October 17 in college football
Every October 17 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.
- 1,085games on file
- 37unranked wins over ranked teams
- 32ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1900–2025seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on October 17
The 37 such results, best rank beaten first; the top 14 are listed.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Arkansas 42 | #1 Texas 11 | At home |
| 2025 | Louisville Cardinals 24 | #2 Miami Hurricanes 21 | On the road · Hard Rock Stadium · Miami Gardens, Florida |
| 1970 | Southern Miss 30 | #4 Ole Miss 14 | On the road |
| 1953 | Stanford 21 | #4 UCLA 20 | At home |
| 2020 | Florida St. 31 | #5 North Carolina 28 | At home · Doak Campbell Stadium · Tallahassee, Florida |
| 1964 | Purdue 21 | #5 Michigan 20 | On the road |
| 1959 | Ohio State 15 | #6 Purdue 0 | At home |
| 2009 | Purdue Boilermakers 26 | #7 Ohio State Buckeyes 18 | At home |
| 1953 | Army 14 | #7 Duke 13 | At home |
| 1992 | Arizona 21 | #8 Stanford 6 | On the road |
| 1987 | Alabama 41 | #8 Tennessee 22 | At home |
| 1981 | Iowa State 34 | #8 Missouri 13 | At home |
| 1959 | Wisconsin 25 | #9 Iowa 16 | At home |
| 1942 | Duke 34 | #9 Colgate 0 | On the road |
Ranked vs ranked on October 17
32 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | #8 Arkansas 14 | #1 Texas 13 | On the road |
| 1953 | #1 Notre Dame 23 | #15 Pittsburgh 14 | At home |
| 2020 | #2 Alabama 41 | #3 Georgia 24 | At home · Bryant-Denny Stadium · Tuscaloosa, Ala. |
| 2009 | #2 Alabama Crimson Tide 20 | #22 South Carolina Gamecocks 6 | At home · Bryant-Denny Stadium |
| 1998 | #2 UCLA 41 | #11 Oregon 38 | At home |
| 1987 | #2 Nebraska 35 | #12 Oklahoma State 0 | On the road |
| 2009 | #3 Texas Longhorns 16 | #20 Oklahoma Sooners 13 | At home · Cotton Bown |
| 1981 | #3 Pittsburgh 42 | #11 Florida State 14 | At home |
| 1970 | #3 Notre Dame 24 | #18 Missouri 7 | On the road |
| 1959 | #3 Texas 13 | #12 Arkansas 12 | On the road |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | #8 Arkansas 14 | #1 Texas 13 | 1 pt |
| 1959 | #3 Texas 13 | #12 Arkansas 12 | 1 pt |
| 1959 | #11 Auburn 7 | #4 Georgia Tech 6 | 1 pt |
| 1981 | #12 Iowa 9 | #5 Michigan 7 | 2 pts |
| 1998 | #19 Colorado 19 | #22 Texas Tech 17 | 2 pts |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | Duke 34 | #9 Colgate 0 | 34 pts |
| 1981 | Arkansas 42 | #1 Texas 11 | 31 pts |
| 1987 | #13 Syracuse 48 | #10 Penn State 21 | 27 pts |
| 1981 | Iowa State 34 | #8 Missouri 13 | 21 pts |
| 1987 | Alabama 41 | #8 Tennessee 22 | 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Rutgers 55 | Indiana 52 | 25 ptsin game |
| 2020 | Memphis 50 | UCF 49 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2015 | Stephen F Austin Lumberjacks 28 | Southeastern Louisiana Lions 27 | 20 ptsin game |
| 2009 | Missouri State Bears 17 | Western Illinois Leathernecks 16 | 16 ptsin game |
| 2009 | Arizona Wildcats 43 | Stanford Cardinal 38 | 15 ptsin game |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Rutgers 55 | Indiana 52 | 107 pts |
| 1903 | Colorado School of Mines 106 | Longmont High 0 | 106 pts |
| 2015 | Portland State Vikings 59 | Montana State Bobcats 42 | 101 pts |
| 2015 | #2 Baylor 62 | West Virginia 38 | 100 pts |
| 2020 | Memphis 50 | UCF 49 | 99 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | #14 Penn State Nittany Lions 20 | Minnesota Golden Gophers 0 | 107,981 |
| 1970 | #6 Michigan 34 | Michigan State 20 | 103,580 |
| 2009 | #3 Texas Longhorns 16 | #20 Oklahoma Sooners 13 | 96,009 |
| 2009 | #2 Alabama Crimson Tide 20 | #22 South Carolina Gamecocks 6 | 92,012 |
| 2009 | Kentucky Wildcats 21 | Auburn Tigers 14 | 86,217 |