re: What's the most soul crushing loss you've ever experienced

As a UGA fan, I'm not sure I have any soul left.

But if I was to pick one, it would definitely be the 2012 SEC championship game

9-6. Trump being elected president is a close second.

Watching Treadwell's ankle snap at the 1 pubic hair line

It's hard to consider any football loss as soul crushing as a UK fan. If you do, how do you pick just one. 1987 Michael Whitehead stops Mark Higgs on 4th and goal from the 2 to preserve a 24-22 UT win? Chase Harp fumbling deep in UT territory to hand UT a 38-35 win in 2001 after we were up by 21. 1980 - Tulane drives 94 yards with the help of two huge PI calls to set up a winning FG with no time on the clock. 1993 Danny Wuerffel throws 7 picks but tosses the game winner to Chris Doering on the last play of the game? Jared Lorenzen throws away a likely win over the Gators with a pick in 2003. 2007 Cats take the Vols in to OT but the winning FG is blocked. And of course 2002 - the Bluegrass Miracle - or worst use of Gatorade ever.

Now, basketball ... I honestly don't get crushed by losses any more - just figure we'll come back next game or next year and win it all :) But a couple - 1977 regional finals - UNC goes into the 4 corners to preserve a modest lead and knock the Cats out of the tournament. 1978 LSU wins in OT - this I think was just a soul crushing loss for me, but I was a kid and we were on our way to an NCAA title. We already had one loss - to Alabama - but that game 4 UK players were out, suspended for smoking weed. Also it was Dale Brown on the opposing bench. I didn't even watch on TV, not sure it was broadcast, just listened on radio, and I was genuinely crushed when the Tigers beat us. And of course probably the biggest - 1984 NCAA final four vs Georgetown. We go into the locker room at half with lead, come out and shoot < 10% (? I think) from the field in the 2nd half and lose in the final game pairing UK bigs Sam Bowie and Mel Turpin.

Atlanta/Minnesota World Series Game 6 and it isn't close.

Nothing will ever as bad as 63-17, but that one is probably my #2.

Would have never guessed.

Alabama has had the most devastating consequential losses in college football history. It's a big part of the blueblooded tradition and lore of the Crimson Tide Program. Losses to Texas in the 73 Orange Bowl on a failed QB sneak by Joe Namath, Notre Dame later that same year in a New Years Eve Sugar Bowl and again to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl in 75 - all with National Championships at stake are three of the GOAT painful losses. Add in Camback and Kick 6 and that's 5 of the most painful losses of all time that directly affected the National Championship. No other college football team can match that list of close losses in such historically consequential games.

eta- The Clemson loss this year wasn't particularly painful for me. Jalen Hurts confidence in his passing skills had been regressing since midseason and I knew he would be afraid to throw the ball downfield in the Championship under Sark. I expected the passing game to sputter. I still expected to win with a solid running game and great defense. It came down to the last play of the game. Clemson made the plays when Alabama kept giving them the ball back on 3rd down in the second half. So - I'm not including this years close loss in the National Championship game as one of the most devastating losses in college football history.

quote:

---

Alabama has had the most devastating consequential losses in college football history. It's a big part of the blueblooded tradition and lore of the Crimson Tide Program. Losses to Texas in the 73 Orange Bowl on a failed QB sneak by Joe Namath, Notre Dame later that same year in a New Years Eve Sugar Bowl and again to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl in 75 - all with National Championships at stake are three of the GOAT painful losses. Add in Camback and Kick 6 and that's 5 of the most painful losses of all time that directly affected the National Championship. No other college football team can match that list of close losses in such historically consequential games.

---

Wait, so you're saying Alabama didn't win a national title in 1964 and 1973?

quote:

---

1962 7-6 loss to Ga. Tech which broke a 26 game unbeaten streak. Alabama had the ball inside Tech's 10 with about a minute to go and for some wild reason Coach Bryant called for a pass....that was intercepted in the end zone...game over..streak broken.

---

That is crazy since one of the Bear's most quotable lines was when asked why he ran the ball so much, "Three things can happen on a pass and two of them are not good."