How do you define "fluke"?

MiketheangrydrunkenCUfan · Sat Oct 20, 2007 1:58 am

With all the upsets going on this year, the term "fluke" has been tossed around quite a bit. For example, I know a lot of people have called Colorado's victory over Oklahoma a fluke. Now if your only criteria for defining a fluke victory is when an inferior team beats a superior team, then CU's win would certainly be a fluke. But if that's the case, then you're basically using the term interchangeably with "upset."

Dictionary.com defines fluke as "an accident or chance happening." To me, that implies that there is more to a fluke win than just an underdog upsetting a favorite. IMO, a fluke victory involves stuff you wouldn't normally see, like having a few questionable calls go your way, several inopportune turnovers by your opponent, having a few low-percentage plays work in your favor, etc.

By those standards, Colorado's win over OU was no fluke. For that particular 60 minutes, they just plain outplayed the Sooners. That's not to say that if they played 9 more times, OU wouldn't win all 9 of them. But in that particular game, CU dominated OU in virtually every statistical category. There was that one muffed punt, but I don't think that alone is enough to qualify it as a fluke win.

I'd say Boise St.'s win over OU in the Fiesta Bowl was more of a fluke, just based on some of the crazy stuff that had to happen for BSU to win that game.

Also, by this definition, a superior team could technically have a fluke win over an inferior team. LSU's win over Kentucky a few years ago on a last second 75-yard TD pass could probably be defined as a fluke, even though LSU was clearly a superior team that year. Same goes for CU's win over Michigan in '94 on Kordell's Hail Mary or arguably the ultimate fluke win, Cal's win over Stanford in '81 on the final kick return.

MiketheangrydrunkenCUfan · Sat Oct 20, 2007 3:54 am

e wrote:5th down?

Ding ding ding!

Another excellent example. I don't know how I forgot to include that as an example in the first place.

War Stoops · Post by **War Stoops** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 3:56 am

You hit the nail on the head on all points. The CU win was no fluke.

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Sat Oct 20, 2007 4:40 am

ND's upset of UCLA where ND got 144yds and UCLA turned the rock over seven times is a good fluke example. Ya UCLA is known to shit the bed but they didn't get outplayed like against Utah they just handed the game away.

The CU/OU game was no fluke. Yes OU, in general, is the better team. But CU owned them in the second-half hands-down. Getting outplayed isn't a fluke.