January 2 in college football
Every January 2 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.
- 127games on file
- 9unranked wins over ranked teams
- 71ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1921–2025seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on January 2
Best rank beaten first.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | UCLA 45 | #4 Illinois 9 | Neutral site |
| 2003 | Clemson 27 | #7 Tennessee 14 | Neutral site · Georgia Dome · Atlanta, GA |
| 1966 | Florida 27 | #8 Georgia Tech 12 | Neutral site |
| 2020 | Ole Miss 26 | #11 Indiana 20 | Neutral site · Raymond James · Tampa, Fla. |
| 1938 | Saint Mary's (CA) 20 | #14 Texas Tech 13 | Neutral site |
| 2025 | SMU Mustangs 24 | #17 Arizona Wildcats 19 | Neutral site · Snapdragon Stadium · San Diego, CA |
| 2009 | Ole Miss Rebels 21 | #19 Oklahoma State Cowboys 7 | At home |
| 2020 | Kentucky 23 | #23 NC State 21 | Neutral site · TIAA Bank Field · Jacksonville, Fla. |
| 1994 | Wisconsin 34 | #25 Duke 20 | Neutral site |
Ranked vs ranked on January 2
71 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | #3 Florida 52 | #1 Florida State 20 | Neutral site |
| 1995 | #1 Nebraska 62 | #2 Florida 24 | Neutral site |
| 1988 | #1 Notre Dame 34 | #3 West Virginia 21 | Neutral site |
| 1986 | #2 Penn State 14 | #1 Miami 10 | Neutral site |
| 1983 | #5 Miami 31 | #1 Nebraska 30 | Neutral site |
| 1977 | #5 Notre Dame 38 | #1 Texas 10 | Neutral site · Cotton Bowl |
| 1960 | #4 Washington 17 | #1 Minnesota 7 | Neutral site |
| 1955 | #1 Oklahoma 20 | #3 Maryland 6 | Neutral site |
| 2024 | #7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 23 | #2 Georgia Bulldogs 10 | Neutral site · Caesars Superdome · New Orleans, LA |
| 2000 | #2 Miami 37 | #7 Florida 20 | Neutral site |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | #5 Miami 31 | #1 Nebraska 30 | 1 pt |
| 1983 | #7 Georgia 10 | #2 Texas 9 | 1 pt |
| 1960 | #11 Duke 7 | #6 Arkansas 6 | 1 pt |
| 1955 | #15 Ole Miss 14 | #7 TCU 13 | 1 pt |
| 2022 | #16 Tulane Green Wave 46 | #10 USC Trojans 45 | 1 pt |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | #1 Nebraska 62 | #2 Florida 24 | 38 pts |
| 1983 | UCLA 45 | #4 Illinois 9 | 36 pts |
| 2001 | #5 Florida 56 | #6 Maryland 23 | 33 pts |
| 1996 | #3 Florida 52 | #1 Florida State 20 | 32 pts |
| 1977 | #3 Alabama 35 | #9 Ohio State 6 | 29 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | #11 Texas Christian 47 | #15 Oregon 41 | 31 ptsin game |
| 2014 | Houston 35 | Pittsburgh 34 | 25 ptsin game |
| 2011 | #17 Michigan State Spartans 33 | #16 Georgia Bulldogs 30 | 16 ptsin game |
| 2022 | #16 Tulane Green Wave 46 | #10 USC Trojans 45 | 15 ptsin game |
| 2016 | #9 Southern California 52 | #5 Penn State 49 | 15 ptsin game |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | #9 Southern California 52 | #5 Penn State 49 | 101 pts |
| 1949 | #12 Stanford 74 | Hawai'i 20 | 94 pts |
| 2022 | #16 Tulane Green Wave 46 | #10 USC Trojans 45 | 91 pts |
| 2015 | #11 Texas Christian 47 | #15 Oregon 41 | 88 pts |
| 1995 | #1 Nebraska 62 | #2 Florida 24 | 86 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | #2 Michigan State 17 | #4 UCLA 14 | 100,809 |
| 2016 | #9 Southern California 52 | #5 Penn State 49 | 95,128 |
| 2022 | #11 Penn State Nittany Lions 35 | #8 Utah Utes 21 | 94,873 |
| 1977 | #5 Notre Dame 38 | #1 Texas 10 | 76,701 |
| 2003 | Clemson 27 | #7 Tennessee 14 | 75,125 |