December 3 in college football
Every December 3 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.
- 171games on file
- 3unranked wins over ranked teams
- 21ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1903–2022seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on December 3
Best rank beaten first.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | UCLA 27 | #11 Duke 6 | At home |
| 2016 | Temple 34 | #19 Navy 10 | On the road · Navy-Marine Corps MS · Annapolis, Md. |
| 2010 | Miami (OH) RedHawks 26 | #25 Northern Illinois Huskies 21 | At home |
Ranked vs ranked on December 3
21 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | #1 Georgia Bulldogs 50 | #14 LSU Tigers 30 | Neutral site · Mercedes-Benz Stadium · Atlanta, GA |
| 2016 | #1 Alabama 54 | #15 Florida 16 | On the road · Georgia Dome · Atlanta, Ga. |
| 2011 | #1 LSU Tigers 42 | #16 Georgia Bulldogs 10 | At home |
| 2005 | #1 USC Trojans 66 | #11 UCLA Bruins 19 | At home · LA Coliseum |
| 1938 | #8 USC 13 | #1 Notre Dame 0 | At home |
| 2022 | #10 Kansas State Wildcats 31 | #3 TCU Horned Frogs 28 | Neutral site · AT&T Stadium · Arlington, TX |
| 2021 | #23 Utah 38 | #3 Oregon 10 | Neutral site · Allegiant Stadium · Las Vegas, Nevada |
| 2016 | #3 Clemson 42 | #23 Virginia Tech 35 | On the road · Camping World Stdm · Orlando, Fla. |
| 2011 | #3 Oklahoma State Cowboys 44 | #14 Oklahoma Sooners 10 | At home |
| 2005 | #13 Georgia Bulldogs 34 | #3 LSU Tigers 14 | On the road · Georgia Dome · Atlanta, GA |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | #6 Florida 24 | #3 Alabama 23 | 1 pt |
| 1983 | #3 Auburn 23 | #19 Alabama 20 | 3 pts |
| 2022 | #10 Kansas State Wildcats 31 | #3 TCU Horned Frogs 28 | 3 pts |
| 2011 | #6 Wisconsin Badgers 42 | #16 Michigan State Spartans 39 | 3 pts |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | #23 Utah 38 | #3 Oregon 10 | 28 pts |
| 2005 | #13 Georgia Bulldogs 34 | #3 LSU Tigers 14 | 20 pts |
| 2016 | #9 Oklahoma 38 | #10 Oklahoma State 20 | 18 pts |
| 1938 | #8 USC 13 | #1 Notre Dame 0 | 13 pts |
| 2016 | #7 Penn State 38 | #6 Wisconsin 31 | 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | #7 Penn State 38 | #6 Wisconsin 31 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2011 | San Diego State Aztecs 35 | Fresno State Bulldogs 28 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2016 | Grambling 27 | Alcorn State 20 | 17 ptsin game |
| 2016 | Richmond 27 | North Dakota 24 | 17 ptsin game |
| 2009 | Arkansas State Red Wolves 24 | Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 20 | 17 ptsin game |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Georgia Southern Eagles 55 | Old Dominion Monarchs 48 | 103 pts |
| 2016 | Western Kentucky 58 | Louisiana Tech 44 | 102 pts |
| 2021 | Montana 57 | Eastern Wash. 41 | 98 pts |
| 2021 | UTSA 49 | Western Ky. 41 | 90 pts |
| 2022 | Samford Bulldogs 48 | SE Louisiana Lions 42 | 90 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | #1 USC Trojans 66 | #11 UCLA Bruins 19 | 92,000 |
| 2016 | #9 Oklahoma 38 | #10 Oklahoma State 20 | 87,527 |
| 2022 | #1 Georgia Bulldogs 50 | #14 LSU Tigers 30 | 74,810 |
| 2016 | #1 Alabama 54 | #15 Florida 16 | 74,632 |
| 2005 | #13 Georgia Bulldogs 34 | #3 LSU Tigers 14 | 73,717 |