October 28 in college football
Every October 28 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.
- 1,159games on file
- 34unranked wins over ranked teams
- 30ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1902–2025seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on October 28
The 34 such results, best rank beaten first; the top 14 are listed.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Oregon State Beavers 33 | #3 USC Trojans 31 | At home · Reser Stadium |
| 1967 | Oklahoma State 10 | #3 Colorado 7 | On the road |
| 2000 | Georgia Tech 31 | #5 Clemson 28 | On the road · Memorial Stadium · Clemson, SC |
| 1966 | Miami 10 | #5 USC 7 | At home |
| 1961 | Purdue 9 | #5 Iowa 0 | At home |
| 2023 | Kansas Jayhawks 38 | #6 Oklahoma Sooners 33 | At home · David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium · Lawrence, KS |
| 1972 | Missouri 20 | #7 Colorado 17 | At home |
| 1944 | Oklahoma State 46 | #7 Tulsa 40 | On the road |
| 1961 | Northwestern 12 | #8 Notre Dame 10 | On the road |
| 1967 | Ole Miss 14 | #9 Houston 13 | At home |
| 1950 | Wisconsin 14 | #9 Northwestern 13 | At home |
| 2000 | Texas A&M 26 | #10 Kansas State 10 | At home |
| 1995 | Arizona State 35 | #10 Oregon 24 | On the road |
| 1950 | Princeton 27 | #10 Cornell 0 | At home |
Ranked vs ranked on October 28
30 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3 Oklahoma 31 | #1 Nebraska 14 | At home · Memorial Stadium |
| 1989 | #1 Notre Dame 45 | #7 Pittsburgh 7 | At home |
| 1944 | #1 Notre Dame 13 | #14 Illinois 7 | On the road |
| 2017 | #6 Ohio State Buckeyes 39 | #2 Penn State Nittany Lions 38 | At home · Ohio Stadium · Columbus, Ohio |
| 1995 | #2 Nebraska 44 | #7 Colorado 21 | On the road |
| 1989 | #9 Florida State 24 | #2 Miami 10 | At home |
| 2017 | #25 Iowa State Cyclones 14 | #4 TCU Horned Frogs 7 | At home · Jack Trice Stadium · Ames, Iowa |
| 1995 | #4 Ohio State 56 | #25 Iowa 35 | At home |
| 1939 | #7 Cornell 23 | #4 Ohio State 14 | On the road |
| 2000 | #6 Florida State 58 | #21 NC State 14 | On the road |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | #6 Ohio State Buckeyes 39 | #2 Penn State Nittany Lions 38 | 1 pt |
| 1989 | #6 Alabama 17 | #14 Penn State 16 | 1 pt |
| 1950 | #16 Clemson 13 | #17 Wake Forest 12 | 1 pt |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | #1 Notre Dame 45 | #7 Pittsburgh 7 | 38 pts |
| 1995 | #14 Kansas State 41 | #6 Kansas 7 | 34 pts |
| 1950 | Princeton 27 | #10 Cornell 0 | 27 pts |
| 1944 | Michigan 40 | #10 Purdue 14 | 26 pts |
| 1944 | #12 Navy 26 | #7 Pennsylvania 0 | 26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Arkansas Razorbacks 38 | Ole Miss Rebels 37 | 24 ptsin game |
| 2006 | #5 Texas Longhorns 35 | Texas Tech Red Raiders 31 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2023 | Morgan State Bears 32 | Norfolk State Spartans 28 | 18 ptsin game |
| 2017 | #6 Ohio State Buckeyes 39 | #2 Penn State Nittany Lions 38 | 18 ptsin game |
| 2006 | #17 Wisconsin Badgers 30 | Illinois Fighting Illini 24 | 18 ptsin game |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1905 | Notre Dame 142 | American Medical 0 | 142 pts |
| 1905 | Utah 129 | Fort Douglas 0 | 129 pts |
| 2000 | #7 Oregon 56 | Arizona State 55 | 111 pts |
| 2017 | #18 UCF 73 | Austin Peay 33 | 106 pts |
| 2000 | San José State 57 | Hawai'i 48 | 105 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Michigan Wolverines 35 | Rutgers Scarlet Knights 14 | 111,213 |
| 2017 | #6 Ohio State Buckeyes 39 | #2 Penn State Nittany Lions 38 | 109,302 |
| 2006 | #2 Michigan Wolverines 17 | Northwestern Wildcats 3 | 109,114 |
| 2023 | #10 Penn State Nittany Lions 33 | Indiana Hoosiers 24 | 107,209 |
| 2006 | #1 Ohio State Buckeyes 44 | Minnesota Golden Gophers 0 | 105,443 |