October 20 in college football
Every October 20 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.
- 1,140games on file
- 23unranked wins over ranked teams
- 35ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1900–2023seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on October 20
The 23 such results, best rank beaten first; the top 14 are listed.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Purdue 49 | #2 Ohio State 20 | At home · Ross-Ade · West Lafayette, Ind. |
| 1990 | Alabama 9 | #3 Tennessee 6 | On the road |
| 1951 | Arkansas 16 | #4 Texas 14 | At home |
| 1956 | Penn State 7 | #5 Ohio State 6 | On the road |
| 2007 | Vanderbilt Commodores 17 | #6 South Carolina Gamecocks 6 | On the road · Williams-Brice Stad. · Columbia, SC |
| 1984 | Houston 29 | #6 SMU 20 | On the road |
| 1951 | TCU 20 | #6 Texas A&M 14 | At home |
| 2007 | UCLA Bruins 30 | #12 California Golden Bears 21 | At home · The Rose Bowl · Pasadena, CA |
| 1951 | Kentucky 35 | #12 Villanova 13 | At home |
| 1945 | LSU 32 | #12 Georgia 0 | On the road |
| 2021 | App State 30 | #14 Coastal Carolina 27 | At home · Kidd Brewer · Boone, North Carolina |
| 1990 | Arizona 35 | #15 USC 26 | On the road |
| 1951 | Rice 28 | #15 SMU 7 | On the road |
| 2001 | North Carolina 38 | #16 Clemson 3 | On the road · Memorial Stadium · Clemson, SC |
Ranked vs ranked on October 20
35 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | #1 Alabama 27 | #18 Tennessee 17 | At home |
| 1962 | #1 Texas 7 | #7 Arkansas 3 | At home |
| 1951 | #11 USC 21 | #1 California 14 | On the road |
| 2012 | #2 Florida Gators 44 | #7 South Carolina Gamecocks 11 | At home |
| 1990 | #6 Notre Dame 29 | #2 Miami 20 | At home |
| 1979 | #10 Arkansas 17 | #2 Texas 14 | At home |
| 1973 | #2 Alabama 42 | #10 Tennessee 21 | At home |
| 2018 | #3 Clemson Tigers 41 | #16 NC State Wolfpack 7 | At home · Memorial Stadium · Clemson, SC |
| 1973 | #3 Oklahoma 34 | #16 Colorado 7 | At home |
| 2012 | #4 Kansas State Wildcats 55 | #13 West Virginia Mountaineers 14 | On the road |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1956 | #14 Texas A&M 7 | #4 TCU 6 | 1 pt |
| 1984 | #20 West Virginia 21 | #4 Boston College 20 | 1 pt |
| 1990 | #22 Iowa 24 | #10 Michigan 23 | 1 pt |
| 1973 | #11 Nebraska 10 | #18 Kansas 9 | 1 pt |
| 1990 | #8 Illinois 15 | #24 Michigan State 13 | 2 pts |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | #2 Florida Gators 44 | #7 South Carolina Gamecocks 11 | 33 pts |
| 2018 | Purdue 49 | #2 Ohio State 20 | 29 pts |
| 1945 | #9 Purdue 35 | #4 Ohio State 13 | 22 pts |
| 1973 | #2 Alabama 42 | #10 Tennessee 21 | 21 pts |
| 1979 | #4 USC 42 | #9 Notre Dame 23 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Princeton Tigers 39 | Harvard Crimson 34 | 24 ptsin game |
| 2012 | Drake Bulldogs 34 | Marist Red Foxes 27 | 24 ptsin game |
| 2012 | Louisiana Monroe Warhawks 43 | Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 42 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2007 | Presbyterian College Blue Hose 41 | Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 34 | 21 ptsat a quarter |
| 2012 | Troy Trojans 38 | Florida Intl Golden Panthers 37 | 16 ptsin game |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | #17 Texas Tech Red Raiders 56 | #23 TCU Horned Frogs 53 | 109 pts |
| 2012 | #25 Texas Longhorns 56 | Baylor Bears 50 | 106 pts |
| 2018 | Mercer 59 | Western Carolina 46 | 105 pts |
| 2018 | Missouri 65 | Memphis 33 | 98 pts |
| 2012 | Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 70 | Idaho Vandals 28 | 98 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | #1 Ohio State Buckeyes 24 | Michigan State Spartans 17 | 105,287 |
| 2001 | #21 Ohio State 27 | San Diego State 12 | 102,432 |
| 2018 | #5 LSU 19 | #22 Mississippi State 3 | 101,340 |
| 2018 | #1 Alabama 58 | Tennessee 21 | 97,087 |
| 2007 | #4 LSU Tigers 30 | #17 Auburn Tigers 24 | 92,630 |