September 5 in college football
Every September 5 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.
- 520games on file
- 5unranked wins over ranked teams
- 12ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1970–2026seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on September 5
Best rank beaten first.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Miami (OH) 13 | #12 North Carolina 10 | On the road |
| 2015 | Texas A&M 38 | #15 Arizona State 17 | At home |
| 1998 | Colorado 42 | #15 Colorado State 14 | At home |
| 2015 | Northwestern 16 | #21 Stanford 6 | At home |
| 1998 | Oregon 48 | #23 Michigan State 14 | At home · Autzen |
Ranked vs ranked on September 5
12 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | #1 Ohio State 34 | #11 West Virginia 17 | On the road |
| 1992 | #1 Miami 24 | #23 Iowa 7 | On the road |
| 2015 | #3 Alabama 35 | #20 Wisconsin 17 | At home |
| 2009 | #20 BYU Cougars 14 | #3 Oklahoma Sooners 13 | On the road · Cowboys Stadium |
| 2016 | #4 Florida State 45 | #11 Ole Miss 34 | At home · CampingWorldStadium · Orlando, Fla. |
| 2009 | #5 Alabama Crimson Tide 34 | #7 Virginia Tech Hokies 24 | On the road · Georgia Dome · Atlanta, GA |
| 1998 | #22 Notre Dame 36 | #5 Michigan 20 | At home |
| 1998 | #18 Washington 42 | #8 Arizona State 38 | On the road |
| 2009 | #9 Oklahoma State Cowboys 24 | #13 Georgia Bulldogs 10 | At home · BoonePickens Stadium |
| 2005 | #14 Florida State Seminoles 10 | #9 Miami Hurricanes 7 | At home · Doak Campbell · Tallahassee, FL |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | #20 BYU Cougars 14 | #3 Oklahoma Sooners 13 | 1 pt |
| 1998 | #10 Tennessee 34 | #17 Syracuse 33 | 1 pt |
| 2005 | #14 Florida State Seminoles 10 | #9 Miami Hurricanes 7 | 3 pts |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | #22 Notre Dame 36 | #5 Michigan 20 | 16 pts |
| 2009 | #5 Alabama Crimson Tide 34 | #7 Virginia Tech Hokies 24 | 10 pts |
| 1998 | #18 Washington 42 | #8 Arizona State 38 | 4 pts |
| 2005 | #14 Florida State Seminoles 10 | #9 Miami Hurricanes 7 | 3 pts |
| 2009 | #20 BYU Cougars 14 | #3 Oklahoma Sooners 13 | 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | #4 Florida State 45 | #11 Ole Miss 34 | 22 ptsin game |
| 2025 | Fort Hays 36 | CSU Pueblo 35 | 15 ptsin game |
| 2015 | Old Dominion 38 | Eastern Michigan 34 | 14 ptsin game |
| 2015 | Northern Illinois 38 | UNLV 30 | 14 ptsin game |
| 2020 | UTEP 24 | SFA 14 | 11 ptsin game |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Texas Tech 59 | Sam Houston 45 | 104 pts |
| 2015 | #7 Oregon 61 | Eastern Washington 42 | 103 pts |
| 2024 | Michigan Tech 52 | South Dakota Mines 50 | 102 pts |
| 1998 | Kentucky 68 | Louisville 34 | 102 pts |
| 1998 | Texas 66 | New Mexico State 36 | 102 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | #16 Michigan 13 | Western Michigan 12 | 110,879 |
| 2004 | #14 Tennessee Volunteers 42 | UNLV Rebels 17 | 108,625 |
| 2026 | #18 Penn State 45 | Marshall 0 | 108,489 |
| 2026 | #8 Texas A&M 50 | Missouri State 0 | 107,782 |
| 2009 | #9 Penn State Nittany Lions 31 | Akron Zips 7 | 104,968 |