January 1 in college football
Every January 1 in Iron's archive: the ranked teams that lost to unranked ones, the ranked matchups, and the games worth retelling. Every result links to its game card.
- 463games on file
- 20unranked wins over ranked teams
- 298ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1901–2025seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on January 1
The 20 such results, best rank beaten first; the top 14 are listed.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | LSU 14 | #2 Arkansas 7 | Neutral site |
| 1950 | Michigan 14 | #4 California 6 | Neutral site |
| 1967 | LSU 20 | #7 Wyoming 13 | Neutral site |
| 1967 | Texas A&M 20 | #9 Alabama 16 | Neutral site |
| 1943 | USC 29 | #11 Washington 0 | Neutral site |
| 2007 | Michigan Wolverines 41 | #12 Florida Gators 35 | On the road |
| 1948 | Texas 41 | #12 Georgia 28 | Neutral site · Attendance: 60523 |
| 1954 | Georgia Tech 14 | #13 Arkansas 6 | Neutral site |
| 1947 | Arkansas 21 | #13 William & Mary 19 | Neutral site |
| 1945 | Miami 13 | #13 Holy Cross 6 | Neutral site |
| 1945 | Georgia 20 | #14 Tulsa 6 | Neutral site |
| 2009 | Florida State Seminoles 33 | #16 West Virginia Mountaineers 21 | At home |
| 1943 | LSU 19 | #16 Texas A&M 14 | Neutral site |
| 1937 | Rice 28 | #16 Colorado 14 | Neutral site |
Ranked vs ranked on January 1
298 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1 Indiana Hoosiers 38 | #9 Alabama Crimson Tide 3 | Neutral site · Rose Bowl Stadium · Pasadena, California |
| 2024 | #8 Ohio State Buckeyes 41 | #1 Oregon Ducks 21 | Neutral site · Rose Bowl · Pasadena, California |
| 2023 | #1 Michigan Wolverines 27 | #4 Alabama Crimson Tide 20 | Neutral site · Rose Bowl · Pasadena, CA |
| 2020 | #1 Alabama 31 | #4 Notre Dame 14 | Neutral site · AT&T Stadium · Arlington, Texas |
| 2017 | #4 Alabama 24 | #1 Clemson 6 | On the road · M-B Superdome · New Orleans, La. |
| 2014 | #4 Ohio St. 42 | #1 Alabama 35 | Neutral site |
| 1997 | #1 Michigan 21 | #8 Washington State 16 | Neutral site |
| 1994 | #1 Nebraska 24 | #3 Miami 17 | Neutral site |
| 1993 | #1 Florida State 18 | #2 Nebraska 16 | Neutral site |
| 1992 | #2 Alabama 34 | #1 Miami 13 | Neutral site |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | #3 USC 17 | #1 Ohio State 16 | 1 pt |
| 1939 | #1 Texas A&M 14 | #5 Tulane 13 | 1 pt |
| 1990 | #1 Colorado 10 | #5 Notre Dame 9 | 1 pt |
| 1940 | #2 Texas A&M 13 | #14 Fordham 12 | 1 pt |
| 1980 | #4 Oklahoma 18 | #2 Florida State 17 | 1 pt |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | #2 Michigan 49 | #3 USC 0 | 49 pts |
| 1990 | #4 Miami 46 | #3 Texas 3 | 43 pts |
| 2010 | #16 Alabama Crimson Tide 49 | #9 Michigan State Spartans 7 | 42 pts |
| 2014 | #2 Oregon 59 | #3 Florida St. 20 | 39 pts |
| 1959 | #8 Washington 44 | #6 Wisconsin 8 | 36 pts |
Biggest comebacks
Deficit the winner erased. Measured from in-game margins where play data exists, cross-checked against quarter scores; a row prints only when the quarter lines corroborate it, so this list starts in 2000.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Trailed by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | #9 Oklahoma St. 37 | #5 Notre Dame 35 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2014 | #8 Michigan St. 42 | #5 Baylor 41 | 20 ptsin game |
| 2006 | #13 West Virginia Mountaineers 38 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 35 | 18 ptsin game |
| 2017 | #3 Georgia 54 | #2 Oklahoma 48 | 17 ptsin game |
| 2017 | South Carolina Gamecocks 26 | Michigan Wolverines 19 | 16 ptsin game |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | #3 Georgia 54 | #2 Oklahoma 48 | 102 pts |
| 2013 | #15 UCF 52 | #6 Baylor 42 | 94 pts |
| 2021 | #6 Ohio St. 48 | #11 Utah 45 | 93 pts |
| 2006 | #9 Boise State Broncos 43 | #7 Oklahoma Sooners 42 | 85 pts |
| 2010 | Texas Tech Red Raiders 45 | Northwestern Wildcats 38 | 83 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | #8 Michigan State 20 | #16 USC 17 | 103,847 |
| 1965 | #5 UCLA 14 | #1 Michigan State 12 | 100,087 |
| 2023 | #1 Michigan Wolverines 27 | #4 Alabama Crimson Tide 20 | 96,371 |
| 2013 | #4 Michigan St. 24 | #5 Stanford 20 | 95,173 |
| 2000 | #4 Washington 34 | #14 Purdue 24 | 94,392 |