Most surprising moments of the 2015 college football season

College football is ridiculously fun to watch because you never know when you’re going to end up witnessing insanity.

Whether you’re watching on your television set or live at the games, the biggest draw to the college game is its throw-a-coin-in-the-air unpredictability.

Every weekend this season we were treated to unexpected results, and there were a few outcomes that will be looked at in years to come as some of the most outrageous in the history of college football.

These were the most shocking moments of the 2015 season.

Week 1: Stanford manhandled by Northwestern

Stanford finds itself just outside the College Football Playoff at No. 6 in the nation, so this loss was particularly painful in hindsight.

The Cardinal fell in defeat to Northwestern, 16-6, in an early game on the road against an opponent that turned out to be one of the nation’s top teams at the end of the year (No. 13).

Nobody had any idea the Wildcats would be as good as they were when they dismantled Stanford in Week 1.

Kevin Hogan, Christian McCaffrey and Co. were held to just 240 total yards and converted 3-of-15 first downs in a humiliating opening-day rout in which the Heisman finalist didn’t even crack 90 yards total, rushing and receiving.

True freshman quarterback Clayton Thorson and sophomore running back Justin Jackson showed tremendous grit, and Northwestern’s offensive line out-muscled Stanford’s defensive front seven. In the end, the Wildcats had 225 yards on the ground and 10 more points on the scoreboard.

Needless to say, it was quite a surprising upset, and one that immensely altered the postseason landscape.

Week 2: Jeremy Johnson hype dies for good

It was pretty surprising when Johnson struggled in Week 1 for the (at the time) No. 6-ranked Auburn Tigers. Louisville was a respectable opponent, and the Tigers held on to win by a touchdown. However, when the junior quarterback looked lost again in Week 2 against lowly Jacksonville State we all knew we’d been sold a lemon regarding Johnson’s Heisman hype.

Remember, before the season began Auburn was thought of as one of the favorites to earn a playoff bid. A 6-6 record shows just how wrong the experts were about this program, but the biggest reason the Tigers were considered so favorably was because everyone expected Johnson to become a national superstar.

In mid-August, Bovada had him as a 12-1 favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, along with Leonard Fournette and Nick Chubb, among others, per AL.com.

After he threw five interceptions in his first two games and almost lost to a cupcake opponent in Week 2, his Heisman hype died for good. One week later, after another dismal performance against LSU, Johnson was replaced by Sean White, who ended up giving the job back after doing nothing to impress for a handful of games.

Week 3: Ole Miss stuns ‘Bama

Watching the offense of Ole Miss early in the season was akin to watching a master painter at the height of artistic genius. The Rebels couldn’t be stopped, and the offense was performing at the highest level possible.

Quarterback Chad Kelly threw one touchdown to three different receivers in Week 3 against Alabama, and Ole Miss won by a score of 43-37 in Tuscaloosa. It was the only loss endured by the Crimson Tide all year long, and the team’s now-impenetrable defense, which gave up 433 total yards in this contest, never had another stinker like it the rest of the way.

Of course, the difference in the game turned out to be one of the craziest plays of the entire season.

Kelly botched a hot snap early in the third quarter that was up near his neck and the ball flew up into the air for what seemed like an eternity. He then caught the ball and heaved it in the general direction of a mob of players on the left sideline, and the rest is history.

The improbable touchdown put the Rebels up by two touchdowns, and it proved a deficit too difficult for Alabama to overcome. The Crimson Tide excel at playing ahead, but coming from behind isn’t the team’s forte. This is thanks to a mediocre quarterback in Jake Coker who could end up as the key missing piece in the upcoming playoff if Alabama is ousted.

Week 4: Utah embarrasses Oregon in Eugene

The final score read 62-20. Unbelievably, after watching Utah wipe the field with Oregon that Saturday night, it felt even more lopsided than that.

Granted, much-hyped quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. was dealing with a hand injury that greatly contributed to his ineffectiveness. He left early, and backup Jeff Lockie was atrocious in his stead. The Ducks only managed 178 yards through the air and matched two touchdowns with two interceptions.

It was the exact wrong way to respond to a shootout.

The Utes were on fire offensively, thanks to dual-threat quarterback Travis Wilson, who accounted for five total touchdowns. All told, Utah scored seven offensive touchdowns and another huge score on a trick-play 69-yard punt return by Boobie Hobbs.

The Ducks had no chance in this one. After the first quarter ended in a 6-6 tie, Utah went on a 42-14 rampage to utterly crush Oregon, which had its playoff hopes dashed early in the season.

Week 5: Florida’s dominating win over Ole Miss

Two weeks after taking down Alabama in a thriller, Ole Miss was humbled by a Florida squad nobody saw coming as a potential national championship contender.

Indeed, it wasn’t until the end of the season that the Gators finally ran out of steam. The program was running hot in Week 5, earning an impressive and shocking 38-10 win over the Rebels, who lost their first game of the season and came into the contest ranked No. 3 in the nation.

Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly and the entire offense was shut down, and the 10 points ended up being the lowest scoring output by the Rebels all year long. Florida’s defense held them to just 328 total yards and forced four turnovers.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the field Will Grier shook off the flu to throw four touchdown passes, and the rout was on.

Week 6: Texas upsets Oklahoma

One of the biggest upsets of the year took place in Week 6 when the Longhorns downed Big 12 rival Oklahoma, handing the Sooners their only loss of the season. If not for this glaring misstep, there’s no doubt Bob Stoop’s team would have challenged Clemson for the No. 1 seed at the end of the year.

Texas went into the game looking completely dead, having compiled a 1-5 record with the only win coming against Rice. It appeared to everyone outside the program that Charlie Strong had lost his locker room, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Strong rallied his squad, and the Longhorns physically dominated both sides of the ball en route to a 24-17 win.

Baker Mayfield and his offense struggled to gain yards against a Texas defense that appeared to be aided by the legends of years gone past and could only gain 278 total yards. Meanwhile, the Longhorns abused Oklahoma’s defense to the tune of 313 rushing yards, controlling the pace of the game and the scoreboard.

Week 7: Michigan’s botched punt against Michigan State

Everyone was watching this one. It was Jim Harbaugh’s first crack at in-state uber rival Michigan State, and it appeared the Wolverines actually had the momentum to win heading into the contest. They had won five straight games in dominating fashion after a close loss to Utah on the road to start the season.

Then, after a brutal game, Michigan appeared to have a win in the bag with just 10 seconds left on the clock.

After draining the clock down to almost nothing, punter Blake O’Neill was called in to the game to pin the Spartans deep in their own territory, but the football gods had different plans.

What happened next will go down in history as one of the craziest plays in college football big-game history.

O’Neill botched the snap, which wasn’t perfect, and then when he tried to control the ball he ended up tossing it inadvertently to Michigan State’s Jalen Watts-Jackson who took it 38 yards to the house, falling into the end zone as time expired for the 27-23 victory.

The improbable stunner of a play was a key element to Michigan State’s run to the College Football Playoff.

Week 8: Georgia Tech stuns Florida State

This was the loss that kept the Seminoles, who finished with two losses, from having a chance at competing in the playoff.

After a long, hard-fought game against a Yellow Jackets team that came in with a five-game losing streak, the score was 16-16 with only six seconds left on the clock. Florida State kicker Roberto Aguayo lined up for a 56-yard field goal that would have won the game. Instead of walking off winners, the Seminoles fell victim to a crazy game-ending play the other way.

Aguayo’s kick was blocked at the line of scrimmage, and Yellow Jackets defensive back Lance Austin wrangled the bouncing ball and ran it back 78 yards for the game-winning touchdown.

After the game, Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson gave an emotional response when asked about how the victory felt after losing five games in a row.

“It was our turn,” head coach Paul Johnson said with a huge smile on his face, via the ESPN2 broadcast. “We’ve had so many this year that have gone the other way. I’m just so proud of our guys. They fought, and fought and fought.”

This is one of those games Florida State coaches and players will look back on at the end of the bowl season and wonder about what could have been.

Week 9: Miami’s ridiculous eight-lateral touchdown that should have never been

Just days after Al Golden lost his job at Miami, and just one week after the worst loss in school history, the Hurricanes pulled off one of the most ludicrous plays of the season against Duke, which was No. 22 in the nation at the time.

Down 27-24 with six seconds left on the clock, Miami was set up to return a kickoff after the Blue Devils had gone 80 yards on 10 plays to take the lead in the final two minutes. The Hurricanes needed a miracle, and they got one.

After the game, the story turned from the unbelievable play to the unbelievable incompetence of the referees officiating the game. There were a series of errors that went unnoticed by the crew (suspended by the ACC afterwards) running the game, not the least of which was the fact that Mark Walton’s knee was down before he lateraled the ball during the play.

The touchdown that should have never been gave Miami a 30-27 win over Duke.

Week 10: Nebraska’s upset win over Michigan State

It’s remarkable that Michigan State experienced both sides of the coin when it came to stunning finishes in the 2015 season.

The Spartans appeared to have a win securely sealed following a punt inside Nebraska’s 10-yard line with less than a minute left to play. Remarkably, Cornhuskers quarterback Tommy Armstrong completed a couple of long passes, putting his team in a position to score.

Then, for the second weekend in a row, college football endured a major fail by officials. Nebraska scored a touchdown with 17 seconds left on the clock to win 39-38 on a play that should have actually resulted in a penalty against the Cornhuskers.

Receiver Brandon Reilly was clearly well out of bounds and hadn’t been pushed out, yet he came back into the field of play, was the first person to touch the ball and scored the game-winning touchdown.

Thankfully this play didn’t cost the Spartans a shot at winning the national championship, but it certainly cost them a shot at a higher seed. This was the only loss on the year for Michigan State.

Week 11: LSU gets blasted by Arkansas

One week after getting hammered by Alabama, LSU failed to respond and got similarly blown out by Arkansas, which nobody saw coming. If you remember, the Tigers entered the game against the Crimson Tide having an undeafeted record and were the No. 2 team in the nation.

It was understandable that Alabama could out-muscle LSU, given the outstanding front lines on both sides of the ball for Nick Saban’s club. However, it was simply stunning when the same thing happened to the Tigers against a 5-4 Arkansas team.

Leonard Fournette failed to reach the century mark rushing and was outclassed by Alex Collins and Kody Walker on the other side of the field. The Razorbacks finished with 299 yards and three touchdowns rushing, while the Tigers managed just 59 total yards on the ground and one touchdown run by Fournette.

It was the second of three losses in a row endured by LSU, which appeared to be a national championship contender before the embarrassing run of pathetic play.

Week 12: Ohio State bullied by Michigan State

Ohio State didn’t have a single honest test on its schedule until Week 12 when the Spartans came to town.

The Buckeyes hadn’t been all that impressive most of the season, as the offense never did find its way. However, many fans still thought when the games mattered that the offense would suddenly find its way and Ohio State would roll towards championship No. 2 in a row.

Michigan State quickly shut that thinking down in prime time on a wet and windy night in Columbus.

The final score was 17-14, but the game was never that close. If not for a badly bungled punt return that turned into seven points for the Buckeyes, the scoreboard would have been much more indicative of how one-sided the game was.

Ohio State ended up gaining just 132 total yards, and halfback Ezekiel Elliott was shockingly not featured, receiving just 12 carries. After the game he made no bones about his discontent and announced he’d be entering the 2016 NFL Draft after the season.

Week 13: Kevin Hogan conjures Andrew Luck to beat Notre Dame

All Notre Dame had to do to get into the playoff was beat Stanford (most thought this to be the case, anyway). Unfortunately for the Irish, the Cardinal quarterback known for being more of a game manager than anything else had a career-best game, leading his team to a narrow 38-36 victory.

Hogan was nearly perfect in this contest, completing 17-of-21 passes for 269 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He also made a few plays with his legs and drove his team down the field in the waning moments to set up the game-winning field goal, which kicker Contrad Ukropina drilled for the victory.

Afterwards, the senior quarterback was ecstatic.

It was one of the few games in which Heisman finalist and AP Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey wasn’t the key contributor on offense. When his team needed him the most, Hogan delivered with the finest performance of his career.

Week 14: Texas does it again, upends Baylor

Texas pulled off two of the biggest upsets of the year, despite finishing with a record of 5-7.

In the final weekend of play before bowl season (barring the Army/Navy game), the Longhorns did to Baylor exactly what they did to Oklahoma earlier in the year.

Displaying gritty determination and outstanding toughness, Texas found a way to finish the year strong after a campaign filled with more disappointment than glory — previous upset over the Sooners notwithstanding.

The defense of the Longhorns forced four turnovers on a Baylor offense that was reeling from the losses of its first-, second- and third-string quarterbacks, overcoming the efforts of a Bears rushing attack that gained 395 yards on the day.

Clearly, the program is in good hands with Strong, who continued to inspire his players to play hard even after the season was a lost cause.