September 28 in college football
Every September 28 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.
- 1,139games on file
- 26unranked wins over ranked teams
- 28ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1900–2024seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on September 28
The 26 such results, best rank beaten first; the top 14 are listed.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Tennessee 38 | #1 Auburn 20 | At home |
| 1974 | Purdue 31 | #2 Notre Dame 20 | On the road |
| 2024 | Kentucky Wildcats 20 | #6 Ole Miss Rebels 17 | On the road · Vaught-Hemingway · Oxford, Mississippi |
| 1974 | Texas Tech 26 | #6 Texas 3 | At home |
| 1968 | Texas Tech 31 | #6 Texas 22 | At home |
| 1974 | Missouri 9 | #7 Arizona State 0 | At home |
| 1963 | Missouri 7 | #8 Arkansas 6 | On the road |
| 1957 | Auburn 7 | #8 Tennessee 0 | On the road |
| 2024 | Arizona Wildcats 23 | #10 Utah Utes 10 | On the road · Rice-Eccles Stadium · Salt Lake City, Utah |
| 2013 | West Virginia 30 | #11 Oklahoma St. 21 | At home |
| 1974 | Colorado 24 | #11 Wisconsin 21 | At home |
| 2002 | Iowa 42 | #12 Penn State 35 | On the road · Beaver Stadium · State College, PA |
| 1974 | Baylor 31 | #12 Oklahoma State 14 | At home |
| 1985 | Washington 21 | #13 UCLA 14 | At home |
Ranked vs ranked on September 28
28 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | #1 Alabama 25 | #21 Ole Miss 0 | At home |
| 1991 | #1 Florida State 51 | #3 Michigan 31 | On the road |
| 1968 | #1 Purdue 37 | #2 Notre Dame 22 | On the road |
| 1963 | #3 Oklahoma 17 | #1 USC 12 | On the road |
| 2024 | #4 Alabama Crimson Tide 41 | #2 Georgia Bulldogs 34 | At home · Bryant-Denny Stadium · Tuscaloosa, AL |
| 1996 | #2 Florida State 13 | #11 North Carolina 0 | At home |
| 2013 | #4 Ohio St. 31 | #23 Wisconsin 24 | At home |
| 1996 | #4 Ohio State 29 | #5 Notre Dame 16 | On the road |
| 2007 | #18 South Florida Bulls 21 | #5 West Virginia Mountaineers 13 | At home |
| 1991 | #5 Tennessee 30 | #13 Auburn 21 | At home |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | #7 Clemson 9 | #19 Georgia Tech 7 | 2 pts |
| 2013 | #9 Georgia 44 | #6 LSU 41 | 3 pts |
| 1968 | #9 Nebraska 17 | #17 Minnesota 14 | 3 pts |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Texas Tech 26 | #6 Texas 3 | 23 pts |
| 1991 | #1 Florida State 51 | #3 Michigan 31 | 20 pts |
| 1985 | Tennessee 38 | #1 Auburn 20 | 18 pts |
| 1968 | #1 Purdue 37 | #2 Notre Dame 22 | 15 pts |
| 1996 | #4 Ohio State 29 | #5 Notre Dame 16 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Sam Houston Bearkats 40 | Texas State Bobcats 39 | 22 ptsin game |
| 2019 | Montana State Bobcats 49 | Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 31 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2024 | Duke Blue Devils 21 | North Carolina Tar Heels 20 | 20 ptsin game |
| 2002 | Air Force 30 | Utah 26 | 20 ptsat a quarter |
| 2013 | Marist 31 | Dayton 20 | 19 ptsin game |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Samford Bulldogs 61 | The Citadel Bulldogs 55 | 116 pts |
| 2024 | North Dakota Fighting Hawks 72 | Murray State Racers 35 | 107 pts |
| 1996 | Nevada 63 | Kent State 42 | 105 pts |
| 1912 | Vanderbilt 105 | Bethel 0 | 105 pts |
| 2013 | Prairie View A&M 56 | Stephen F. Austin 48 | 104 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | #20 Michigan Wolverines 52 | Rutgers Scarlet Knights 0 | 110,662 |
| 2024 | #12 Michigan Wolverines 27 | Minnesota Golden Gophers 24 | 110,340 |
| 2024 | #9 Penn State Nittany Lions 21 | #19 Illinois Fighting Illini 7 | 109,911 |
| 2002 | Iowa 42 | #12 Penn State 35 | 108,247 |
| 2013 | #4 Ohio St. 31 | #23 Wisconsin 24 | 105,826 |