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Biggest college football bowl game upsets, by point spread

College football's bowl season often pairs two bowl-eligible teams that wouldn't ordinarily face each other. The two teams square off at a neutral site to see which team will end its respective season on a high note. Sometimes those rarely played matchups produce wildly unexpected upsets.

Here's a look at the largest bowl game upsets by point spread, dating back to the FBS-FCS split in 1978. Data are from ESPN Research:

1998 Humanitarian Bowl: Idaho (+17) def. Southern Miss 42-35

Idaho freshman John Welsh threw four touchdowns and the Vandals defense forced six turnovers in an upset win over the Southern Miss Golden Eagles as a 17-point underdog.