December 2 in college football
Every December 2 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.
- 233games on file
- 9unranked wins over ranked teams
- 24ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1904–2023seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on December 2
Best rank beaten first.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | UCLA Bruins 13 | #2 USC Trojans 9 | At home · The Rose Bowl · Pasadena, CA |
| 1950 | Navy 14 | #2 Army 2 | At home |
| 1939 | Boston College 14 | #10 Holy Cross 0 | At home |
| 1950 | TCU 27 | #15 SMU 13 | On the road |
| 2023 | SMU Mustangs 26 | #22 Tulane Green Wave 14 | On the road · Yulman Stadium · New Orleans, LA |
| 2010 | Arizona State Sun Devils 30 | #23 Arizona Wildcats 29 | On the road |
| 2005 | Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 40 | #23 Fresno State Bulldogs 28 | On the road · Bulldog Stadium |
| 2006 | Oregon State Beavers 35 | #24 Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors 32 | On the road |
| 2017 | Boise State 17 | #25 Fresno State 14 | At home · Albertsons Stadium · Boise, Idaho |
Ranked vs ranked on December 2
24 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | #8 Alabama Crimson Tide 27 | #1 Georgia Bulldogs 24 | Neutral site · Mercedes-Benz Stadium · Atlanta, Georgia |
| 2017 | #1 Georgia 28 | #10 Auburn 7 | On the road · Mercedes-Benz Stdm · Atlanta, GA |
| 2017 | #1 Clemson 38 | #7 Miami (Fla.) 3 | At home · Bank of America Stdm · Charlotte, N.C. |
| 2000 | #1 Oklahoma 27 | #8 Kansas State 24 | Neutral site |
| 1972 | #1 USC 45 | #10 Notre Dame 23 | At home |
| 1944 | #1 Army 23 | #2 Navy 7 | On the road |
| 2023 | #2 Michigan Wolverines 26 | #16 Iowa Hawkeyes 0 | Neutral site · Lucas Oil Stadium · Indianapolis, Indiana |
| 1995 | #2 Florida 34 | #23 Arkansas 3 | Neutral site |
| 1989 | #11 Auburn 30 | #2 Alabama 20 | At home |
| 1972 | #9 Auburn 17 | #2 Alabama 16 | At home |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | #9 Auburn 17 | #2 Alabama 16 | 1 pt |
| 2006 | #15 West Virginia Mountaineers 41 | #13 Rutgers Scarlet Knights 39 | 2 pts |
| 2023 | #8 Alabama Crimson Tide 27 | #1 Georgia Bulldogs 24 | 3 pts |
| 2000 | #1 Oklahoma 27 | #8 Kansas State 24 | 3 pts |
| 2006 | #16 Wake Forest Demon Deacons 9 | #23 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 6 | 3 pts |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | #1 Clemson 38 | #7 Miami (Fla.) 3 | 35 pts |
| 2016 | #4 Washington 41 | #8 Colorado 10 | 31 pts |
| 2017 | #5 Oklahoma 41 | #6 Texas Christian 17 | 24 pts |
| 2022 | #11 Utah Utes 47 | #4 USC Trojans 24 | 23 pts |
| 1972 | #1 USC 45 | #10 Notre Dame 23 | 22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Northern Illinois Huskies 23 | Ohio Bobcats 20 | 20 ptsin game |
| 2023 | Wartburg 31 | Wisconsin Whitewater 28 | 18 ptsin game |
| 2022 | Buffalo Bulls 23 | Akron Zips 22 | 16 ptsin game |
| 2022 | #11 Utah Utes 47 | #4 USC Trojans 24 | 14 ptsin game |
| 2023 | Idaho Vandals 20 | Southern Illinois Salukis 17 | 10 ptsin game |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | #14 UCF 62 | #20 Memphis 55 | 117 pts |
| 2017 | Florida International 63 | UMass 45 | 108 pts |
| 1990 | #11 Houston 62 | Arizona State 45 | 107 pts |
| 2017 | Sam Houston 54 | South Dakota 42 | 96 pts |
| 2006 | #15 West Virginia Mountaineers 41 | #13 Rutgers Scarlet Knights 39 | 80 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | UCLA Bruins 13 | #2 USC Trojans 9 | 90,622 |
| 2023 | #7 Texas Longhorns 49 | #18 Oklahoma State Cowboys 21 | 84,523 |
| 2023 | #8 Alabama Crimson Tide 27 | #1 Georgia Bulldogs 24 | 78,320 |
| 1989 | #16 Texas A&M 21 | Texas 10 | 76,803 |
| 2017 | #1 Georgia 28 | #10 Auburn 7 | 76,534 |