Today marks the 10th anniversary of one of the greatest college football upsets of all time; Appalachian State over Michigan. With Appalachian State the first opponent on the schedule for Georgia this season, the Bulldogs have been taking special care not to let the history escape them. Footage of the historic upset has been playing in the Georgia gym leading up to the season opener in Athens.
“They play it during workouts,” Georgia senior left tackle Isaiah Wynn said this week, according to Dawgs 247. “We get it right there on the big screen.”
A lot has changed over the course of the past decade. The Appalachian State team that topped Michigan went on to win their third consecutive national championship that season (against a Delaware team with some guy named Joe Flacco at quarterback). In more recent years, the Mountaineers have made the transition up to the FBS from the FCS and this season they look to be one of the top contenders for the Sun Belt Conference championship. This weekend, they look to score another signature upset, although one that would be far less shocking than the one a decade ago.
The point is this is not the same Appalachian State program it was when it scored the milestone upset over No. 5 Michigan in the Big House, but if you feel history does have a way of repeating itself, then it is best to constantly stay reminded of it.
Of course, if Appalachian State does pull the upset, maybe the decision to keep that memory running on loop could be seen as a move that came back to haunt Georgia. Georgia is a considerable favorite in the game, but one must be careful with Appalachian State. The Mountaineers let one slip away last year at Tennesee. Can they finish the job this weekend?