September 15 in college football
Every September 15 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.
- 638games on file
- 11unranked wins over ranked teams
- 19ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1917–2024seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on September 15
Best rank beaten first.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | UCLA 31 | #5 Purdue 21 | At home |
| 2018 | BYU 24 | #6 Wisconsin 21 | On the road · Camp Randall · Madison, Wis |
| 2007 | Kentucky Wildcats 40 | #9 Louisville Cardinals 34 | At home |
| 2007 | Utah Utes 44 | #11 UCLA Bruins 6 | At home · Rice-Eccles |
| 1979 | Wake Forest 22 | #12 Georgia 21 | On the road |
| 2012 | Pittsburgh Panthers 35 | #13 Virginia Tech Hokies 17 | At home |
| 2007 | Alabama Crimson Tide 41 | #16 Arkansas Razorbacks 38 | At home · Bryant-Denny Stadium |
| 1984 | Georgia Tech 16 | #19 Alabama 6 | At home |
| 2018 | Texas 37 | #22 USC 14 | At home · Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium · Austin, Texas |
| 2018 | San Diego State 28 | #23 Arizona State 21 | At home · SDCCU Stadium · San Diego, Calif. |
| 2012 | Utah Utes 24 | #25 BYU Cougars 21 | At home |
Ranked vs ranked on September 15
19 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | #1 USC Trojans 49 | #14 Nebraska Cornhuskers 31 | On the road · Memorial Stadium |
| 1990 | #1 Notre Dame 28 | #4 Michigan 24 | At home |
| 2012 | #21 Stanford Cardinal 21 | #2 USC Trojans 14 | At home |
| 2011 | #3 LSU Tigers 19 | #25 Mississippi State Bulldogs 6 | On the road |
| 1984 | #16 Washington 20 | #3 Michigan 11 | On the road |
| 2018 | #4 Ohio State 40 | #15 Texas Christian 28 | On the road · AT&T Stadium · Arlington, Texas |
| 1984 | #4 Texas 35 | #11 Auburn 27 | At home |
| 2007 | #5 Florida Gators 59 | #22 Tennessee Volunteers 20 | At home |
| 1984 | #12 Penn State 20 | #5 Iowa 17 | On the road |
| 1979 | #9 Notre Dame 12 | #6 Michigan 10 | On the road |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | #12 LSU 22 | #7 Auburn 21 | 1 pt |
| 1990 | #21 Illinois 23 | #9 Colorado 22 | 1 pt |
| 1979 | #9 Notre Dame 12 | #6 Michigan 10 | 2 pts |
| 1984 | #12 Penn State 20 | #5 Iowa 17 | 3 pts |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | #20 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 20 | #10 Michigan State Spartans 3 | 17 pts |
| 1973 | #15 LSU 17 | #10 Colorado 6 | 11 pts |
| 1979 | UCLA 31 | #5 Purdue 21 | 10 pts |
| 1984 | #16 Washington 20 | #3 Michigan 11 | 9 pts |
| 2012 | #21 Stanford Cardinal 21 | #2 USC Trojans 14 | 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Colgate Raiders 31 | Dartmouth Big Green 28 | 28 ptsin game |
| 2018 | Holy Cross 31 | Yale 28 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2018 | Akron 39 | Northwestern 34 | 18 ptsin game |
| 2016 | Arkansas-Pine Bluff 45 | Alcorn State 43 | 16 ptsin game |
| 2018 | South Alabama 41 | Texas State 31 | 15 ptsin game |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Austin Peay 78 | Morehead State 40 | 118 pts |
| 2018 | Texas Tech 63 | Houston 49 | 112 pts |
| 2012 | Illinois State Redbirds 54 | Eastern Illinois Panthers 51 | 105 pts |
| 2018 | Connecticut 56 | Rhode Island 49 | 105 pts |
| 2007 | Tulsa Golden Hurricane 55 | BYU Cougars 47 | 102 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | #19 Michigan 45 | SMU 20 | 110,549 |
| 2007 | #12 Penn State Nittany Lions 45 | Buffalo Bulls 24 | 107,506 |
| 2018 | #11 Penn State 63 | Kent State 10 | 106,528 |
| 2018 | Texas 37 | #22 USC 14 | 103,507 |
| 2018 | Texas A&M 48 | Louisiana-Monroe 10 | 96,727 |