The Top Ten Moments of Pure Malicious Fate: No. 1.

By Spencer Hall
At EDSBS.com, we’ve been counting down the top ten most malicious moments of fate this season. Number one’s over here on the SB, but check out the rest over at EDSBS.
Thought the worst moment of the year would be Appalachian State beating Michigan? No, no, and no, based on these factors and more:
--Early in the year versus a team that eventually proved it could beat a spread offense (Go Gators!)
--A fluky game you could take some warm emotional vibes from via the underdog story.
--Lost to the best 1-AA team in the nation and eventual champion. Bad, yes; disastrous, no.
--Michigan turned out to be pretty good, and largely overhyped in preseason polls.
Reserve the top spot to the game that cost Pete Carroll a national title shot.
On one night, one long inexplicable chain of mistakes...an injury to the starting quarterback, and the alignment of several planets...all of them combined to erase a 41 point spread over Stanford, a team that lost to San Jose State the previous season and who, according to all concerned, shouldn’t have been in the game in the first quarter, much less the fourth.
Michigan’s loss cost them little in the end; USC’s, though, cost them a shot at the national title, a game they would have likely won against Ohio State.

Agony of agonies, per my index. You lose to App State, you rebuild. You lose to Stanford in mid-season, you eat the stale potato chips of bitter regret until the whistle blows on August 30, 2008. The King of Pain Title goes to USC, who could have had it all but blew it at home against the Cardinal. Michigan turned out to be merely good: USC was excellent, and gave five turnovers and a freebie win to a team they should have beaten by thirty on the way to the title game.
For that, Trojans, the crown of thorns is yours for the next eight months.
(p.s. Remember: that’s Stanford’s backup qb)
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