October 15 in college football
Every October 15 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.
- 1,256games on file
- 30unranked wins over ranked teams
- 42ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1902–2025seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on October 15
The 30 such results, best rank beaten first; the top 14 are listed.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Purdue 24 | #3 Ohio State 21 | At home |
| 2005 | Virginia Cavaliers 26 | #4 Florida State Seminoles 21 | At home · Smith/Harrison/Scott · Charlottesville, VA |
| 1949 | Northwestern 21 | #7 Michigan 20 | At home |
| 2005 | Michigan Wolverines 27 | #8 Penn State Nittany Lions 25 | At home |
| 1988 | Georgia Tech 34 | #8 South Carolina 0 | At home |
| 1960 | Maryland 19 | #8 Clemson 17 | At home |
| 1983 | Oregon 19 | #9 Arizona 10 | On the road |
| 1977 | Iowa State 24 | #9 Nebraska 21 | On the road |
| 1949 | Rice 41 | #10 SMU 27 | On the road |
| 1983 | Tennessee 41 | #11 Alabama 34 | On the road |
| 1960 | Arkansas 24 | #11 Texas 23 | On the road |
| 2011 | Virginia Cavaliers 24 | #12 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 21 | At home |
| 1955 | Baylor 13 | #12 Washington 7 | On the road |
| 1949 | Santa Clara 14 | #13 UCLA 0 | On the road |
Ranked vs ranked on October 15
42 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | #1 Alabama 49 | #9 Tennessee 10 | On the road · Neyland Stadium · Knoxville, Tenn. |
| 2005 | #1 USC Trojans 34 | #9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 31 | On the road · Notre Dame Stadium |
| 1994 | #6 Auburn 36 | #1 Florida 33 | On the road |
| 1988 | #4 Notre Dame 31 | #1 Miami 30 | At home |
| 1977 | #1 Michigan 56 | #14 Wisconsin 0 | At home |
| 1949 | #1 Notre Dame 46 | #4 Tulane 7 | At home |
| 2016 | #2 Ohio State 30 | #8 Wisconsin 23 | On the road · Camp Randall · Madison, Wis. |
| 2005 | #2 Texas Longhorns 42 | #24 Colorado Buffaloes 17 | At home |
| 1994 | #2 Nebraska 17 | #16 Kansas State 6 | On the road |
| 1977 | #2 Texas 13 | #8 Arkansas 9 | On the road |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | #4 Notre Dame 31 | #1 Miami 30 | 1 pt |
| 1988 | #3 USC 28 | #16 Washington 27 | 1 pt |
| 2022 | #20 Utah Utes 43 | #7 USC Trojans 42 | 1 pt |
| 1955 | #17 Auburn 14 | #5 Georgia Tech 12 | 2 pts |
| 1960 | #13 Washington 10 | #15 UCLA 8 | 2 pts |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | #1 Alabama 49 | #9 Tennessee 10 | 39 pts |
| 1949 | #1 Notre Dame 46 | #4 Tulane 7 | 39 pts |
| 1988 | Georgia Tech 34 | #8 South Carolina 0 | 34 pts |
| 2022 | #5 Michigan Wolverines 41 | #10 Penn State Nittany Lions 17 | 24 pts |
| 1988 | #7 Nebraska 63 | #10 Oklahoma State 42 | 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Toledo Rockets 52 | Kent State Golden Flashes 31 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2022 | Western Colorado 28 | Black Hills State 27 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2005 | #12 UCLA Bruins 44 | Washington State Cougars 41 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2016 | Temple 26 | UCF 25 | 18 ptsin game |
| 2011 | #8 Clemson Tigers 56 | Maryland Terrapins 45 | 18 ptsin game |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Arkansas St. 59 | Georgia St. 52 | 111 pts |
| 1988 | Houston 82 | Tulsa 28 | 110 pts |
| 1921 | Cornell 110 | Western Reserve 0 | 110 pts |
| 1932 | New Mexico State 108 | New Mexico Tech 0 | 108 pts |
| 1988 | Air Force 56 | Utah 49 | 105 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | #5 Michigan Wolverines 41 | #10 Penn State Nittany Lions 17 | 110,812 |
| 2005 | #15 Ohio State Buckeyes 35 | #16 Michigan State Spartans 24 | 105,122 |
| 2016 | #1 Alabama 49 | #9 Tennessee 10 | 102,455 |
| 2016 | LSU 45 | Southern Mississippi 10 | 102,164 |
| 2022 | #6 Tennessee Volunteers 52 | #3 Alabama Crimson Tide 49 | 101,915 |