More musings after IU's epic national title run...

All these days later, it still doesn't seem real. Does it?

All these days later, I’m still trying to wrap my head around what just happened in college football, how the Indiana Hoosiers, the very last team you’d ever expect competence from, slayed all its opponents, most in a dominant fashion imaginable on the way to a 16-0 national title.

What bellwether sports events even come close to what we saw Monday night at Hard Rock Stadium and, for that matter, the entire season? What compares?

For me, as a one-off event, the most unlikely upset I’ve ever seen was the U.S. Hockey Team’s 1980 Miracle on Ice against the then-Soviets. We’re talking there about an American team populated by college kids. Conversely, the Soviets were using their world-renowned professionals, ostensibly to wipe the floor with all their Olympic opponents. The geopolitical backdrop – the Cold War was still raging – made it even juicier. The Americans had previously gotten blown out by the Soviets in a final pre-Olympic meeting and everybody figured they’d get rolled once Olympic competition began. But then goaltender Jim Craig stood on his head in the net, the Soviet goaltending faltered – I’ll never understand why they pulled goalie Vladislav Tretiak -- the Americans generally played out of their minds and the U.S. won, 4-3 on Mike Eruzione’s game-winning goal.

As major upsets go, that will always remain my number one.

The other unlikely feat that comes to mind was Butler’s back-to-back national title game appearances. If Gordon Hayward’s half-court heave had hit the rim and dropped in as the clock sounded, that would have been one of the greatest stories of all time; as it is, with Butler losing both games, it’s one of the greatest sports feats of my lifetime.