Right now, I think we’re all probably getting a little spoiled by all this awesome football. So I thought that, before the buzz wears off, I’d do a list of the greatest non-Super Bowl upsets in the history of the NFL playoffs. Yes, that’s right. We’re not going to look at the Big Game just yet, but the games that get teams to the Big Game.

So check it out and, as always, let us know what you think.

The last night of 2011 MLB season was perhaps the most thrilling five hours in the history of professional sports. Consequently, some people may have thought the 2011 MLB Postseason would be a letdown. But not us. We here at Total Pro Sports predicted this year’s playoffs would be thrilling, and so far they have lived up to their potential. Three of the four division series went to 5 games, and there were a couple of great upsets. You just gotta love October baseball.

In honor of this unprecedentedly great stretch of baseball, and in the hopes that there’s more great stuff to come, how about a look at the 13 greatest postseason upsets in baseball history?

13. Mets over Orioles (1969 WS)

Yes, they call the 1969 Mets the “Miracle Mets,” or, alternately, the “Amazin’ Mets.” And their victory in 1969 over the excellent Baltimore Orioles was an upset, given that the O’s had won 9 more regular season games (109 versus 100) than the Mets. But 100 wins aint nothin. So it’s hard to put this MLB postseason upset any higher than #13. But you’ll just have to keep reading to see whether you agree.

12. Cardinals over Phillies (2011 NLDS)

In terms of the difference between the teams in regular season victories (Philly had 102, St. Louis had 90), this was a pretty big upset. When you add the fact that the Phillies had (arguably) the best starting pitching rotation in the history of baseball, this was a huge upset. So why, then, is this upset not higher on the list? Two reasons: it’s really recent, and it was only a 5-game series. If they had to play two more games (like every other series on the list), the Cardinals probably don’t win. (Plus, they had the Busch Stadium rally squirrel on on their side.)

11. Pirates over Yankees (1960 WS)

The win differential between these two teams wasn’t that great. The Yank’s won 97; the Pirates won 95. But this was the pre-division era, meaning the top teams from each league just proceeded automatically to the WS without an addition playoff round. Also, this was (obviously) pre-interleague play, and pre-free agency. So 95 wins in one league wasn’t necessarily the same as 95 wins in the other league.

This all just a long-winded way of saying no one gave the Pirates a chance in hell of winning the World Series against the Yankees in 1960. And, if you looked at the run totals for the two teams at the end of the 7 games played, you’d have thought the Yankees won. (It was 55-27.) Nevertheless, the Bucs won game 7 on Bill Mazeroski’s walk-off home run in the bottom of the 9th.

10. Marlins over Braves (1997 NLCS)

The Marlins won a respectable 92 games in 1997 to clinch the NL Wild Card. But the Braves won 101 games, and were in the midst of their dominant run of 14 straight division titles. And they had Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz in their prime. And David Justice in his prime. And Fred McGriff in his prime. And…you get the idea. Yet somehow, as we all know, the Marlins beat the mighty Braves and went on to win the World Series.

9. Royals over Cardinals (1985 WS)

This upset makes the list for two reasons. One: the Cardinals won 101 games, played great defense, and could run like the wind. The Royals had George Brett, and that was about it. (That’s an oversimplification, but just go with it.)

Two: the Cardinals were up 3-2 in the series, and 1-0 heading into the bottom of the 9th. Everything was going just like it was supposed to. Then, on a routine ground ball to Cardinals first baseman Jack Clark, an umpire who shall remain nameless (Don Denkinger) called runner Jorge Orta safe at first when everyone else on the planet saw that he was out. Instead of 1 out, nobody on, 2 outs to a World Series victory, it was 1 on, nobody out.

The Royals took advantage, won the game 2-1, and then blew out the Cardinals in Game 7 11-0. (If this were a list of epic comebacks/stunning collapses, this series would obviously be much, much higher.)

8. Marlins over Yankees (2003 WS)

What everyone remembers most about the Marlin’s 2003 championship run is the infamous Steve Bartman incident in the NLCS against the Cubs. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you can look it up for yourself.) But their victory in that series wasn’t really an upset. The Cubs won 88 games in 2003, while the Marlins won 91. The Cubs were ahead in the series, but really, they had no business going to the WS. The Marlins were supposed to win on paper, and they did.

But against the 101-win Jeter Dynasty Yankees in the World Series? The Marlins had no chance. Then they won. In six games. (And 7 years later, the Yankees would pay one of the Marlins’ star pitchers from that series a cajillion dollars to totally suck. Sorry, AJ Burnett.)

7. Indians over Orioles (1997 ALCS)

The Indians suddenly got good in the mid-90s after decades (and decades) of futility that made the Major League movies possible. But after back-to-back 100- and 99-win seasons in 1995 and 1996, they stumbled into the 1997 playoffs with just 86 wins. The Orioles, meanwhile—also in the middle of an upturn in fortunes that has since vanished—won 98 games (12 more than the Tribe) to lead all of baseball. Yet the Indians beat the O’s in 6 games, thanks to a number of bizarres plays and insane comebacks.

6. Twins over Cardinals (1987 WS)

No one gave the 1987 Twinkies a chance to win the World Series against the Redbirds. St. Louis won 10 more games than Minnesota (95 to 85) and, besides, Minnesota just wasn’t that good. The wins had a negative run differential during the regular season (meaning they gave up more runs than they scored), and no team had ever won a championship after winning so few games. But the ’87 Twins shocked the baseball world by beating the Cardinals in Game 7 at the Metrodome—the first ever WS in which the home team won every game. (The second time that happened? When the Twins won again in 1991…why did they move out of the Metrodome again?)

5. Dodgers over A’s (1988 WS)

1988 kirk gibson world series

The Dodgers were huge underdogs to the perfect-in-every-way Oakland A’s in 1988. The A’s won 104 games behind the steroid-infused “Bash Brothers” (Canseco and McGwire) and a dynamite pitching staff that included the game’s top closer, Dennis Eckersly. Yes, NL MVP Kirk Gibson of the Dodgers had two bad knees and was hobbling around the whole time, but LA won 94 games and had the best pitcher in baseball in 1988, Orel Hershiser. So while it was shocking when the Dodgers prevailed in just 5 games, it wasn’t quite as shocking as the next four.

4. Yankees over Mariners (2001 ALCS)

You may be of the opinion that it’s impossible for the Yankees to pull off a postseason upset. And in most cases, you would be right. But in 2001, the Seattle Mariners won a MLB record 116 games (21 more than the Bronx Bombers), beating the record set in 1998 by…yep, the Yankees. It was just absolutely ridiculous. Yes, it was the Jeter Dynasty New York Yankees who had won the last 3 World Series. But 116 wins? How could they lose? No other upset on this list had a win differential of even 15 games, let alone 21.

3. Giants over Indians (1954 WS)

The 1954 Cleveland Indians won an AL-record 111 games. They only played 154 games back then, so that was good for a .721 winning percentage. It was, quite simply, one of the most dominant regular seasons in the history of baseball.

The 1954 New York Giants had a nice season themselves, winning 97 games for an excellent .630 winning percentage. But no one gave them a chance in hell against the incredible, history, unstoppable Cleveland Indians.

Then Willie Mays made “The Catch,” and the Giants swept the mighty Indians in four straight games.

If the Giants were not such a good team themselves, this upset would surely be even higher.

2. Cardinals over Mets (2006 NLCS)

The Cardinals appear on this list quite a bit. It seems like they’re always on one side of a major upset or another.

In 2006, the Cardinals became the “worst” playoff team in the history of Major League Baseball in terms of regular season wins, winning the feeble NL Central with an insanely mediocre 83 victories. There were 12 teams with better records than the Cardinals in 2006, and 5 of those teams didn’t make the playoffs. The Mets, on the other hand, were practically an all-star team who went 97-65 and tied that other team from New York for the best record in baseball.

The Cardinals’ chances of beating the Mets in the NLCS were approximately 0.001%. But they somehow prevailed in 7 thrilling games. Then they beat the heavily favored Detroit Tigers in the World Series.

Go figure.

1. Reds over A’s (1990 WS)

The Oakland A’s won the World Series in 1989. They overcame the disappointment of the 1988 World Series (see #5) to finally fulfill their destiny and get that monkey off their back. In 1990, the A’s were just as good (winning 103 games), and expected to be even more lethal in the playoffs now that they knew what it was like to go all the way. They were juggernauts. They were an unstoppable freight train. There was no team in baseball who could hit their pitching or beat their sluggers, least of all the 91-win Cincinnati Reds.

Of course, the Reds won the World Series by beating the mighty A’s in four consecutive games.

I guess that’s why they bother playing the series out.

The 2011 U.S. Open is under way this week in New York. As always, the crowds that fill the stands at the USTA National Tennis Center over the next couple weeks will be looking for an underdog they can get behind. Of course, they won’t know who their underdog is until he or she is on the verge of an upset, since you never can predict these sorts of things. But there’s always at least one good upset, and some years there are several. Here, as proof, is a list of the 9 greatest upsets in the modern history of the U.S. Open. It won’t do you any good in making predictions about this year, but it will encourage you to expect the unexpected.

9. John Isner defeats #5 Andy Roddick (Round 3, 2009)

Poor Andy is lucky I’m doing the top 9 biggest U.S. Open upsets instead of the top 10, or else he would probably take up two of the infamous spots on this list. As it is, we’re letting his upset as the #8 seed in 2010 fall by the wayside and focusing only on the more painful 2009 upset. You see, in 2009, it looked like Roddick was finally getting his act together again. He took Roger Federer to five sets in the Wimbledon final, losing the heartbreaking fifth set 14-16. Unfortunately, Roddick couldn’t maintain this momentum, and he lost in the third round to the unknown John Isner 3-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-2.

8. #6 Juan Martin Del Potro defeats #1 Roger Federer (Finals, 2009)

Normally a #6 defeating a #1 in the finals of a grand slam wouldn’t be considered a huge upset. But when the #1 in question is Roger Federer? Yeah, it’s a big deal. Coming into the 2009 tournament, Federer had won the previous five U.S. Opens and six of the last seven Wimbledons, including the 2009 final against Andy Roddick. So the Swiss tennis superstud was considered a mortal lock to walk away with his 6th straight U.S. Open title. Then, somehow, he didn’t, losing in the finals to the sixth seeded Argentinian Juan Martin Del Potro 3-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-2.

7. Melanie Oudin defeats “The Russians” (Rounds 1-4, 2009)

Before the 2009 U.S. Open, Georgia native Melanie Oudin hardly made a splash on the world tennis scene. Heck, she hasn’t made a splash since the 2009 Open. But during that 2009 tournament, every tennis fan on earth knew all about her. That’s because she upset four good Russian tennis players in a row in the first four rounds of the tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to non-Russian Caroline Wozniacki. It was one of the most memorable cinderella runs in recent memory. Oudin defeated (current world #16) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in round 1, #4 Elena Dementieva in round 2, #23 Maria Sharapova in round 3, and #13 Nadia Petrova in round 4. That’s a pretty strong track record against Russians for a girl who was born after the Berlin wall came down (1991).

6. #15 Petr Korda defeats #1 Pete Sampras (Round 4, 1997)

Hey, remember Petr Korda? No? Well, he did win one grand slam title (the 1998 Australian Open) and was ranked #2 in the world back on February 2, 1998. But Korda’s magical run actually began at the U.S. Open in September of 1997, when he defeated the #1 player in the world in the fourth round 6-7, 7-5, 7-6, 3-6, 7-6. (Should I mention that later in 2008 Korda tested positive for steroids? Oops, I just did.)

5. Julie Coin defeats #1 Ana Ivanovic (Round 2, 2008)

Ana Ivanovic was ranked #1 the world for about 15 minutes back in 2008. Okay, it was about 4 months, but my point was, it wasn’t long. She won the French Open that year, which got her to #1, but she then lost at Wimbledon to a player ranked #133. Then Ivanovic lost a few more hard court matches later in the summer, dropping her out of the #1 ranking for a few weeks before she climbed back up just in time for the U.S. Open…where she lost to an unknown French player named Julie Coin in the second round 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. Today Ivanovic ranks a respectable #17 and holds the distinction of being perhaps the hottest player to ever be at the losing end of a major upset.

4. Tracy Austin defeats #4 Sue Barker (Round 1, 1977)

To say Tracy Austin was an unknown coming into the 1977 U.S. Open would be a boldfaced lie. As you can see from this photo, she made the cover of Sports Illustrated back in 1976 as a 13-year-old phenom. Still, Austin was unranked entering the ’77 tournament, and she was only 14, so it was still rather shocking that she defeated #4 Sue Barker in the first round by the score of 6-1, 6-4.

3. Jan Kodeš defeats #1 John Newcombe (Round 1, 1971)

Australian tennis great John Newcombe won seven grand slam titles in his career, including the 1967 U.S. Open, as well as both the Aussie Open and Wimbledon in 1971. So coming into the 1971 U.S. Open, Newcombe was ranked #1 in the world and a favorite to come away with the title. Obviously, he didn’t. He lost in the first round to the 1971 French Open champion Jan Kodeš, who was widely considered to be a clay courts specialist. I’m guessing, after his 2-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-3 defeat, Newcombe didn’t share this assessment of Mr. Kodeš’s game. For his part, Kodeš only had one major upset in him, as he went on to lose in the finals to #2 Stan Smith.

2. #16 Bill Scanlon defeats #1 John McEnroe (Round 4, 1983)

Everyone thought John McEnroe was unstoppable in 1983. He had won Wimbledon in 1981 and 1983, plus the U.S. Open in 1979, 1980, and 1981. He was on fire, as they say. But sixteenth seed Bill Scanlon apparently had a fire extinguisher on hand for the 1983 U.S. Open, because he beat McEnroe in the fourth round 7-6, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3. This would turn out to be Scanlon’s greatest claim to fame—an upset of McEnroe in the U.S. Open. McEnroe rebounded the next year, winning the 1984 U.S. Open Final against Ivan Lendl in straight sets.

1. Alexander Volkov defeats #1 Stefan Edberg (Round 1, 1990)

The greatest upset in the modern history of the U.S. Open is unseeded Alexander Volkov’s 6-3, 7-6, 6-2 defeat of world #1 Stefan Edberg in the first round of the 1990 tournament. Edberg has already won 4 grand slam titles by that point in his career: the Australian Open in 1985 and 1987, plus Wimbledon in 1988 and 1990. He was an obvious favorite to win his first U.S. Open that year. But Volkov pulled off the unlikeliest of upsets, defeating the best tennis player in the world (at the time) handily in straight sets. Edberg wasn’t scarred by the event, however, as he rebounded by winning the U.S. Open in 1991 and 1992.

This is why we love March Madness. We love it for the Bucknells, George Masons, and Princetons of the world. Sure we love seeing top dogs face off. But not like seeing Bryce Drew’s shot to carry Valparaiso over Mississippi.

We do love upsets, but most of all we love getting them right. Showing your friends that you had that 13 over a 4, or that 11 seed into the Elite 8.

The search for Cinderella can be agonizing so here to help is an overview of those who could wear the glass slipper, from the 16 seeds to the 11 seeds. Those armed with the smallest of pebbles, and those with multiple stones to chuck at Goliath.

16 seeds (Morehead State, Chattanooga, East Tennessee State, Radford)

I know it has never happened. But it could happen….right? It would probably take a team that was under seeded to take down the most Goliath of Goliaths. The best shot this year? East Tennessee State.They have outscored their opponents by nearly 9 points a game and have three guys that can score. I am not recommending you pencil any of these teams in but if you have some infallible compulsion to do so take the Bucs.

Best Shot: None this year. One day…….

15 Seeds (Morgan State, Cal State Northridge, Binghamton, Robert Morris)

A 15 seed has only beat a 2 seed 4 times. Most recently 8 years ago when Hampton took down Iowa State, 58-57. This year the best bet is either Morgan State vs Oklahoma or Binghamton against Duke. Both come in winning 11 of their last 12 games. Binghamton would need Duke to be cold from the field and Morgan State would need Blake Griffin to play like Peter Griffin, but at least they have some history on their side.

Best Shot: None.

14 Seeds (North Dakota State, Cornell, Stephen F. Austin, American)

The number of upsets more than triples in the match up of 14s vs 3s. The 14 over 3 upset has happened 15 times, most recently with Northwestern State over Iowa in 2006 and Bucknell over Kansas. So how about this year?

Cornell – No Ivy league team has won in 10 years, sorry.

Stephen F. Austin – Its impressive that one guy could make it this far but Syracuse looks too good for Mr. Austin.

American – They could make some noise but it doesn’t help that their foe, Villanova, is playing basically a home game in Philadelphia. They start all seniors and could keep it close with ‘Nova.

Best Shot: North Dakota State- Sure it is their first year ever in Division I. Sure they are facing the defending champs. The Bison don’t care. They start 4 seniors and are lights outs from beyond the arc. Ben Woodside is their go to guy and is capable of carrying the Bison past a Kansas squad that has a history of losing to 14 seeds.

13 Seeds (Akron, Mississippi State, Cleveland State, Portland State)

There have been 20 upsets of these match ups, including two last year. With the mediocrity this year of the power conferences I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens again. Akron is the longest shot of the group with no notable wins, but the other three pack some punch.

Mississippi State - They came out of nowhere to take the SEC Tournament. Uber shot blocker Jarvis Varnado leads the Bulldogs, who have beat Tennessee and LSU. They take on a talented but inexperienced Washington team and plan to continue streaking from their conference tourney.

Portland State – Remember when the shocked Gonzaga earlier in the season? They could do it again against Xaiver, a team that has struggled of late.

Best Shot: Cleveland State-  The Vikings have wins at Syracuse and Butler and face a young Wake Forest team that could get rattled. Coming off a horizon tournament championship Cleveland State takes on a Demon Deacon team that lost to Maryland in the first round. Cleveland State’s depth and solid point guard play by Cedric Jackson could take them into the 2nd round.

12 seeds (Northern Iowa, Arizona, Wisconsin, Western Kentucky)

To clarify Arizona isn’t an upset. The last team in is actually a one point favorite against their 5 seed opponent Utah. So they can’t play the part as David.

Wisconsin - It feels awkward having them be the underdog. Bo Ryan’s team could try to bog a game down and win with defense, but Florida State and Toney Douglas might be too much for the Badgers.

Northern Iowa - Northern Iowa is on a 5 game winning streak coming into the tournament but they are facing a Purdue team that is finally living up to expectations. No dice here.

Best Shot: Western Kentucky -The Hilltoppers, winners of 10 of their last 11, surge into the tournament and face a wounded Illinois team. The Illini are without one half of their back court in Chester Frazier. WKU is balanced with 4 starters in double figures, not to mention they have been tested in the tourney before.

11 seeds (Virginia Commonwealth, Utah State, Temple, Dayton)

The last seed that can pull of a true upset are the 11 seeds. This years crop could do some damage.

Dayton – They have been up and down all year. The Flyers have wins against Marquette and Xavier on their resume, but they are facing a strong West Virginia team. I am not on this bandwagon.

Virginia Commonwealth – I am on the VCU bandwagon. Eric Maynor and crew are back in the tournament and ready to take down some giants (beat Duke 2 years ago). UCLA is an average team and while they are offensively efficient VCU will be a tough out.

Temple – If the Owls beat Arizona State it will be because of Dionte Christmas. The senior guard is averaging nearly 20 points a game and could take down a mediocre Sun Devils team.

Best Shot: Utah State – The Aggies won 30 games in the regular season and are wanting more. Somewhat slighted with an 11 seed Utah State is facing a Marquette team that is reeling after the loss of Dominic James. Utah State is fundamentally sound and will be a tough out for anybody.

Davids will slay Goliaths, undoubtedly a Cinderella will make a run and Gus Johnson will freak out.

These are the things that make March Madness great.