October 26 in college football
Every October 26 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.
- 1,190games on file
- 32unranked wins over ranked teams
- 36ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1900–2025seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on October 26
The 32 such results, best rank beaten first; the top 14 are listed.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Ohio State 13 | #2 Wisconsin 10 | On the road |
| 1946 | Wake Forest 19 | #4 Tennessee 6 | On the road |
| 2019 | Kansas State 48 | #5 Oklahoma 41 | At home · Snyder Stadium · Manhattan, Kan. |
| 1968 | Michigan State 21 | #5 Notre Dame 17 | At home · East Lansing, MI |
| 1957 | Arkansas 12 | #6 Ole Miss 6 | At home |
| 1985 | UTEP 23 | #7 BYU 16 | At home |
| 1946 | Illinois 13 | #8 Michigan 9 | On the road |
| 1968 | Auburn 31 | #9 Miami 6 | At home |
| 1963 | Michigan State 15 | #9 Northwestern 7 | On the road · Evanston, IL |
| 2006 | Virginia Tech Hokies 24 | #10 Clemson Tigers 7 | At home |
| 2002 | Auburn 31 | #10 LSU 7 | At home · Jordan-Hare · Auburn, AL |
| 1957 | Florida 22 | #10 LSU 14 | At home |
| 1940 | Saint Mary's (CA) 9 | #11 Fordham 6 | On the road |
| 1946 | Virginia Tech 14 | #12 NC State 6 | At home |
Ranked vs ranked on October 26
36 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | #1 Oregon Ducks 38 | #20 Illinois Fighting Illini 9 | At home · Autzen Stadium · Eugene, OR |
| 1946 | #1 Army 19 | #13 Duke 0 | At home |
| 2019 | #2 LSU 23 | #9 Auburn 20 | At home · Tiger Stadium · Baton Rouge, La., LA |
| 1996 | #2 Ohio State 38 | #20 Iowa 26 | On the road |
| 1946 | #2 Notre Dame 41 | #17 Iowa 6 | On the road |
| 2019 | #3 Ohio State 38 | #13 Wisconsin 7 | At home · Ohio Stadium · Columbus, Ohio, OH |
| 2013 | #3 Oregon 42 | #12 UCLA 14 | At home |
| 1996 | #3 Florida State 31 | #14 Virginia 24 | At home |
| 1963 | #10 Navy 24 | #3 Pittsburgh 12 | At home |
| 1946 | #16 Rice 18 | #3 Texas 13 | At home |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | #20 East Carolina 24 | #23 Pittsburgh 23 | 1 pt |
| 2019 | #2 LSU 23 | #9 Auburn 20 | 3 pts |
| 2024 | #5 Texas Longhorns 27 | #25 Vanderbilt Commodores 24 | 3 pts |
| 2013 | #21 South Carolina 27 | #5 Missouri 24 | 3 pts |
| 1996 | #25 Miami 10 | #12 West Virginia 7 | 3 pts |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | #11 California 43 | #10 Syracuse 0 | 43 pts |
| 2019 | #19 Michigan 45 | #8 Notre Dame 14 | 31 pts |
| 1968 | Auburn 31 | #9 Miami 6 | 25 pts |
| 2002 | #13 Iowa 34 | #8 Michigan 9 | 25 pts |
| 2002 | Auburn 31 | #10 LSU 7 | 24 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 | Tulsa Golden Hurricane 46 | UTSA Roadrunners 45 | 28 ptsin game |
| 2013 | SMU 59 | Temple 49 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2024 | Brown Bears 23 | Cornell Big Red 21 | 18 ptsin game |
| 2019 | Stony Brook 36 | Villanova 35 | 18 ptsin game |
| 2024 | Indiana State Sycamores 20 | Southern Illinois Salukis 17 | 17 ptsin game |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | Michigan 128 | Buffalo 0 | 128 pts |
| 2013 | SMU 59 | Temple 49 | 108 pts |
| 2024 | South Carolina State Bulldogs 69 | Delaware State Hornets 35 | 104 pts |
| 2013 | Princeton 51 | Harvard 48 | 99 pts |
| 2002 | UL Monroe 51 | Utah State 48 | 99 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | #19 Michigan 45 | #8 Notre Dame 14 | 111,909 |
| 2024 | Michigan Wolverines 24 | Michigan State Spartans 17 | 110,849 |
| 2024 | #14 Texas A&M Aggies 38 | #8 LSU Tigers 23 | 108,852 |
| 2013 | #4 Ohio St. 63 | Penn St. 14 | 105,889 |
| 2002 | #4 Ohio State 13 | #18 Penn State 7 | 105,103 |