Top 10 Biggest Upsets

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New York Jets vs Baltimore Colts

As Super Bowl III came around, almost no person was picking the Jets to win. With quarterback Joe Namath, they got 16 points at the start of the game while the Colts got none. The Jets ended the game 16-7, beating the team that totally dominated that year.

The “Miracle on Ice”

During the XIII Winter Olympics, arguably the biggest upset in sports history occurred when the US hockey team defeated the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union hockey team during this time was incredibly dominant, they had one the last four gold medals in the olympics. Seeded seventh of fourteen spots, the US team would come into the winter olympics to go 5-0, defeating the Soviet Union 4-3 and taking home the gold medal.

North Carolina State vs Houston

In 1983, Houston basketball was one of the most dominant teams, going 31-2. The team was led by Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon. During the national championship, North Carolina State would obtain a huge scoring run against Houston to put themselves back into the game very late in the fourth quarter, an alley-oop from Dereck Whittenburg to Lorenzo Charles would seal the deal for North Carolina State, ending the game and defeating Houston 54-52.

Villanova vs Georgetown

With a 17-game winning streak in hand, Georgetown was definitely expected to beat Villanova in the 1985 basketball national championship. Villanova was able to shoot with a ridiculous 78.6% to win the game 66-64.

Douglas vs Tyson

Prior to fighting Buster Douglas in 1990, Mike Tyson was able to knockout his opponent in 93 seconds, making him one of the most dangerous fighters of that time. Douglas, being 42-1, was not expected to win the match, despite this, he knocked out Tyson in the the tenth round with multiple punches to the head.

Denver Nuggets vs Seattle Supersonics

In 1994 for the first time in NBA history, a number 8 seed knocked out a number 1 seed in the NBA playoffs. The 8th seed, Denver Nuggets were to play against the number one seed, Seattle Supersonics, in a five game series to determine who would advance in the playoffs. The Nuggets would defeat the Supersonics in game five with an overtime win of 98-94.

Rulon Gardner vs Aleksandr Karelin

Being undefeated in wrestling for the last 13 years, Aleksandr Karelin was expected to defeated Rulon Gardner in the 2000 olympics. Karelin was not only undefeated, but he hadn’t given up one point in the previous six years. In the second round, Gardner was able to score one point and not give up any to defeat the champion 1-0.

Euro 2004

Without a single star player on the team, Greece went into the Euro 2004 soccer championship without a chance of winning. Despite the odds not being in their favor, the team defeated previous champion France and the Czech Republic in the knockout stages. In the final game, Greece defeated Portugal to take home the gold.

Appalachian State vs Michigan

In 2007 at The Big House in front of 109,000 fans, Appalachian State was able to defeat Michigan 34-32. It was the first time in football history that a FCS beat a ranked FBS school.

New York Giants vs New England Patriots

Heading into Super Bowl XLII, the 18-0 Patriots were expected to defeat the Giants for a 19-0 season record and a super bowl victory. A touchdown from the New York Giants with 35 seconds left in the fourth quarter would win the game for the team, defeating the dominating Patriots 17-14.

Source

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-11-biggest-upsets-in-sports-history-2012-6