September 23 in college football
Every September 23 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.
- 969games on file
- 19unranked wins over ranked teams
- 23ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1900–2023seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on September 23
The 19 such results, best rank beaten first; the top 14 are listed.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Houston 37 | #3 Michigan State 7 | On the road · East Lansing, MI |
| 1961 | Rice 16 | #5 LSU 3 | At home |
| 2000 | Oregon 29 | #6 UCLA 10 | At home |
| 2000 | Northwestern 47 | #7 Wisconsin 44 | On the road |
| 1978 | Kansas 28 | #8 UCLA 24 | At home |
| 1967 | Northwestern 12 | #8 Miami 7 | At home |
| 1961 | TCU 17 | #8 Kansas 16 | At home |
| 2017 | NC State Wolfpack 27 | #12 Florida State Seminoles 21 | On the road · Doak Campbell · Tallahassee, Fla. |
| 1995 | Stanford 28 | #12 Oregon 21 | On the road |
| 1978 | Indiana 14 | #15 Washington 7 | At home |
| 1995 | Washington State 24 | #16 UCLA 15 | At home |
| 1972 | Tulane 24 | #16 Georgia 13 | At home |
| 1995 | Virginia Tech 13 | #17 Miami 7 | At home |
| 1972 | Georgia Tech 21 | #18 Michigan State 16 | On the road · East Lansing, MI |
Ranked vs ranked on September 23
23 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | #1 Ohio State Buckeyes 28 | #24 Penn State Nittany Lions 6 | At home · Ohio Stadium |
| 1978 | #7 USC 24 | #1 Alabama 14 | On the road |
| 1995 | #7 Colorado 29 | #3 Texas A&M 21 | At home |
| 1967 | #4 USC 17 | #5 Texas 13 | At home |
| 1995 | #5 USC 31 | #25 Arizona 10 | On the road |
| 1989 | #5 Michigan 24 | #24 UCLA 23 | On the road |
| 1978 | #5 Michigan 28 | #14 Notre Dame 14 | On the road |
| 2023 | #6 Ohio State Buckeyes 17 | #9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 14 | On the road · Notre Dame Stadium · Notre Dame, IN |
| 2017 | #16 Texas Christian 44 | #6 Oklahoma State 31 | On the road · BoonePickens Stadium · Stillwater, Okla. |
| 1972 | #12 Michigan 26 | #6 UCLA 9 | On the road |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | #5 Michigan 24 | #24 UCLA 23 | 1 pt |
| 2023 | #6 Ohio State Buckeyes 17 | #9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 14 | 3 pts |
| 1989 | #23 Arizona 20 | #11 Washington 17 | 3 pts |
| 2023 | #21 Washington State Cougars 38 | #14 Oregon State Beavers 35 | 3 pts |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Houston 37 | #3 Michigan State 7 | 30 pts |
| 2000 | Oregon 29 | #6 UCLA 10 | 19 pts |
| 1972 | #12 Michigan 26 | #6 UCLA 9 | 17 pts |
| 1961 | Rice 16 | #5 LSU 3 | 13 pts |
| 2017 | #16 Texas Christian 44 | #6 Oklahoma State 31 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Northwestern Wildcats 37 | Minnesota Golden Gophers 34 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2023 | Eastern Illinois Panthers 31 | McNeese Cowboys 28 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2021 | Alcorn 39 | Ark.-Pine Bluff 38 | 19 ptsin game |
| 2023 | Delaware Blue Hens 29 | New Hampshire Wildcats 25 | 18 ptsin game |
| 2017 | Eastern Washington 48 | Montana 41 | 18 ptsin game |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Penn 65 | Lehigh 47 | 112 pts |
| 2017 | Louisiana-Monroe 56 | Louisiana 50 | 106 pts |
| 2023 | Western Carolina Catamounts 77 | Charleston Southern Buccaneers 21 | 98 pts |
| 1922 | Georgia 82 | Newberry 13 | 95 pts |
| 2017 | Texas A&M 50 | Arkansas 43 | 93 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | #7 Penn State Nittany Lions 31 | #24 Iowa Hawkeyes 0 | 110,830 |
| 2023 | #2 Michigan Wolverines 31 | Rutgers Scarlet Knights 7 | 109,756 |
| 2017 | #10 Ohio State 54 | UNLV 21 | 106,187 |
| 2006 | #1 Ohio State Buckeyes 28 | #24 Penn State Nittany Lions 6 | 105,266 |
| 2006 | #15 Tennessee Volunteers 33 | Marshall Thundering Herd 7 | 104,818 |