September 22 in college football
Every September 22 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.
- 886games on file
- 16unranked wins over ranked teams
- 19ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1900–2024seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on September 22
The 16 such results, best rank beaten first; the top 14 are listed.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | North Carolina 41 | #6 Florida State 9 | At home |
| 1979 | Texas A&M 27 | #6 Penn State 14 | On the road |
| 1962 | USC 14 | #8 Duke 7 | At home |
| 2007 | Michigan Wolverines 14 | #10 Penn State Nittany Lions 9 | At home · Michigan Stadium · Ann Arbor, MI |
| 2018 | Old Dominion 49 | #13 Virginia Tech 35 | At home · S.B. Ballard · Norfolk, Va. |
| 1990 | Ole Miss 21 | #13 Arkansas 17 | On the road |
| 1979 | North Carolina 17 | #13 Pittsburgh 7 | At home |
| 2018 | Kentucky 28 | #14 Mississippi State 7 | At home · Kroger Field · Lexington, Ky. |
| 2018 | Texas Tech 41 | #15 Oklahoma State 17 | On the road · Boone PickensStadium · Stillwater, Okla. |
| 2018 | Texas 31 | #17 TCU 16 | At home · Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium · Austin, Texas |
| 2001 | Michigan State 17 | #17 Notre Dame 10 | On the road · Notre Dame Stadium |
| 2007 | Syracuse Orange 38 | #18 Louisville Cardinals 35 | On the road |
| 1984 | Maryland 20 | #18 West Virginia 17 | On the road |
| 2012 | Oregon State Beavers 27 | #19 UCLA Bruins 20 | On the road |
Ranked vs ranked on September 22
19 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | #1 Alabama 45 | #22 Texas A&M 23 | At home · Bryant-Denny Stadium · Tuscaloosa, Ala. |
| 1990 | #1 Notre Dame 20 | #24 Michigan State 19 | On the road · East Lansing, MI |
| 1984 | #1 Nebraska 42 | #8 UCLA 3 | On the road |
| 2007 | #2 LSU Tigers 28 | #12 South Carolina Gamecocks 16 | At home · Tiger Stadium · Baton Rouge, LA |
| 1984 | #20 Georgia 26 | #2 Clemson 23 | At home |
| 1973 | #2 Nebraska 31 | #14 NC State 14 | At home |
| 2012 | #3 Oregon Ducks 49 | #22 Arizona Wildcats 0 | At home |
| 2012 | #4 Florida State Seminoles 49 | #10 Clemson Tigers 37 | At home |
| 1984 | #15 Florida State 38 | #4 Miami 3 | On the road |
| 1990 | #21 Washington 31 | #5 USC 0 | At home |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | #1 Notre Dame 20 | #24 Michigan State 19 | 1 pt |
| 1951 | #11 Texas 7 | #6 Kentucky 6 | 1 pt |
| 1984 | #20 Georgia 26 | #2 Clemson 23 | 3 pts |
| 2007 | #22 Georgia Bulldogs 26 | #16 Alabama Crimson Tide 23 | 3 pts |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | #1 Nebraska 42 | #8 UCLA 3 | 39 pts |
| 1984 | #15 Florida State 38 | #4 Miami 3 | 35 pts |
| 2001 | North Carolina 41 | #6 Florida State 9 | 32 pts |
| 1990 | #21 Washington 31 | #5 USC 0 | 31 pts |
| 1979 | Texas A&M 27 | #6 Penn State 14 | 13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Tennessee State 41 | Eastern Illinois 40 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2018 | East Tennessee State 29 | Furman 27 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2018 | Cincinnati 34 | Ohio 30 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2007 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons 31 | Maryland Terrapins 24 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2007 | Arizona State Sun Devils 44 | Oregon State Beavers 32 | 19 ptsat a quarter |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Old Dominion Monarchs 64 | New Hampshire Wildcats 61 | 125 pts |
| 2018 | Toledo 63 | Nevada 44 | 107 pts |
| 2012 | Marshall Thundering Herd 54 | Rice Owls 51 | 105 pts |
| 2018 | Western Carolina Catamounts 52 | VMI Keydets 50 | 102 pts |
| 2012 | Eastern Illinois Panthers 50 | Murray State Racers 49 | 99 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Michigan Wolverines 14 | #10 Penn State Nittany Lions 9 | 111,310 |
| 2018 | #19 Michigan 56 | Nebraska 10 | 111,037 |
| 2007 | #8 Ohio State Buckeyes 58 | Northwestern Wildcats 7 | 105,178 |
| 2018 | #4 Ohio State 49 | Tulane 6 | 103,336 |
| 2018 | #6 LSU 38 | Louisiana Tech 21 | 102,321 |