As I’m sure some of you were this past Saturday, I sat on my couch in utter amazement at what I was watching go down in college football.

Maryland beat Clemson?

Navy is on top of Wake Forest??

Mississippi might knock off Florida???

USC lost to Oregon State????

Okay, so we knew that last outcome because it happened on Thursday night. And we shouldn’t have been that surprised when upsets happen in college football because, well, upsets happen in college football.

But the reason they’re happening this year is more prevalent than in years past: From smaller to big-time programs, the talent level is better across the nation.

Ole’ Miss isn’t afraid to walk into Gainesville these days because they have players like Jevan Snead and Shay Hodge that can compete with Tim Tebow and Percy Harvin. The Beavers could care less that the Trojans are the top ranked program in the nation not just because they beat USC in Corvallis two years ago, but also because quarterback Lyle Moevao and freshman running back Jacquizz Rodgers can play for just about any team in the nation.

Granted, Florida is going to beat Mississippi on most Saturdays and that’s why the Gators were No. 5 in the nation and the Rebels weren’t anywhere near the top 25 coming into weekend. Voters are often clueless, but they’re competent enough to recognize that the Gators and Trojans have more overall depth and talent than the Rebels and Beavers. But the fact of the matter is that the mid-level programs have caught up dramatically over the years.

For the second year in a row, Navy pulled off one of best upsets in college football. Last year the Midshipmen beat Notre Dame for the first time in 43 tries, defeating the Irish 46-44 in South Bend. On Saturday, they pulled off an even bigger upset, beating No. 16 Wake Forest 24-17 at BB&T Field.

Wake, who perhaps was looking ahead to its game next week with Clemson, absolutely shot themselves in the foot all game. The Deacons turned the ball over an astonishing six times and mustered only 39 rushing yards. Conversely, Navy ran at will, racking up 294 yards and once they built a 17-0 lead at halftime, they never looked back.

Apparently nobody wants to win the ACC. One would have thought that with their big win last Saturday at Florida State, Wake would have used the momentum to take control of the conference. Instead they lost to an unranked Navy team that picked off four passes and dominated in time of possession, 35:40 to 23:19. Maybe Maryland, who pulled off an upset themselves on Saturday in beating No. 20 Clemson 20-17, can emerge in the Atlantic. But then again, the Terps also lost to Middle Tennessee State earlier this year.

Just a quick note about Navy, the Midshipmen go into virtually every game undersized, outnumbered and often with less overall talent on their roster. But they also have more heart, determination and focus than a lot of their opponents. And their upset over Notre Dame and Wake the past two years proves that.