August 23 in college football
Every August 23 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.
- 14games on file
- 0unranked wins over ranked teams
- 1ranked vs ranked meeting
- 1997–2025seasons covered
Ranked vs ranked on August 23
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #22 Iowa State Cyclones 24 | #17 Kansas State Wildcats 21 | Neutral site · Aviva Stadium · Dublin |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #22 Iowa State Cyclones 24 | #17 Kansas State Wildcats 21 | 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors 23 | Stanford Cardinal 20 | 10 ptsin game |
| 2025 | UNLV Rebels 38 | Idaho State Bengals 31 | 10 ptsin game |
| 2002 | #25 Wisconsin 23 | Fresno State 21 | 7 ptsin game |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Eastern Wash. 56 | Sam Houston 35 | 91 pts |
| 2001 | Louisville 45 | New Mexico State 24 | 69 pts |
| 2025 | UNLV Rebels 38 | Idaho State Bengals 31 | 69 pts |
| 2025 | Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 41 | Sam Houston Bearkats 24 | 65 pts |
| 2025 | North Carolina Central Eagles 31 | Southern Jaguars 14 | 45 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | #25 Wisconsin 23 | Fresno State 21 | 75,136 |
| 2025 | #22 Iowa State Cyclones 24 | #17 Kansas State Wildcats 21 | 47,221 |
| 2025 | Kansas Jayhawks 31 | Fresno State Bulldogs 7 | 41,525 |
| 2001 | Louisville 45 | New Mexico State 24 | 38,129 |
| 2025 | UNLV Rebels 38 | Idaho State Bengals 31 | 25,723 |