September 16 in college football
Every September 16 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.
- 750games on file
- 18unranked wins over ranked teams
- 23ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1903–2023seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on September 16
The 18 such results, best rank beaten first; the top 14 are listed.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Stanford 27 | #5 Texas 24 | At home · Stanford Stadium · Stanford, CA |
| 1995 | LSU 12 | #5 Auburn 6 | At home · Tiger Stadium · Baton Rouge, LA |
| 1989 | Arizona 6 | #6 Oklahoma 3 | At home |
| 1960 | Oregon State 14 | #6 USC 0 | On the road |
| 2006 | Clemson Tigers 27 | #9 Florida State Seminoles 20 | On the road · Doak Campbell |
| 2023 | Florida Gators 29 | #11 Tennessee Volunteers 16 | At home · Ben Hill Griffin Stadium · Gainesville, Florida |
| 2017 | Mississippi State 37 | #12 LSU 7 | At home · Davis Wade Stadium · Starkville, Miss. |
| 1995 | Arkansas 20 | #13 Alabama 19 | On the road |
| 2023 | Missouri Tigers 30 | #15 Kansas State Wildcats 27 | At home · Memorial Stadium · Columbia, MO |
| 1995 | Illinois 9 | #17 Arizona 7 | At home |
| 2017 | Vanderbilt 14 | #18 Kansas State 7 | At home · Vanderbilt Stadium · Nashville, Tenn. |
| 1972 | Bowling Green 17 | #18 Purdue 14 | On the road |
| 2017 | San Diego State 20 | #19 Stanford 17 | At home · San Diego Stadium · San Diego, Calif. |
| 1995 | Colorado State 27 | #21 Air Force 20 | On the road |
Ranked vs ranked on September 16
23 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | #1 Notre Dame 24 | #2 Michigan 19 | On the road |
| 1978 | #1 Alabama 38 | #11 Missouri 20 | On the road |
| 2006 | #11 Michigan Wolverines 47 | #2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 21 | On the road |
| 2017 | #3 Clemson 47 | #14 Louisville 21 | On the road · Papa John's Cardinal · LOUISVILLE, KY |
| 2006 | #3 Auburn Tigers 7 | #6 LSU Tigers 3 | At home · Jordan-Hare · Auburn, AL |
| 2000 | #14 UCLA 23 | #3 Michigan 20 | At home |
| 2006 | #4 USC Trojans 28 | #19 Nebraska Cornhuskers 10 | At home · LA Memorial Coliseum |
| 1995 | #4 Florida 62 | #8 Tennessee 37 | At home |
| 1978 | #5 Penn State 19 | #6 Ohio State 0 | On the road |
| 2000 | #6 Florida 27 | #11 Tennessee 23 | On the road |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | #7 Florida Gators 21 | #13 Tennessee Volunteers 20 | 1 pt |
| 2006 | #18 Oregon Ducks 34 | #15 Oklahoma Sooners 33 | 1 pt |
| 2000 | #21 Notre Dame 23 | #13 Purdue 21 | 2 pts |
| 2000 | #14 UCLA 23 | #3 Michigan 20 | 3 pts |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | #8 Colorado 38 | #10 Illinois 7 | 31 pts |
| 2006 | #11 Michigan Wolverines 47 | #2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 21 | 26 pts |
| 1995 | #4 Florida 62 | #8 Tennessee 37 | 25 pts |
| 1978 | #5 Penn State 19 | #6 Ohio State 0 | 19 pts |
| 1960 | Oregon State 14 | #6 USC 0 | 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Toledo 54 | Tulsa 51 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2023 | California Golden Bears 31 | Idaho Vandals 17 | 17 ptsin game |
| 2023 | Hampton Pirates 35 | Howard Bison 34 | 17 ptsin game |
| 2023 | UNLV Rebels 40 | Vanderbilt Commodores 37 | 17 ptsin game |
| 2023 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons 27 | Old Dominion Monarchs 24 | 17 ptsin game |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Texas State Bobcats 77 | Jackson State Tigers 34 | 111 pts |
| 1995 | #2 Nebraska 77 | Arizona State 28 | 105 pts |
| 2017 | Toledo 54 | Tulsa 51 | 105 pts |
| 1995 | #4 Florida 62 | #8 Tennessee 37 | 99 pts |
| 2006 | Murray State Racers 59 | Indiana State Sycamores 40 | 99 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | #7 Michigan 29 | Air Force 13 | 111,387 |
| 2023 | #2 Michigan Wolverines 31 | Bowling Green Falcons 6 | 109,955 |
| 2017 | #8 Ohio State 38 | Army 7 | 108,414 |
| 2006 | #7 Florida Gators 21 | #13 Tennessee Volunteers 20 | 106,818 |
| 2006 | #1 Ohio State Buckeyes 37 | Cincinnati Bearcats 7 | 105,037 |