Old Dominion’s upset of Virginia Tech also gives FSU these funny TRANSITIVE LOSSES

Old Dominion, a previously 0-3 Conference USA team whose early 2018 losses were to Liberty, FIU, and Charlotte, dropped 49 points on Virginia Tech’s heads and beat the Hokies on Saturday in Norfolk. As 29-ish-point underdogs, the Monarchs will go atop the list of the biggest point-spread underdogs to win an FBS game this year.

It’s the biggest win in ODU’s history and an embarrassment for both the Hokies and the ACC. But as much as it’s those things, it’s also quality joking ammunition on Florida State, the team VT smoked in Week 1 and held to all of 3 points. If you’re interested in the whole string of transitive 2018 losses FSU has now suffered, I’ve compiled it here.

... is now a transitive loss to:

(It’s also a transitive VT/FSU loss to Miami, Indiana, Appalachian State, and Army, but that’s whatever. Those teams are all varying degrees of good and fine. )

Liberty is a first-year FBS program, and also, it’s Liberty. Charlotte’s been one of the worst programs in FBS for several years and is still, like Old Dominion, basically a startup. The Monarchs didn’t restart their program after decades off until 2009. Charlotte started playing the sport in 2013. FSU (and Tech) have now gotten transitive with both.

USC, by way of Texas, has transitive losses to Maryland, Villanova, and Buffalo.

The transitive property is not a surefire way to evaluate college football teams. I don’t urge its use as a predictive tool, but I do vouch for it as a great thing to make jokes about.