UNDERDOGS UNITE!
Early in each college football season, powerhouse programs pay smaller schools boatloads of money to visit for an early-season game - and an assumed beatdown. This season, however, many of those smaller schools have shown up on gameday ready to take home more than just a hefty paycheck. Just last weekend, Notre Dame paid Marshall $1.25 million to play in South Bend. The final score? Marshall 26, Notre Dame 21. Nebraska paid Georgia Southern $1.4 million for their game, and then promptly lost 45-42. And Texas A&M shelled out $1.5 million to Appalachian State, only to get beat 17-14.
Sports have proven time and time again that you should never take an underdog for granted. Especially in college football, though, where size, strength, and physical ability are paramount and where such a separation exists between those power programs and the underdogs they play, it’s fair to wonder…how is this possible? Texas A&M signed more Top 30 national recruits this year alone (8) than Appalachian State has signed Top 1,000 national recruits in the last four years (6). On paper, it doesn’t make sense.
These surprising outcomes from last weekend prove once again, though, that real competition doesn’t happen on paper. If it did, there’d be no use stepping in the arena and competing. Real competition doesn’t care how many stars you have next to your name, what it is you’ve accomplished in the past, or what the so-called experts have predicted will happen. Talent matters, no doubt about it. But underdogs who win prove it’s not the only thing that matters. If you’re here today as an underdog, winning for you might not be easy to come by, but it is possible. Here are a few things it requires…
First, winning as an underdog requires a great game plan. As an underdog, you have to recognize that just showing up isn’t enough. In order to win, you’ll need a strategy that maximizes your strengths and highlights your opponent’s weaknesses. You’ll need the discipline to prepare relentlessly. You’ll need to know your opponent’s tendencies inside and out. You’ll need to know that game plan from front to back, along with possible adjustments based on the changing conditions you may encounter. While the favorites might arrogantly dismiss these details, the underdog recognizes that's a luxury they can't afford. “He will win,” the famous military strategist Sun Tzu wrote in his book The Art of War, “who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.”
Not only will you need the discipline to prepare before the contest, just as importantly you'll need the discipline to execute during. A game plan only matters if the underdog has the focus and resolve it takes to bring that game plan to life. Mike Tyson said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth,” and you can bet the favorite will land a few of those heavy-handed blows. So in the emotion of the moment, in the chaos of competition, and in response to your opponent's attack, can you continue to execute? Only a great game plan, carried out by those in the arena, will give the underdog a fighting chance.
Finally, winning as an underdog requires just that - some fighting. Underdogs win because they’re willing to fight longer and harder than their favored opponent. They win because they want it more, because they’re willing to go farther and dig deeper. What they lack in size, strength, and ability they make up for in toughness and grit. Favorites who show up expecting a cakewalk often struggle when they find they've unknowingly walked into a dogfight.
Understanding what it takes for an underdog to win is important no matter what role you play. If you’re reading along here today as a favorite yourself, then consider this a word of warning. As the favorite, your underdog opponent can only win if you allow it. If you match or exceed their commitment to preparation, their discipline to execute, and their willingness to fight, then your talent takes over and success is assured. If, on the other hand, you take today's victory for granted? Then you may be setting yourself up for an embarrassing defeat.
If you are in fact the underdog today, then you should be encouraged by the evidence you see around you. Sure, you might need a little help from your opponent or a lucky break here and there, but teams like Marshall, Georgia Southern, and Appalachian State have proven that underdogs win plenty often, and they prove that you can, too. So get your game plan together. Muster up the discipline it takes to execute, and get ready to fight. Underdogs unite! And find a way to win.