September 25 in college football
Every September 25 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.
- 1,057games on file
- 27unranked wins over ranked teams
- 19ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1901–2025seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on September 25
The 27 such results, best rank beaten first; the top 14 are listed.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Oregon State Beavers 27 | #1 USC Trojans 21 | At home · Reser Stadium |
| 1976 | Missouri 22 | #2 Ohio State 21 | On the road |
| 1954 | Florida 13 | #5 Georgia Tech 12 | On the road |
| 1954 | Penn State 14 | #6 Illinois 12 | On the road |
| 2010 | UCLA Bruins 34 | #7 Texas Longhorns 12 | On the road |
| 1971 | Tulsa 21 | #7 Arkansas 20 | On the road |
| 1965 | Mississippi State 18 | #8 Florida 13 | On the road |
| 2021 | NC State 27 | #9 Clemson 21 | At home · Carter-Finley · Raleigh, North Carolina |
| 1999 | East Carolina 27 | #9 Miami 23 | At home |
| 1976 | Houston 21 | #9 Texas A&M 10 | At home |
| 1965 | Miami 24 | #9 Syracuse 0 | On the road |
| 1976 | Iowa 7 | #11 Penn State 6 | On the road |
| 1976 | Tulsa 9 | #12 Arkansas 3 | On the road |
| 1982 | Stanford 23 | #13 Ohio State 20 | On the road |
Ranked vs ranked on September 25
19 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #1 Alabama Crimson Tide 24 | #10 Arkansas Razorbacks 20 | On the road |
| 1965 | #6 Purdue 25 | #1 Notre Dame 21 | At home |
| 1954 | #1 Oklahoma 21 | #20 TCU 16 | At home |
| 1982 | #8 Penn State 27 | #2 Nebraska 24 | At home |
| 1954 | #2 Notre Dame 21 | #4 Texas 0 | At home |
| 2010 | #3 Boise State Broncos 37 | #24 Oregon State Beavers 24 | At home |
| 1993 | #3 Miami 35 | #13 Colorado 29 | On the road |
| 1982 | #3 Pittsburgh 20 | #19 Illinois 3 | On the road |
| 1999 | #4 Michigan 21 | #20 Wisconsin 16 | On the road |
| 1971 | #5 Auburn 10 | #9 Tennessee 9 | On the road |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | #5 Auburn 10 | #9 Tennessee 9 | 1 pt |
| 1982 | #8 Penn State 27 | #2 Nebraska 24 | 3 pts |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Miami 24 | #9 Syracuse 0 | 24 pts |
| 2010 | UCLA Bruins 34 | #7 Texas Longhorns 12 | 22 pts |
| 1954 | #2 Notre Dame 21 | #4 Texas 0 | 21 pts |
| 1976 | Houston 21 | #9 Texas A&M 10 | 11 pts |
| 2021 | #16 Arkansas 20 | #7 Texas A&M 10 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Western Ill. 38 | Youngstown St. 35 | 28 ptsin game |
| 2004 | Texas Tech Red Raiders 31 | Kansas Jayhawks 30 | 25 ptsin game |
| 2021 | Dayton 63 | Presbyterian 43 | 23 ptsin game |
| 2021 | UTSA 31 | Memphis 28 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2004 | Harvard Crimson 35 | Brown Bears 34 | 21 ptsat a quarter |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Dayton 63 | Presbyterian 43 | 106 pts |
| 2021 | Texas 70 | Texas Tech 35 | 105 pts |
| 2004 | Hofstra Pride 62 | Rhode Island Rams 43 | 105 pts |
| 2021 | ETSU 55 | Samford 48 | 103 pts |
| 1915 | Tennessee 101 | Carson Newman 0 | 101 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | #18 Michigan Wolverines 30 | Iowa Hawkeyes 17 | 111,428 |
| 1999 | #7 Tennessee 17 | Memphis 16 | 107,261 |
| 2021 | #19 Michigan 20 | Rutgers 13 | 106,943 |
| 2021 | #6 Penn St. 38 | Villanova 17 | 105,790 |
| 2004 | #11 Tennessee Volunteers 42 | Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 17 | 104,257 |