11Alive Sports offers a detailed listing of the SEC's 10 most landmark upsets of this century (along with honorable-mention candidates), a subjective and whimsical countdown that exclusively features conference members at the time of a signature victory (or defeat).
As such, we didn't spotlight any Texas A&M or Missouri upsets from 2000-11, prior to the Aggies and Tigers gaining full-time admission into the SEC.
The lone caveat: If A&M or Mizzou had notably toppled an SEC team from a decade ago, the schools would have been eligible for this countdown. Thankfully, this didn't happen, sparing us the awkwardness of confusing the audience.
It's worth noting: For this countdown, we leaned heavily on coaching icons suffering rare defeats. Also, at the time of each upset, the national rankings derive from The Associated Press poll.
UPSET RANKING: 1
2008: OLE MISS 31, #4 FLORIDA 30
BACKSTORY
a) Florida entered this September game on a high note, demolishing Miami (Fla.) and Tennessee in previous weeks by a combined score of 56-9.
The Rebels, in turn, limped into Gainesville with a middling 2-2 record—including sluggish defeats to Wake Forest and Vanderbilt.
b) The Gators controlled the second quarter, accounting for all 17 points (led by 10 at halftime). But the Rebels forged a major turnaround in the third quarter, posting their own 17-0 run—the result of lengthy scores from Cordera Eason (18 yards) and Dexter McCluster (40-yard rushing TD).
Quarterback Tim Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, scored 1-yard touchdown early in the final quarter, tying the score at 24. However, this would represent the high point of the Gators' day:
**Midway through the fourth quarter, Ole Miss receiver Shay Hodge burned the Gators defensive backs down the left side for an 86-yard touchdown. The scoring play occurred on third down, with the Rebels seemingly buried deep in their own territory.
**While executing a play reminiscent of Vince Lombardi's fabled 'Power Sweep' from the 1960s, Florida's Percy Harvin (268 total yards, 2 TDs) scored a 15-yard touchdown late in the game, a move that would essentially lead to overtime.
However, Ole Miss blocked the extra point, maintaining its slim lead; a few minutes later, it then denied Tebow on a late fourth-down run to preserve the shocking win.
c) Florida might have been stacked with premium talent in 2008, but let's not forget about an Ole Miss squad that included McCluster, Hodge, QB Jevan Snead, receiver Mike Wallace and offensive tackle Michael Oher—a first-round pick in 2009 and the inspiration behind The Blind Side movie.
d) The tough defeat ended up being a godsend for Florida. In the post-game media session, Tebow offered his now-famous emotional speech to the world, promising his team would rally from the setback; and he was proven right, as the Gators easily carried their next 10 outings—most notably the 30-point rout of Florida State, a decisive win over Alabama (SEC championship) and a gritty defeat of Oklahoma in the BCS title game.
UPSET RANKING: 2
2010: #19 SOUTH CAROLINA 35, #1 ALABAMA 21
BACKSTORY
a) Coach Steve Spurrier upended Florida five times during his South Carolina coaching tenure (2005-15), but the Alabama upset easily ranks as his most landmark victory with the Gamecocks.
b) Alabama (defending national champs from 2009) swaggered into Williams-Brice Stadium on the mojo of 19 consecutive victories—including a 31-6 romp of No. 7 Florida the previous Saturday.
South Carolina opened the season at 3-0 (including a win over UGA), but was still hurting from a late loss to Auburn in September.
c) The Gamecocks (eventual SEC East champs) sprinted to a 21-3 lead early in the second quarter, thanks to a touchdown from tailback Marcus Lattimore and a pair of scores from wide receiver Alshon Jeffery (7 catches, 127 yards, 2 TDs).
Lattimore (109 total yards, 3 TDs) would score twice more in the second half, thus securing the stunning upset of the nation's top-ranked team.
d) For my money, this memorable clash marks the loudest crowd in Williams-Brice Stadium history.
e) Jeffery and Lattimore accounted for all but 80 yards of South Carolina's offensive output. Lattimore/Jeffery outperformed Alabama’s super tandem of tailback Mark Ingram (57 total yards) and receiver Julio Jones (8 catches, 118 yards, 1 TD).
f) It’s worth noting: Even in defeat, Alabama prevailed in the categories of first downs, total yards, passing yards and time of possession.
UPSET RANKING: 3
2012: #15 TEXAS A&M 29, #1 ALABAMA 24
BACKSTORY
a) Alabama had been riding a tidal wave of dominance entering the A&M showdown: Defending national champions, winners of 13 straight and a stifling defense that had allowed a grand total of 82 points over the first nine games.
On the other side, Texas A&M owned a strong 7-2 record, but few doubted the Aggies' capacity to pull off the road surprise.
b) A&M exploded for 20 points in the first quarter, the result of two Christine Michael rushing scores and one scoring pass (after a bobbled snap) from improvisational quarterback Johnny Manziel.
Putting this burst into perspective, the Crimson Tide defense hadn't allowed 20 points—over four consecutive quarters—in their previous 11 outings.
c) The Crimson Tide would outscore the Aggies 24-9 after their first-quarter meltdown, but two key plays down the stretch ultimately thwarted Alabama's comeback bid:
**With less than nine minutes remaining, Manziel completed a picture-perfect TD pass to Malcome Kennedy, increasing A&M’s lead to 29-17.
**With Alabama down five in the waning seconds, QB AJ McCarron (309 yards passing, 1 TD) had his final pass intercepted in the end zone (Deshazor Everett).
d) A pair of freshmen carried this back-and-forth classic: Manziel accounted for 345 total yards (253 passing) and two touchdowns, and Alabama receiver Amari Cooper collected six catches for 136 yards and one TD.
e) Many believe Manziel (3,706 yards passing, 47 total TDs) only claimed the Heisman Trophy because of the Alabama upset; but that's revisionist history.
The 2012 college season simply didn't produce a flood of worthy contenders, outside of Kansas State QB Collin Klein (3,561 total yards, 39 TDs) and Southern California wideout Marqise Lee (118 catches, 1,721 yards, 14 TDs).
As further proof, two defensive players—Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o (2nd place) and South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (6th)—finished in the top six of Heisman voting. That's an extremely rare occurrence.
Bottom line: Manziel might have won the Heisman in 2012, even if the Aggies had fallen to LSU, Florida and Alabama. But it's a moot point now.
f) Alabama graces the top of this countdown multiple times. Bottom line: When coach Nick Saban goes down ... it's always news.
UPSET RANKING: 4
2006: UGA 37, #5 AUBURN 15
BACKSTORY
a) Honestly, this forgotten shocker probably had the goods to rank second or third overall, but we'll keep it at fourth for another year.
Heading into mid-November in 2006, UGA had endured a rough patch of four losses in five games; and two of the defeats came against non-ranked Vanderbilt and Kentucky.
On the flip side, Auburn was sitting pretty at 9-1—highlighted by top-10 victories over LSU and Florida. Throw in home-field advantage for the day (Jordan-Hare Stadium) ... and this had the makings of an Auburn cakewalk.
Well, technically it was a cakewalk ... for the Dawgs (below).
b) Tailback Kregg Lumpkin (131 total yards, 1 TD) dominated the running game, freshman QB Matthew Stafford (219 yards passing, 2 TDs) coolly dissected the Auburn defense and Tra Battle‘s 30-yard pick-six—boosting Georgia’s lead to 24-0—iced the biggest upset of the Mark Richt era.
c) It's worth noting: Stafford was an on-and-off starter for the first half of the 2006 season; but by mid-November, he had become the Dawgs’ unquestioned leader. As Exhibit A to that comfort level, Stafford rushed for 83 yards against Auburn.
d) On a personal note, I have vivid recollections of my then-girlfriend (and future wife)—an emotionally charged Auburn alum—washing her hands of Brandon Cox (Pontius Pilate-style) after this debacle, even though Cox had one more season remaining with the Tigers.
Against UGA, Cox completed 4 of 12 passes and accounted for 19 total yards (minus-16 rushing) and one touchdown. Ugh.
UPSET RANKING: 5
2007: #17 KENTUCKY 43, #1 LSU 37 (3OT)
BACKSTORY
a) This three-overtime thriller had it all: High scoring, explosive 50-yard gains (LSU tailback Charles Scott, Kentucky wideout Steve Johnson), five lead changes, a big-time rally in the second half, one final defensive stand ... and a good chunk of the Commonwealth Stadium crowd commandeering the field after the victory.
b) LSU had impressive balance in this hard-fought defeat, rushing for 261 yards and having nine different pass-catchers rack up 142 receiving yards. Adding to the heartbreak, the Tigers squandered a 13-point lead with 19 minutes left.
The Kentucky comeback launched with a ho-hum touchdown pass to tight end Jacob Tamme and a pair of field goals from Lones Sieber. The Wildcats then fired the first salvo in overtime, using Derrick Locke's 1-yard rushing TD to momentarily grab a 34-27 lead.
LSU would knot the score at 34 in the first overtime. The teams would exchange field goals in the second session. And Johnson (7 catches, 134 yards) would score the go-ahead touchdown in the third overtime, setting the stage for the Kentucky defense’s finest sequence:
After allowing six yards on first down (from the 25-yard line), the Wildcats buckled down and stifled the Tigers' rushers over the next three plays, leaving LSU one painful yard shy of keeping the game alive.
c) Underrated Kentucky quarterback Andre Woodson (four TDs vs. LSU) accounted for 7,224 yards passing and 75 total touchdowns in his final two seasons (2006-07).
d) Despite losses to Kentucky and Arkansas in 2007, LSU (6-2 in conference) still won the outright SEC West crown.
From there, the Tigers slipped past Tennessee in the SEC title game and outlasted Ohio State in the BCS championship, becoming the first (and only) two-loss national champion of the BCS era.
In an alternate universe, it would have been more interesting to see how LSU would have fared against UGA in the national championship.
The Dawgs, who finished No. 2 in the final AP poll, boasted an 11-1 record, five victories of 15-plus points, two top-10 triumphs and one Sugar Bowl shakedown of 10th-ranked Hawaii (41-10).
UPSET RANKING: 6
2004: MISSISSIPPI STATE 38, #20 FLORIDA 31
BACKSTORY
a) Prior to the 2004 season, Sylvester Croom (Mississippi State) became the first black head coach in SEC football history; and it was quite a reclamation project for Croom, who inherited a Bulldogs program that went 8-27 from 2001-03.
b) The 2004 campaign started with a victory over Tulane, but floundered shortly after that, with Mississippi State dropping its next five games—including an FCS loss to Maine, by an average margin of 28 points.
c) Leading up to this crossover clash, Florida (top-25 ranking, 2-2 SEC record) had suffered a pair of close-shave losses to Tennessee and LSU. Plus, every victory involved a double-digit point spread.
At first blush, there weren't many grave concerns for the Gators, prior to the trip to Starkville.
But everything changed on game day, with Mississippi State grabbing the early lead and then forging a tie heading into the fourth quarter. Tailback Jerious Norwood (178 total yards) then went off, scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter—including the game-winner with 1:15 left.
d) Postscript: The Mississippi State loss indirectly paved the way for Florida re-establishing itself as a national power. Before the 2004 season closed, the Gators fired head coach Ron Zook; and shortly after that, they won a bidding war (over Notre Dame) for Urban Meyer's coaching services.
Fast forward to the 2005 season: After slogging through a slew of hard-hitting practices, a group of Florida players reportedly asked Meyer why they were working so hard during the week.
Meyer's classic quip was something in the realm of, "Because you lost to Mississippi State (in 2004)."
That relentless mindset eventually set the stage for Florida capturing BCS national championships in 2006 and 2008.
UPSET RANKING: 7
2001: AUBURN 23, #1 FLORIDA 20
BACKSTORY
a) The 2001 Auburn team finished with a pedestrian 7-5 record, but the Tigers still landed a few roundhouse punches, here and there. The short, but impressive victim list included Ole Miss, UGA and top-ranked Florida ... in front of a super-jacked primetime crowd at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
b) Entering the game, Florida (5-0 start) had an average victory margin of 40 points; and by season's end, the Gators (10-2 overall) would enjoy a No. 3 national ranking, a plus-30 per-game point differential, nine victories of 15 or more points, one top-10 victory and a resounding rout of Maryland in the Orange Bowl.
(On the down side, coach Steve Spurrier would accept the NFL challenge shortly after the bowl triumph.)
c) Wide receiver Jabar Gaffney was a one-man tour de force during his two years with the Gators (2000-01), averaging 69 catches, 1,187 yards and 14 touchdowns. For the 2001 campaign, Gaffney absurdly tallied 100 yards receiving and/or one touchdown in all 12 games.
d) Auburn (21-point underdog) held Florida to a season-low 20 points; and in the waning minutes, kicker Damon Duval clinched the landmark victory with a 44-yard field goal.
UPSET RANKING: 8
2002: FLORIDA 20, #5 UGA 13
BACKSTORY
a) This might be the most painful defeat of Mark Richt's coaching career in Athens.
The 2002 Bulldogs cruised to a 13-1 record, an SEC East title, the conference crown and a Sugar Bowl victory over Florida State. But they came up short at the worst possible time, falling to a Florida team that lost to Miami and LSU by a cumulative tally of 54 points in previous weeks.
b) UGA racked up only 16 first downs in its desultory defeat. Meanwhile, QB Rex Grossman passed for 339 yards and two touchdowns for Florida (five losses by season's end), which shockingly turned the ball over four times that eerie night ... and still prevailed.
UPSET RANKING: 9
2008: #24 ALABAMA 34, #9 CLEMSON 10
BACKSTORY
a) Everyone forgets how Alabama was a decisive underdog against Clemson, leading into that year's Kickoff Classic.
In hindsight, we only remember how the blowout launched Nick Saban's era of dominance in Tuscaloosa, with the Crimson Tide claiming five SEC titles, five national championships and 10 consecutive campaigns of double-digit wins over the next 10 seasons.
b) Against Clemson, Alabama tailbacks Mark Ingram (101 total yards) and Glen Coffee (99 total yards) notched 90 yards rushing apiece, and quarterback John Parker Wilson (180 yards passing) produced three touchdowns in a victory that (sarcasm alert) ... was more one-sided than the final score indicated.
c) In defeat, Clemson compiled zero rushing yards, 11 total first downs and no rushing or passing touchdowns.
UPSET RANKING: 10
2017: #10 AUBURN 40, #1 UGA 17
BACKSTORY
a) Some people might not consider this an upset, given Auburn's top-10 ranking and its average victory margin of 29 points against SEC foes, leading up to the gauntlet of facing No. 1 UGA and No. 2 Alabama in a three-week span (College Football Playoff poll).
However, the Dawgs were also in juggernaut mode heading into Auburn Week. They had already clinched the SEC East title and were grappling with the Crimson Tide for the top seed in the CFP semifinals.
b) If UGA had knocked off Auburn in November, it would have locked up Alabama's division title; and if the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide had initially played in the SEC championship (instead of Auburn-UGA), it's fair to wonder if the CFP title game in Atlanta would have been as exhilarating the second time around?
As for the Auburn-UGA clash at Jordan-Hare Stadium, neither Nick Chubb or Sony Michel cracked the 30-yard rushing mark for the Dawgs, and quarterback Jake Fromm (184 yards, 1 TD) failed to complete 50 percent of passes.
By contrast, Auburn tailback Kerryon Johnson dominated all comers, amassing 233 scrimmage yards (167 rushing) and one touchdown. This performance boosted Johnson's draft stock (Detroit Lions, Round 2).
Plus, quarterback Jarrett Stidham needed only 16 completions to rack up three scores against the Dawgs defense ... which, at the time, had allowed three-plus TDs in a game just once.
c) The upside to UGA's defeat? It didn't really matter. The Dawgs got revenge in the SEC title game, rolling over Auburn by 21 points, and secured a berth in the College Football Playoff semifinals (Rose Bowl vs. Oklahoma).
HONORABLE MENTION
2007: AUBURN 20, #4 FLORIDA 17
BACKSTORY
a) Tim Tebow's Heisman-winning season also marked the same year Urban Meyer suffered his first home loss as Gators head coach.
In the Auburn defeat, Florida tallied only 14 first downs, 312 total yards and lost the time-of-possession battle. And yet, the Gators still had the momentum late in the fourth quarter, after Tebow's 2-yard touchdown knotted the score at 17.
b) Wes Bynum's 43-yard field goal (with no time left) momentarily ended the Meyer Mystique at The Swamp ... and clinched Auburn’s first SEC victory of the year.
HONORABLE MENTION
2005: SOUTH CAROLINA 30, #12 FLORIDA 22
BACKSTORY
a) South Carolina had to endure a painful 64-year window of never beating Florida (1940-2004), an ugly run that included 13 consecutive defeats from 1992-2004—once the Gamecocks joined the SEC.
However, the program caught a major break in the mid-2000s, when Steve Spurrier—shortly after resigning from the NFL's Washington Redskins—chose South Carolina over Florida (his alma mater) as a head-coaching free agent.
b) Spurrier (122-27-1 at Florida from 1990-2001; national championship in 1996) instantly brought credibility to the Gamecocks program. In Year 1, South Carolina eclipsed quality schools like Central Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas; but none of the victories could match the magnitude of taking down the Gators.
Also, Spurrier stands as one of college football's greatest passing innovators; but on this day, the Gamecocks' rushers stole the show, with Mike Davis (98 total yards) and Daccus Turman amassing four rushing touchdowns.
(Receiver Sidney Rice also caught five balls for 112 yards.)
c) Turman's second score boosted the Gamecocks' lead to 15 in the second quarter (20-5) ... and Davis's second touchdown broke a 19-all tie during the second half.
HONORABLE MENTION
2014: MISSISSIPPI STATE 34, #14 LSU 29
BACKSTORY
a) The bankable tandem of quarterback Dak Prescott (373 total yards, 3 TDs) and tailback Josh Robinson accounted for 574 total yards and four touchdowns in Mississippi State's grand upset of the No. 8 Tigers.
As such, it marked the Bulldogs' first victory in Baton Rouge since 1983.
b) Check this out: Mississippi State's 2014 squad went from unranked to No. 1 nationally in just four weeks' time.
How did the Bulldogs pull off such an incredible feat? Easy. They became the first team in SEC history to defeat three top-10 teams (No. 8 LSU, No. 6 Texas A&M, No. 2 Auburn) over three consecutive games.
