Many people are familiar with the 2007 Backyard Brawl because a 28.5-point favorite went down with a national championship berth on the line. But what if I told you that was just the first domino to fall in college football’s greatest butterfly effect?
The 2007 Backyard Brawl was an upset of epic proportions. Second-ranked West Virginia went down 13-9 at the hands of rival Pitt, dashing the Mountaineers’ hopes of reaching the BCS national championship game.
Star fullback Owen Schmidt recalled the loss in 2017, saying, “You get to the fucking last game of the season and blow it…against the shittiest fuckin team in the fucking world.”
But that loss, at that moment in time, had far-reaching ramifications that even the smartest college football fans could’ve never seen coming.
If West Virginia wins, does head coach Rich Rodriguez ever go to Michigan?
Had the Wolverines never hired Rich Rod, who would have become the next Michigan Man?
If the outcome of that game had changed, would the Big East still be alive today?
For many, that’s where the story ends. But there’s much more to it than that.
Because what came next changed Michigan, LSU and Ohio State forever. And altered the very fabric of the sport we know and love.
But I don’t want to just write about it. I want to show you the ripple effect.
Last week, my business partner Nick Goodwin and I launched You Sure Bro? on YouTube. This channel will explore the deeper layers of the sports we love – and the moments that live outside of them.
The debut series, College Football Faultlines, explores the most impactful moments in college football history and traces the tremors they left behind.
Our second deep dive is live now: College Football Faultlines: The Backyard Brawl Butterfly Effect
And ICYMI, we dropped a pair of killer videos last week.
If you’ve enjoyed the storytelling here at Three-Point Stance CFB, you’re gonna love what we create at You Sure Bro?
Go give it a watch, hit subscribe to help us grow the community and let me know in the comments which “College Football Faultline” we should map out next.