How do you rank these sports collapses?

[Wino you know]

Was the Bills-Oilers the AFC Championship game? I thought it was a regular playoff game. Either way that has to be the single biggest in game collapse.

Now you have me stumped.
It was a playoff game. Might not have been the AFC championship game, but it was a playoff game, after which, the Bills did advance to the Super Bowl.
That was probably the biggest collapse in a PROFESSIONAL game.
Back in 2003 or 2004, Iowa was leading Iowa State 28-3 at the half.
Friggin' Iowa State came back and WON the game 34-31.
Iowa ended that season with a 10-1 record.
Their only loss was to (UGH) Iowa State.

For me, which hurt more 2003 or 1978? That is easy, 2003. In 1978 I had just turned 4 years old so I have no memory of that. But 2003 wasn't really a collapse, the score was only 5-2 in the 8th when NY came back to tie it. The way the game ended was tough but no matter how it ended if the Red Sox lost it would have been tough.

I agree-it wasn't a collapse. A tough loss, yes, but not a collapse. That's why I said, if I were a Red Sox fan, 1978 would've hurt more. Not because of how the one-game playoff ended, but, rather, how the entire season ended.

How about being up 10-8 in the last inning against a team who hadn't lost in 2 seasons, they have 2 on with 2 outs, a fly ball hit to the LC area, easy pop fly out to end the game but the fielder falls and it ends up being a GW inside -error helped- the park HR..... That's how we lost a softball game last week. But as you can tell I am over it now

Softball losses are tough.
I remember once on the team I was on, I stole 2nd, 3rd, AND home plate in the SAME INNING, and we still lost.
It wasn't because of a lack of effort from ME, however.

[aeroparrot]

TO me the 2004 Yankees is the biggest one though, they were within 3 outs of a sweep then 4 outs from winning game 5 and in both games they had the best posteseason closer pitching.

The 2004 Yankees was probably the biggest collapse in a PLAYOFF series, but as for the entire season nothing will ever EVER match that of the 1969 Cubs. That's burned so vividly in my mind and will be there forever.
The 1964 Phillies was a big choke job too. I've never been a Phillies fan, but I can only imagine what THEY were feeling with just two weeks to go in the season.

I don't know what I'd rank as the biggest collapse of a single game.
Probably the Insight Bowl, or the AFC championship game between the Oilers & Bills. I was able to watch that one on TV.

I WOULD be curious to know what hurt Red Sox fans more-2003 or 1978.
If it were me, I'd say maybe 1978 because in 2003 there were at least IN the playoffs.
Just wondering.

EDIT-
A couple of "honorable mentions" to that list:
The 1984 Cubs & the 2003 Cubs.

Was the Bills-Oilers the AFC Championship game? I thought it was a regular playoff game. Either way that has to be the single biggest in game collapse.

For me, which hurt more 2003 or 1978? That is easy, 2003. In 1978 I had just turned 4 years old so I have no memory of that. But 2003 wasn't really a collapse, the score was only 5-2 in the 8th when NY came back to tie it. The way the game ended was tough but no matter how it ended if the Red Sox lost it would have been tough.

How about being up 10-8 in the last inning against a team who hadn't lost in 2 seasons, they have 2 on with 2 outs, a fly ball hit to the LC area, easy pop fly out to end the game but the fielder falls and it ends up being a GW inside -error helped- the park HR..... That's how we lost a softball game last week. But as you can tell I am over it now

That was the AFC playoff game where the Oilers were up 35 to 3 against the Bills and lost 41 to 38 in overtime. It was the biggest playoff comeback in NFL history.