September 26 in college football
Every September 26 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.
- 1,071games on file
- 27unranked wins over ranked teams
- 23ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1900–2025seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on September 26
The 27 such results, best rank beaten first; the top 14 are listed.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Kentucky 27 | #1 Ole Miss 21 | On the road |
| 1964 | USC 40 | #2 Oklahoma 14 | On the road |
| 2020 | Kansas St. 38 | #3 Oklahoma 35 | On the road · Memorial Stadium · Norman, Okla. |
| 1959 | Tennessee 3 | #3 Auburn 0 | At home |
| 2002 | Louisville 26 | #4 Florida State 20 | At home |
| 2009 | Iowa Hawkeyes 21 | #5 Penn State Nittany Lions 10 | On the road · Beaver Stadium · State College, PA |
| 2020 | Mississippi St. 44 | #6 LSU 34 | On the road · Tiger Stadium · Baton Rouge, La. |
| 2009 | Oregon Ducks 42 | #6 California Golden Bears 3 | At home |
| 1981 | Iowa 20 | #6 UCLA 7 | At home |
| 2025 | Virginia Cavaliers 46 | #8 Florida State Seminoles 38 | At home · Scott Stadium · Charlottesville, VA |
| 1970 | Oklahoma State 26 | #11 Houston 17 | At home |
| 1981 | Purdue 15 | #13 Notre Dame 14 | At home |
| 1970 | Alabama 46 | #13 Florida 15 | At home |
| 1970 | Oregon State 23 | #14 Oklahoma 14 | On the road |
Ranked vs ranked on September 26
23 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | #1 USC 28 | #2 Oklahoma 24 | At home |
| 1959 | #1 LSU 10 | #9 TCU 0 | At home |
| 1953 | #1 Notre Dame 28 | #6 Oklahoma 21 | On the road |
| 1998 | #2 Nebraska 55 | #9 Washington 7 | At home |
| 1987 | #2 Nebraska 35 | #12 Arizona State 28 | On the road |
| 1959 | #10 Northwestern 45 | #2 Oklahoma 13 | At home |
| 2005 | #10 Tennessee Volunteers 30 | #3 LSU Tigers 27 | On the road · Tiger Stadium · Baton Rouge, LA |
| 1981 | #3 Penn State 30 | #15 Nebraska 24 | On the road |
| 1981 | #4 Texas 14 | #14 Miami 7 | At home |
| 1970 | #18 Colorado 41 | #4 Penn State 13 | At home |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | #10 Tennessee Volunteers 30 | #3 LSU Tigers 27 | 3 pts |
| 2020 | #21 Pittsburgh 23 | #24 Louisville 20 | 3 pts |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | #2 Nebraska 55 | #9 Washington 7 | 48 pts |
| 1987 | #5 Miami 51 | #10 Arkansas 7 | 44 pts |
| 2009 | Oregon Ducks 42 | #6 California Golden Bears 3 | 39 pts |
| 1959 | #10 Northwestern 45 | #2 Oklahoma 13 | 32 pts |
| 1970 | #18 Colorado 41 | #4 Penn State 13 | 28 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Kansas St. 38 | #3 Oklahoma 35 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2009 | Butler Bulldogs 28 | Morehead State Eagles 21 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2005 | #10 Tennessee Volunteers 30 | #3 LSU Tigers 27 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2025 | Arizona State Sun Devils 27 | #24 TCU Horned Frogs 24 | 17 ptsin game |
| 2020 | #8 Texas 63 | Texas Tech 56 | 15 ptsin game |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Grambling State Tigers 70 | Prairie View A&M Panthers 54 | 124 pts |
| 2020 | #8 Texas 63 | Texas Tech 56 | 119 pts |
| 2015 | #3 Texas Christian 55 | Texas Tech 52 | 107 pts |
| 2020 | Louisiana Tech 66 | Houston Christian 38 | 104 pts |
| 2009 | Wagner Seahawks 56 | St Francis (PA) Red Flash 48 | 104 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Iowa Hawkeyes 21 | #5 Penn State Nittany Lions 10 | 109,316 |
| 2009 | #23 Michigan Wolverines 36 | Indiana Hoosiers 33 | 108,118 |
| 2009 | #13 Ohio State Buckeyes 30 | Illinois Fighting Illini 0 | 105,219 |
| 2009 | Tennessee Volunteers 34 | Ohio Bobcats 23 | 95,535 |
| 2015 | Penn St. 37 | San Diego St. 21 | 95,107 |