December 5 in college football
Every December 5 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.
- 170games on file
- 13unranked wins over ranked teams
- 20ranked vs ranked meetings
- 1908–2025seasons covered
Unranked over ranked on December 5
Best rank beaten first.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Miami 49 | #3 UCLA 45 | At home |
| 1964 | Florida 20 | #6 LSU 6 | On the road |
| 2015 | Texas 23 | #12 Baylor 17 | On the road |
| 2008 | Buffalo Bulls 42 | #12 Ball State Cardinals 24 | At home |
| 2020 | TCU 29 | #15 Oklahoma St. 22 | At home · Amon G. Carter · Fort Worth, |
| 1942 | Texas A&M 21 | #15 Washington State 0 | At home |
| 2009 | Arizona Wildcats 21 | #18 USC Trojans 17 | On the road |
| 2009 | Washington Huskies 42 | #19 California Golden Bears 10 | At home |
| 1936 | Gonzaga 13 | #20 Washington State 6 | At home |
| 2020 | Rice 20 | #21 Marshall 0 | On the road · Joan C. Edwards · Huntington, W.Va. |
| 2009 | East Carolina Pirates 38 | #21 Houston Cougars 32 | At home · Dowdy-Ficklen · Greenville, NC |
| 2020 | Stanford 31 | #22 Washington 26 | On the road · Husky Stadium · Seattle, Wash. |
| 2020 | California 21 | #23 Oregon 17 | At home · Memorial Stadium · Berkeley, California |
Ranked vs ranked on December 5
20 meetings in all; the ten with the highest-ranked team are listed.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | #1 Clemson 45 | #10 North Carolina 37 | At home |
| 1998 | #1 Tennessee 24 | #23 Mississippi State 14 | Neutral site |
| 1970 | #1 Texas 42 | #4 Arkansas 7 | At home |
| 1959 | #1 Syracuse 36 | #17 UCLA 8 | On the road |
| 2015 | #2 Alabama 29 | #18 Florida 15 | At home |
| 2014 | #2 Oregon 51 | #7 Arizona 13 | Neutral site |
| 1998 | #10 Texas A&M 36 | #2 Kansas State 33 | Neutral site |
| 1992 | #2 Alabama 28 | #12 Florida 21 | Neutral site |
| 1987 | #2 Miami 20 | #8 South Carolina 16 | At home |
| 2009 | #3 Texas Longhorns 13 | #22 Nebraska Cornhuskers 12 | On the road |
One-score finishes between ranked teams
Decided by three points or fewer.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | #3 Texas Longhorns 13 | #22 Nebraska Cornhuskers 12 | 1 pt |
| 2009 | #5 Cincinnati Bearcats 45 | #15 Pittsburgh Panthers 44 | 1 pt |
| 1998 | #10 Texas A&M 36 | #2 Kansas State 33 | 3 pts |
| 2015 | #5 Michigan State 16 | #4 Iowa 13 | 3 pts |
Top-10 teams routed
The widest losses by a team ranked in the top ten.
| Season | Winner | Ranked loser | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #2 Oregon 51 | #7 Arizona 13 | 38 pts |
| 1970 | #1 Texas 42 | #4 Arkansas 7 | 35 pts |
| 1964 | Florida 20 | #6 LSU 6 | 14 pts |
| 1936 | #18 TCU 9 | #5 Santa Clara 0 | 9 pts |
| 2015 | #1 Clemson 45 | #10 North Carolina 37 | 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | #5 Cincinnati Bearcats 45 | #15 Pittsburgh Panthers 44 | 21 ptsin game |
| 2015 | Sam Houston 34 | McNeese State 29 | 17 ptsin game |
| 2020 | Missouri 50 | Arkansas 48 | 14 ptsin game |
| 2020 | #19 Iowa 35 | Illinois 21 | 14 ptsin game |
| 2015 | Louisiana-Monroe 42 | New Mexico State 35 | 14 ptsin game |
Highest-scoring games
Combined points, both teams.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Fresno State Bulldogs 53 | Illinois Fighting Illini 52 | 105 pts |
| 2020 | Texas 69 | Kansas St. 31 | 100 pts |
| 2020 | Missouri 50 | Arkansas 48 | 98 pts |
| 2020 | Eastern Mich. 53 | Western Mich. 42 | 95 pts |
| 1998 | Miami 49 | #3 UCLA 45 | 94 pts |
Biggest crowds
Announced attendance.
| Season | Winner | Loser | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | #4 Alabama Crimson Tide 32 | Florida Gators 13 | 75,514 |
| 1970 | #1 Texas 42 | #4 Arkansas 7 | 68,510 |
| 2009 | #5 Cincinnati Bearcats 45 | #15 Pittsburgh Panthers 44 | 63,387 |
| 2009 | #10 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 39 | Clemson Tigers 34 | 57,227 |
| 1993 | #10 Wisconsin 41 | #25 Michigan State 20 | 51,500 |