College football's bowl season often pairs two bowl-eligible teams that wouldn't ordinarily face each other. The two teams square off at a neutral site to see which team will end its respective season on a high note. Sometimes those rarely played matchups produce wildly unexpected upsets.
Here's a look at the largest bowl game upsets by point spread, dating back to the FBS-FCS split in 1978. Data are from ESPN Research:
1998 Humanitarian Bowl: Idaho (+17) def. Southern Miss 42-35
Idaho freshman John Welsh threw four touchdowns and the Vandals defense forced six turnovers in an upset win over the Southern Miss Golden Eagles as a 17-point underdog. More than one publication at the beginning of the season ranked Idaho dead last in all of Division I football. But under coach Chris Tormey, the Vandals won the Big West Conference and finished 9-3 in 1998, including the stunning victory over Southern Miss at Boise State's Albertsons Stadium (then Bronco Stadium).
2013 Fiesta Bowl: UCF (+16.5) def. Baylor 52-42
The UCF Knights became the biggest underdog winner in the BCS era when they toppled No. 6 Baylor, which entered the game as a 16.5-point favorite. UCF was flagged for just four penalties totaling 40 yards and outdueled the highest-scoring team in the country. The upset, powered by Blake Bortles' four touchdowns (three passing and one rushing), capped a 12-1 season for the Knights.
1990 Liberty Bowl: Air Force (+16.5) def. Ohio State 23-11
Air Force quarterback Rob Perez rushed for 93 yards and two touchdowns as the Falcons upset the Ohio State Buckeyes as a 16.5-point underdog at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium (then Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium) in Memphis, Tennessee. The Buckeyes pulled to within 13-11 in the fourth quarter but failed on a 2-point conversion. It remains the only meeting between the two programs.
2013 Sugar Bowl: Oklahoma (+16) def. Alabama 45-31
Freshman Trevor Knight completed 32 of 44 passes for 348 yards and four touchdowns to lead No. 11 Oklahoma past third-ranked Alabama. The Crimson Tide entered the clash between the two storied programs as a 16-point favorite. Oklahoma took home the crown at the 80th Sugar Bowl, the first in which quarterbacks for both teams threw for more than 300 yards. Crimson Tide QB AJ McCarron threw for 387 yards and two scores but had two interceptions.
1998 Sun Bowl: TCU (+16) def. USC 28-19
The 65th Sun Bowl saw TCU running back Basil Mitchell run for 185 yards and two touchdowns, as the Horned Frogs scored on their first three possessions and held off USC as a 16-point underdog in El Paso, Texas. The Trojans -- led by future Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer's 280 passing yards -- managed minus-23 yards on the ground.
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