IRON COLLEGE FOOTBALL / On this day /January 9

January 9 in college football

Every January 9 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.

Ranked vs ranked on January 9

SeasonWinnerLoserWhere
2025 #1 Indiana Hoosiers 56 #5 Oregon Ducks 22 Neutral site · Mercedes-Benz Stadium · Atlanta, GA
2022 #1 Georgia Bulldogs 65 #3 TCU Horned Frogs 7 Neutral site · SoFi Stadium · Inglewood, CA
2016 #2 Clemson 35 #1 Alabama 31 On the road · Raymond James · Tampa, Florida
2011 #2 Alabama Crimson Tide 21 #1 LSU Tigers 0 On the road
2024 #7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 27 #6 Penn State Nittany Lions 24 Neutral site · Hard Rock Stadium · Miami Gardens, FL

One-score finishes between ranked teams

Decided by three points or fewer.

Top-10 teams routed

The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.

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.

SeasonWinnerLoserTrailed by
2016 #2 Clemson 35 #1 Alabama 31 14 ptsin game
2024 #7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 27 #6 Penn State Nittany Lions 24 10 ptsin game

Highest-scoring games

Combined points, both teams.

Biggest crowds

Announced attendance.