Biggest sports betting shocks of all-time

Often, when you watch and bet on sports, you will know the teams or players that are most likely to win – and that’s where your money will go. There are times when there are huge favourites and huge underdogs… which makes betting on the game tricky. However, some people like to bet on the underdog because, when betting on all major sports, shocks happen and they can pay out big time.

Biggest sports betting shocks in the world

Here, we will look at some of the craziest and most shocking sports results ever.

Stanford vs USC – 2007

First, we have Stanford v USC, which some have called ‘The Greatest Upset Ever’. In terms of betting and handicaps, Stanford was penned down as a 41-point underdog to the USC juggernaut.

However, led by Jim Harbaugh, the Stanford team enjoyed a last-minute 24-23 win when Taita Pritchard made his first career start. He connected with Mark Bradford on a 10-yard touchdown pass. This was the first time they took the lead in the game and just in time for the final whistle.

Appalachian St. vs Michigan – 2007

This was another massive upset when Appalachian St took on Michigan as the 33-point underdogs.

Michigan was ranked as number 5 at the start of the season, whereas Appalachian St was only a Division 1 AA team. A Division 1 A team had never been beaten by a Division 1 AA team.

Until now.

In 2014, Appalachian St finally became a Division 1 A team.

Mine That Bird: The 2009 Kentucky Derby

Mine that bird had nothing going for him, not only did he have a questionable name, but he had no great heritage – and was a rank outsider at 50-1 to win.

However, this horse overcame all of the hurdles in front of him to enjoy a pretty impressive career. Although he was bought for just $9,500, he amassed more than $2.2 million in winnings.

The Kentucky Derby win was crazy. He came from the back of the pack and ended up with a seven lengths victory. This shocked everyone, including the announcer.

Buster Douglas v Mike Tyson: 1990

When Buster Douglas was announced as taking on Mike Tyson, no one expected Douglas to win, let alone by knockout. The odds simply of Douglas beating Tyson would have made him one of the biggest underdogs in boxing history – but a knockout? Seriously?

Buster Douglas was a virtual unknown – and Tyson was, well, he was Mike Tyson, one of the biggest legends in the sport. He had a record of 37-0, with 33 being won by KO.

Buster Douglas was seven years older, had four more losses and he got knocked down by Tyson in round eight. However, he did the unthinkable. He got up, shook it off and knocked Tyson out in the tenth round. Tyson was never the same after this – and Buster Douglas lost his next fight to Evander Holyfield.

NY Jets Winning Super Bowl III

The New York Jets went into the Super Bowl as 18-point underdogs. However, it is what this actually meant for the NFL that makes it stand out more than anything else.

Sure, they were massive underdogs, but the result is what helped to make the sport what it is today. Although the NFL would always be the biggest US sport, Joe Namath’s guarantee and this iconic win certainly helped to speed the process up!

The US Hockey Team Winter Olympic Win: 1980

This one is certainly only for those who truly believe in winter gambling miracles. If you have never heard of this fairytale story, then you need to find out about it right now.

The team went into the 1980 Winter Olympics at 1000-1 to win the gold medal. However, the team of scruffy college kids managed to beat the best hockey players in the world, on what is one of the biggest longshot shockers in the world of sports – ever.