Minnesota Upsets and Scares 1980-2019

Total upset score over 40 years is 1792. Average per year is 44.8

Total Upset Score	Result	Upset Value	Away Bonus	Blowout Bonus
288	On Nov 15, 1986, unranked Minnesota defeated 2nd ranked Michigan by 3 points away.	240	48	0
288	On Nov 6, 1999, unranked Minnesota defeated 2nd ranked Penn State by 1 points away.	240	48	0
240	On Oct 24, 1981, unranked Minnesota defeated 6th ranked Iowa by 2 points away.	200	40	0
240	On Oct 14, 2000, unranked Minnesota defeated 6th ranked Ohio State by 12 points away.	200	40	0
150	On Oct 18, 1997, unranked Minnesota narrowly lost to 1st ranked Penn State by 1 points away.	125	25	0
150	On Sep 24, 2005, unranked Minnesota defeated 11th ranked Purdue by 7 points at home.	150	0	0
130	On Nov 24, 1990, unranked Minnesota defeated 13th ranked Iowa by 7 points at home.	130	0	0
110	On Oct 23, 1993, unranked Minnesota defeated 15th ranked Wisconsin by 7 points at home.	110	0	0
75	On Sep 19, 1992, unranked Minnesota narrowly lost to 11th ranked Colorado by 1 points at home.	75	0	0
66	On Oct 12, 1996, unranked Minnesota narrowly lost to 15th ranked Northwestern by 2 points away.	55	11	0
55	On Oct 31, 2015, unranked Minnesota narrowly lost to 15th ranked Michigan by 3 points at home.	55	0	0

For this table an upset is a win over an opponent ranked 10 or more slots better. Unranked teams are considered ranked 26th. The upset score is 10 points multiplied by the difference in ranking, thus a 21st ranked team beating a 1st ranked team is a better upset (200 points) than a 21st ranked team beating an 11th ranked team (100 points). Winning away grants a 20% bonus. Winning by 21 points or more is a blowout and grants a 40% bonus. A scare is a tie or a loss within 3 points of a better ranked team. Scares are worth 50% of upsets, and can get an away bonus. Leave a comment if you would like to see another school, other years, or different criteria for determining an upset or scare.