September 18 in college football
Every September 18 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.
- 822games on file
- 19unranked wins over ranked teams
- 17ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1901–2025seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on September 18
The 19 such results, best rank beaten first; the top 14 are listed.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Georgia 18 | #5 Alabama 17 | At home |
| 1953 | Southern Miss 25 | #5 Alabama 19 | On the road |
| 1976 | Illinois 31 | #6 Missouri 6 | On the road |
| 1999 | Cincinnati 17 | #9 Wisconsin 12 | At home |
| 2021 | Fresno St. 40 | #13 UCLA 37 | On the road · Rose Bowl · Pasadena, California |
| 2021 | West Virginia 27 | #15 Virginia Tech 21 | At home · Mountaineer Field/Milan Puskar Stadium · Morgantown, West Virginia |
| 2004 | Arizona State Sun Devils 44 | #16 Iowa Hawkeyes 7 | At home · Sun Devil Stadium · Tempe, AZ |
| 1999 | Louisiana Tech 29 | #18 Alabama 28 | On the road |
| 1971 | Georgia Tech 10 | #18 Michigan State 0 | At home · Atlanta, GA |
| 1999 | Stanford 50 | #19 Arizona 22 | On the road |
| 1971 | Duke 28 | #19 South Carolina 12 | At home |
| 2008 | Colorado Buffaloes 17 | #21 West Virginia Mountaineers 14 | At home |
| 1999 | New Mexico State 35 | #22 Arizona State 7 | On the road |
| 1997 | Pittsburgh 21 | #22 Miami 17 | At home |
Ranked vs ranked on September 18
17 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | #1 Alabama 31 | #11 Florida 29 | On the road · Ben Hill Griffin Stadium · Gainesville, Florida |
| 1999 | #1 Florida State 42 | #20 NC State 11 | At home |
| 1993 | #1 Florida State 33 | #13 North Carolina 7 | On the road |
| 1999 | #4 Florida 23 | #2 Tennessee 21 | At home |
| 1976 | #2 Ohio State 12 | #7 Penn State 7 | On the road |
| 1999 | #3 Penn State 27 | #8 Miami 23 | On the road · Miami, FL |
| 2014 | #5 Auburn 20 | #20 Kansas St. 14 | On the road |
| 2004 | #14 Auburn Tigers 10 | #5 LSU Tigers 9 | At home · Jordan-Hare · Auburn, AL |
| 1993 | #9 Florida 41 | #5 Tennessee 34 | At home |
| 2004 | #7 West Virginia Mountaineers 19 | #21 Maryland Terrapins 16 | At home · Milan Puskar Stadium |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | #14 Auburn Tigers 10 | #5 LSU Tigers 9 | 1 pt |
| 1971 | #16 Arizona State 18 | #20 Houston 17 | 1 pt |
| 2021 | #1 Alabama 31 | #11 Florida 29 | 2 pts |
| 1999 | #4 Florida 23 | #2 Tennessee 21 | 2 pts |
| 2004 | #13 Tennessee Volunteers 30 | #11 Florida Gators 28 | 2 pts |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Illinois 31 | #6 Missouri 6 | 25 pts |
| 2010 | #24 Arizona Wildcats 34 | #9 Iowa Hawkeyes 27 | 7 pts |
| 1993 | #9 Florida 41 | #5 Tennessee 34 | 7 pts |
| 1982 | #20 Notre Dame 23 | #10 Michigan 17 | 6 pts |
| 1953 | Southern Miss 25 | #5 Alabama 19 | 6 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 | UAB Blazers 34 | Troy Trojans 33 | 23 ptsin game |
| 2004 | Texas Tech Red Raiders 70 | TCU Horned Frogs 35 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2010 | Lamar Cardinals 29 | Southeastern Louisiana Lions 28 | 20 ptsin game |
| 2004 | Idaho State Bengals 49 | Northern Colorado Bears 42 | 20 ptsat a quarter |
| 2010 | Southeast Missouri State Redhawks 24 | Southern Illinois Salukis 21 | 18 ptsin game |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Eastern Wash. 62 | Western Ill. 56 | 118 pts |
| 2004 | Texas Tech Red Raiders 70 | TCU Horned Frogs 35 | 105 pts |
| 2021 | Butler 77 | Taylor (IN) 24 | 101 pts |
| 2021 | #21 North Carolina 59 | Virginia 39 | 98 pts |
| 1999 | Middle Tennessee 52 | Wofford 42 | 94 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | #10 Penn St. 28 | #22 Auburn 20 | 109,958 |
| 2004 | #17 Michigan Wolverines 24 | San Diego State Aztecs 21 | 109,432 |
| 2004 | #13 Tennessee Volunteers 30 | #11 Florida Gators 28 | 109,061 |
| 2021 | #25 Michigan 63 | NIU 10 | 106,263 |
| 2004 | Penn State Nittany Lions 37 | UCF Knights 13 | 101,715 |