October 31 in college football
Every October 31 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.
- 1,075games on file
- 32unranked wins over ranked teams
- 25ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1900–2025seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on October 31
The 32 such results, best rank beaten first; the top 14 are listed.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Miami 17 | #1 Penn State 14 | At home |
| 2020 | Texas 41 | #6 Oklahoma St. 34 | On the road · Boone Pickens Stadium · Stillwater, Oklahoma |
| 1936 | Colgate 14 | #6 Army 7 | On the road |
| 1998 | Texas 20 | #7 Nebraska 16 | On the road |
| 1964 | Stanford 10 | #7 Oregon 8 | On the road |
| 1953 | Oregon 13 | #7 USC 7 | At home |
| 1959 | Duke 10 | #9 Georgia Tech 7 | On the road |
| 1942 | Baylor 10 | #9 TCU 7 | On the road |
| 1987 | Iowa 29 | #11 Indiana 21 | At home |
| 1981 | Kansas State 10 | #11 Iowa State 7 | At home |
| 1953 | Texas 16 | #11 SMU 7 | On the road |
| 1936 | Dartmouth 11 | #12 Yale 7 | On the road |
| 2020 | Michigan St. 27 | #13 Michigan 24 | On the road · Michigan Stadium · Ann Arbor, MI |
| 1987 | Boston College 20 | #13 Tennessee 18 | At home |
Ranked vs ranked on October 31
25 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | #1 LSU 7 | #3 Ole Miss 3 | At home |
| 1953 | #1 Notre Dame 38 | #20 Navy 7 | At home |
| 1942 | #6 Wisconsin 17 | #1 Ohio State 7 | At home |
| 1936 | #3 Northwestern 6 | #1 Minnesota 0 | At home |
| 1992 | #2 Washington 41 | #15 Stanford 7 | At home |
| 1970 | #2 Ohio State 24 | #20 Northwestern 10 | At home |
| 1942 | #2 Georgia 21 | #3 Alabama 10 | At home |
| 2020 | #3 Ohio St. 38 | #18 Penn St. 25 | On the road · Beaver Stadium · University Park, PA |
| 2009 | #3 Texas Longhorns 41 | #14 Oklahoma State Cowboys 14 | On the road |
| 1981 | #4 USC 41 | #14 Washington State 17 | At home |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | #20 Florida 26 | #7 Georgia 24 | 2 pts |
| 1981 | #8 Alabama 13 | #7 Mississippi State 10 | 3 pts |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | #8 Nebraska 52 | #8 Colorado 7 | 45 pts |
| 2009 | #10 Oregon Ducks 47 | #5 USC Trojans 20 | 27 pts |
| 1987 | #6 Auburn 29 | #10 Florida 6 | 23 pts |
| 1942 | #14 Pennsylvania 19 | #8 Army 0 | 19 pts |
| 1942 | #2 Georgia 21 | #3 Alabama 10 | 11 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 | New Mexico State 55 | Idaho 48 | 23 ptsin game |
| 2020 | #1 Clemson 34 | Boston College 28 | 18 ptsin game |
| 2020 | Northwestern 21 | Iowa 20 | 17 ptsin game |
| 2015 | Furman 20 | Samford 17 | 17 ptsin game |
| 2015 | #12 Oklahoma State 70 | Texas Tech 53 | 17 ptsin game |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | #12 Oklahoma State 70 | Texas Tech 53 | 123 pts |
| 2009 | North Texas Mean Green 68 | Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 49 | 117 pts |
| 1981 | #3 Clemson 82 | Wake Forest 24 | 106 pts |
| 2015 | New Mexico State 55 | Idaho 48 | 103 pts |
| 2015 | Purdue 55 | Nebraska 45 | 100 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Tennessee Volunteers 31 | #22 South Carolina Gamecocks 13 | 96,263 |
| 1987 | #20 Michigan State 13 | #15 Ohio State 7 | 89,915 |
| 2009 | Auburn Tigers 33 | #25 Ole Miss Rebels 20 | 84,756 |
| 2009 | Oklahoma Sooners 42 | Kansas State Wildcats 30 | 84,021 |
| 1959 | Ohio State 30 | Michigan State 24 | 82,130 |