Nebraska Lost to UCLA in Week 1 of 1972 Season

Published on August 31st, 2024 1:08 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


There have been some incredible Week 1 upsets in the history of college football.

Some ranked teams come unprepared for the start of the season, taking their opponent too lightly.

Some ranked teams aren't as good as their rankings would indicate.

There have been some incredible Week 1 upsets over the years - Alabama losing to UCLA in 2000 and LSU losing to Mississippi State in 2020 are two games that immediately come to mind.

The biggest Week 1 upset, however, belongs to Nebraska and UCLA, who squared off to open the season in 1972.

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The Nebraska Cornhuskers won the national title in 1971, putting together one of the most dominant seasons in the history of college football.

The team won 12 of their 13 games by at least 24 points, and cruised to an easy victory over Alabama in the Orange Bowl to secure a national title.

Nebraska entered the 1972 season on a 32-game unbeaten streak, and were poised to continue their run. The team was still loaded, and they were expected to contend for another national title.

In their opening game of the season, Nebraska played on the road against the unranked UCLA.

The Cornhuskers were heavy favorites heading into the game. UCLA shocked Nebraska by opening up a quick 10-0 lead.

Nebraska would battle back, and the game would be tied heading into the final moments of the game.

The Bruins would drive down the field with the game tied 17-17. With just 22 seconds left in the game, UCLA would kick a 30-yard field goal, pulling off one of the biggest upsets of all time.

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Nebraska would take out their frustrations on their opponents in the following seven games, winning by 30 points, 70 points, 49 points, 62 points, 56 points, 34 points and 23 points respectively.

The team, however, just wasn't as good as it was the year before, and they would end up fading at the end of the year, ultimately missing out on the national title.