September 17 in college football
Every September 17 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.
- 919games on file
- 25unranked wins over ranked teams
- 21ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1904–2023seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on September 17
The 25 such results, best rank beaten first; the top 14 are listed.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Ole Miss 20 | #3 Notre Dame 13 | At home |
| 1983 | Michigan State 28 | #4 Notre Dame 23 | On the road · Notre Dame, IN |
| 1977 | Nebraska 31 | #4 Alabama 24 | At home |
| 1960 | Nebraska 14 | #4 Texas 13 | On the road |
| 1960 | UCLA 8 | #7 Pittsburgh 7 | At home |
| 1983 | Tulane 34 | #9 Florida State 28 | At home |
| 2005 | Michigan State Spartans 44 | #10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 41 | On the road · Notre Dame Stadium |
| 2022 | Washington Huskies 39 | #11 Michigan State Spartans 28 | At home · Husky Stadium · Seattle, WA |
| 2016 | California 50 | #11 Texas 43 | At home · Memorial Stadium · Berkeley, California |
| 1977 | West Virginia 24 | #11 Maryland 16 | On the road |
| 1960 | Kansas 21 | #11 TCU 7 | At home |
| 2016 | North Dakota State 23 | #13 Iowa 21 | On the road · Kinnick Stadium · Iowa City, Iowa |
| 1960 | Alabama 21 | #13 Georgia 6 | At home |
| 2011 | Notre Dame Fighting Irish 31 | #15 Michigan State Spartans 13 | At home |
Ranked vs ranked on September 17
21 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | #1 Alabama 48 | #19 Ole Miss 43 | On the road · Vaught-Hemingway · Oxford, Miss. |
| 2011 | #1 Oklahoma Sooners 23 | #5 Florida State Seminoles 13 | On the road |
| 1994 | #1 Florida 31 | #15 Tennessee 0 | On the road |
| 1988 | #1 Miami 31 | #15 Michigan 30 | On the road |
| 2016 | #10 Louisville 63 | #2 Florida State 20 | At home · Papa John's Cardinal · LOUISVILLE, KY |
| 1994 | #2 Nebraska 49 | #13 UCLA 21 | At home |
| 1983 | #6 Ohio State 24 | #2 Oklahoma 14 | On the road |
| 2016 | #3 Ohio State 45 | #14 Oklahoma 24 | On the road · Memorial Stadium · Norman, Okla. |
| 1988 | #10 Florida State 24 | #3 Clemson 21 | On the road |
| 1983 | #3 Texas 20 | #5 Auburn 7 | On the road |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | #1 Miami 31 | #15 Michigan 30 | 1 pt |
| 1983 | #16 Washington 25 | #8 Michigan 24 | 1 pt |
| 1988 | #10 Florida State 24 | #3 Clemson 21 | 3 pts |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | #10 Louisville 63 | #2 Florida State 20 | 43 pts |
| 1994 | #7 Colorado 55 | #10 Wisconsin 17 | 38 pts |
| 1977 | #10 Penn State 31 | #9 Houston 14 | 17 pts |
| 1983 | #3 Texas 20 | #5 Auburn 7 | 13 pts |
| 2011 | #1 Oklahoma Sooners 23 | #5 Florida State Seminoles 13 | 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Houston Cougars 35 | Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 34 | 27 ptsin game |
| 2016 | Brown 35 | Bryant 27 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2016 | #1 Alabama 48 | #19 Ole Miss 43 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2011 | St Francis (PA) Red Flash 50 | Morehead State Eagles 49 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2011 | Iowa Hawkeyes 31 | Pittsburgh Panthers 27 | 21 ptsin game |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1904 | Minnesota 107 | Twin Cities Central High 0 | 107 pts |
| 2016 | Kentucky 62 | New Mexico State 42 | 104 pts |
| 2016 | Texas Tech 59 | Louisiana Tech 45 | 104 pts |
| 2016 | Akron 65 | Marshall 38 | 103 pts |
| 2005 | #19 Texas Tech Red Raiders 80 | Sam Houston State Bearkats 21 | 101 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | #4 Michigan 45 | Colorado 28 | 110,042 |
| 2022 | #4 Michigan Wolverines 59 | UConn Huskies 0 | 109,639 |
| 2022 | #24 Texas A&M Aggies 17 | #13 Miami Hurricanes 9 | 107,245 |
| 2022 | #3 Ohio State Buckeyes 77 | Toledo Rockets 21 | 105,398 |
| 2005 | #9 Ohio State Buckeyes 27 | San Diego State Aztecs 6 | 104,533 |