Hope is the idea that something better is possible and few sports serve it up in bigger doses each week than college football. Fans throw themselves into every game, often feeling the sting of defeat more sharply than the players do. They are sky-high after wins and drowning in doom-scrolling after losses. As a handful of programs savor their victories, it is time to spotlight the three fan bases feeling the most misery after a deflating Week 13 setback.
Misery Meter
1. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
No. 23 Georgia Tech (9-2, 6-2 ACC) opened the season with eight straight wins and quarterback Haynes King looked like a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender. The wheels on the bus started to wobble in a 48-36 loss to NC State (6-5, 3-4) and the Yellow Jackets needed a 19-6 fourth-quarter burst to escape Boston College (1-10, 0-7) with a 36-34 victory the next week. Despite those midseason issues, Georgia Tech still controlled its own destiny to reach the ACC Championship Game by defeating No. 24 Pittsburgh (8-3, 6-1) in a Nov. 22 home matchup.
Instead, the Yellow Jackets’ bus went off the road entirely against the Panthers, falling behind 28-0 early in the second quarter and eventually losing 42-28. Goodbye ACC Championship game and goodbye College Football Playoff hopes, because they are not beating No. 4 Georgia (10-1, 7-1 SEC) in the “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate” rivalry game.
2. Kansas State Wildcats
Kansas State (5-6, 4-4 Big 12) began the season at No.17 in the AP preseason poll, and fans had visions of a Big 12 Championship and a spot in the CFP. That optimism evaporated after a 24-21 opening loss to Iowa State (7-4, 4-4) in Dublin, Ireland, where QB Avery Johnson’s family showed the most fight. The Wildcats traveled to Salt Lake City on Nov. 22 as 13.5-point underdogs against No. 14 Utah (9-2, 6-2) but stunned the home crowd by jumping out to a 31-21 halftime lead.
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After extending the lead to 12 points in the fourth quarter on a TD run by running back Joe Jackson, the collapse started when Utah returned the two-point conversion to cut the lead to 47-37. The Utes scored the final two TDs for a 51-47 win, completing a crushing defeat for Kansas State. Wasted in the loss was a school record 293 rushing yards by Jackson and a program record 472 rushing yards as the Wildcats also missed clinching bowl eligibility.
3. East Carolina Pirates
The Pirates (7-4, 5-2 American) were sitting at 3-3 after a 26-19 loss on Oct. 9 at No. 24 Tulane (9-2, 6-1) before ripping off four straight conference victories. With a 7-3 overall record and a 5-1 conference mark, East Carolina was gaining respect and still had a narrow path to the CFP if everything broke their way. Up next was a trip to San Antonio to take on the UTSA Roadrunners (6-5, 4-3) and try to overcome the Alamodome magic.
Under coach Jeff Traylor, UTSA was 24-0 at home in conference play across Conference USA and the American. The Roadrunners pulled another rabbit out of their hat by racing to a 31-0 lead before winning 58-24 and extending their home conference streak to 25-0. Just like that, the respect gained and the American Championship game hopes were dashed.
Honorable Mention
No. 19 USC Trojans (8-3, 6-2 Big Ten), Illinois Fighting Illini (7-4, 4-4), Syracuse Orange (3-8, 1-6 ACC), UMass Minutemen (0-11, 0-7 MAC) and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (8-3, 6-1 Conference USA)
Meltdown Watch
Week 14 is the ultimate meltdown week with all of the rivalry games on deck. What if Mississippi State (5-6, 1-7 SEC) picks off a potentially distracted No. 6 Ole Miss (10-1, 6-1) team due to the Lane Kiffin drama swirling? Can No. 15 Michigan (9-2, 7-1 Big Ten) beat No. 1 Ohio State (11-0, 8-0) for the fifth straight year? Do the No. 16 Texas Longhorns (8-3, 5-2 SEC) hand No. 3 Texas A&M (11-0, 7-0) its first loss of the season? The list of potential heartbreaks is almost endless, and choosing the three most miserable fan bases next week might be impossible.
