 'Bama did, ain't no way Auburn's coming back).

[Eric]

Oh yeah, for my underachievers I totally omitted Iowa and Texas. Not sure how that happened

[billybud]

Is the SEC underachieving if they go a year without a national championship? Five national championships with four different teams will be an accomplishment.

[armchairqb]

a.) biggest heart breaking loss ( nationally ): Nevada defeating Boise State

b.) biggest in-season turn around performance: Virginia Tech

c.) biggest turn around from last season to this: Miami OH

d.) most disappointing / frustrating performance ( of your team ): N/A

e.) most unexpected victory: South Carolina over Alabama, James Madison over Virginia Tech

f.) who could have / should have achieved more: Nebraska

g.) who over achieved: Mississippi State

h.) who would you consider this year's Goliath team: Wisconsin(right now), Auburn(all season)

I.) who's dancing with Cinderella: Nevada

[billybud]

Who's dancing with Cinderella?

If we give Nevada the Cinderella status....than her dancing partner is big old bumble footed Boston College.

A 12-1 Nevada goes up against a five loss Boston College. The BC boys aren't much at dancing, they went six straight games in the heart of their schedule averaging about 14 points and losing five straight. In the games that BC won, they kept their opponents points down, below 14 points or so.

Nevada has put up seven games scoring 40 or more and five games at 49 points and above. Cinderella will be shaking it with the quick step dances while her bumbling partner can only do the four square waltz.

Cinderella didn't get a handsome prince to dance with this time. But, maybe BC will inspire us with some Shrek like moments.

[donovan]

a.) biggest heart breaking loss ( nationally ): Boise State against Nevada

b.) biggest in-season turn around performance: Virginia Tech

c.) biggest turn around from last season to this: Stanford...1-11 in 2006 a solid turnaround.

d.) most disappointing / frustrating performance ( of your team ): Off field silliness of getting caught up in this lunacy and going independent.

e.) most unexpected victory: James Madison over Virginia Tech

f.) who could have / should have achieved more: Utah

g.) who over achieved: Notre Dame

h.) who would you consider this year's Goliath team: Stanford

I.) who's dancing with Cinderella: Oregon

[GoBoilers]

a.) biggest heart breaking loss ( nationally )
b.) biggest in-season turn around performance
c.) biggest turn around from last season to this
d.) most disappointing / frustrating performance ( of your team )
e.) most unexpected victory
f.) who could have / should have achieved more
g.) who over achieved
h.) who would you consider this year's Goliath team
I.) who's dancing with Cinderella

a. Boise St
b. Texas A&M (Sherman was on his way out 5-0 last five games)
c. Michigan
d. Purdue snatching defeat from Michigan St beind up 11 points in the 4th)
e. James Madison early in the year against VT
f. Texas
g. South Carolina
h. Auburn
i. Oregon