Stranger things: 5 most puzzling results of the season thus far
Saturday produced two of the more stunning results of the college football season, with No. 1 Georgia and No. 3 Notre Dame both losing by a combined 56 points.
While those teams falling as narrow favorites wasn't stunning on its own, the manner by which both were blown off the field was incredibly strange based on prior performances this year.
Here's five other odd results from this season that matched what we saw on Saturday.
Iowa hammers Ohio State 55-24
Line: Iowa +21 (Covered by 52 points)
Iowa has never been mistaken for an offensive juggernaut under Kirk Ferentz, yet somehow hung 55 points on Ohio State in the most shocking result in recent memory. That point total represents the most ever allowed by the Buckeyes under Urban Meyer, and was the most scored by the Hawkeyes against a Power 5 team since 2008. Iowa promptly celebrated by getting smashed in Wisconsin 38-14, while Ohio State rebounded by hammering Michigan State 48-3 the following week. Those results only made the 55-24 scoreline all the more stranger.
Syracuse shocks Clemson 27-24
Line: Syracuse +24 (Covered by 27 points)
Clemson rolled into Syracuse for a Friday night affair in Week 7 riding an 11-game winning streak overall and a 12-game road winning streak. Both those runs promptly ended as the Orange emerged victorious in a game that saw Tigers quarterback Kelly Bryant leave due to injury. Clemson entered the game averaging over 230 yards on the ground, but the Syracuse defense somehow limited it to 113 in this matchup. The massive win by the Orange led to head coach Dino Babers giving one of the more raucous postgame speeches of the season in the locker room.
Clemson hasn't lost since and currently sits fourth in the CFP rankings, while Syracuse hasn't won since and holds a 4-6 record on the season. For one night though, the superior team in Orange was the one hailing from upstate New York.
Boston College wrecks Florida State 35-3
Line: Boston College +6 (Covered by 38 points)
Sure, Florida State was battling injuries, including quarterback Deondre Francois, when it traveled to face Boston College, but getting boat-raced 35-3 was an absolutely mind-blowing result. The Eagles rank 104th in the country in scoring offense at just over 23 points per game, but ran wild over the Seminoles for 241 yards rushing. Boston College had won just one home ACC game since 2013 prior to this contest, while the loss snapped Florida State's streak of six straight true road wins.
Cal annihilates Washington State 37-3
Line: Cal +16.5 (Covered by 50.5 points)
How rare was this victory? Consider that Cal only had one top-10 win in the past 40 years prior to the matchup with No. 8 Washington State, and that tells you how wacky this contest was. The win was nice, but the Golden Bears holding the nation's 10th-best offense to only three points was stunning. Justin Wilcox's defense picked off prolific quarterback Luke Falk a whopping five times in a result that won't soon be forgotten in Berkeley.
Maryland stuns Texas 51-41 on road
Line: Maryland +19 (Covered by 29 points)
Things got weird early this season with Maryland traveling to Texas and handing Tom Herman a 10-point loss in his first game as Longhorns head coach. The Terrapins hadn't beaten a ranked opponent in 17 tries, a streak that was third longest among Power 5 teams prior to handling the 23rd-ranked Longhorns. Meanwhile, the 263 yards rushing by Maryland told everyone that Herman's rebuild with Texas wasn't going to be a short-term job.
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)