Unranked Illinois
may have beaten No. 1 Ohio State Saturday, but outside of Columbus, Champaign,
Baton Rouge and Ann Arbor, it would be hard to tell from the lack of attention
that was given to the game. The not-so-big deal made out of this weekend's game
doesn't come as much of a surprise though, as upsets — once (by definition) a
rarity in sports — seemingly happen now more often than ever before in college
football.

The Fighting Illini, for example, had already been involved in several
other upsets this season before Saturday's win. Illinois was on the winning end
of surprising defeats of highly ranked teams Penn State and Wisconsin earlier
in the season and was the recipient of their own upset defeat when, after being
ranked No. 18 following their two big wins, the school was taken down by Iowa.

That's just the tip of the iceberg, though — from Michigan's season
opening stunner against Appalachian State, to South Florida's and Boston College's
run to and subsequent fall from the No. 2 spot in the country, the story of the
college football season is the cause of all the upsets: parity.

In this case, parity is the notion that sports teams at the elite levels
and inferior ones alike are becoming more and more even. In recent years parity
has been the buzz word that pundits attribute the increasing number of upsets
to.

Parity is what led Appalachian State to beat Michigan in what was just
the first this college football season in a long line of upsets. With Kansas
and Hawaii as the only remaining undefeated teams in the country (an upset in
itself) the nation has seen top 10 teams go down week after week as shocking
losses, and the out-of-nowhere wins that come with them, become more and more
predominant. This season 23 different teams have been ranked in the AP's top
10, six more teams than at this time a season ago. That number seems destined
to rise in the future as the power shifts from just a handful of programs to an
increasing number of mid-level schools.

A result of the number of underdogs pulling off wins is the devaluation
of the upset. The majority of the time the favorites need to win, otherwise
when they do lose it isn't that big of a deal.

When unranked Wisconsin beat No. 12 Michigan this weekend for example,
it should have been a big deal, but in a week that also saw the Nos. 1, 8, 13
and 22, teams go down as part of a season where that's a slow week for upsets,
wins like the Badgers over the Wolverines just aren't so noteworthy.

There are those who applaud the parity in college football, saying that
the era of powerhouses and unbeatable program had reigned supreme for long
enough. Upsets, those parity purists will tell you, are good for college
football because it allows teams previously left off the radar to have their
moment in the sun.

And sure, upsets like Boise State's win over Oklahoma last season in the
Fiesta Bowl and Stanford's shocker over USC this season are great, but keep in
mind they wouldn't have meant nearly as much if Oklahoma hadn't blown out
Middle Tennessee State earlier in the season and USC hadn't avoided upsets like
it was their job over the previous few seasons.

Likewise, the greatness of Rocky Balboa's upset of Apollo Creed in Rocky
II stemmed from his defeat in Rocky I, and the 1980 U.S. hockey team's win over
the Soviets was so remarkable because the Soviets had looked so unbeatable when
other teams tried to upset them.

Now, just a week into its season, college basketball is facing a similar
situation as football. Starting with a preseason that included exhibition
losses by No. 8 Michigan State and last year's runner up Ohio State, the
regular season has already seen home losses to No. 18 USC and No. 22 Kentucky
at the hands of Mercer and Gardner Webb — not exactly top-tier programs.

If this is an indicator of what's to come this season then get ready to
watch the nation's top 10 once again turn into a carousel as upsets will come
and go all year long.

Upsets, be it in college football or basketball are not bad things,
though. Rooting for underdogs is a fun thing, and watching teams nobody gave a
chance to win pull off a shocking win is part of the beauty of sports. But,
like most good things, it needs to be done in moderation, and if this trend of
upsets continues in the college football season and makes its way into college
basketball, the kind of victories that truly are special will lose a little bit
of their luster.

Mike Ackerstein is a sophomore majoring in
history. If you're also getting tired of upsets, or think it'll never happen to
the Patriots, he can be reached at [email protected].