IRON COLLEGE FOOTBALL / On this day /November 4

November 4 in college football

Every November 4 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.

Unranked over ranked on November 4

The 27 such results, best rank beaten first; the top 14 are listed.

SeasonWinnerRanked loserWhere
1961 Minnesota 13 #1 Michigan State 0 At home · Minneapolis, MN
1939 Illinois 16 #2 Michigan 7 At home
1967 Houston 15 #5 Georgia 14 At home
1944 Duke 19 #5 Georgia Tech 13 At home
2017 Iowa 55 #6 Ohio State 24 At home · Kinnick Stadium · Iowa City, Iowa
1995 Michigan State 28 #7 Michigan 25 At home
2000 San José State 27 #9 TCU 24 At home · Spartan Stadium · San Jose, CA
1967 Oklahoma 23 #9 Colorado 0 At home
1939 Missouri 27 #10 Nebraska 13 At home
2000 Louisville 49 #13 Southern Miss 28 On the road
2023 Clemson Tigers 31 #15 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 23 At home · Memorial Stadium · Clemson, SC
2017 West Virginia 20 #15 Iowa State 16 At home · Milan Puskar Stadium · Morgantown, W.Va.
2003 Miami (OH) 33 #15 Bowling Green 10 At home · Yager Stadium
1989 California 29 #15 Arizona 28 At home

Ranked vs ranked on November 4

41 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.

SeasonWinnerLoserWhere
1950 #7 Texas 23 #1 SMU 20 At home
1939 #1 Tennessee 20 #18 LSU 0 On the road
2023 #2 Georgia Bulldogs 30 #12 Missouri Tigers 21 At home · Sanford Stadium · Athens, GA
2017 #2 Alabama 24 #19 LSU 10 At home · Bryant-Denny Stadium · Tuscaloosa, Ala.
2000 #3 Miami 41 #2 Virginia Tech 21 At home
1989 #2 Colorado 27 #3 Nebraska 21 At home
1978 #2 Penn State 27 #5 Maryland 3 At home
1961 #6 LSU 10 #2 Ole Miss 7 At home
1950 #2 Army 28 #15 Pennsylvania 13 On the road
1944 #6 Navy 32 #2 Notre Dame 13 At home

One-score finishes between ranked teams

Decided by three points or fewer.

Top-10 teams routed

The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.

SeasonWinnerRanked loserMargin
2000 #4 Florida State 54 #10 Clemson 7 47 pts
2017 Iowa 55 #6 Ohio State 24 31 pts
1978 #2 Penn State 27 #5 Maryland 3 24 pts
1967 Oklahoma 23 #9 Colorado 0 23 pts
2000 #3 Miami 41 #2 Virginia Tech 21 20 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.

SeasonWinnerLoserTrailed by
2006 North Dakota State Bison 28 UC Davis Aggies 24 24 ptsat a quarter
2023 Charlotte 49ers 33 Tulsa Golden Hurricane 26 17 ptsin game
2023 Colgate Raiders 37 Lafayette Leopards 34 17 ptsin game
2017 Liberty 27 Duquesne 24 17 ptsin game
2023 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 28 Old Dominion Monarchs 24 15 ptsin game

Highest-scoring games

Combined points, both teams.

Biggest crowds

Announced attendance.