October 23 in college football
Every October 23 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.
- 1,114games on file
- 31unranked wins over ranked teams
- 32ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1901–2025seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on October 23
The 31 such results, best rank beaten first; the top 14 are listed.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Oklahoma State 31 | #5 Oklahoma 24 | On the road |
| 1965 | Rice 20 | #5 Texas 17 | On the road |
| 1971 | USC 28 | #6 Notre Dame 14 | On the road |
| 2021 | Illinois 20 | #7 Penn St. 18 | On the road · Beaver Stadium · University Park, Pennsylvania |
| 2021 | Iowa St. 24 | #8 Oklahoma St. 21 | At home · Jack Trice Stadium · Ames, Iowa |
| 1954 | Michigan 34 | #8 Minnesota 0 | At home |
| 1999 | Illinois 35 | #9 Michigan 29 | On the road · Michigan Stadium · Ann Arbor, MI |
| 1971 | Washington State 24 | #10 Stanford 23 | On the road |
| 1965 | Kentucky 28 | #10 Georgia 10 | At home |
| 1958 | South Carolina 26 | #10 Clemson 6 | At home |
| 1954 | Nebraska 20 | #11 Colorado 6 | On the road |
| 1954 | Mississippi State 12 | #12 Alabama 7 | On the road |
| 1999 | Oklahoma 51 | #13 Texas A&M 6 | At home |
| 1993 | Illinois 24 | #13 Michigan 21 | On the road |
Ranked vs ranked on October 23
32 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #11 Missouri Tigers 36 | #1 Oklahoma Sooners 27 | At home |
| 1948 | #1 Michigan 27 | #13 Minnesota 14 | On the road |
| 1937 | #1 California 20 | #11 USC 6 | At home |
| 1999 | #2 Penn State 31 | #16 Purdue 25 | On the road · Ross-Ade Stadium · West Lafayette, IN |
| 1965 | #2 Michigan State 14 | #6 Purdue 10 | On the road · West Lafayette, IN |
| 1954 | #4 Ohio State 31 | #2 Wisconsin 14 | At home |
| 1999 | #18 Texas 24 | #3 Nebraska 20 | At home · Royal-Memorial |
| 1976 | #17 Missouri 34 | #3 Nebraska 24 | On the road |
| 1937 | #3 Pittsburgh 21 | #16 Wisconsin 0 | At home |
| 2010 | #4 Auburn Tigers 24 | #6 LSU Tigers 17 | At home |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | #20 Vanderbilt 7 | #6 LSU 6 | 1 pt |
| 2010 | #13 Wisconsin Badgers 31 | #15 Iowa Hawkeyes 30 | 1 pt |
| 2004 | #13 Michigan Wolverines 16 | #12 Purdue Boilermakers 14 | 2 pts |
| 1993 | #7 Arizona 9 | #25 Washington State 6 | 3 pts |
| 1999 | #22 Ohio State 20 | #24 Minnesota 17 | 3 pts |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Michigan 34 | #8 Minnesota 0 | 34 pts |
| 1965 | #7 Notre Dame 28 | #4 USC 7 | 21 pts |
| 1958 | South Carolina 26 | #10 Clemson 6 | 20 pts |
| 1965 | Kentucky 28 | #10 Georgia 10 | 18 pts |
| 1954 | #4 Ohio State 31 | #2 Wisconsin 14 | 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | NIU 39 | Central Mich. 38 | 18 ptsin game |
| 2010 | Chattanooga Mocs 36 | Furman Paladins 28 | 18 ptsin game |
| 2010 | Toledo Rockets 31 | Ball State Cardinals 24 | 17 ptsin game |
| 2010 | #7 Michigan State Spartans 35 | Northwestern Wildcats 27 | 17 ptsin game |
| 2004 | McNeese State Cowboys 30 | Florida Intl Golden Panthers 27 | 17 ptsat a quarter |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | #16 Wake Forest 70 | Army West Point 56 | 126 pts |
| 1920 | Penn State 109 | Lebanon Valley 7 | 116 pts |
| 2004 | Tulane Green Wave 59 | UAB Blazers 55 | 114 pts |
| 2015 | #18 Memphis 66 | Tulsa 42 | 108 pts |
| 1915 | Colgate 107 | Rensselaer 0 | 107 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Illinois 35 | #9 Michigan 29 | 110,188 |
| 2021 | #6 Michigan 33 | Northwestern 7 | 109,449 |
| 2004 | #25 Iowa Hawkeyes 6 | Penn State Nittany Lions 4 | 108,062 |
| 2004 | #11 Tennessee Volunteers 17 | Alabama Crimson Tide 13 | 107,017 |
| 2021 | Illinois 20 | #7 Penn St. 18 | 105,001 |