September 4 in college football
Every September 4 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.
- 472games on file
- 9unranked wins over ranked teams
- 12ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1975–2026seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on September 4
Best rank beaten first.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Texas 50 | #10 Notre Dame 47 | At home · Royal-Texas Memorial · Austin, Texas |
| 1999 | Colorado State 41 | #14 Colorado 14 | At home · Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium |
| 1993 | South Carolina 23 | #14 Georgia 21 | On the road |
| 2021 | UCLA 38 | #16 LSU 27 | At home · Rose Bowl · Pasadena, California |
| 2021 | Montana 13 | #20 Washington 7 | On the road · Husky Stadium · Seattle, Washington |
| 1976 | North Carolina 14 | #20 Miami (OH) 10 | At home |
| 1993 | Memphis 45 | #23 Mississippi State 35 | On the road |
| 2008 | Vanderbilt Commodores 24 | #24 South Carolina Gamecocks 17 | At home · Vanderbilt Stadium |
| 1993 | Baylor 42 | #25 Fresno State 39 | At home |
Ranked vs ranked on September 4
12 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | #1 Alabama 44 | #14 Miami (FL) 13 | Neutral site · Mercedes-Benz Stadium · Atlanta, GA |
| 2021 | #5 Georgia 10 | #3 Clemson 3 | Neutral site · Bank of America Stadium · Charlotte, North Carolina |
| 1993 | #3 Miami 23 | #20 Boston College 7 | On the road |
| 2010 | #6 TCU Horned Frogs 30 | #24 Oregon State Beavers 21 | At home |
| 1999 | #7 Michigan 26 | #16 Notre Dame 22 | At home |
| 2023 | #21 Duke Blue Devils 28 | #9 Clemson Tigers 7 | At home · Wallace Wade Stadium · Durham, NC |
| 2006 | #11 Florida State Seminoles 13 | #12 Miami Hurricanes 10 | On the road · Orange Bowl |
| 2021 | #19 Penn St. 16 | #12 Wisconsin 10 | On the road · Camp Randall Stadium · Madison, Wisconsin |
| 1993 | #12 Washington 31 | #15 Stanford 14 | At home |
| 2021 | #18 Iowa 34 | #17 Indiana 6 | At home · Kinnick · Iowa City, Iowa |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | #11 Florida State Seminoles 13 | #12 Miami Hurricanes 10 | 3 pts |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | #21 Duke Blue Devils 28 | #9 Clemson Tigers 7 | 21 pts |
| 2021 | #5 Georgia 10 | #3 Clemson 3 | 7 pts |
| 2016 | Texas 50 | #10 Notre Dame 47 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Jacksonville State Gamecocks 49 | Ole Miss Rebels 48 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2010 | Appalachian State Mountaineers 42 | Chattanooga Mocs 41 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2021 | Mississippi St. 35 | Louisiana Tech 34 | 20 ptsin game |
| 2021 | Nevada 22 | California 17 | 14 ptsin game |
| 2021 | Texas Tech 38 | Houston 21 | 14 ptsat a quarter |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Presbyterian 84 | St. Andrews 43 | 127 pts |
| 2010 | Jacksonville State Gamecocks 49 | Ole Miss Rebels 48 | 97 pts |
| 2016 | Texas 50 | #10 Notre Dame 47 | 97 pts |
| 2010 | Houston Cougars 68 | Texas State Bobcats 28 | 96 pts |
| 1999 | #2 Penn State 70 | Akron 24 | 94 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Michigan 47 | Western Mich. 14 | 109,295 |
| 2004 | #9 Ohio State Buckeyes 27 | Cincinnati Bearcats 6 | 104,604 |
| 2016 | Texas 50 | #10 Notre Dame 47 | 102,315 |
| 2021 | #6 Texas A&M 41 | Kent St. 10 | 100,339 |
| 2004 | Penn State Nittany Lions 48 | Akron Zips 10 | 98,866 |